MEMS Technology for Optical Switching

Abstract

Over the last ten years, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices have received attention in many application areas such microwave, wireless, and optical networks. Especially in optical networks, MEMS technology is employed to provide the advantages of large switch matrix size with low loss at an optimum cost [1,2]. Therefore, optical switches based MEMS technology are now widely used and are considered a good option for optical switching networks. Moreover, they also provide wavelength insensitivity, polarization insensitivity, scalability, and very low crosstalk [3-5]. MEMS optical switches provide fast switching speeds ranging from milliseconds to several hundred microseconds. In this article, MEMS-based optical switches are reviewed including their advantages and disadvantages.