Optical fibre alignment using micromachines

This paper discusses the use of micromachined actuators for aligning optical fibres. A number of test actuators including comb structures, magnetic fluid positioners, piezoelectric fibre positioners and electrostatic micro-relays have been designed. Some of these structures were post-processed using the anisotropic etchants EDP and TMAH. Experiments with etchants revealed that multilayer aluminum/polysilicon structures are required to maintain structural integrity and minimize the effect of internal stresses. In addition, SiO ₂ can be used to protect other process layers from the etching process