Digital optical space switch based on micromotor grating scanners

We present the design of a new class of optical space switch based on the use of grating beam deflectors mounted on electrostatic micromachined micromotors. The micromotors are used to position the beam deflectors according to the selected output channels. Due to the nature of the micromotor movement, switching is digital. Switching speeds of up to 12 ms have been achieved, with a maximum crosstalk of 61.9- and 22.94-dB attenuation. This high attenuation is mainly due to the simple grating fabrication process used, and could be greatly reduced with a more specialized process. Calculations of scalability are also presented.