MEMS optical switch module and multi-port optical circuit switching device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of optical communication, in particular to an MEMS optical switch module and a multi-port optical circuit switching device. The MEMS optical switch module comprises at least one MEMS optical switch unit, each MEMS optical switch unit comprises a substrate and an MEMS optical path control mechanism arranged on the substrate, a bonding pad is arranged on one side of the substrate, or bonding pads are arranged on the two adjacent sides of the substrate respectively, the bonding pads are used for being connected with a circuit board in a bonding mode, and the bonding pads are used for being connected with the circuit board in a bonding mode. The bonding pad is located on the outer ring of the formed splicing pattern, and the MEMS optical switch unit can collimate and / or deflect an incident light beam through the MEMS optical path control mechanism so that the incident light beam can be transmitted to a target port. By adopting the mode, the flexible splicing use of the MEMS optical switch module can be realized, the expandability and replaceability are improved, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical communication technologies, and particularly to a MEMS optical switch module and a multi-port optical circuit switching device. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the Internet, the demand for high-speed and high-capacity optical communication networks is increasing day by day. The optical circuit switching system (OCS) is a technology that directly transmits data through optical paths in an optical fiber network without converting optical signals into electrical signals, thereby achieving end-to-end connection, and plays an important role in improving network resource utilization, enhancing network reliability and flexibility. Traditional OCS technologies, such as mechanical optical switch matrices, have disadvantages such as large volume, high power consumption, slow switching speed, and poor reliability, and are difficult to meet the growing demands of modern optical communication networks.

[0003] The emergence of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology has brought new opportunities for the development of OCS. MEMS is a new technology that combines microelectronic technology and micromachining technology, and can integrate various functional components such as mechanical structures, sensors, actuators, and electronic circuits on a tiny chip. Applying MEMS technology in OCS can achieve miniaturization, low power consumption, and high-speed switching of optical switches. The MEMS optical switch controls the on / off and switching of the optical path by the movement of the micro-mechanical structure. Its basic principle is to make micro-mechanical structures such as micromirrors and microcantilever beams displace or rotate through driving methods such as electrostatic, electromagnetic, and thermal, thereby changing the propagation path of the optical signal. Compared with traditional mechanical optical switches, MEMS optical switches have the advantages of small volume, light weight, low power consumption, fast response speed, and easy integration.

[0004] However, since the current MEMS chip wiring design is a four-side pad design scheme, and the micromirrors are usually integrated on a whole chip, when applied to a multi-port cross-connector, even more than a thousand micromirrors need to be integrated on a single chip, the manufacturing difficulty of the micromirror array increases geometrically. At the same time, once there is damage at an individual position, the whole chip will be scrapped, greatly increasing the cost. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a MEMS optical switch module and a multi-port optical circuit switching device, which can realize the flexible splicing and use of the MEMS optical switch module, improve scalability and replaceability, and reduce production costs.

[0006] The present invention discloses a MEMS optical switch module, comprising: at least one MEMS optical switch unit, wherein the MEMS optical switch unit includes a substrate, and a MEMS optical path control mechanism disposed on the substrate, a pad is disposed on one side of the substrate, or pads are respectively disposed on two adjacent sides of the substrate, the pads are used for bonding connection with a circuit board, the pads are located on the outer circle of the formed splicing pattern, and the MEMS optical switch unit can collimate and / or deflect an incident light beam through the MEMS optical path control mechanism to transmit it to a target port.

[0007] Optionally, the number of the MEMS optical switch units is set to two; a pad is disposed on one side of one of the substrates, and pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of the other substrate; or pads are disposed on one side of the two substrates; or pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of the two substrates.

[0008] Optionally, the number of the MEMS optical switch units is set to three; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units is in a "one" shape or an L shape.

[0009] Optionally, the number of the MEMS optical switch units is set to four; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units is in a "one" shape, a "field" shape or an L shape.

[0010] Optionally, the number of the MEMS optical switch units is set to 5 to 8, and the sides of adjacent MEMS optical switch units are aligned.

[0011] Optionally, there are multiple MEMS optical switch units, and some of the MEMS optical switch units are arranged at an angle to each other.

[0012] Optionally, a pad is disposed on one side of at least one of the substrates, or pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of at least one of the substrates.

[0013] Optionally, the structural forms of the MEMS optical path control mechanisms on each MEMS optical switch unit are different.

[0014] Optionally, the splicing pattern includes a solid pattern, a hollow pattern or a pattern with a notch.

[0015] The present invention also discloses a multi-port optical circuit switching device, comprising the MEMS optical switch module according to any one of the above.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the MEMS optical switch module and the multi-port optical circuit switching device provided by the embodiments of the present invention are as follows: According to the different numbers of ports, only one MEMS optical switch unit can be used to control the optical path. When the number of ports is increased, the number of corresponding MEMS optical switch units can be increased as needed. In this way, when increasing the number of ports, according to the existing structural form of the MEMS optical switch unit, the MEMS optical path control mechanism corresponding to the MEMS optical switch unit to be added can be designed without changing the original MEMS optical switch unit, avoiding the abandonment of the previously produced MEMS optical switch units, which is beneficial to the reuse rate of the MEMS optical switch units and reduces the production cost. In addition, by setting the MEMS optical switch units in a form that can be spliced with each other, the area occupied by a single MEMS optical switch unit can be made smaller. Under the condition of a fixed wafer size, the corners of the wafer can be better utilized, which is beneficial to dividing out more substrates, thereby improving the output of the MEMS optical switch units and further reducing the production cost. At the same time, by adopting the method of splicing and using multiple MEMS optical switch units, fewer micromirrors can be set on a single MEMS optical switch unit, reducing the operation difficulty, having low process requirements, being convenient for production and use, and when a certain MEMS optical switch unit is damaged, the single MEMS optical switch unit can be directly replaced without replacing the entire MEMS optical switch module, which is also beneficial to reducing the production cost. It can be understood that pads are provided on one side of the substrate, or pads are provided on two adjacent sides of the substrate, which is beneficial to the splicing and use of multiple MEMS optical switch units, facilitating the splicing to form different setting forms, enabling the flexible splicing and use of the MEMS optical switch module, improving the scalability and replaceability, and reducing the production cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The technical solutions of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiments of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is one of the structural schematic diagrams of the MEMS optical switch unit provided by the embodiments of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is the second structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch unit provided by the embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is the second structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5It is the third structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6 It is the fourth structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7 It is the fifth structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8 It is the sixth structural schematic diagram of the MEMS optical switch module provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Each reference numeral in the figure is as follows:

[0027] 100, MEMS optical switch module; 110, MEMS optical switch unit; 112, substrate; 114, pad. Detailed implementation manners

[0028] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0029] As Figures 1 to 5 shown, the embodiment of the present invention provides a MEMS optical switch module 100, including: at least one MEMS optical switch unit 110, the MEMS optical switch unit 110 includes a substrate 112, and a MEMS optical path control mechanism disposed on the substrate 112. A pad 114 is disposed on one side of the substrate 112, or pads 114 are respectively disposed on two adjacent sides of the substrate 112. The pad 114 is used for bonding connection with a circuit board. The pad 114 is located on the outer ring of the formed splicing pattern, and the MEMS optical switch unit 110 can collimate and / or deflect an incident light beam through the MEMS optical path control mechanism to transmit it to a target port.

[0030] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the MEMS optical path control mechanism housing can be flexibly set according to needs to meet the optical path requirements, and the MEMS optical path control mechanism can adopt common setting forms to achieve the control of the optical path. For example, electrostatic drive can be adopted: an external voltage is applied to the micromirror, and the vibration and movement of the structure are realized through the electric field force. Voltage drive usually uses an adjustable voltage source or a drive circuit, which can provide control over the vibration frequency and amplitude applied to the micromirror. Thermal drive can also be adopted: the micromirror is driven by the temperature change caused by the thermal effect. For example, the control of the micromirror is realized by using a combination of materials with different thermal expansion coefficients or through electrothermal devices. Electromagnetic drive can also be adopted: an external magnetic field is used to apply a force to the micromirror, thereby realizing its vibration and movement. Usually, an electromagnetic driver or a permanent magnet driver is used to provide a stable magnetic field, and the micromirror is controlled by changing the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field. In practical applications, for different application scenarios and in combination with process conditions, it is only necessary to reasonably select different MEMS drive methods and design the micromirror in combination with the drive target, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific restrictions on this.

[0031] The MEMS optical switch module 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application can control the optical path by only using one MEMS optical switch unit 110 according to different numbers of ports. When the number of ports is increased, the number of corresponding MEMS optical switch units 110 can be increased as needed. In this way, when the number of ports is increased, the MEMS optical path control mechanism corresponding to the MEMS optical switch unit 110 to be added can be designed according to the existing structural form of the MEMS optical switch unit 110, without changing the original MEMS optical switch unit 110, avoiding the waste of the previously produced MEMS optical switch units 110, being beneficial to the reuse rate of the MEMS optical switch units 110, and reducing the production cost. In addition, by setting the MEMS optical switch units 110 to be spliced and used with each other, the area occupied by a single MEMS optical switch unit 110 can be made smaller. Under the condition of a fixed wafer size, the corners of the wafer can be better utilized, which is beneficial to dividing out more substrates 112, thereby improving the output of the MEMS optical switch units 110 and being beneficial to further reducing the production cost. At the same time, by adopting the method of splicing and using multiple MEMS optical switch units 110 with each other, fewer micromirrors can be arranged on a single MEMS optical switch unit 110, reducing the operation difficulty, having low requirements for the process, being convenient for production and use, and when a certain MEMS optical switch unit 110 is damaged, the single MEMS optical switch unit 110 can be directly replaced without replacing the entire MEMS optical switch module 100, which is also beneficial to reducing the production cost. It can be understood that pads 114 are arranged on one side of the substrate 112, or pads 114 are respectively arranged on two adjacent sides of the substrate 112, which is beneficial to the splicing and use of multiple MEMS optical switch units 110, being convenient for splicing to form different setting forms, being able to realize the flexible splicing and use of the MEMS optical switch module 100, improving the scalability and replaceability, and reducing the production cost.

[0032] Among them, the pads 114 serve as the input and output interfaces of the chip. Through the pads 114, the internal circuit of the MEMS optical switch unit 110 can be connected to the external circuit to realize data transmission and signal processing. Moreover, the form that the pads 114 are arranged on one side of the substrate 112 of the MEMS optical switch unit 110, or the pads 114 are respectively arranged on two adjacent sides of the substrate 112, while facilitating the splicing and use of multiple MEMS optical switch units 110, can also reduce the complexity of the circuit board, improve the production efficiency and reliability, and is beneficial to improving the convenience and reliability of the bonding connection when the pads 114 are bonded to the circuit board. In addition, the pads 114 are located on the outer circle of the formed splicing pattern, making the spacing between the MEMS optical switch units 110 more closely fitted, being beneficial to improving the space utilization rate and reducing the overall size.

[0033] Such as Figure 6As shown, in an alternative embodiment of the present application, two MEMS optical switch units 110 are provided; pads 114 are provided on one side of one substrate 112, and pads 114 are provided on two adjacent sides of the other substrate 112; or pads 114 are provided on one side of the two substrates 112; or pads 114 are provided on two adjacent sides of the two substrates 112.

[0034] Specifically, when the MEMS optical switch module 100 is formed by splicing two MEMS optical switch units 110, the two MEMS optical switch units 110 can be arranged side by side, or can be arranged in the Figure 6 horn-shaped manner shown, which can be flexibly set according to actual needs, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations thereto. In addition, the positions of the pads 114 on the substrates 112 corresponding to the two MEMS optical switch units 110 can also be flexibly selected according to actual needs and the design form of the circuit on the circuit board, as long as the overall processing and production process can be simplified.

[0035] As Figure 7 shown, in an alternative embodiment of the present application, three MEMS optical switch units 110 are provided; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units 110 is a "one" shape or an L shape.

[0036] Specifically, in actual applications, due to different port numbers and different installation positions, the structural forms of the multi-port optical circuit switching device are also different. In order to better match different assembly environments, the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units 110 can be set as a "one" shape or an L shape to meet different needs.

[0037] As Figure 1 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, in an alternative embodiment of the present application, four MEMS optical switch units 110 are provided; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units 110 is a "one" shape, a "field" shape or an L shape.

[0038] It can be understood that the more the number of MEMS optical switch units 110, the more situations with increased port numbers can be handled, which is beneficial to ensuring the stability of optical communication. The specific splicing pattern can be set according to needs to meet the requirements of optical path transmission and specific space settings.

[0039] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the number of MEMS optical switch units 110 is set to 5 to 8, and the sides of adjacent MEMS optical switch units 110 are aligned.

[0040] Adopting the above form is beneficial to better improving the space utilization rate. For example, as Figure 8As shown in the figure, when the number of MEMS optical switch units 110 is set to 8, in order to improve the space utilization rate, the sides of adjacent MEMS optical switch units 110 are aligned, and the pads 114 are located on the outer circle of the splicing pattern, so as to avoid affecting the close arrangement of adjacent MEMS optical switch units 110 when bonding between the pads 114 and the circuit board.

[0041] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, there are multiple MEMS optical switch units 110, and some of the MEMS optical switch units 110 are arranged at an angle.

[0042] Among them, setting the number of MEMS optical switch units 110 to 2 to 8 can already meet the current needs. In the case of more ports, the number of MEMS optical switch units 110 can also be appropriately increased according to the situation. In addition, when splicing the MEMS optical switch units 110, some of the MEMS optical switch units 110 can be arranged side by side, that is, in the form where the sides of adjacent MEMS optical switch units 110 are aligned, or some of the MEMS optical switch units 110 can be arranged at an angle, that is, in the form corresponding to the sharp corners of the MEMS optical switch units 110.

[0043] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, when multiple MEMS optical switch units 110 are provided, pads 114 are provided on one side of at least one substrate 112, or pads 114 are provided on two adjacent sides of at least one substrate 112.

[0044] Specifically, in order to better ensure that the pads 114 are located on the outer circle of the splicing pattern, facilitate improving the compactness of the splicing of the MEMS optical switch units 110, and the convenience of subsequent bonding, the positions of the pads 114 can be flexibly set to better meet the required splicing requirements.

[0045] It can be understood that the structural forms of the MEMS optical path control mechanisms on each MEMS optical switch unit 110 are different. According to the positions and numbers of the ports, during the optical transmission process, multiple MEMS optical switch units 110 need to cooperate with each other to achieve the corresponding optical paths. Therefore, there are differences in the MEMS optical path control mechanisms on the MEMS optical switch units 110 at different splicing positions, and in actual applications, they can be flexibly set according to actual needs.

[0046] In an alternative embodiment of the present application, the splicing pattern includes a solid pattern, a hollow pattern or a pattern with a notch. In actual applications, as long as it can be better applied to a multi-port optical circuit switching device.

[0047] The present invention also discloses a multi-port optical circuit switching device, which includes the MEMS optical switch module 100 in the foregoing embodiment. This multi-port optical circuit switching device has the same structure and beneficial effects as the MEMS optical switch module 100 in the foregoing embodiment. The structure and beneficial effects of the MEMS optical switch module 100 have been described in detail in the foregoing embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0048] It should be understood that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit them. Those skilled in the art can modify the technical solutions described in the above embodiments or equivalently replace some of the technical features therein; and all such modifications and replacements should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A MEMS optical switch module, characterized in that: Comprising: At least one MEMS optical switch unit, the MEMS optical switch unit comprising a substrate, and a MEMS optical path control mechanism disposed on the substrate, a pad being disposed on one side of the substrate, or pads being respectively disposed on two adjacent sides of the substrate, the pads being used for bonding connection with a circuit board, the pads being located on the outer ring of the formed splicing pattern, and the MEMS optical switch unit being capable of collimating and / or deflecting an incident light beam through the MEMS optical path control mechanism so as to transmit it to a target port.

2. The MEMS optical switch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MEMS optical switch unit is provided as two; a pad is disposed on one side of one of the substrates, and pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of the other substrate; or pads are disposed on one side of the two substrates; or pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of the two substrates.

3. The MEMS optical switch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MEMS optical switch unit is provided as three; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units is in a "one"-shape or an L-shape.

4. The MEMS optical switch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MEMS optical switch unit is provided as four; the splicing pattern formed by the MEMS optical switch units is in a "one"-shape, a "field"-shape or an L-shape.

5. The MEMS optical switch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MEMS optical switch unit is provided as 5 to 8, and the sides of adjacent MEMS optical switch units are aligned.

6. The MEMS optical switch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MEMS optical switch unit is multiple, and some of the MEMS optical switch units are arranged at an angle to each other.

7. The MEMS optical switch module according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that: A pad is disposed on one side of at least one of the substrates, or pads are disposed on two adjacent sides of at least one of the substrates.

8. The MEMS optical switch module according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The structural forms of the MEMS optical path control mechanisms on each MEMS optical switch unit are different.

9. The MEMS optical switch module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The splicing pattern includes a solid pattern, a hollow pattern or a pattern with a notch.

10. A multi-port optical circuit switching device, characterized in that: Comprising the MEMS optical switch module according to any one of claims 1-9.

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