Abstract
Ever since the invention of telegram and telephone, human beings for the first time have the ability to communicate with each other with the speed of light. Even further, the invention of fiber keeps pushing the communication from not just speed but also to quantity and quality. Although the fiber has advantages such as large bandwidth, low loss, low cost, lightweight, high integrity, anti-corrosion, information security and immunity to EM disturbance, the real capacity of fiber has never been reached due to the lack of efficient devices to manipulate light. In real optical network the mechanical components have been used on switching or attenuating light signals for a long time. But those traditional mechanical components are heavy and response slowly compared to the demands of modern desires. Therefore it is imperative to develop efficient devices for that purpose, and MEMS seems to point out a way. In this research, a novel variable optical attenuator has been proposed for further studies. In this article, we have done literature surveys for all kinds of methodologies to attenuate light signals. And we concluded shutter-based MEMS VOA has the benefits of high speed, low power, large dynamic range and low polarization loss. By using shutter-based method, a novel VOA has been proposed with detailed mechanical and optical characteristic simulations including mechanical/optical static response and insertion loss of fiber positions and shutter positions. The device is fabricated with the BELST II process and detailed description of the process is recorded. Finally the novel VOA is characterized with mechanical static measurement, mechanical dynamic measurement, fatigue test, insertion loss, optical dynamic range and back reflection loss.