Asia Pacific Microsystems, Inc.

Asian Pacific Microsystems, Inc.

Chengkuo Lee

Wen-Chih Chen

Chih-Chung Chen

Yen-Jyh Lai

Jer-Liang Andrew Yeh

Shu-Hui Tsai

Chia-Yu Wu

Yi-Mou Huang

Ming-Hung Tsai

Chihchung Chen

Electrostatically operated micro-optical devices and method of manufacturing such devices is disclosed. In a preferred embodiment, the micro-optical devices using electrostatic comb drive actuators having new spring designs to overcome side instability and exhibit enlarged displacement, having new designs of comb finger electrode shapes to generate larger force output, and having new clip type latch mechanism to control the corresponding device at certain states in an analog manner without electrical power consumption. Based on the proposed optical path and device configurations, integration and assembly of a plurality of reflective micro-mirrors in conjunction with proposed new comb drive actuators is very promising way to provide micro-optical devices to get good optical performance and suitable for multi-channel applications. We also disclose several process techniques to manufacture the micro-optical devices with said electrostatic comb drive actuator in a mass production manner with higher yield.

Electrostatically operated micro-optical devices and method for manufacturing thereof

A variable optical attenuator for providing a new light attenuation mechanism based on using at least one of tilted mirrors to change and control the beam direction of reflected light beam toward output optical port in a two dimensional light path configuration is demonstrated to achieve the light attenuation in terms of changing and controlling the coupling loss among input optical port, reflective tilted mirrors, and output optical port. The tilted mirror is supported and connected by a suspended flexure spring at one side. This suspended spring is connected with tilted mirror at one side and is anchored on a substrate at the other side via a post (or a pivot). When the tilted mirror is driven by an actuator to generate movement including rotational mirror deflection and parallel mirror shifted displacement, the reflected light beam path is changed according to the particular mirror positions. The attenuation value is modified and controlled by the coupled light of reflected light beam to output port. The structure and materials of variable optical attenuator is designed and chose to be robust to environment mechanical and thermal noise.

Variable optical attenuator

Disclosed is a retro-reflective type optical signal processing device and method, particularly to a device includes a set of optical mirror planes with retro-reflective type layout and configuration, and a set of micro-shutters controlled by microelectromechanical actuators, whereas the optical signals in propagation can be blocked or partially blocked in terms of the position of said a set of micro-shutters corresponding to the optical signal transmission path, thereby the method of said approach to determine the range of attenuated optical signal is a variable optical attenuation function demonstrated by present invention. Such a retro-reflective type optical signal processing device and method further comprises a set of three reflective mirrors and micro-shutters with reflective mirrors. Thereby this device has the capability to switch 2 sets of retro-reflected optical light transmission paths, the method of said approach is a demonstration of 2&#xd7;2 optical switching function.

Retro-reflective type optical signal processing device and method

Disclosed is an optical switch using V-beam electrothermal actuators, buckle beam springs, and movement translation mechanism with its bi-directional movable latched function for optical communication applications. In the preferred embodiments, various layout combinations of the V-beam electrothermal actuators, the buckle beam springs, a reflective mirror shutter connected to a shutter beam, and spatial joint to enable various operation approaches to realize the bi-stable switching function without external electrical load and electrical power consumption of said optical switch regarding the input optical signals transmitting toward the output channels, or the input optical signals transmitting forward to the reflective mirror shutter and then being reflected toward the output channel. The forward moving displacement generated by electrothermal V-beam actuators will move the shutter beam and reflective mirror shutter from one stable position to another stable position of the bi-stable positions of latched optical switch. The buckle beam springs exert spring force due to its natural deflection onto the shutter beam against the force from actuators, environment vibrations, and shocks, etc.; thus the optical switch performs the latch function with any external electrical load and electrical power consumption.

Optical switch

A package structure and method for making devices of system-in-a-package (SiP). Substrates with integrated and assembled elements can be aligned and pre-bonded together, and fluidic encapsulating materials is applied to seal the rest opening of pre-bonded interface of substrates. Three dimensional and protruding microstructures, elements, and MFMS devices can be accommodated and protected inside a spatial space formed by the bonded substrates. By applying the technologies of flip-chip, chip-scale-packaging, and wafer-level-packaging in conjunction with present invention, then plural elements and devices can be packaged together and become a system device in wafer-level-system-in-a-package (WLSiP) format.

Package structure and method for making the same

A bulk acoustic wave multiplexer controlled by micro-electro-mechanical switches, it comprises: a substrate; a wave-filtering device disposed on the substrate; an input port disposed on one side of the wave-filtering device; an output port disposed on another side of the wave-filtering device; and micro-electro-mechanical switches disposed on the wave-filtering device for controlling the bulk acoustic wave multiplexer; the present invention provides a bulk acoustic wave multiplexer device having miniaturized size and less interference integrated with micro-electro-mechanical switch devices, so as to operate multiplexing function.

Growing community of inventors

Taipei, Taiwan

Chengkuo Lee