The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 30, 1998
Filed:
Oct. 23, 1996
Terrance G McDonald, Plano, TX (US);
Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, TX (US);
Abstract
An architecture for a compact, 1.times.N optical switch. The switch package receives light from an input optical fiber (12b), which is directed over a well or gap at the bottom of which lies a micromechanical structure (10). If the structure is in an unaddressed state, the light travels into an in line output optical fiber (12a). If the structure (10) is in an addressed state, it intercepts the light and reflects it out of the plane of the input optical fiber to an offset mirror (24). The offset mirror (24) then reflects the light to one output fiber (16a, 16b). The offset mirror may have steps such that more than one optical fiber could become the output fiber, depending upon the structure's position.