A fiber optic switch producing optical connections with very low light losses. The switch has constant mechanical and optical properties over long periods of operation. Adjusting elements act on the end of at least one light conductor to move the end face of the light conductor in the axial and transverse directions. The end face can then be moved opposite to and into contact with the end face of another light conductor.

Fiber optic switch

A piezoelectric optical switch includes a piezoelectrical element having an optical fiber affixed thereto. A second optical fiber is placed in general proximity to the first optical fiber so that, upon application of a first voltage to the piezoelectric element, the optical fibers are caused to be aligned, and wherein upon application of a different voltage to the element, the optical fibers are caused to be nonaligned. The switch can include a nonpiezoelectric cantilever beam having a fixed end and a free end and adapted to be bent along an axis adjoining the two ends. One optical fiber is affixed to the beam. A plurality of optical fibers, each in general proximity to and each adapted to be selectively aligned with the one optical fiber, is provided. A piezoelectric bending element, having opposite ends coupled to fixed supports, has a medial portion coupled to the cantilever beam near the fixed end. Thus, upon application of a first voltage to the bending element, the first optical fiber is caused to be aligned with a specific one of the plurality of optical fibers. Upon application of a different voltage to the bending element, the first optical fiber is caused to be aligned with a specific different one of the plurality of optical fibers.

Piezoelectric optical switch

Status is reviewed of various applications of bimorphs composed of PVF2 piezoelectric films. Fundamental properties of different device structures were discussed with respect to the voltage-induced bending motion, generated force, frequency response, gravity deformation, and the influence of temperature. The applications discussed were displays, a light shutter, deformable mirrors, an optical fiber switch, and an air-flow generating fan.

Voltage-Induced large amplitude bending device-PVF2 Bimorph-its properties and applications

Two fixed input optical fibers may be aligned with two movable output optical fibers. The two output fibers are moved by exchanging the positions so that either output fiber may be optically aligned with either input fiber. In another optical switch either one of two movable fibers may be optically aligned with either one of two fixed fibers by rotating the movable member. In yet another optical switch a movable fiber may be aligned with one of a number of fixed optical fibers by rotating the movable member using a stepping motor. The angular positions of the fixed fibers are such that the input fiber is optically aligned with any one of the fibers by rotating the input fiber by a number of steps of the stepping motor.

A device has a waveguide, such as monomode fiber, for receiving a light beam and retransmitting specific portions of the light in a reemitted beam, which reemitted beam can be moved in space To move the reemitted beam, the device has an arrangement for moving an end portion of the light waveguide adjacent the outlet surface to change the direction of the reemitted beam The waveguide, such as the cladded optical fiber, can be either provided with a mode stripper or is of a sufficient length so that cladding modes will be eliminated before reaching the outlet surface To move the end of the waveguide, various arrangements, which can utilize either an electro-magnet, a piezoelectric device or other suitable movement devices, are utilized The device usually includes outlet optics for the reemitted beam and these optics can either be a gradient lens secured on the outlet surface of the waveguide or a lens which is spaced a distance from the outlet surface

Device for producing a moving light beam

Optical fiber communications need optical switches. For a multimode fiber system, an optical fiber switch is suitable for a low switching loss. At present, an optical fiber switch has low switching speed. Short switching time in a system results in increased traffic handling capacity. In this Letter, an optical fiber switch driven by PZT bimorph is presented as one attempt at switching speed improvement. Chattering, which is one cause of low switching speed, is reduced by applying a multistep voltage. The 1 × 2 optical switch consisted of one movable optical fiber and two fixed optical fibers, as shown in Fig. 1. The movable optical fiber was driven by a PZT ceramics bimorph. The optical fiber used in this experiment was a multimode fiber of the step-index type with a 60-μm core diam and 150-μm outer diam. The bimorph was constructed with two Fig. 1. Optical fiber switch description.

Yutaka Ohmori

Papers

Optical fiber switch driven by PZT bimorph

Fibre switch of 1*93: an experimental trial