Microfluidic control for waveguide optical switches, variable attenuators, and other optical devices

• Main Authors: KENNEY JOHN T, TICKNOR ANTHONY J, SAVILLE DUDLEY A, PURCHASE KEN G, VACCA GIACOMO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 20.04.2006
• Subjects: BLASTING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL LABORATORY APPARATUS FOR GENERAL USE; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MIXING, e.g. DISSOLVING, EMULSIFYING, DISPERSING; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS; PUMPS FOR LIQUIDS OR ELASTIC FLUIDS; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

Devices utilize elements carried by a fluid in a microchannel to switch, attenuate, shutter, filter, or phase shift optical signals. In certain embodiments, a microchannel carries a gaseous or liquid slug that interacts with at least a portion of the optical power of an optical signal traveling through a waveguide. The microchannel may form part of the cladding of the waveguide, part of the core and the cladding, or part of the core only. The microchannel may also have ends or may be configured as a loop or continuous channel. The fluid devices may be self-latching or may be semi-latching. The fluid in the microchannel is moved using e.g., e.g., electrocapillarity, differential-pressure electrocapillarity, electrowetting, continuous electrowetting, electrophoresis, electroosmosis, dielectrophoresis, electro-hydrodynamic electrohydrodynamic pumping, magneto-hydrodynamic magnetohydrodynamic pumping, thermocapillarity, thermal expansion, dielectric pumping, and/or variable dielectric pumping.