1 × 4 Optical switch based on a four discrete position digital actuator

In this paper, a 1 × 4 fiber optical switch based on an electromagnetic digital actuator having four discrete positions is presented. The mobile part of the actuator consists of a permanent magnet which can switch along two orthogonal directions and between four discrete positions. A mirror, fixed on the top side of the mobile part, reflects the collimated optical signal from an input fiber to one of four reception fibers depending on the mobile magnet position. The design of the digital actuator and the architecture of the switch are firstly described. An experimental prototype of the switch is then presented and experimental results are shown to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed switch.