A positioning of optical fiber by ultrasonic standing vibration for optical fiber switch/array applications

This study presents a method for positioning of optical fibers based on the nature of elastic standing vibrations. An optical fiber placed on a vibrating body is forced to move to the nodal position of the vibration and rests there. The fiber is displaced to another node by switching the vibration modes. This principle is applied to an optical fiber switch by using flexural vibration of a small metal beam excited by a piezoelectric element. The switching characteristics are measured and evaluated. A multiple-step operation is also demonstrated experimentally.