Monolithic integration of MEMS based phase shifters and optical waveguides in silicon-on-insulator

We demonstrate how to monolithically combine silicon waveguides with MEMS-based phase shifters in a single SOI chip. We design and test a folded Mach-Zehnder interferometer switch with 21 dB extinction in the cross port and 10.4 dB extinction in the bar port. The phase shifters have negligible power consumption and a switching time of 150 ms. Actuation voltage 45 V is sufficient for switching.