Patent attributes
Hybrid optical integration places very strict manufacturing tolerances and performance requirements upon the multiple elements to exploit passive alignment techniques as well as having additional processing requirements. Alternatively, active alignment and soldering/fixing where feasible is also complex and time consuming with 3, 4, or 6-axis control of each element. However, microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems can sense, control, and activate mechanical processes on the micro scale. Beneficially, therefore the inventors combine silicon MEMS based micro-actuators with silicon CMOS control and drive circuits in order to provide alignment of elements within a silicon optical circuit either with respect to each other or with other optical elements hybridly integrated such as compound semiconductor elements. Such inventive MEMS based circuits may be either maintained as active during deployment or powered off once the alignment has been “locked” through an attachment/retention/latching process.
