High extinction ratio, low insertion loss, optical switch based on an electrowetting prism
Abstract
An optical switch based on an electrowetting prism coupled to a multimode fiber has demonstrated a large extinction ratio with speeds up to 300 Hz. Electrowetting prisms provide a transmissive, low power, and compact alternative to conventional free-space optical switches, with no moving parts. The electrowetting prism performs beam steering of ±3° with an extinction ratio of 47 dB between the ON and OFF states and has been experimentally demonstrated at scanning frequencies of 100–300 Hz. The optical design is modeled in Zemax to account for secondary rays created at each surface interface (without scattering). Simulations predict 50 dB of extinction, in good agreement with experiment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 18, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1364/oe.381565
Entities
People
- Juliet T. Gopinath
- Mo Zohrabi
- Victor M. Bright
- Wei Yang Lim
Organizations
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research