Abstract
We present a free-space optical interconnect system capable of dynamic closed-loop optical alignment using a microlens scanner with a proportional integral and derivative controller. Electrostatic microlens scanners based on combdrive actuators are designed and characterized with vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) for adaptive optical beam tracking in the midst of mechanical vibration noise. The microlens scanners are fabricated on silicon-on-insulator wafers with a bulk micromachining process using deep reactive ion etching. We demonstrate dynamic optical beam positioning with a 700 Hz bandwidth and a maximum noise reduction of approximately 40 dB. Eye diagrams with a 1 Gb/s modulation rate are presented to demonstrate the improved optical link in the presence of mechanical noise.
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Open Access This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0), which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Chou, J., Yu, K., Horsley, D. et al. Robust free space board-to-board optical interconnect with closed loop MEMS tracking. Appl. Phys. A 95, 973–982 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-009-5126-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-009-5126-1