To prevent a light signal from entering a destination fiber by going over a gap by mechanically connecting an actuator and a reflector, and changing a light-actuated photon switch state by moving the reflector by actuation of the actuator.
When a photogenerator 104 is irradiated by a light beam 112 through an optical fiber 110, the generator 104 generates voltage, and the voltage is transmitted to an actuator 126 of a microscopic electronic machine system MEMS structure 124 through electric conductors 106 and 108. When the voltage is transmitted, a reflector 130 capable of changing a light signal characteristic by reflection, diffraction, absorption and the others, moves to a passage of a signal 134 from a signal source fiber 132a by a connecting mechanism 128. Therefore, the light signal 134 can be prevented from reaching a destination fiber 132E by going over a gap 136. Here, the dimension of the gap 136 can be comparatively reduced to about 20 μm without a lens, and becomes fairly large with a lens.
BISHOP DAVID J
GAMMEL PETER L
GILES C RANDY
