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From Optical MEMS to Micromechanical

Photonics

Micromechanical photonics is evolvingin interdisciplinary research and en-
gineering fields and merging independently developed technologies based on
optics, mechanics, electronics, and physical/chemical sciences. Manufacturing
technologies such as those of semiconductor lasers, surface micromachining
and bulk micromachiningare promotingtechnology fusion.
This chapter presents an overview of the emerging technologies that fea-
ture new conceptual frameworks such as optical microelectromechanical sys-
tems (optical MEMS) including an integrated optical sensor, an integrated
optical switch, an integrated optical head, an optical rotor, and a microto-
tal analysis system (µ-TAS); micromechanical photonics devices includingan
extremely short-external-cavity tunable laser diode (LD) with a microcan-
tilever, a resonant sensor, an optical encoder and a blood flow sensor; nano-
electromechanical systems (NEMS) and system networks.

1.1 Micromechanical Photonics – An Emerging
Technology
We have made substantial progress in individual areas of optics, mechan-
ics, electronics and physical/chemical sciences, but it is insufficient to apply
individual technologies and sciences to solve today’s complicated technical
problems. The start of semiconductor LD room temperature continuous oscil-
lation in 1970 and micromachiningtechnology [1.1,1.2] based on photolitho-
graphy and selective etching in the late 1980s resulted in the birth of optical
MEMS [1.3]/micromechanical photonics [1.4] that combines/integrates electri-
cal, mechanical, thermal, and sometimes chemical components through optics
in the early 1990s.
Various kinds of optical MEMS have been developed for the fields of in-
formation, communication, and medical treatment. They include a digital
micromirror device (DMD) [1.5] for both large projection display and color
printing, optical switches [1.6,1.7] for communication, microservo mechanisms