Abstract
This paper reports a Nanoelectromechanical System (NEMS) Variable Optical Attenuator (VOA) driven by the optical gradient force. The VOA is realized via a waveguide based directional coupler. The gap in the directional coupler is controlled via an optical force driven actuator. The doubly-clamped silicon beam actuator is controlled by tuning the wavelength of control light. The signal light can be attenuated to 20% of original value in the experiment. The NEMS VOAs have the merits of small dimension, low power consumption and good capability for all optical integration, making it a good candidate for future applications in silicon photonics circuit and optical communication devices.
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