The invention features the drawbridge assembly and its applications in optical switches, optical crossconnects, optical add/drop multiplexers and variable optical attenuators. In optical switches and optical crossconnects, an array of the drawbridge assemblies can be used to redirect the multiple input lights to multiple outputs. In add/drop multiplexers, the drawbridge assemblies can select the light channels to be added and dropped. In the attenuator embodiment, a vertical mirror is inserted into two fibers, the first one as the input and the second one as output. The drawbridge assembly controls the position of the vertical mirror for blocking a certain portion of the light and enabling the attenuation. The continuous change of the mirror position results in variable attenuation. A series of VOA form a multi-channel VOA system on a single substrate.

A locked hinge based technique for controllably holding surface-micromachined modules off the edge of a substrate for subsequent processing. The mechanism enables reliable, accurate, and low-cost fabrication of even complex multi layer flip-chip MEMS devices using for example only a simple two-layer module processing sequence, a sequence involving materials already in use in the process. The sequence is also free from the interference of an alignment-hindering sacrificial substrate member. The technique is disclosed by way of a micromirror example and is arranged for convenient bypassing where use of another bonding technique is desired.

A flip-chip micromechanical device in which one module of a flip-chip device is stabilized in the substrate-free condition to a degree permitting its successful combination with a second module of the flip-chip device without the benefit of a supporting but interfering substrate element. An etch plate header and coupling tethers provide supporting rigidity to the substrate removed module during its manipulation sequence. Locking of the substrate-free module into a manipulation tolerant and manageable, even by hand, cantilevered status is included. Simplified off chip fabrication of MEMS devices in low cost facilities having only basic alignment equipment is supported by the invention.

A micromechanical latching system usable to achieve small element stabilization during and following the fabrication of a MEMS device. Realization of sliding latching elements from semiconductor materials such as polysilicon using integrated circuit techniques is included. Provisions for manual manipulation of the latching elements between unlatched and latched conditions are also included along with two exemplary MEMS device applications of the latching system. The achieved latching system contributes to substrate interference free improved flip-chip fabrication of Integrated Microsystem micromechanical devices by way enabling improved alignment accuracy processing.

A self-assembly structure of micro electromechanical optical switch utilizes residual stresses of three curved beams. The first curved beam pushes the base plate away from the substrate. The second curved beam lifts up the mirror slightly. Then, the third curved beam rotates the mirror vertical to the base plate and achieves self-assembly. In another embodiment, magnetic force and magnetic-activated elements are used.