WO2003107070A1

WO2003107070A1 - Optical switch

Info

Publication number: WO2003107070A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/000838
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sangheum Park; Sangmo Shin; Sangwon Oh
Original assignee: Microsolutions, Inc.
Priority date: 2002-05-06
Filing date: 2002-05-06
Publication date: 2003-12-24
Also published as: AU2002304177A1

Abstract

An optical cross-connect switch comprises a pin grid actuator having a plurality of actuating devices such as solenoids and used in dot matrix printers, a plurality of pins each of which having at least one surface processed as a mirror and actuated by each of actuating devices, and a pin guide which arrange the pins in a different arrangement from that of the actuating devices of the pin grid actuator. The pins move linearly to selectively position the mirror surface of a selected pin to reflect the incident optical beam. Two or more pin guide may be used to guide pins to be arranged in a desired format.

Description

[Description] [Title of the invention]

OPTICAL SWITCH [Field of the invention] The present invention relates to an optical switch used in an optical communication system to change optical signal path. [Technical background]

Optical switches are used to control signal paths between a pluralities of optical fibers in an optical communication system which utilizes optical fibers as signal transmission media. Properties needed for optical switches might include high integration, accurate switching property, low light loss during switching, reliability, and so forth.

A basic style of optical switch controls optical switching elements such as mirrors using mechanical means. However, the optical switch utilizing mechanical means has the limit to reduce the size. Therefore, it is difficult to implement highly integrated optical switches.

Recently, optical switches using micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) have been developing to solve the above problems. It is to form optical switching elements on a semiconductor substrate in high density and control each optical switching element to be tilted in horizontal and vertical directions to reflect incident beam to a desired direction. However, switching accuracy is not ensured in such type of optical switch because precise control of tilt angle of the optical switching element is difficult. On the other hand, time and cost for manufacturing optical switches increase to improve the accuracy. In addition, since light path becomes different depending on switching direction, a lot of light loss is generated during switching process.

Another type of optical switch uses bubble, which serves as mirror to switch, selectively generated at cross point of waveguides formed in a matrix. However, in this case, it is difficult to control the size, shape, etc. of the bubble. Therefore, there is a lot of light loss in the reflected beam by the bubble.

Another example of optical switch is the one disclosed in U.S. patent No. 5,841,917. The optical switch disclosed in U.S. patent No. 5,841,917 comprises a pin grid actuator, including, a housing having a planar top surface and an array of holes through the housing orthogonal to the planar top surface, an array of pins, each pin penetrating one of the holes and having a first end proximate to the planar top surface and a second end distal to the planar top surface, an array of actuators, each actuator coupled to a corresponding pin at the second end and each actuator having a control line and linearly moving the corresponding pin in a direction perpendicular to the planar top surface to one of a retracted position and an extended position, according to a signal applied to the control line; a plurality of input fibers, each input fiber having an input lens at its end and providing an incident optical beam propagating parallel to the planar top surface; an array of optical elements, each optical element attached to the first end of each of the pins, forming a redirected optical beam from the incident optical beam when the pin is in the extended position and the optical element intercepts the incident optical beam; a plurality of output fibers, each output fiber having an output lens at its end and receiving the redirected beams; and at least one substrate attached to the planar top surface, securing the positions of the input fibers and output fibers. However, according to the above optical switch, since the switching elements are arranged in the same form as the pin grid actuator, its size cannot be reduced to desired small scale. In addition, process of manufacturing the switching elements and attaching the switching elements to the pins is complicated and requires high accuracy, therefore, cost and time of manufacture are high. Moreover, the pins might rotate or sway in the holes, which cause poor switching accuracy. [Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention is derived to resolve the above problems, and the object of the present invention is to provide a highly-integrated optical switch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch having precise switching property.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch having low light loss during switching process.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch having good reliability for long time use.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch which can be manufactured by low cost and simple process. To achieve the above and other objects, an optical switch, comprising a first pin guide having a first flat surface and a plurality of holes of prism shape formed and arranged perpendicular to the first surface; a plurality of pins formed to have the same prism shape as the holes, each of which passes through one of the plurality of holes, at least a portion of one surface of the prism shape of each pin being processed to be a mirror; and a plurality of first actuating elements for controlling each of the plurality of pins, each of the first actuating elements being connected to one of a plurality of first signal lines for providing signals to each of the first actuating elements and controlling one of the plurality of pins to be switched between one state that at least a part of the portion processed to be a mirror of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the portion processed to be a mirror of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide according to the signal provided via the first signal line, is provided. Here, the plurality of first actuating elements and the plurality of pins are arranged in different interval, or different formation, or different interval and formation from each other and the pins connected to the plurality of first actuating elements are arranged in the same interval and formation as that of the holes by means of the first pin guide, and the mirror portion of the pin is arranged to reflect incident beam on the mirror portion and change the path of the incident beam when the mirror portion is protruded from the first surface.

The optical switch may further comprise at least one second pin guide placed between the first pin guide and the first actuating element and formed to support the pin between the portion of the pin of the first actuating element side and the portion of the pin that passing through the holes of the first pin guide. The second pin guide can be formed to have a ring shape surrounding the entire pins or a similar shape as the first pin guide.

On the other hand, the holes are arranged in a matrix in which numbers of rows and columns are equal to each other and the portion of the pins passing through the holes are arranged in the same matrix form as the holes by means of the holes.

It is preferable that the first actuating element controls the pin to maintain its state until a signal to convert its state to the other state is applied to the first actuating element once the first actuating element changed the state of the pin between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide based on the signal applied via the signal line.

That is, the portions of the pins passing through the holes are arranged in a substantially perpendicular direction to gravity direction, and the optical switch further comprises a plurality of second actuating elements for each of the plurality of pins adjacent to the other side of the pin to adjacent portion to the first actuating element, each of the second actuating elements being connected to one of a plurality of second signal lines for providing signals to each of the second actuating elements and controlling one of the plurality of pins to be switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide according to the signal provided via the second signal line. At this time, the pin is made of magnetic material or a magnetic material is attached to the portion of the pin adjacent to the first and second actuating elements, the first and the second actuating elements are a first and a second solenoids, respectively, and the state of the pin is switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide by moving the portion of the pin placed between the first and the second solenoids to the first solenoid side or to the second solenoid side according to a current pulse applied to one of the first and the second solenoids. The optical switch might further comprise at least one non-magnetic substance block placed between the pin and the first solenoid, or between the pin and the second solenoid, or between the pin and the first solenoid and between the pin and the second solenoid.

Alternatively, the first actuating element is a solenoid attached to the pin, the optical switch further comprises: a first permanent magnet placed inside the solenoid; a second permanent magnet opposing the first permanent magnet; and a fixing body for fixing the second permanent magnet, and the state of the pin is switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide by moving the first and the second permanent magnets to attractive or repulsive direction to each other according to the direction of a current pulse applied to the solenoid selectively. Instead of the first permanent magnet, a ferromagnetic substance block can be used.

The optical switch of the present invention might further comprise: at least one substrate on which a plurality of input waveguides arranged to face the mirror portions of the pins, or a plurality of output waveguides, or a plurality of input and output waveguides are formed; a plurality of lenses formed on the portions of the input or output waveguides facing the mirror portion; and a plurality of optical fibers connected to the portions of the input or output waveguides on the opposite side to the side facing the mirror portion. Alternatively, the first pin guide and the substrate can be formed as a single body in which a plurality of input waveguides arranged to face the mirror portions of the pins, or a plurality of output waveguides, or a plurality of input and output waveguides are formed on the first pin guide.

According to the present invention, an optical switch can be manufactured by low cost and simple process using an actuating device whose reliability for long time use is already verified. The size of the optical switch can be minimized by using a pin guide to properly arrange the switching elements differently from the arrangement interval or formation of actuating elements. In addition, since the pins which serve as switching elements are formed to have prism shape, the directions of the switching elements are fixed accurately even though the switching elements are arranged in different interval or formation from that of the actuating element, thereby providing accurate switching property and minimum light loss. [Brief description of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a prospective view of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2a shows a structure of a switching element according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2b is a planar view of an optical switch made of switching elements of Fig. 2a taken from the upside.

Fig. 3 a shows a structure of a switching element according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 3b is a planar view of an optical switch made of switching elements of Fig. 3 a taken from the upside.

Fig. 4a shows a structure that input and output optical fibers are connected to the optical switch of Fig. 2b, and Fig. 4b is a sectional view of Fig. 4a taken along the line IN - IV'.

Figs. 5a-5c show an operational method of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figs. 6a-6c show an operational method of an optical switch according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Preferred embodiments] Now, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, a pin actuator which is utilized in a dot matrix printer is used as an actuating device of the optical switch, and pins are formed to have prism shape having at least one surface of mirror.

First, an overall structure of an optical switch according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to Fig. 1.

A switching part of an optical switch includes a plurality of switching elements arranged in a matrix of N*N (4*4 in Fig. 1). The switching element is a pin 200 having a mirror portion formed at least a part of one surface of surrounding surfaces of prism. Each pin 200 is fixed by passing through the hole of a pin guide 400 having a plurality of the holes of the same prism shape as the switching element, and the arrangement thereof is decided by the arrangement of the holes of the pin guide 400.

At least one surface of the pin 200 of prism shape is processed to be a mirror, the mirror portion can be the whole area or a part of the surface. However, the mirror portion should be placed on the portion that protrudes from the pin guide 400 when the pin 200 is projecting through the pin guide 400 to make the pin 200 function as the switching element. Two or more surfaces of the pin 200 can be processed to be mirrors if needed. Detailed structure of the pin will be described later. The translation and rotation degrees of freedom of the pins 200 in horizontal and vertical directions are restrained by the holes in the pin guide 400 having the same shape as the pins 200. That is, the pin 200 can only move along the hole formed in the pin guide 400 in the axis direction.

The other side of the pin 200 which is the opposite side to the side supported by the pin guide 400 is connected to the actuating element 100 which controls the operation of the pin 200. The actuating element 100 is usually made of solenoids, and the operation can be controlled individually by the leading wires connected to outside. That is, the pin 200 connected to each solenoid 100 can be controlled to move up or down in axial direction by applying electrical power to each solenoid 100 via the leading wire 500, and therefore, the mirror portion of the pin 200 can be switched between one state that the mirror portion is protruded from the surface of the pin guide 400 and the other state that the mirror portion is gotten into the surface of the pin guide 400. The operation control part of the optical switch is constituted of the same number as the pins 200 of the actuating elements 100.

By the way, the size of the actuating element, that is, the solenoid should be relatively large to move the pin using enough force. However, it is preferable that the size of the optical switch is small to satisfy the need of integration. To gratify the conflicting needs, arrangement of the actuating elements and that of the switching elements are made different from each other according to the present invention. That is, as shown in Fig. 1, the actuating elements 100 are arranged to form a circle, and the pins 200 connected to the actuating elements 100 are arranged in a matrix of 4*4 by the pin guide 400.

According to the present invention, even if the arrangements of the actuating elements 100 and the switching elements are different from each other, the arrangement of the switching elements can be precisely maintained by guiding the pins 200 using the holes in the pin guide 400 which have the same shape as the pins 200. On the other hand, one or more auxiliary pin guide 300 can be formed to maintain and support the arrangement of the pins. The auxiliary pin guide 300 can be formed to have a ring shape surrounding the whole pins 200 as shown in Fig. 1, or it can be formed to have a similar shape as the pin guide 400.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least a part of one surface of the pin 200 having prism shape, that is, the part that protrudes from the surface of the pin guide at the protrusion state is processed to be a mirror to serve as a switching element. As described, if the pin itself serves as the switching element, process of forming a switching element and attaching it to the pin can be omitted. Therefore, the manufacturing process can be made simple. Also, alignment and attachment processes which require high accuracy can be omitted, so it is very advantageous in both cost and switching accuracy. Now, structure and arrangement of pins, switching elements, according to an embodiment of the present invention are described in detail. Fig. 2a shows a structure of a switching element according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2b is a planar view of an optical switch made of the switching elements of Fig. 2a taken from the upside. As shown in Fig. 2a, the switching element according to an embodiment of the present invention can be formed as a pin 210 having a square prism shape. One surface 215 of the pin 210 is processed to be a mirror.

Horizontal and vertical positions of the pin 210 are fixed by holes formed in a pin guide 410 shown in Fig. 2b. That is, the pins 210 and the holes 415 are formed to have the same shapes. Though it is shown that there are considerable gaps between the pins 210 and the holes 415 in the drawing, it is just for convenience of explanation. As a matter of fact, it is preferable that gaps between the pins 210 and the holes 415 are minimized in the range that the gap does not confine the axial movement of the pins 210. Then, movement of the pins 210 can be minimized to ensure the accurate switching. The pins 210 are arranged in a matrix according to the arrangement of the holes

415, and they are arranged to make the mirror sides 215 face the same direction. The mirror sides 215 are arranged to reflect the incident beam on the switching element to a 90° direction.

Alternative forms of pins and pin guide are shown in Figs. 3a and 3b. That is, as shown in Figs. 3a and 3b, the pins 220 can be formed as thin prisms. In this case, one surface 225 is also processed to be a mirror. If the pins 220 are formed as thin prisms, holes 425 in a pin guide 420 should have the same shape. The arrangement of the holes

425 is similar to that shown in Fig. 2b.

On the other hand, though it is shown that the whole part of one surface of the pin is processed to be a mirror in the embodiments shown in Figs. 2a and 3a, it is not necessary as described above. Then, an operational method of an optical switch is described with reference to

Figs. 4a and 4b. Fig. 4a shows the structure that input and output optical fibers are connected to the optical switch of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4b is a sectional view of Fig. 4a taken along the line IN - IV.

The optical switch of the present invention is a device for changing light paths of input optical signals. Therefore, input optical signal is provided to the optical switch via the input optical fiber, and the output optical signal whose path is changed properly by the optical switch is transmitted to the output optical fiber.

That is, as shown in Fig. 4a, a substrate 460_1 connected to the input optical fibers 490_1 is attached to a pin guide 410 of the optical switch of the present invention. Optical waveguides 470_1 are formed on the substrate 460_1, and GRIΝ(Graded-Index) lenses 480_1 are formed on end portions of each optical waveguide 470_1. Similarly, another substrate 460_2 connected to output optical fibers 490_2 is attached to the pin guide 410, and optical waveguides 470_2 and lenses 480_2 are formed on the substrate 470_2. Incident beam 460_i inputted from one of the input optical fibers 490_1 is passing through the input waveguide 470_1 and the GRIN lens 480_1, reflected to 90° direction (460_r) by the mirror side of one of the switching element 210 (Fig. 4b) which is currently in operation among the switching element arranged in the same column as the input optical fiber, and outputted to the GRIN lens 480_2 formed on the output substrate 460_2. The light reached to the GRIN lens 480_2 is passing through the output waveguide 470_2 and transmitted to the output optical fiber 490_2. Positions of the lenses 481_1 and 480_2 formed on the input substrate 460_1 and the output substrate 460_2 and lengths of the waveguides 470_1 and 470_2 are properly adjusted to make the transmission paths of lights passing through the optical switch equal.

On the other hand, the pin guide 410 of the optical switch and the input and output substrates 460_ 1 and 460_2 should be aligned precisely to make the light incident through the optical waveguide 470_1 formed on the input substrate 460_1 switched accurately by the optical switch and outputted through the optical waveguide 470_2 formed on the output substrate 460_2. To make the alignment effective, the pin guide 410 of the optical switch and the input and output substrates 461_ 1 and 461_2 can be manufactured to be a single body using one substrate. Then, cost and time for manufacturing optical switch can be reduced because each device can be aligned simply but accurately.

On the other hand, pin operating method of dot matrix printer and that of the optical switch are a little different from each other. That is, in case of the dot matrix printer, after the pin is pushed to print desired point, the pin should be replaced to its original position. However, in case of the optical switch, the position of the switching element is preferably fixed until the next switching operation is started. Therefore, the pin is controlled to maintain its state until a separate signal is provided once the state is changed by applying a signal via the leading wire to the actuating element 100 to move the pin 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Various known methods can be used for the above purpose. That is, a mechanical device for maintaining a state after changed to one state can be used. For example, a switch or spring can be used.

Alternatively, the pins of the optical switch can be arranged in a substantially perpendicular direction to gravity direction instead of gravity direction as shown in Fig. 1, and the pins can be controlled to move bidirectional using two actuating elements or using one actuating element with two currents of different directions.

Figs. 5a-5c show an embodiment using two actuating elements. Figs. 5a, 5b, and 5c show the initial state, the state that a current pulse is applied to one actuating element (solenoid), and the state that a current pulse is applied to the other actuating element, respectively. Figs. 5a-5c shows only one pin and corresponding actuating elements for the purpose of description.

That is, as shown in Fig. 5a, pins 250 are arranged in a substantially perpendicular direction to gravity direction, parts of the pins 250 on actuating element sides are manufactured to be bent like "L", and two actuating elements, that is, two solenoids 151 and 152 are arranged to both sides of the bent portion. The pin 250 can be made of magnetic material, or separate magnetic material can be attached to the surfaces 251 and 252 opposing the solenoids 151 and 152.

Fig. 5b shows the state that a current pulse is applied to one solenoid 152. That is, when a current pulse is applied to one solenoid 152, the pin 250 moves towards the solenoid 152 to which a current pulse is applied because the pin 250 as a whole or edge 252 of the pin 250 is magnetic substance. In result, the pin 250 moves aside (to the right in the figure) sufficiently to protrude the mirror portion (not shown) of the pin 250 from the pin guide 450 to change the light path. Here, the pin guide 450 can be the one same as or similar to those described with reference to Fig. 1, 2b, or 3b, or it may include auxiliary pin guide(s) adjacent to the solenoid 152. Once a current pulse is applied, the position of the pin 250 is moved to the right side. Even though the current is not applied continuously, the pin 250 maintains its state because the movement direction of the pin 250 is perpendicular to gravity direction. On the other hand, a non-magnetic substance block can be placed between the pin 250 and the solenoids 152 to prevent the pin 250 from bumping into the solenoids 151 and 152 though it is not shown in the figure.

Fig. 5 c shows the state that a current pulse is applied to the other solenoid which is opposite to the one in Fig. 5b. As shown in Fig. 5c, if a current pulse is applied to the opposite (the left side in the figure) solenoid 151, the pin 250 moves to the opposite direction to Fig. 5b to make the head portion of the pin 250 become hidden by the pin guide 450. The pin 250 also maintains its state even though the current is not applied continuously once the current pulse is applied, because the movement direction of the pin 250 is perpendicular to gravity direction.

On the other hand, a non-magnetic substance block can be placed between the pin 250 and the solenoids 152 to prevent the pin 250 from bumping into the solenoids 151 and 152 though it is not shown in the figure.

Though the pins are arranged in parallel direction to gravity direction, the pin can be controlled to maintain its state until a separate signal is provided. Fig. 6a-6c show the example in this case. In an embodiment shown in Figs. 6a-6c, pins are controlled using solenoid and two magnets. Figs. 6a, 6b, and 6c show the initial state, the state that a current pulse of one direction is applied to an actuating element (solenoid), and the state that a current pulse of the other direction is applied to the actuating element, respectively. Figs. 6a-6c also show only the elements needed for the purpose of description schematically.

That is, as shown in Fig. 6a, the pins 260 are arranged parallel to gravity direction, and an actuating element, that is, a solenoid 160 is attached under the pins 260. A permanent magnet 760 is placed inside the solenoid 160. Red and blue colors and notations of N and S in the figure indicate the polarity of the permanent magnet. Instead of the permanent magnet 760, a ferromagnetic substance such as iron (Fe) or permalloy (NiFe) can be used. Next, another permanent magnet 860 is placed adjacent to the permanent magnet 760, and the other permanent magnet 860 is fixed by an auxiliary pin guide 960 adjacent to the solenoid 160. In this embodiment, another auxiliary pin guide 960 to fix the permanent magnet 860 is used other than the pin guide (not shown) for deciding and guiding the arrangement of the switching elements of the optical switch which is same as or similar to those shown in Fig. 1, 2b, or 3b. The auxiliary pin guide 960 preferably guides the pins 260 to be arranged to have the same arrangement as the solenoid 160.

Fig. 6b shows the state that a current pulse of one direction is applied to the solenoid 160. If a current pulse of one direction is applied instantly to the solenoid 160, the attractive magnetic force acts on the two permanent magnets. Then, the pin 260 moves upward with the solenoid 160 and the permanent magnet 760 to protrude the mirror portion (not shown) of the pin 260 from the pin guide 960 to change the light path. Once the current pulse is applied, the permanent magnet 760 inside the solenoid 160 maintains the pin 260 to have the rising state by the magnetic force. When ferroelectric body is used instead of the permanent magnet 760, the same result can be obtained because the ferroelectric body is magnetized by the input of current pulse.

On the other hand, a separating body 660 made of non-metallic material is placed between the two permanent magnets 760 to prevent the two permanent magnets from contacting with each other. Fig. 6c shows the state that a current pulse of the other direction opposite to that in Fig. 6b is applied to the solenoid 160. As shown in Fig. 6c, the repulsive magnetic force acts between the two magnets 760 and 860 to move the pin 260 downward. Once the current pulse is applied, the pin 260 maintains its state though the current is not applied continuously. However, to change the state in Fig. 6b to that in Fig. 6c, a larger amount of current pulse is needed than that applied to make the state of Fig. 6b.

While the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the sprit and scope of the appended claims, [industrial applicability]

As described above, according to the present invention, the optical switch reliable through long time use can be manufactured by low cost, size of the optical switch can be reduced, and precise switching property can be obtained.

Claims

[Claims]

1. An optical switch comprising: a first pin guide having a first flat surface and a plurality of holes of prism shape formed and arranged perpendicular to the first surface; a plurality of pins formed to have the same prism shape as the holes, each of which passes tlirough one of the plurality of holes, at least a portion of one surface of the prism shape of each pin being processed to be a mirror; and a plurality of first actuating elements for controlling each of the plurality of pins, each of the first actuating elements being connected to one of a plurality of first signal lines for providing signals to each of the first actuating elements and controlling one of the plurality of pins to be switched between one state that at least a part of the portion processed to be a mirror of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the portion processed to be a mirror of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide according to the signal provided via the first signal line wherein the plurality of first actuating elements and the plurality of pins are arranged in different interval, or different formation, or different interval and formation from each other and the pins connected to the plurality of first actuating elements are arranged in the same interval and formation as that of the holes by means of the first pin guide; and the mirror portion of the pin is arranged to reflect incident beam on the mirror portion and change the path of the incident beam when the mirror portion is protruded from the first surface.

2. The optical switch of claim 1, further comprising at least one second pin guide placed between the first pin guide and the first actuating element and formed to support the pin between the portion of the pin of the first actuating element side and the portion of the pin that passing through the holes of the first pin guide.

3. The optical switch of claim 2, wherein the second pin guide is formed to have a ring shape surrounding the entire pins.

4. The optical switch of claim 2, wherein the second pin guide is formed to have a similar shape as the first pin guide.

5. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein the holes are arranged in a matrix in which numbers of rows and columns are equal to each other and the portion of the pins passing through the holes are arranged in the same matrix form as the holes by means of the holes.

6. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein the first actuating element controls the pin to maintain its state until a signal to convert its state to the other state is applied to the first actuating element once the first actuating element changed the state of the pin between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide based on the signal applied via the signal line.

7. The optical switch of claim 6, wherein the portions of the pins passing through the holes are arranged in a substantially perpendicular direction to gravity direction; and the optical switch further comprises a plurality of second actuating elements for each of the plurality of pins adjacent to the other side of the pin to adjacent portion to the first actuating element, each of the second actuating elements being connected to one of a plurality of second signal lines for providing signals to each of the second actuating elements and controlling one of the plurality of pins to be switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide according to the signal provided via the second signal line.

8. The optical switch of claim 7, wherein the pin is made of magnetic material or a magnetic material is attached to the portion of the pin adjacent to the first and second actuating elements; the first and the second actuating elements are a first and a second solenoids, respectively; and the state of the pin is switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide by moving the portion of the pin placed between the first and the second solenoids to the first solenoid side or to the second solenoid side according to a current pulse applied to one of the first and the second solenoids.

9. The optical switch of claim 8, further comprising at least one non-magnetic substance block placed between the pin and the first solenoid, or between the pin and the second solenoid, or between the pin and the first solenoid and between the pin and the second solenoid.

10. The optical switch of claim 6, wherein the first actuating element is a solenoid attached to the pin; the optical switch further comprises: a first permanent magnet placed inside the solenoid; a second permanent magnet opposing the first permanent magnet; and a fixing body for fixing the second permanent magnet; and the state of the pin is switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide by moving the first and the second permanent magnets in attractive or repulsive direction to each other according to the direction of a current pulse applied to the solenoid selectively.

11. The optical switch of claim 10, further comprising a non-magnetic substance block placed between the first and the second permanent magnets.

12. The optical switch of claim 6, wherein the first actuating element is a solenoid attached to the pin; the optical switch further comprises: a ferromagnetic substance block placed inside the solenoid; a permanent magnet opposing the ferromagnetic substance block; and a fixing body for fixing the permanent magnet; and the state of the pin is switched between one state that at least a part of the mirror portion of the pin is protruded from the first surface of the first pin guide and the other state that the mirror portion of the pin is inserted inside the first surface of the first pin guide by moving the ferromagnetic substance body and the permanent magnet to attractive or repulsive direction to each other according to the direction of a current pulse applied to the solenoid selectively.

13. The optical switch of claim 12, further comprising a non-magnetic substance block placed between the ferromagnetic substance block and the permanent magnet.

14. The optical switch of claim 1, further comprising: at least one substrate on which a plurality of input waveguides arranged to face the mirror portions of the pins, or a plurality of output waveguides, or a plurality of input and output waveguides are formed; a plurality of lenses formed on the portions of the input or output waveguides facing the mirror portion; and a plurality of optical fibers connected to the portions of the input or output waveguides on the opposite side to the side facing the mirror portion.

15. The optical switch of claim 1, wherein a plurality of input waveguides arranged to face the mirror portions of the pins, or a plurality of output waveguides, or a plurality of input and output waveguides are formed on the first pin guide.