Parallel Plate Structures for Optical Modulation and Casimir Force Measurement

Integrated optical switches using mechano-optical sensing are gaining more attention in many fields due to their fast switching speed, large bandwidth and compact devices. In this paper, a micromachined electrostatically actuated metal plate to sense the evanescent field above the waveguide is presented. The feasibility of MEMS based light weight mechanical plates to achieve fast switching is evaluated. With decreasing distance between the suspended plate and the substrate it gets more difficult to control the gap due to forces resulting from parasitic charging and the Casimir effect. Measurement of the Casimir force between parallel plates at sub-micron distance is also cumbersome. A methodology to measure the Casimir force between parallel plates is presented here. The prime objective of this research is to come up with an ultra fast optical switch using parallel plates and also to measure the Casimir force between them.