Abstract: To provide a miniaturized Fabry-Perot type tunable filter that can be applied to e.g. a light of wide wavelength range from infrared rays to ultraviolet rays and actuated at a low voltage. A movable portion moving in a direction parallel to the surface of the SOI substrate (hereafter called ‘plane direction’), a suspension supporting member supporting the movable portion elastically and movably, and a fixed portion secured to the SOI substrate are provided. By the comb-teeth electrode of the comb-teeth type electrostatic actuator that moves the movable portion, the first mirror structure body formed bonding to the surface of the movable portion is controlled and moved in the plane direction.

Abstract: To provide a miniaturized Fabry-Perot type tunable filter that can be applied to e.g. a light of wide wavelength range from infrared rays to ultraviolet rays and actuated at a low voltage. A movable portion moving in a direction parallel to the surface of the SOI substrate (hereafter called ‘plane direction’), a suspension supporting member supporting the movable portion elastically and movably, and a fixed portion secured to the SOI substrate are provided. By the comb-teeth electrode of the comb-teeth type electrostatic actuator that moves the movable portion, the first mirror structure body formed bonding to the surface of the movable portion is controlled and moved in the plane direction.

Abstract: Several embodiments of multi-bandpass filters for processing optical signals are shown. The filters may include a transparent substrate with a thin film superimposed thereon. The thin film may have mirror layers and cavity layers, and may have multiple kinds of dielectrics with different refractive indices. The optical film may have a thickness that is a quarter of a reference wavelength, so as to form a plurality of Fabry-Perrot interferometer structures, and may have multiple groups of superimposed mirror and cavity layers depending on the desired effect. By using the described filters, the isolation between a plurality of the transmission bands can be sufficiently large, and separation of lights in a plurality of different wavelength regions can be carried out through a single multi-bandpass filter.

Abstract: A comb shaped actuator having off centered electrodes to the fixed electrode and the movable electrode comprise a plurality of electrode finger units containing two fixed electrode fingers next to each other and the movable electrode finger interposed between the two fixed electrode fingers, at least two of the electrode finger units comprising off-centered electrode finger units having the movable electrode finger being off-centered with respect to a central position between the two fixed electrode fingers, the off-centered electrode finger units being located on both sides of a central line dividing the fixed electrode and the movable electrode along the opening into two parts, and directions of off-centering of the both sides being inverse to each other.

Abstract: A multi-bandpass filter comprising a thin film superimposed layer portion 3 by mirror layers, cavity layers, etc., provided on a substrate 2 with two kinds of dielectrics having different refractive indices, the optical film thickness thereof being a quarter of a reference wavelength as one unit, so as to form a plurality of Fabry-Perrot interferometer structures, wherein the thin film superimposed layer portion 3 has a structure having relationship for superimposition i.e. [M0C1M1 . . . CiMi(T)]k or [M0C1M1 . . . CiMi]k (where i and k are an integer not less than 2, films of the dielectrics being represented by X and Y, the mirror layer being represented by M, the cavity layer being represented by C, and the matching layer being represented by T, and M is a single layer, the optical film thickness of films thereof being odd times of a quarter of the reference wavelength, or an alternating layer represented by [(2p+1)X, (2q+1)Y, . . . ] different dielectrics X, Y (where p, q, . . .

Abstract: A comb-shaped actuator comprising a substrate having an opening formed therein; a fixed electrode comprising a fixed electrode base portion provided along an inner side of the opening on the substrate and a plurality of fixed electrode finger groups arranged in parallel with each other in the shape of teeth of a comb throughout a predetermined length on the fixed electrode base portion; a movable electrode located in the opening of the substrate and comprising a movable electrode base portion and a plurality of movable electrode fingers arranged in parallel with each other in the shape of teeth of a comb facing the fixed electrode throughout a predetermined length, the movable electrode being movable by an attracting force generated between the fixed electrode finger and the movable electrode finger subject to a voltage or a magnetic field applied between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode upon arranging the movable electrode fingers and the fixed electrode fingers in an interdigital pattern with a