MEMS Optical Switch With a Cantilever Coupler

An optical switch includes a bus waveguide supported by a substrate, a coupling waveguide suspended over the bus waveguide, a reaction electrode coupled with, and adjacent to, the coupling waveguide, an actuation electrode supported by the substrate and configured to control a position of the coupling waveguide relative to the bus waveguide via the reaction electrode, and an optical antenna coupled with the coupling waveguide and disposed at a fixed distance from the bus waveguide. When a voltage difference between the reaction electrode and the actuation electrode is less than a lower threshold, the coupling waveguide is positioned a first distance from the bus waveguide, when the voltage difference between the reaction electrode and the actuation electrode is greater than an upper threshold, the coupling waveguide is positioned a second distance from the bus waveguide, and the second distance is less than the first distance.