A design method is proposed for variable optical attenuators (VOAs), aiming at linear attenuation-voltage characteristics, and verified by finite element analysis. Devices of interest are planar VOAs based on microelectromechanical systems technology, with either a knife-edge shutter or a reflector. The proposed method calculates the shape of the fingers of the comb-drive actuators that are used to move the optical component (shutter or reflector) to change the attenuation level. The calculation is, in effect, tantamount to solving a differential equation that encompasses the optical model of the device, electromechanical behavior of the actuators, and the objective of the design, i.e., linear attenuation-voltage characteristics. The design method is almost all-analytical with minimum usage of numerical analysis. The obtained designs are further examined by three-dimensional finite element analysis to understand their effectiveness and to probe the validity of the approximations used. The best linearity factor (defined as % deviation from the ideal case) obtained is 1.34% for both shutter- and reflection-type devices when the conditions are set as 1-dB insertion loss and 50-dB maximum attenuation. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America
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