All-Optical Switching Tutorial, Part 2

This is the second of a pair of technology tutorials on all-optical switching by Geoff Bennett, vice president of technology advocacy at Marconi PLC (Nasdaq/London: MONI).

This tutorial covers optical switching fabric, the components and modules that steer light signals from input to output ports in all-optical switches. It names the main technologies, explains how the key ones work, and demonstrates why different sizes and types of all-optical switch require different types of switching fabric.

It should be read in conjunction with the first tutorial, which covers all-optical switches themselves.

Both of these tutorials are based on a presentation given by Bennett at Opticon 2001, Light Reading's annual conference held in San Jose, Calif., in August of this year. Bennett would like to acknowledge the help of Peter Duthie, senior technical specialist, Marconi Optical Components, in preparing this presentation.

Here's a hyperlinked summary of this report:

Page 2: A Little List

An incomplete list of the technologies under review Page 3: MEMS

Arrays of tiny tilting mirrors – 2D and 3D, fast and slow Page 4: Frustrated Reflections

Just the ticket for simple 1x2 switches Page 5: Gratings and Circulators

Established techologies for making optical add/drop multiplexers Page 6: Holographic Switches

One of their attractions: they're solid state (no moving parts) Page 7: Waveguide Switches

The lithium niobate ones are so fast they could power optical packet switches Page 8: Space Switching

Another application for AWGs – the widgets used in DWDM equipment Page 9: Matchmaking

Applications, techniques, and technologies: how they go together. Introduction by Peter Heywood, Founding Editor, Light Reading
http://www.lightreading.com Next Page: A Little List