Optical switch

About: Optical switch is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 28538 publications have been published within this topic receiving 351176 citations.

Piezoelectric optical switch

Abstract: A piezoelectric optical switch includes a piezoelectrical element having an optical fiber affixed thereto. A second optical fiber is placed in general proximity to the first optical fiber so that, upon application of a first voltage to the piezoelectric element, the optical fibers are caused to be aligned, and wherein upon application of a different voltage to the element, the optical fibers are caused to be nonaligned. The switch can include a nonpiezoelectric cantilever beam having a fixed end and a free end and adapted to be bent along an axis adjoining the two ends. One optical fiber is affixed to the beam. A plurality of optical fibers, each in general proximity to and each adapted to be selectively aligned with the one optical fiber, is provided. A piezoelectric bending element, having opposite ends coupled to fixed supports, has a medial portion coupled to the cantilever beam near the fixed end. Thus, upon application of a first voltage to the bending element, the first optical fiber is caused to be aligned with a specific one of the plurality of optical fibers. Upon application of a different voltage to the bending element, the first optical fiber is caused to be aligned with a specific different one of the plurality of optical fibers.

Hybrid Silicon Photonic-Lithium Niobate Electro-Optic Mach-Zehnder Modulator Beyond 100 GHz

Abstract: Electro-optic modulation, the imprinting of a radio-frequency (RF) waveform on an optical carrier, is one of the most important photonics functions, being crucial for high-bandwidth signal generation, optical switching, waveform shaping, data communications, ultrafast measurements, sampling, timing and ranging, and RF photonics. Although silicon (Si) photonic electro-optic modulators (EOMs) can be fabricated using wafer-scale technology compatible with the semiconductor industry, such devices do not exceed an electrical 3-dB bandwidth of about 50 GHz, whereas many applications require higher RF frequencies. Bulk Lithium Niobate (LN) and etched LN modulators can scale to higher bandwidths, but are not integrated with the Si photonics fabrication process adopted widely over the last decade. As an alternative, an ultra-high-bandwidth Mach-Zehnder EOM based on Si photonics is shown, made using conventional lithography and wafer-scale fabrication, bonded to an unpatterned LN thin film. This hybrid LN-Si MZM achieves beyond 100 GHz 3-dB electrical bandwidth. Our design integrates silicon photonics light input/output and optical components, including directional couplers, low-radius bends, and path-length difference segments, realized in a foundry Si photonics process. The use of a simple low-temperature (200C) back-end integration process to bond a postage-stamp-sized piece of LN where desired, and achieving light routing into and out of LN to harness its electro-optic property without any etching or patterning of the LN film, may be broadly-useful strategies for advanced integrated opto-electronic microchips.

Dynamic switch cascading system.

Abstract: A computer interconnection system provides dynamic switch cascading with a plurality of circuit switches having circuit switch ports coupled by a dynamic connection to provide a dynamically cascadable switching network having a plurality of nodes, including end point and switch nodes. Two individual circuit switches of the network are interconnected by a cross-link group of one or more links. The system transmits frame information including a source endpoint address and a destination endpoint address, each of which can be associated with an endpoint port or a cross-link group, and forms a connection between an endpoint port or a cross-link group to make a connection between a circuit switch port corresponding to a source endpoint address and a circuit switch port corresponding to the destination endpoint. The dynamic circuit switch connections, as applicable to dynamic switch cascade operation, is compatible with the ESCON I/O Interface Architecture or to a fabric node supporting the Class 1 service defined by the Fibre Channel ANSI Standard.

Novel 3R regenerator based on semiconductor optical amplifier delayed-interference configuration

Abstract: A novel 3R regenerator based on a single semiconductor optical amplifier in a delayed-interference configuration is presented and experimentally tested. The retiming capability of the device exceeds 6 ps at 10 Gb/s.

Experimental investigation of quantum key distribution through transparent optical switch elements

Abstract: Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables unconditional physical layer security for the distribution of cryptographic key material. However, most experimental demonstrations have relied on simple point-to-point optical links. In this paper we investigate the compatibility of QKD with reconfigurable optical networks. By performing the first tests of QKD transmission through optical switches, we study if there are impairment mechanisms other than switch insertion loss that impact the sifted and error corrected secret bit yield. Three types of transparent optical switch elements are investigated including lithium niobate (LiNbO/sub 3/), microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and optomechanical. We show that QKD can be extended beyond point-to-point links to switched multinode architectures including protected ring networks to enhance quantum channel availability.