Patent ID: 9453970
Filing Date: 2016-09-27
CPC Classification: G02B

Claim Text:
1. A reconfigurable diffractive N×M optical switch configured to operate to simultaneously redirect light from N spatially discrete light inputs to M spatially discrete light outputs by forming a light diffraction pattern that is congruent, in a surface containing the M light outputs, with a spatial distribution of the M light outputs, the optical switch comprising: a first two-dimensional (2D) array of micro-reflectors, an operation of each of which is defined by two discrete angular orientations of the micro-reflector, said first 2D array of micro-reflectors having a clear aperture with N adjoining spatially separate from one another areas of said first 2D array, each of which areas respectively corresponds to a light input from said N light inputs, an area of said first 2D array including a multiplicity of micro-reflectors illuminated, in operation, with light from only a respectively corresponding light input from said N light inputs, wherein N is greater than 1 and M is greater than 1.