Patent ID: 6807329
Filing Date: 2004-10-19
Classification: G02B,G02F,H04Q

Abstract:
A switching method for selectively directing an input beam to at least one of two output channels, the method comprising:(i) providing incidence of the input beam onto a polarizing beam splitting surface to thereby enable splitting of the input beam into two beam components of different polarizations propagating along different optical paths; (ii) passing the input beam components of different polarizations through a controllable polarization rotating medium operable to selectively affect the polarization of each of the beam components; and (iii) directing the beam components that have passed through the polarization rotating medium onto said polarizing beam splitting surface, thereby producing at least one output beam propagating towards at least one selected output channel, depending on a current mode of said medium; wherein the input beam passes through the controllable polarization rotating medium prior to being split into said two beam components of different linear polarization states.