Patent ID: 6563973
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: G02B,G02F

Abstract:
An optical cross-connect switch comprising:a substrate; a plurality of optical waveguides provided on said substrate, wherein each of said waveguides intersects at least another one of said waveguides; a plurality of liquid crystal prisms each disposed on said substrate at a position where a pair of said waveguides intersect, said liquid crystal prisms selectively redirect a light signal propagating through one of the pair of intersecting waveguides to the other of the pair of intersecting waveguides in response to an electrical signal; an input port for receiving light; a polarization splitter to split the received light into TM and TE components; a TM switch array connected to receive the TM components from the polarization splitter though a first set of said optical waveguides; a TE switch array connected to receive the TE components from the polarization splitter through a second set of said optical waveguides; a polarization combiner coupled to the TM switch array through a third set of said optical waveguides and to the TE switch array through a fourth set of said optical waveguides to combine the outputs of the TM switch array and the TE switch array; and an output port coupled to the polarization combiner, wherein said liquid crystal prisms are disposed within at least one of said polarization splitter, polarization combiner, TM switch, and TE switch.