Patent ID: 7379668
Filing Date: 2008-05-27
Classification: G02B,H04Q

Abstract:
1. A photonic switching system comprising: a demultiplexer connected to at least one optical fiber for dividing light passing through the optical fiber into optical signals of different wavelengths and supplying the optical signals separately from each other to a first set of nodes; a first plurality of optical amplifiers coupled to the first set of nodes with each optical amplifier to receive one of the optical signals and to amplify the received optical signal, wherein the gain of each optical amplifier is individually controlled to manage power levels, compensate for losses, and equalize loss non-uniformities of the optical signals based on the wavelength of the optical signal received by each optical amplifier; and an optical switch core having a plurality of input nodes and a plurality of output nodes, the input nodes of the optical switch core to receive the amplified optical signals, wherein the optical switch core to switch the amplified optical signals from the input nodes to the output nodes of the optical switch core, wherein the optical switch core controllably attenuates the optical signals supplied to its input nodes.