Patent ID: 7088881
Filing Date: 2006-08-08
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An integrated optical switching device comprising: a wafer, operative as a substrate, an array of optical input waveguides, arranged on said substrate as an input batch, said array including at least 16 optical input waveguides; a same array of optical output waveguides, also arranged on said substrate, as an output batch; a same array of splitting optical switching elements, emerging from said array of optical input waveguides, each of said splitting optical switching elements having two outgoing ports: a same array of combining optical switching elements, leading to said same array of optical output waveguides, each of said array of combining optical switching elements having two incoming ports: so that a light beam traveling from one of said switched outgoing ports to one of said switched incoming ports travels through two bend sections of a connecting waveguide, so as to make substantially 90° and substantially −90°, thus proceeding in a same direction as said straight-through outgoing port, wherein said splitting optical switching elements and said combining optical switching elements, together, selectively connect one of said optical input waveguides with a predetermined one of said optical output waveguides so as to form a double crossbar architecture, for a strictly non-blocking routing, and wherein said first array of optical input waveguides and said same array of optical output waveguides are configured substantially as two circular rings, and a spacing between two adjacent waveguides within each of said rings is less than substantially 250 μm.