Patent ID: 6597481
Filing Date: 2003-07-22
Classification: G02B,H04Q

Abstract:
A controllable, wavelength-selectable, optical cross-connect switch including a plurality of input ports for receiving multi-wavelength optical signals and a plurality of output ports for supplying multi-wavelength optical signals as outputs from the optical switch, each multi-wavelength optical signal including a plurality of channels wherein a channel is associated with a particular wavelength, the optical switch further comprising:an optical router portion coupled to the plurality of input ports for distributing the multi-wavelength optical signals from the input ports; an optical combiner portion coupled to the plurality of output ports for combining the multi-wavelength optical signals; and a plurality of optical fibers interconnecting the optical router portion and the optical combiner portion, selected ones of the plurality of optical fibers including wavelength-selective magnetically tunable fiber gratings with two selectable bi-stable states, capable of passing or reflecting any of the plurality of channels so that any of the plurality of channels can be supplied from any of the plurality of input ports to any of the plurality of output ports.