Patent ID: 7676157

Claim:
An optical switch, comprising: at least one input port for receiving a plurality of channel wavelengths of an optical signal and a plurality of output ports; and a plurality of wavelength selective elements that each select a channel wavelength from among the plurality of channel wavelengths received at the at least one input port; a plurality of optical elements respectively associated with said plurality of wavelength selective elements, each of said optical elements directing one of the selected channel wavelengths selected by the associated wavelength selective element to any one of the output ports independently of all other channel wavelengths and with a selectively variable degree of attenuation; and a controller for adjusting a configuration of the optical elements to provide the channel wavelengths with the selectively variable degree of attenuation, wherein at least one of the optical elements includes a shutter for attenuating the selected channel wavelength directed by the optical element, and wherein said configuration of the optical elements adjusted by the controller includes a position of the shutter within a path traversed by the selected channel wavelength.