Patent ID: 7558447

Claim:
A wavelength selective optical switch comprising: a polarization transformation device receiving input light having a plurality of wavelength components and outputting' light of a predefined polarization; a beam expanding device for expanding said light of predefined polarization in a predetermined plane; a first dispersive element receiving said expanded light of predefined polarization, and dispersing wavelength components of said expanded light of predefined polarization in said predetermined plane; a polarization conversion element receiving said dispersed wavelength components of said expanded light of predefined polarization, said polarization conversion element being pixelated generally along the direction of said dispersion such that separate pixels are associated with separate wavelength components of said expanded light, and at least one pixel of said polarization conversion element being operative to convert the polarization of light, passing through said pixel according to a control signal applied to said pixel; a second dispersive element receiving light from said polarization conversion element, and operative to combine said separate wavelength components of said light into multi-wavelength output light; a beam compressing device aligned such that said multi-wavelength output light is compressed in said predetermined plane; and a polarization selective device receiving said compressed multi-wavelength output light, said polarization selective device being aligned such that only those components of said multi-wavelength output light having a predetermined polarization are transmitted therethrough.