Patent ID: 7702194

Claim:
An optical system comprising two or more optical switches for switching one or more optical signals, the signals comprising one or more optical wavelengths, each optical wavelength constituting a work piece, each optical switch comprising: one or more input fiber ports, each said input fiber port serving as an external interface for introducing the one or more input optical signals into one of said two or more optical switches; one output fiber port, said output fiber port serving as an external interface for extracting the output optical signal from one of said two or more optical switches; at least one shared arrayed switching element for receiving at least one wavelength from said one or more input fiber ports and switching at least one wavelength from one of said one or more input fiber ports to said one output fiber port according to a state of said at least one shared arrayed switching element; at least one shared wavelength dispersive element for spatially separating at least one first wavelength of the input optical signal from at least one other wavelength of the input optical signal and for recombining at least one first wavelength of the output optical signal with at least one other wavelength of the output optical signal; at least one shared arrayed steering element for steering the at least one wavelength from any of said one or more input fiber ports onto said at least one shared arrayed switching element, and for steering the at least one wavelength from said at least one shared arrayed switching element to said one output fiber port, wherein each said at least one shared arrayed steering element further comprises one or more facets, wherein each said facet is configured to position the at least one wavelength from any of said one or more input fiber ports onto said at least one shared arrayed switching element and configured to position the at least one wavelength from said at least one shared arrayed switching element to said one output fiber port; and, one or more shared optical elements, wherein each said optical element focuses the optical signals of said one or more input fiber ports and said one output fiber port; wherein said at least one shared arrayed switching element, at least one shared wavelength dispersive element, at least one shared arrayed steering element, and one or more shared optical elements are utilized by each said optical switch of said two or more optical switches.