Patent ID: 7826747

Claim:
An optical node, comprising: optical components operable to transmit and receive optical signals over an optical transmission medium, wherein the optical components comprise: a demultiplexer operable to receive a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal at an input port and to separate the WDM optical signal into two or more constituent wavelength signals; a switching matrix comprising one or more electro-optic switches, each electro-optic switch operable to receive a wavelength signal and switch the signal to one of two outputs, wherein the outputs comprise an output port of the optical node and one or more drop output ports of the optical node, each electro-optic switch further operable to receive a wavelength signal from a transmitter at an add input port associated with the electro-optic switch; and a drop coupler associated with each of the drop output ports and an add coupler associated with each of the add input ports, the drop coupler of a each drop output port configured to make a copy of a wavelength signal switched to the drop output port by the associated electro-optic switch and to forward the copy of the wavelength signal to the add coupler of the associated add input port, the add coupler configured to forward the copy of the wavelength signal received from the drop coupler to the switching matrix.