Patent ID: 7486849

Claim:
An optical switch, comprising: an optical resonator for switching between states of transparency and opaqueness with respect to transmission of optical signals based on intensity of input optical signals; a first input optical waveguide optically coupled to the optical resonator, for guiding a first optical signal to the optical resonator; a second input optical waveguide optically coupled to the optical resonator, for guiding a second optical signal comprising an optical switch control signal to the optical resonator; and an output optical waveguide optically coupled to the optical resonator, for guiding a third optical signal from the optical resonator, wherein the optical resonator comprises a first region and a plurality of second regions in a layer, the first region comprising a first material, at least one second region comprising a second material having a different refractive index from said that of said first material and wherein said plurality of second regions are arranged in a nested manner with respect to each other, wherein at least one material comprising the optical resonator is non-linear, the non-linearity causing different resonance frequencies of the optical resonator for different intensities of light of at least said optical switch control signal, and wherein the at least one second region laterally encloses all or part of the first region.