Patent ID: 7099086

Claim:
A combined optical wavelength division multiplexing and optical switching system, comprising: a reconfigurable diffraction grating ( 108 ) diffracting at least one input light beam ( 106 ) into diffracted light beams of N wavebands ( 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 ) wherein N is an integer greater than zero; and further diffracting each of said input light beams ( 106 ) into diffracted light beams ( 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 ) across X diffraction orders wherein X is an integer greater than zero, for each of said N wavebands; at least X sets of at least N light output means ( 140 , 144 ) each, each one of said X sets corresponding with one of said X diffraction orders, and for each said diffraction order, each one of said N light output means ( 120 , 122 ) corresponding with one of said N wavebands at said order; wherein: said N is greater than one; said X is greater than one; for each given one of said X diffraction orders, all of the diffracted light beams ( 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 ) of a given one of said N wavebands, from all of said input light beams ( 106 ), are focused on the one of said N light output means ( 120 , 122 ) corresponding with said given waveband within the one of said X sets of output means corresponding with said given one of said X diffraction orders; diffraction beams ( 256 ) of said reconfigurable diffraction grating ( 108 ) are selectively movable relatively to one another; and said reconfigurable diffraction grating ( 108 ) is reconfigurable to optically switch at least one specified waveband to a specified subset of said output means ( 120 , 122 ) corresponding with a specified subset of said diffraction orders.