Patent ID: 7177497

Claim:
An optical fiber optic cross-connect switch for cross connecting optical fibers in an input set of optical fibers to fibers in an output set of fibers utilizing alignment beams that are co-axial with communication beams transmitted through said optical fibers, such switch comprising: A) an alignment beam insertion means for aligning an alignment beam co-axially with the communication beam carried by each fiber in the input set of optical fibers to define a communication-alignment beam for each fiber, B) an input array structure, C) a first network of confined optical pathways for directing each communication-alignment beam to a specific exit aperture in said input array structure, said exit apertures for all of the communication-alignment beams being arranged in a pattern defining an input array such that each communication-alignment beam can be identified by the location of its exit aperture in the input array structure, D) an output array structure, E) a second network of confined optical pathways for directing the communication beam portion of each cross connection beam to a specific exit aperture in said output array structure, each confined optical pathway defining an entrance aperture said entrance apertures for all of the pathways being arranged in a pattern defining an output array such that each pathway can be identified by the location of its entrance aperture in the output array structure, F) a first lens array for forming each communication-alignment beam into a cross-connection beam, G) a second lens array for focusing the communication portion of the cross connection beam into the entrance apertures of the second network of confined optical pathways H) a first mirror array and a second mirror array, said first mirror array having a plurality of mirrors with each mirror positioned to intercept one of the cross connection beams and direct it to a mirror in the second mirror array and said second mirror array having a plurality of mirrors with each mirror positioned to intercept one of the cross connection beams and direct it to a micro lens in said second lens array, I) a first detector array positioned to monitor at least a portion of each of the alignment beam portion of each cross connection beam, and J) at least one processor programmed to control positions of the mirrors in the first and second mirror arrays based at least in part on beam direction information provided by said first detector array, K) a plurality of porous silicon optical filters for wavelength multiplexing or de-multiplexing comprising a silicon substrate in which a very large number of tiny holes are etched to define a plurality of layers having thicknesses and indexes of refraction representing approximately one-forth of a wavelength of light at a particular frequency or a particular narrow band of frequencies.