Using 2 x 2 switching modules to build large 2-D MEMS optical switches

Abstract

MEMS optical switch technology is one of the key technologies in wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks. Although the 2-D MEMS optical switch technology is mature, the commonly used crossbar architecture is not amenable to building large switches. In this paper, we propose a design of 2x2 switching modules, and use it to build large 2-D MEMS optical switches with architectures such as Spanke-Benes and Benes networks.