IEEE Spectrum · 1992 · 27 citations · 0 references
EngineeringElectrical EngineeringPhysicsOpticsOptoelectronicsPhotonicsFree-space OpticsIntegrated PhotonicsOptical Communication SystemsOptical SwitchingOptoelectronic DevicesPhotonic Integrated CircuitsElectro-optic SwitchingIntegrated Photonic DevicesOptical SwitchesPhotonic SwitchesSpace-division MultiplexingTime-division Optical SwitchingWavelength-division MultiplexingWavelength-division Optical Switching
The use of hardware that exploits the interplay of photons and electrons to switch voice, data, and video is discussed. The two directions being taken by current research-guided-wave and free-space photonics-are examined. Photonic time-slot interchanges are described. Multidivisional fabrics, based on a combination of space-division and time-division multiplexing, are considered, as is the wavelength-division-based photonic packet switch, another kind of multidimensional fabric. The use of self-electrooptic effect devices, (SEEDs) is discussed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">></ETX>