Abstract

A near term application of photonic switch arrays appears to be in the broadband telecommunications transport network as optical cross-connects in a transparent optical layer of the network. Fig. 1 schematically illustrates such a system where photonic switch arrays can be used for protection switching and network reconfiguration whereas the digital cross-connects are used for, e.g., routing in digital transmission hierarchies and for regeneration of optical signals [1]. Prerequisites for the employment of switch arrays in such systems are introduction of high (≥ 10 Gb/s) bitrate communications, such that the photonics layer in the system complements electronic systems in a meaningful way, as well as adequate performance of the switch arrays.

© 1993 Optical Society of America