Abstract

In the last few years, there has been a growing interest in photonic switching and signal-processing i.e. the switching or processing of signals that are in the form of light. One reason for this interest is the major commitment that is being made to fiber optics for data transmission. The demand for higher and higher bit rates continues to push the development of communications networks with ever-increasing capacity. We are now at the stage where lightwave communication networks are limited not by the fiber capacity, but by the limitations of the electronics used for the switching, routing, and signal processing. Because optical devices can operate in a time range inaccessible to electronics, it is tempting to suggest that photonic signal-processing elements will be used in future communications and computing networks to eliminate the electronics "bottleneck".

© 1988 Optical Society of America