Abstract

Optical digital cross-connect systems using transparent photonic switches are attractive for reconfiguring optical-path networks that will support future high-speed communications.^1-3 Since a free-space optical switch using liquid-crystal spatial light modulators⁴ (LC-SLMs) is suitable for such switches, combining it with high-speed photonic switching devices would permit high-bit-rate network reconfiguration. This communication proposes an optical cross-connect system using an LC-SLM cross-connect switch (XC-SW) accompanied by high-speed optical time-division multiplexers (T-MUXs) arid demultiplexers (T-DEMUXs). Rearrangement of time-division-multiplexed optical paths in 20-Gbit/s signal streams is also demonstrated.

© 1994 Optical Society of America