1 x N fiber bundle scanning switch

Conventional optomechanical 1×N fiber-optic switches that use individually lensed fibers do not scale gracefully to N>100. We present a 1×N switch where the input and all output fibers are held in a fiber bundle and share a common imaging lens. Output is switched by a reflective scanner that uses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE photonics technology letters 1998-07, Vol.10 (7), p.967-969
Main Authors: Ford, J.E., DiGiovanni, D.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collimators
Costs
Insertion loss
Lenses
Optical fibers
Optical losses
Optical switches
Prototypes
Table lookup
Telecommunication switching
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Description
Summary:Conventional optomechanical 1×N fiber-optic switches that use individually lensed fibers do not scale gracefully to N>100. We present a 1×N switch where the input and all output fibers are held in a fiber bundle and share a common imaging lens. Output is switched by a reflective scanner that uses prism rotation to achieve 0.1-μm spatial resolution. The fiber locations in a disordered bundle are mapped during a setup procedure and stored in a lookup table for operation. We demonstrate a 1×160 switch in an 11"×3"×4.25" optomechanical package with 20 ms response, 3.5 dB maximum insertion loss, and /spl plusmn/0.02 dB switched connection stability. We discuss how this prototype can be developed into a compact and inexpensive 1×4096 switch.
ISSN:1041-1135
1941-0174
DOI:10.1109/68.681286