Integrated array of 1/spl times/N optical switches for wavelength-independent and WDM applications

This paper describes an optical configuration that allows effective arrangement of multiple 1/spl times/N optical switches as an integrated array. An experimental compact module of 16 arrayed 1 /spl times/ 8 optical switches, built by utilizing a cylindrical lens, achieves uniform performance and a mean fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 2.75 dB. This paper also discusses various layouts that use the proposed optical switching module for both wavelength-independent and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications.