4 × 4 optical-gate matrix switch

An optical gate-based matrix switch is proposed and a switching function in a 4 × 4 experimental switch is demonstrated. The experimental switch is composed of fiber-type splitters, a lantham-modified lead zirconate-titanate solid solution (PLZT) optical-gate array, and fiber-type combiners. The switch has a broad bandwidth of 400 Mbit/s for nonreturn-to-zero (NRZ) optical signal transmission. A possible maximum matrix size is discussed theoretically based on optical power level and optical crosstalk.