30.12.
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BasicKnowledgeofOpticalSwitch|FiberOpticNetworkInfo&Solution&Products
BasicKnowledgeofOpticalSwitch
PostedonOctober29,2014byAdmin
WhatIsOpticalSwitch
The most direct understanding of optical switch is a device(mechanical, optomechanical, or
electronic types) used to open or close an optical circuit. In a network, we usually require
protectionswitching(tocompleteorbreakanopticalpath),wherekeyattributesmustoperate
reliablyafteralongperiodinoneposition,systemmonitoring,anddiagnosiscommonlyfeature
thesedevises.Anopticalswitchhasoneormoreinputsportsandtwoormoreoutputportsthat
weusuallycall1xNorNxNopticalswitch.
TypesofOpticalSwitch
According to the differences of fabrication process and technologies, optical switch can be
divided into mechanical switch, MEMS(Microelectromechanical System) switch and other
switches. The first two types are the most widely used products in the market nowadays. In
addition, thermooptic switch, electrooptic switch and acoustooptic optical switch are also
usedinsomespecificapplications.Andtoday,wewillmainlyintroducethefirsttwotypeshere.
Optomechanical switch may be said as the oldest type of optical switch. But it is the most
widely deployed at the time. Due to its working principle, it is relatively slow with switching
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timesinthe10100msrange.Nevertheless,theycanachieveexcellentreliability,insertionloss,
and crosstalk. In general, optomechanical optical switches collimate beam optics from each
inputandoutputfiberandmovethesecollimatedbeamsaroundinsidethedevicesothatallows
thedistancebetweentheinputandoutputfiberwithoutdeleteriouseffectsandachieveslower
opticalloss.
Microelectromechanicalsystems(MEMS)opticalswitchhasattractedwideattentionbecauseof
their versatility. MEMS optical switch can be considered as a subcategory of optomechanical
switches.Butduetothedifferenceoffabricationprocessesanditsuniqueminiaturenature,its
characteristics, performance and reliability concerns are different with the optomechanical
switch.Themostobviouspointistheoptomechanicalswitchhasmorebulkcomparedtoother
alternatives,buttheMEMSswitchovercomesthis.
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HowDoesOpticalSwitchWork
Opticalswitchisatechnologythatoperatesonfiberopticcircuittoworksimilartotraditional
electrical switches. The optical switch we mainly mentioned here is operated by mechanical
means which physically move fiber or other bulk optic elements. For example, the opto
mechanicalswitchredirectedanopticalsignalbymovingfiberbymeansofamechanicaldevice
aretypicallysteppermotordriven.Itmoveamirror(prisms,ordirectionalcouplers)thatdirects
thelightfromtheinputtothedesiredoutput.
ApplicationsofOpticalSwitch
Opticalswitchisakeycomponentinnowadaysopticalnetwork.Itisgenerallyusedforavariety
of applications such as provisioning of light paths, protection switching and as the elements
that allow high speed packet switched networks. Additionally, it is also very useful in optical
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fiber,componentsorsystemstestingandmeasurement,aswellasapplicationsinmultipoint
fibersensorsystems.
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