Abstract

A beta switch is a 2 × 2 crossbar cell, which is the building block for many interconnection networks (i.e., Clos-Benes, Spanke). A new optical beta switch design based on the ferroelectric liquid crystal total internal reflection switch is investigated for use in dynamic optical interconnection networks. It exhibits low crosstalk and can be driven by only a few volts. Crosstalk, loss, and scaling characteristics are discussed in the context of the device cascadability.

© 1988 Optical Society of America