Optical switches are very important devices in optical networks. They are used for network protection, cross connection, add/drop applications, etc. In fiber optic networks, light signals are transmitted along optical fibers to transfer information from one location to another. Optical switches are used to selectively couple light from an input fiber to an output fiber. An optical switch is typically used to couple a selected transmitter to a selected receiver. Optical switches direct optical beams in a desired direction. Optical switches typically have input ports to receive optical signals from one or more channels and two or more output ports into which the optical signal can be directed. Fiber optic switching is an important component in any telecommunication system. These systems use switches to establish communication channels among two or more of their interfaces. The fiber-optic switch is a basic building block for many optical applications such as routing in fiber communications networks, photonic signal processing, distributed optical sensing, and optical controls. An optical fiber switch is capable of optically connecting, or aligning, any one of a first group of optical fibers with any one of a second group of optical fibers, or enabling an optical signal to propagate through the optical interface junction from one fiber to the other. Fiber optic switches are constructed by mounting multiple fibers on a first substrate such that cleaved or polished ends of the fibers are coplanar with one surface of the substrate. A second substrate mounts a fiber in a similar manner.
