Application of Liquid Crystal Technology to Telecommunication Devices

Using the wavelength selective switch as a prototypical example, we examine the use of liquid crystal technology for telecom applications. Some key design issues and performance parameters are discussed.

1. Introduction

A dense wavelength division multiplexed (DWDM) optical network, as with any information network, requires switches to perform routing of the signals. DWDM networks pass several information channels along the same optical waveguide (optical fiber): each channel corresponds to a different wavelength of light with the wavelengths typically separated by less than a nanometer. Consequently DWDM networks require switches that are wavelength selective with very high resolution.