ACOUSTOOPTIC DEVICE-BASED HIGH-SPEED HIGH-ISOLATION PHOTONIC SWITCHING FABRIC FOR SIGNAL-PROCESSING

A high-speed, switched, binary photonic switching fabric based on two acousto-optic devices arranged in a compact self-aligning (by acousto- optic device-based Bragg matching) optical geometry is introduced for photonic signal processing and control. This fabric has the unique cap ability to provide simultaneously both high switching speeds and high optical isolation, a critical need for advanced low-noise high-speed s ignal-processing applications. The proof-of-concept experimental fabri c demonstrated nearly 60% light throughput, a 39-dB optical isolation level for both states of the switching fabric, and a 138-ns switching time. (C) 1997 Optical Society of America.