Page 157 - Optical Switching And Networking Handbook

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142 Chapter 6

Figure 6-11
One of an array of
256 microscopic
mirrors, each the
size of the head of
a pin, tilts to steer
light-wave signals
from one optical
fiber to another
(Lucent).

Source: Lucent

AT&T Labs’ light-wave networks department is using MEMS-
based switches in a cross-connect of 16 input and 16 output ports.
AT&T may be experimenting with the switching technology in
hybrid fiber-coax networks, particularly in the fiber-based return
channels.
If and when cable operators turn to heavy-duty optical switching,
whether to augment high traffic in large metropolitan systems or to
route traffic from one large cluster to another, mature technologies
should be available to meet the demand.

MEMS Enhance Optical Switching

Paralleling the exponential growth in computing muscle is an
explosion in demand for communications bandwidth. Users and carri-
ers alike are demanding faster, better, and cheaper access. Ever-
increasing volumes of data will be a major force in shaping the way we
use computer technology and the way in which that technology evolves.
Optical fiber links are a key element of this bandwidth explosion.
Fiberoptics has enabled the adoption of telecommunications stan-
dards with bit rates far higher than were possible using copper