Optical space switch device

摘要

The invention provides an optical space switch device which provides variable interconnection of one- or two-dimensionally spatially multiplexed optical signals. The optical space switch device comprises a plurality of optical space switch stages stacked to form a multi-input multi-output optical space switch. Each of the optical space switch stages comprises a plurality of 2-input 2-output optical switches, each of which comprises a polarization control layer and an optical path shifting layer. The optical path shifting layer has a bypass mode in which it outputs beams of light along optical axes and an exchange mode in which it shifts beams of light by diffraction.