Patent 5581643 Issued on December 3, 1996. Estimated Expiration Date: December 8, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
An optical waveguide cross-point switch capable of full broadcast and strictly non-blocking operation. The device has a matrix of a plurality of input waveguides and a plurality of output waveguides (M×N). A reflecting surface associated with each intersection may be selectively activated to direct an optical signal on the input line to the associated output line. The reflecting surface may also be employed so as to convert an M×N matrix into a 2 (M×N) rearrangeable cross-point switch. Each waveguide is capable of switching a data rate of 10 Gb/s or more. For example, with eight wavelength channels used to impart optical signals to a 16×16 switch a data rate of 1.28 Terabits/second is achievable.
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December 8, 2014. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.
