Wavelength dilated switches (WDS)-a new class of high density, suppressed crosstalk, dynamic wavelength-routing crossconnects

The concept of dilated space-division switches is generalized to the wavelength dimension, resulting in a new class of dynamic wavelength-routing crossconnects. These wavelength dilated switches (WDSs) are reconfigurable and feature suppressed crosstalk and denser wavelength-spacings. They are scalable, with switch-complexity of alpha N log/sub 2/ N where alpha is the dilation constant, typically 4-6, and N is the number of ports. A method for minimizing the crosstalk is described, and it is demonstrated with examples how the WDS can relax the crosstalk requirement of the wavelength routing devices.<>