On the role of photonic switching in future communications systems

Despite the fact that electronics technology continues to make substantial advances in speed, complexity, and reduced cost, there is, at present, a growing interest in developing photonic switching and signal processing devices for future communications applications. This paper begins by explaining some of the reasons for this interest. We then outline the fundamental and technological limits we can foresee for photonic switching technology and show in which areas we can expect photonics to be superior to other technologies. After a presentation of some examples of current research on electro-optic and all-optical switching elements, a discussion of future prospects for photonic switching concludes the paper.