Optical Switch With Load Balancing Capability Using Polarization Division Multiplexing

An optical switch with load balancing capability can play important roles in reducing power consumption, enhancing scalability, and optimizing bandwidth utilization for data centers. This letter proposes a novel scheme to build up such an optical switch fabric using polarization division multiplexing. In the switch, the functions of load balancing and switching are simultaneously performed by two orthogonal polarizations, respectively. This feature allows the switch to double its throughput without an increase in its port count or reconfiguration speed. A 1 × 32 optical load-balanced switch with this scheme is successfully demonstrated. Experimental results show that the switch exhibits good polarization independence and the average power penalty is 1.3 dB.