Broadband testing of a 64×64 nanosecond optical switch

Nanosecond routing in a 64×64 optical phased array switch is reported. Further testing of the switch shows transmission capability of four 40 Gb/s WDM channels through a single switch path, with power penalty of 0.3 dB per channel. The optical path performance at high bit rate and data rate scalability of the switch is demonstrated for the first time. This performance indicates the possibility of switch implementation in Terabit routing systems. Furthermore, the results presented demonstrate the wavelength, data rate and format transparency of the switch, opening the possibility for the switch to be used in optical IP networks.