Single-mode fiber optical crossbar routing switch with ferroelectric liquid-crystal-VLSI technology and free-space...

We investigate a possible extension of the optically connected parallel machine crossbar system to telecommunication routing-switching systems. The critical issue concerns the realization of a free-space interconnection system between two single-mode fiber arrays in the case of a fully interconnected architecture, such as a crossbar system. In particular, we assess the throughput capability of such a system. This evaluation is based on both theoretical analysis and experimental results. We demonstrate that the number of channels is severely constrained by the limited numerical aperture of a single-mode fiber. Finally, we discuss some architectural alternatives and propose some technical recommendations for interconnecting single-mode fiber arrays in free space.