Design of a low-cost and compact 1 × 5 wavelength-selective switch for access networks

This paper describes the design, modeling, construction, and testing of a low-cost and compact (80  mm×50  mm) 1×5 wavelength-selective switch. The core beam-deflecting element of the switch is a nematic liquid crystal on silicon spatial light modulator. The switch is designed for coarse wavelength-division multiplexing wavelengths in order to bring the benefit of a low-cost, compact, and robust switching design toward the customer end in the access network. During the system development stage, a single optomechanical assembly was designed and prototyped using the three-dimensional printing technology. The experimental results show an insertion loss of -13.8±1.4  dB and a worst-case scenario crosstalk level of -24.8  dB. Approaches for enhancing the performance of the switch are analyzed and discussed.