France Telecom

Roger Lever

Bruno Vinouze

Philippe Gravey

Nicole Wolffer

The invention concerns a switch for optical beams comprising a series of optical input channels () and a series of optical output channels (), two liquid crystal cells respectively adapted to deflect an optical beam coming out of an input channel () or arriving onto an output channel (), said two cells comprising each a series of electrodes adapted to orient liquid crystals when one such electrode is subjected to a supply voltage said electrodes being distributed in zones (), each zone corresponding to a single input channel () or a single output channel (), the switch further comprising means for supplying the electrodes with selected voltages. The invention is characterised in that it comprises a series of separate electronic circuits, each being connected to at least a different zone () of a given cell, said circuits being each capable of transforming a respective control signal indicating a channel to be coupled to the channel of said zone () into a series of supply voltages for the electrodes of the zone ().

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Plourin-les-Morlaix, France

Roger Lever