The Weizmann Institute of Science

Shachar Gorodeisky

Yaakov Amitai

Silviu Reinhorn

Asher Albert Friesem

A planar optical crossbar switch comprising two thin planar substrates, on each of which are recorded or attached two holographic lenses between which light propagates by means of total internal reflection. The first lens is a negative cylindrical lens, used to input the incident light signal to the substrate, and the second lens is a positive cylindrical lens. The two substrates are disposed at right angles to each other in such a way that the positive lenses are positioned one on top of the other with a spatial light modulator sandwiched between them or beneath them. A linear array of detectors collects the output signal from the negative lens on the second substrate. Light from an element in the linear array of sources is spread out, by means of the negative cylindrical holographic lens on the first substrate, across a row of the SLM, and light from a column of the SLM is focused by means of the cylindrical holographic lenses on the second substrate, onto a particular element of the linear array of output detectors. To connect a signal form the ith source in the input array to the jth detector in the output array, the value of the &lcub;i,j&rcub; pixel of the SLM matrix should be in the ON state.

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Moshav Ginaton, Israel

Shachar Gorodeisky