It only Switches light at hundreds of times a second....
This is from the Agilent web site:
agilent.com
"Here's how it works. Multiple optical paths, or wave guides, are
created in the planar-lightwave circuits (PLC), intersecting at several
cross points. At those cross points, the light travels through a fluid with
the same optical properties as the wave guide. As a result, the optical
stream, and its communications contents, travel unimpeded through
the cross point.
However, when the optical signal needs to be rerouted, a bubble is
inserted - using inkjet technology - into the cross point. The bubble
displaces the fluid and alters the optical properties of the cross point.
This causes the light to be reflected along a new path. These bubbles
can be formed and removed hundreds of times per second, providing
a fast and reliable switching function, one that uses neither mirrors nor
mechanical moving parts."
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I plead ignorance on this subject, but hundreds of times a second sounds too slow. I live in a world where I am used to hearing 400MHZ or 500MHZ.
Can anyone who knows something about this subject tell me what hundreds of times a second means for this technology?? |
