Compact High Efficiency Opto-electronically Programmable Switch (CHEOPS)

"To meet the demands placed on military and commercial photonic systems, Photera Technologies, Inc. proposes the development of a 1 x 4 laser-beam switch which promises technical specifications not achievable by existing devices. Aptly named Compact HighEfficiency Opto-electronically Programmable Switch (CHEOPS), this laser beam switch has the ability to direct a beam to four separate positions in a non-sequential, true-random-access manner with switching speeds of less than a microsecond. Ourproprietary design is based upon a ceramic electro-optic (EO) polarization rotation switch. When combined with birefringent materials in a cascade configuration, this electro-optic approach enables the development of a1x(2**N)switch which is compact (<2 cubic inches) and high speed (<1 microsecond switching time). Meanwhile, our material choice yields a switch that is free of piezoelectric resonances while providing excellent optical transmission and damage thresholdcharacteristics in the visible and near IR. As a ceramic material, the switch is expected to be inexpensive compared to alternative technologies, and is compatible with mass manufacturing and low-cost production. The technology proposed herein providesthe core for the development of numerous active components for optical networks, including programmable polarization rotators, gain equalizers, variable optical attenuators, and optical switches. Advances in optical networks, and t