Compact latching type single-mode fiber switches and their applications in subscriber loop networks

This paper describes the design, characteristics, and applications of newly developed latching-type 1 x 2 and 1 x 8 single-mode fiber switches. These switches have been successfully fabricated using micromachine technology. To reduce insertion loss and light reflection, an index-matching oil is injected into the switches. The fabricated I x 2 switches exhibit a low insertion loss of 0.31 dB, high return loss of 51 dB, relatively fast switching speed of < 2 ms, and low driving power of 9 mw. Switching operation is stable over 10(8) switching times. A practical 1 x 8 single-mode fiber switch was also constructed using seven 1 x 2 switches cascaded in three stages. The fabricated 1 x 2 and 1 x 8 switches have been applied to an NTT multichannel video distribution FTTH system to enhance system reliability.