Opto-VLSI-based N × M wavelength selective switch

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel N × M wavelength selective switch (WSS) architecture based on the use of an Opto-VLSI processor. Through a two-stage beamsteering process, wavelength channels from any input optical fiber port can be switched into any output optical fiber port. A proof-of-concept 2 × 3 WSS structure is developed, demonstrating flexible wavelength selective switching with an insertion loss around 15 dB.