The optical switch plays a very important role in the optical network. It not only constitutes the switching core of the key equipment in the wavelength division multiplexing network, but also is a key device in the optical network.

Optical switches have become the research focus of major communication companies and research institutes due to the advantages of high speed, high stability, and low crosstalk. Optical switches have broad market prospects and are one of the most promising optical passive devices. Its application mainly includes:

Switching Function: Optical switches are usually used for network fault recovery. When a fiber break or other transmission failure occurs, the optical switch is used to realize the signal transfer route, switching from the main route to the backup route. This protection usually only requires the simplest 1x2 optical switch.

Network Monitoring Function: at the remote fiber test point, connect multiple fibers to an optical time domain reflectometer through a 1xN optical switch, and monitor all fibers through optical switch switching. In addition, the optical switch can also be used to insert a network analyzer into the optical fiber line to realize online network analysis. This optical switch can also be used for fiber optic device testing.

Optical Device Testing: multiple optical devices to be tested can be connected through optical fibers, and through 1xN optical switches, the devices can be tested by monitoring the signal of each channel of the optical switch.

OADM and Optical Cross-connection: optical add/drop multiplexers are mainly used in ring-shaped metropolitan area networks, to realize single wavelength and multiple wavelengths to be added and dropped freely from the optical path without electrolytic multiplexing or multiplexing process. The OADM realized by the optical switch can be dynamically controlled by software to add and drop arbitrary wavelengths, which greatly increases the flexibility of network configuration. OXC is composed of an optical switch matrix, which is mainly used for cross-connection of the core optical network, realizing fault protection of the optical network, dynamic optical path management, and flexible addition of new services.

Due to the wide range of applications of optical switches and many functions, the technology of optical switches is already very advanced. The use of optical switches can protect the optical layer of the network to a certain extent, making the speed of the network very fast. The development of the switch has promoted the survival and development of the network, and greatly improved the efficiency of using the network, so the optical switch has become an indispensable key device in the network.