Photonic Time-Division Switching Technology

With growing interest in visual information services, substantial needs for broadband communications networks are increasing. Optical switching systems are expected to have advantages over conventional electronic switching systems for use in switching broadband optical signals. Space-division, wavelength-division and time-division switching networks will be used in optical switching systems. Compared with the two other switching networks, the time-division switching network has an inherent advantage in providing a good match with existing time-division optical fiber transmission systems. This paper describes the principles and the present state of optical time-division switching technology. Further studies are also discussed.