Mechanical Optical Switches: Use physical movement of fibers or mirrors to redirect light. This technology allows for high bit rate transmission to be switched between various optical lines. Figure: Optical Switch. An optical switch, also known as an optical line switching device (automatic switching type optical patch panel), is a device that enables the network to be always connected. Any communication protocol (Ethernet, ATM, etc. Unlike traditional electronic circuit-switched systems, OCS uses optical signals to establish direct communication paths between. Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) are semiconductor-made micro-mechanisms, which are generally used as movable micro-mirrors that can deflect optical signals from input to output fibers. These devices play a critical role in modern optical networks by enabling dynamic reconfiguration, wavelength routing, and protection switching.
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