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An integrated optical switching device includes a substrate formed with a plurality of optical input waveguides, a plurality of optical output waveguides, and a plurality of optical switching elements for selectively connecting the optical input waveguides to the optical output waveguides; character

An integrated optical switching device includes a substrate formed with a plurality of optical input waveguides, a plurality of optical output waveguides, and a plurality of optical switching elements for selectively connecting the optical input waveguides to the optical output waveguides; characterized in that at least some of the waveguides include tight bends having a radius of curvature of less than 100 μm. Also described are compact switching devices of high port count including coaxial arrays of input and output switch columns interconnected according to a double-crossbar architecture.

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What is claimed is: 1. An integrated optical switching device comprising: a wafer, operative as a substrate, an array of optical input waveguides, arranged on said substrate as an input batch, said array including at least 16 optical input waveguides; a same array of optical output waveguides, al

What is claimed is: 1. An integrated optical switching device comprising: a wafer, operative as a substrate, an array of optical input waveguides, arranged on said substrate as an input batch, said array including at least 16 optical input waveguides; a same array of optical output waveguides, also arranged on said substrate, as an output batch; a same array of splitting optical switching elements, emerging from said array of optical input waveguides, each of said splitting optical switching elements having two outgoing ports: a straight-through outgoing port; and a switched outgoing port, wherein each of said switched outgoing ports leads to a tight bend section, having a radius of curvature of less than 100 μm, for bending a switched light beam by substantially 90째; a same array of combining optical switching elements, leading to said same array of optical output waveguides, each of said array of combining optical switching elements having two incoming ports: a straight-through incoming port; and a switched incoming port, wherein each of said switched incoming ports comes from a tight bend section, having a radius of curvature of less then 100 μm, so as to bend a switched light beam by substantially-90째; so that a light beam traveling from one of said switched outgoing ports to one of said switched incoming ports travels through two bend sections of a connecting waveguide, so as to make substantially 90째 and substantially-90째, thus proceeding in a same direction as said straight-through outgoing port, wherein said splitting optical switching elements and said combining optical switching elements, together, selectively connect one of said optical input waveguides with a predetermined one of said optical output waveguides so as to form a double crossbar architecture, for a strictly non-blocking routing, and wherein said first array of optical input waveguides and said same array of optical output waveguides are configured substantially as two circular rings, and a spacing between two adjacent waveguides within each of said rings is less than substantially 250 μm. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said double crossbar architecture includes a first array of input switch columns defining optical switches interconnected according to a first crossbar architecture, and a second array of output switch columns defining optical switches interconnected according to a second crossbar architecture; said second array of output switch columns being coaxial with, and connected to outputs of said first array of input switch columns. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said second array of output switch columns is located on said substrate inwardly of said first array of input switch columns. 4. The device according to claim 2, wherein said substrate further includes electrical connections to said first and second arrays of switch columns leading to electrical pads located both inwardly of and outwardly of said first and second arrays of switch columns. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the radius of curvature of said tight bends is substantially between 20 and 60 μm. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said tight bends are tight ridge bends formed in the waveguides. 7. The device according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said tight bends are total internal reflection trench mirrors formed in the substrate. 8. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is formed of Z-cut Lithium-Niobate (LN). 9. The device according to claim 1, said device is formed as: said substrate, formed of silicon; a film of a first polymer, on said silicon substrate, said optical input, output and connecting waveguides being formed of a second polymer and being embedded in said film of said first polymer; and electro-optic polymer waveguides, forming optical switches and connecting said polymer waveguides. 10. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is of silicon, said optical input, output, and connecting waveguides are of silica, and said switching elements include a switch interaction zone of an electro-optic polymer. 11. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate is of silicon, said optical input, output, and connecting waveguides are of silicon oxy-nitride, and said switching elements include a switch interaction zone of an electro-optic polymer. 12. The device according to claim 1, adapted for packet switching. 13. The device according to claim 1, wherein said spacing between two adjacent waveguides along said ring is less than substantially 200 μm. 14. The device according to claim 1, wherein said spacing between two adjacent waveguides along said ring is about 75 μm. 15. The device according to claim 1, wherein said wafer has a diameter of substantially 3 inches. 16. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate has a diameter of substantially 3 inches and said double crossbar architecture includes an array of between 2횞16횞16 and 2횞20횞20 switching elements arrayed according to said circular geometry. 17. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate has a diameter of substantially 4 inches and said double crossbar architecture includes an array of between 2횞16횞16 and 2횞24횞24 switching elements arrayed according to said circular geometry. 18. The device according to claim 1, wherein said substrate has a diameter of substantially 5 inches and said double crossbar architecture includes an array of between 2횞20횞20 and 2횞32횞32 switching elements arrayed according to said circular geometry. 19. The device according to claim 1, wherein said first array of optical input waveguides is formed as two loops, connected with tight bends and a connecting waveguide, and said same array of optical output waveguides are similarly configured substantially as two loops, connected with tight bends and a connecting waveguide, so as to form four rings in all. 20. The device according to claim 19, wherein said substrate is a four-inch circular wafer, and said waveguides and switching elements define a double crossbar architecture of between 2횞20횞20 and 2횞32횞32 switching elements. 21. The device according to claim 19, wherein said substrate is a five-inch circular wafer, and said waveguides and switching elements define a double crossbar architecture of between 2횞20횞20 and 2횞32횞32 switching elements. 22. The device according to claim 1, wherein said input waveguides include a batch of input rows, with each input row including a splitter for splitting the respective input row into two branches; and wherein said output waveguides includes a batch of output rows, with each output row including a combiner for combining said two branches into their respective output waveguides. 23. The device according to claim 22, wherein said input waveguides include a batch of split input rows, to form an input array of 2횞N waveguides; and wherein said output waveguides include a batch of split output rows, to form an output array of 2횞N waveguides. 24. The device according to claim 23, wherein the number of switch columns in said split input waveguides is N/2; and wherein the number of switch columns in said split output waveguides is N/2; and wherein the said device has N of said splitting switches at the input and N of said combining switches at the output, and wherein said array is configured as 2횞(2횞N)횞(N/2). 25. The device according to claim 24, wherein said substrate is a four-inch circular wafer, and said waveguides and switching elements define a double crossbar architecture of between 2횞20횞20 and 2횞32횞32 switching elements. 26. The device according to claim 25, wherein said substrate is a five-inch circular wafer, and said waveguides and switching elements define a double crossbar architecture of between 2횞20횞20 and 2횞32횞32 switching elements. 27.An integrated optical switching device comprising: a wafer, operative as a substrate, an array of optical input waveguides, arranged on said substrate as an input batch, said array including at least 16 optical input waveguides; a same array of optical output waveguides, also arranged on said substrate, as an output batch; a same array of splitting optical switching elements, emerging from said array of optical input waveguides, each of said splitting optical switching elements having two outgoing ports: a straight-through outgoing port; and a switched outgoing port, wherein each of said switched outgoing ports leads to a tight bend section, having a radius of curvature of less than 100 μm, for bending a switched light beam by substantially 90째; a same array of combining optical switching elements, leading to said same array of optical output waveguides, each of said array of combining optical switching elements having two incoming ports: a straight-through incoming port; and a switched incoming port, wherein each of said switched incoming ports comes from a tight bend section, having a radius of curvature of less then 100 μm, so as to bend a switched light beam by substantially-90째; so that a light beam traveling from one of said switched outgoing ports to one of said switched incoming ports travels through two bend sections of substantially 90째 and substantially-90째, thus proceeding in a same direction as said straight-through outgoing port, wherein said splitting optical switching elements and said combining optical switching elements, together, selectively connect one of said optical input waveguides with a predetermined one of said optical output waveguides so as to form a double crossbar architecture, for a strictly non-blocking routing, wherein said first array of optical input waveguides and said same array of optical output waveguides are configured substantially as rectangles, and a spacing between two adjacent waveguides along said rectangle is less than substantially 250 μm, and wherein said rectangle corners comprise of same tight bends. 28. The device according to claim 27, wherein at least some of said tight bends are total internal reflection trench mirrors formed in the substrate. 29. The device according to claim 28, wherein the switching elements are made of electro-optic material.