Physicists report technology with potential for sub-micron optical switches

A team that includes Rutgers University and National Institute of Standards and Technology scientists believes that a technology it is reporting this week in Nature Photonics could result in optical switches with sub-square-micron footprints, potentially allowing densely packed switching fabrics on a chip.

These dimensions contrast with established optical switching technologies based on other technologies, such as MEMS, lithium niobate, and silicon and electro-optic polymer plasmonic technologies, that have active elements in scales up to hundreds of microns.