Mechanical Optical Switch & MEMS Optical Switch

 In the optical fiber communication system, the optical switch (OS) is mainly used to realize the physical switching of optical signals or other logical operations in the optical path, and is mostly used in the optical cross-connect (OXC) technology as a key device for optical switching.

Optical switch is a multiport device. The port configurations include 2×2, 1×N, M×N. Optical switches have a wide range of applications in optical fiber communication systems. According to the realization technology can be classified as mechanical optical switch, thermo-optical switches, acoustic-optical switches, electro-optical switches, magneto-optical switches, liquid crystal optical switches and MEMS optical switches, etc. Mechanical optical switch and MEMS optical switch are the two widely used optical switches.

The working principle of the mechanical optical switch is to redirect the optical signal by physically moving the optical fiber with the aid of a mechanical device. By moving the prism or directional coupler, the light at the input end is directed to the desired output port. There are three main types of mechanical optical switches: one is to use prism to switch the optical path technology, the other is to use mirror switching technology, and the third is to switch the optical path by moving optical fibers.

Mechanical optical switch

The MEMS optical switch is based on a micro-electro-mechanical system, which uses an optical micro-mirror or an optical micro-mirror array to change the direction of the beam to switch the light path. The principle of the MEMS optical switch is very simple. When the light is exchanged, the angle of the MEMS micro mirror is moved or changed by the drive of electrostatic force or magnetic power, and the input light is switched to the different output terminals of the optical switch to realize the switching and on-off of the optical path. The schematic diagram is shown below:

The principle of mems optical switch

The principle of the 2×2 optical switch is shown in Fig. Four waveguides are aligned in four directions and a vertical MEMS mirror is aligned in 45° direction. When the mirror is not inserted into the optical path, optical beams from waveguides 1 and 2 are coupled to waveguides 3 and 4, respectively. The port connection is 1→3 & 2→4, which is the bar state. When the mirror is inserted into the optical path, optical beams from waveguides 1 and 2 are reflected by the mirror and then coupled to waveguides 4 and 3, respectively. The port connection is switched to 1→4 & 2→3, which is the cross state.

Principle of the 2×2 MEMS optical switch, left: bar state, right: cross state

MEMS optical switch

With the rapid development of optical communications, the status of optical interconnection and optical switching as optical network nodes is becoming more and more important, and the application of optical switches is becoming more and more extensive. MEMS optical switches have the advantages of compactness, fast switching speed, and easy expansion. At the same time, they have the low insertion loss, low crosstalk, low polarization sensitivity, high extinction ratio and high switching speed of waveguide switches, small size, and easy expansion of mechanical optical switches. The advantages of large-scale integration. It will be the mainstream direction of the development of high-capacity switching optical network switches.

HYC independently develops MEMS optical switch series products, with 1×2, 1×4, 1×N channel configuration, which can be expanded up to 1×48 channels, and has the advantages of low power consumption, integration, fast response speed, and cost reduction. Headquartered of HYC Co., Ltd is in Qingyuan Guangdong, and HYC has R&D centers in Wuhan and Shenzhen. It has more than 1,000 employees and has more than 20 years of OEM and ODM experience. It provides one-stop customization for the design, R&D and manufacturing of optical communication optical passive components. 

How to choose the high-density fiber optic patch panel

 The fiber optic patch panel help manage the termination of optical fiber cables. It is mainly used for the cross-connection of optical cables, management of optical fiber jumpers, and the integration of optical fiber fusion splicing, optical fiber terminals, optical fiber adapters and cable connectors.

The optical fiber distribution box has many specifications, the common ones are rack type and wall box type. The 19-inch standard rack type, in U or RU as the unit, refers to the height of the equipment to be installed in the rack, and usually has a size of 1RU, 2RU, 4RU. It has a slide-out and sliding drawer design, which not only allows flexibly cabling but also protects optical fibers. It is an ideal cabling management solution for data centers.

When the requirement of fiber high-density increases, how to effectively manage and organize a large number of patch cords becomes extremely important. A good fiber distribution box will need to have the function of easy management of patch cord replacement. 

HYC’s uniquely designed high-density fiber patch panel is suitable for standard 19" rack installation. It adopts environmentally friendly, high-strength lightweight materials and excellent surface treatment technology. Each layer is an independent drawer type plug-in cassette controlled by smart spring cotter achieve easy inserting and pulling. Independent cable management frame design at the rear of the panel is easy for fixing the trunk cable. The redundant trunk cable ensure the cassette move properly. And a clear and organized panel pocket label convenient for independent label printing and replacement.

The optical fiber distribution box will take up valuable cabinet space. How to design a space-saving distribution box without affecting the organization and management of the optical fiber system is of great significance. This fiber optic patch panel can be uploaded with maximum LC connecting and cabling. 1U can be loaded with 6 pcs cassettes with 144-core LC or 72-core SC connectors, 2U can be loaded with 12 pcs cassettes with 288-core LC or 144-core SC connectors, 4U can be loaded with 24 pcs cassettes with 576-cores Or 288 core SC connectors. The connections in the cassette can be customized according to application requirements, such as MPO-LC, PLC-LC, WDM-LC, etc.

The fiber optic patch panel is an important equipment in the optical network transmission process, which can effectively achieve the termination, protection and management of the optical cable. HYC based in china focuses on development and production of optical passive devices, and strive to offer a variety of customized fiber optic patch panels according to customer's requirements. HYC has 20 years of experience in the optical communications industry, has a strong R&D team and manufacturing capabilities, and can provide customers with one-stop production customization services. The product line includes optical fiber connectors, optical fiber jumpers, PLC optical splitters, and WDM Wavelength division multiplexer, MEMS optical switch, etc.

What is LWDM (Lan Wavelength Division Multiplexing)

 There are CWDM(coarse wavelength division multiplexing),DWDM(dense wavelength division multiplexing),and newly MWDM,LWDM in 5G WDM bearer solutions. MWDM and LWDM are two kinds of WDM proposals presented by China Mobile and China Telecom. MWDM reuses the first 6 waves of CWDM, compresses the wavelength interval to 7nm, and expands it to 12 waves with a 3.5nm offset.

And LWDM is based on the Ethernet channel wavelength division multiplexing Lan-WDM technology, also known as dense wavelength division multiplexing. Its channel interval is 200~800GHz, this range is between DWDM (100GHz, 50GHz) and CWDM (about 3THz). LWDM uses 12 wavelengths in the O-band range from 1269nm to 1332nm, with a wavelength interval of 4nm (Wavelengths including 1269.23, 1273.54, 1277.89, 1282.26, 1286.66, 1291.1, 1295.56, 1300.05, 1304.58, 1309.14, 1313.73 , 1318.35nm).

 

The characteristic of LWDM working wavelength is that it is located near zero dispersion, with small dispersion and good stability. At the same time, LWDM can support 12-wave 25G to increase the capacity and save fiber. 

HYC can provide customers with a full range of WDM solutions, including the latest MWDM, LWDM and CWDM, DWDM products. HYC has 20 years of OEM/ODM manufacturing experience in the optical communication industry, and has a certain influence in the global industry. It focuses on providing customers with one-stop customization of the design, development and manufacturing of passive basic optical components for optical communication. The production lines includes fiber optic connectors, fiber optic jumpers, PLC splitters, WDM wavelength division multiplexers, MEMS optical switches, and so on. Products are widely used in FTTH, data centers, 5G networks, and telecommunication networks.

Simplex & Duplex Fiber Optic Patch Cord

 The fiber optic patch cord can be divided into two types according to the work mode of the interface, it is simplex and duplex. Then what is simplex and duplex, how to use them? They are two kinds of communication channels in telecommunications and computer networking, which provide pathways to convey information.

What is simplex fiber patch cord?

Simplex is that data transmission only supports transmission in one direction. The two ends of communication, one end is the transmitter and the other end is the receiver, which is not reversible. For example, broadcasting stations usually only send signals to audience site, and do not receive signals from audience site.

 

What is duplex fiber patch cord?

Duplex is divided into half duplex and full duplex. Half-duplex can transmit data in both directions on the signal carrier, but not at the same time. In the communication process, the transmitter and receiver at both ends of the communication system can switch the direction through the receive/transmit switch to realize transmission in a single direction. It can also be said that the half-duplex mode is a simplex communication with switchable directions. . For example, on walkie-talkie, when you press the call button, you can send a conversation to the other party, and the other party can also hear it, but the other party cannot talk to you at the same time.

Full duplex is capable of two-way data transmission in both directions of the signal carrier at the same time. Receiving data while sending data, which requires the sending end and the receiving end to have independent receiving and sending capabilities at the same time. The full-duplex mode can also be seen as a simplex communication that allows two-way simultaneous transmission. Just like a telephone, both parties can talk at the same time by using two-way instant transmission technology. The duplex jumper can be composed of two simplex jumpers through a special design. For example, the Uniboot jumper uses a single tube and dual core.

Both simplex and duplex fiber jumpers can have single-mode and multi-mode modes. Single-mode and multi-mode have different applications. Generally speaking, single-mode is compared Suitable for long-distance transmission, and multi-mode is suitable for short-distance transmission. Choose which mode of fiber jumper depends on the actual applications.

HYC has focused on the OEM/ODM manufacturing of passive optical communication devices for 20 years. It has a strong R&D team and production capacity, and can provide customers with one-stop customized production of optical communication passive basic device design, R&D and manufacturing. The production lines mainly include fiber optic connectors, fiber jumpers, PLC splitters, WDM wavelength division multiplexers, MEMS optical switches, etc.