SBIR Phase I: High Speed 2x2 Polymer Optical Fiber Switch

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The goal of Phase I Small Business Innovation Research project is to make a high-speed 2x2 optical switch using an electro-optic polymer fiber and off-the-shelf fiber components. The technical objectives that will be met on route to this goal include: 1) making single-mode electro-optic polymer optical fiber with connectors, 2) demonstrating coupling between this polymer fiber and standard glass fiber, 3) making a 2x2 optical switch with the researcher's polymer optical fiber and off-the shelf components, and 4) determining the properties of the switch to assess whether or not it meets specifications. Because the Prinicipal Investigator has the expertise to make single mode polymer optical fiber waveguides with a mode profile that matches the mode in glass fiber, the active electro-optic fiber and standard fiber components will make meeting specs possible. The immediate commercial device application of the project's research is a high speed EO switch and modulator. These include bypass and access switches for single-mode LANs, backup and restoration switches for CATV head-ends, network restoration switches for subscriber-side WANs, optical crossconnects for long-haul telecommunication POP (points of presence) centers, and for phased-array antennas. Additional applications are foreseen for niche markets, including instrumentation, network test, component test and evaluation, and potentially computer interconnect network configuration.