Resonant optoelectronic thyristor switches as elements for optical switching fabrics

An optical switching fabric based on resonant optoelectronic switches is presented. The elements are comprised of two optoelectronic thyristors which have their own switching characteristic. Simultaneous switching of 40Gbps baseband data along with mm-wave optical signals is shown in a 4x4 fabric. The possible unique capabilities and performance advantages of implementation with thyristor-based switches in the fabric are discussed.