Polarization independent bidirectional optical switch for communication signals

A 2x2 optical switch performing bidirectional cross-bar on optical communication signals at 1550 nm is presented and experimented. The switch is based on electro-optic effect in bulk CdTe crystals. Operation is totally independent by input state of polarization of the optical beams to be addressed. The proposed free-space architecture grants high compactness, reliability and fast responce time compared with common switching solutions.