1100 x 1100-Port MEMS-Based Optical Crossconnect with 4dB Maximum Loss

We present a Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS) based beam steering optical crossconnect switch with port count exceeding 1100, featuring mean fiber-to-fiber insertion loss of 2.1 dB and maximum insertion loss of 4.0dB across all possible connections. The challenge of efficient measurement and optimization of all possible connections was met by an automated testing facility. The resulting connections feature optical loss stability of better than 0.2dB over days, without any feedback control under normal laboratory conditions.