Abstract (Min 100 words) on the chapter Optical Switches in Network

  Optical network development discussing the great shift from asynchronous, to synchronous (SONET),
to optical networks is done. The main drivers that led to today’s high-speed networks are discussed.,
Wavelength Division Multiplexers (WDM), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexers (DWDM), Erbium
doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) are some of the main technologies of optical networks that are discussed.
Optical-Electrical-Optical (0-E-0) switches and the All-Optical photonic switches are described. Optical
networks, its characteristics, as well as the recent development in photonic switching technologies such
as MEMS, Liquid Crystals, bubbles, Thermo Optics are described.The challenges facing the large
deployment of optical switches in today’s networks are surveyed.