title: Total switching of unpolarized fiber light with a four-port electro-optic liquid-crystal device.
abstract: A liquid-crystal switch capable of switching nearly 100% of unpolarized light from one multimode fiber to another had been conceived and demonstrated experimentally. The switch uses a double interaction with a single layer of nematic liquid crystal in which the liquid alignment is initially in plane at 90 degrees to the light propagation. This four-fiber optical reversing switch has a simple structure, a low insertion loss, and a low operating voltage. It should find a wide range of applications in fiber-optic communication systems.
authors.affiliation: Sperry Research Center, Sudbury, Massachusetts 01776, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Soref
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: McMahon