Fiber Sagnac π-shifted interferometer for a polarization-independent PMNT high-speed electro-optic switch.

We propose and analyze experimentally a high-speed polarization-independent lead magnesium niobate titanate (PMNT) electro-optic switch using a π-shifted fiber Sagnac interferometer (FSI). In the proposed switch, the PMNT high-speed electro-optic ceramic is used as a phase retarder for two counterpropagating waves, which can switch the energy between the reflection and transmission ports of the FSI. Because of an initial π shift introduced into the FSI by actively adjusting the polarization controller, the power response of the switch is independent of the polarization orientation of the incident light, which induces the polarization-independent characteristic of the switch. An optical switch with cross talk lower than -25 dB and a switching time of less than 200 ns is experimentally investigated. The insertion loss and electric hysteresis property are also demonstrated. Finally, a scheme to form the n × n switch matrix is proposed.