March 26, 2003 — Xerox Corp. has developed a MEMS-based switch that incorporates planar light circuits on a single silicon chip, according to a news release.

The new switch provides the functionality of a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, a routing device that’s commonly used in fiber-optic networks. But on-chip integration allows for a system that is a fraction of the size and cost of current systems, the release said.

Xerox said the switch can direct high amounts of data in ways that typically require large racks of assembled equipment. It would allow telecommunications companies to install such systems locally and on utility poles.

Researchers have created a prototype, and the company said it intends to commercialize the technology through licensing to optical switching firms.