US Patent 7149379 Optical switching using light bullets

A method and apparatus for optical switching using light bullets is presented. In one embodiment, the invention is a switch. The switch is a multi-channel, optical switch to use light bullets as optical pulses. The switch includes a waveguide of a first material. The switch also includes a plurality of channels extending from the waveguide. Each channel of the plurality of channels is to provide an optical path suitable for transmission of the light bullets. Each channel is formed of a material other than the first material. A first subset of the light bullets are to propagate into a predetermined channel of the plurality of channels responsive to interaction with a second subset of the light bullets.