SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ORIENTING AND POSITIONING OPTICAL FIBERS

An optical switch (10) includes an aligning member (12) with an aperture (28) extending between opposite sides to define an aligning groove (32). A first output waveguide (16) is in the aligning groove. An input waveguide (14) and a second output waveguide (18) are in a further groove (50) in the aligning member. The second output waveguide can move between two positions where optical signals from the input waveguide are respectively directed into the first and second output waveguides. In a variation, an aligning member (102) includes a plurality of the optical switches arranged to form a 1×N switching fabric (100). Further, two such switching fabrics (212, 213) can be coupled to define an M×N switching fabric (210).