An optical switch includes a polarization splitter/combiner that is made of a
material that changes its refractive index in response to voltage. The polarization
splitter divides an input beam into a first polarized component and a second polarized
component. Each of the first and second polarized components is fed into a first
polarization-sensitive deflector and a second polarization-sensitive deflector,
each of which deflects a light beam by a predetermined angle. A plurality of polarization
combining systems are positioned to receive a deflected first component and a deflected
second component and combine the first and the second deflected components into
an output beam propagating through an output fiber.
