4 × 4 GaAs/AlGaAs Optical Matrix Switches with Electro-Optic Guided-Wave Directional Couplers

4×4 GaAs/AlGaAs optical matrix switches constructed from 12 integrated electro-optic directional couplers have been realized. They have a simplified tree architecture, which is suitable for achieving uniform device characteristics. Matrix switches with much more uniform characteristics than ever reported before have been realized.