Secondary grid plates for optical switching applications

An optical circuit switch (OCS) comprising:

• a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror configured to receive a beam of light;
• a configurable beam injector comprising:
• a light source;
• a first grid plate;
• a second grid plate;
• and
• a housing configured accommodate one or more components of the configurable beam injector;
• wherein:
• at least one of the one or more components includes the second grid plate,
• the housing is configured to allow for insertion and removal of the second grid plate while the OCS is operational,
• the first grid plate receives a plurality of beam of lights from the light source,
• the first grid plate is configured to block a first subset of the plurality of beams of light by a first plurality of blocked beam pathways and transmit remaining plurality of beams of light through a first plurality of beam pathways;
• and
• the second grid plate is configured to block a second subset of beams of light from the remaining plurality of beams of light transmitted through the first grid plate.

A method of selectively blocking, in an optical switching circuit, a subset of beams of light generated by a light source comprising:

• providing a first grid plate with a number of first beam pathways and first blocked beam pathways;
• providing a second grid plate with a number of second beam pathways and second blocked beam pathways, wherein:
• the second grid plate is removably insertable into a pocket of a housing of the optical switching circuit, and
• the pocket of the housing is adjacent to the first grid plate;
• sequentially arranging the first grid plate and the second grid plate in a path of beams of light generated from the light source;
• blocking, by the first grid plate, a first subset of beams of light to a first subset of MEMS mirrors;
• and
• blocking, by the second grid plate, a second subset of beams of light to a second subset of MEMS mirrors.