Crossover network utilizing two-dimensional arrays of nodes

A network comprising

• a plurality of two-dimensional arrays of nodes, each of said arrays comprising C columns and R rows, C and R each being a power of two, said plurality of arrays being arranged in an ordered sequence and
• a plurality of stages each comprising a plurality of links, said plurality of link stages being arranged in an ordered sequence, each link stage being interposed between successive ones of said ordered sequence of arrays and comprising
• free space optical crossover means for interconnecting the nodes of successive ones of said arrays in a crossover pattern such that when the binary addresses corresponding to the integers from zero through RC-1 are respectively associated with successive nodes of rows and in opposite directions across successive rows in serpentine fashion, each node in one array is connected to the node in the successive array having a binary address differing in each of the p low order bit positions, p being a positive integer at most equal to log.sub.2 (RC), where RC is the product of R and C, RC-1 is the difference obtained by subtracting one from RC, and log.sub.2 (RC) is the base two logarithm of RC.