Various parameters are defined and specified to quantify the performance of optical switches. The steady state performance of an optical switch (or optical switching matrix) is measured by its ability to effectively transmit optical power from an input port to any one of N output ports over the “on” state transmission path, and its ability to effectively isolate input power sources from all non-active ports over the “off” state transmission paths. Other key optical performance parameters include transmission efficiency over a range of wavelengths, the ability to minimize input optical power reflected back into the input fiber, transmission balance, and bidirectional transmission. The optical switch (or switching matrix) transient behavior is another important characteristic that is specified by its speed of response to control stimulation via the time interval it takes to either transmit or block the optical signal on any given output port.