Optical packet switching and buffering by using all-optical signal processing methods

TLDR

The authors introduce a 1 × 2 all‑optical packet switch and an alternative all‑optical buffering concept for data packet routing. Header information is processed entirely in the optical domain using two‑pulse correlation in a SLALOM configuration, stored in an optical flip‑flop memory of coupled lasers, and drives a wavelength‑routing switch via cross‑gain modulation; the buffering concept employs an asymmetric coupled‑laser threshold function to control the same switch. Experimental results demonstrate the operation of both the 1 × 2 packet switch and the optical buffer switch.

Abstract

We present a 1 × 2 all-optical packet switch. All the processing of the header information is carried out in the optical domain. The optical headers are recognized by employing the two-pulse correlation principle in a semiconductor laser amplifier in loop optical mirror (SLALOM) configuration. The processed header information is stored in an optical flip-flop memory that is based on a symmetric configuration of two coupled lasers. The optical flip-flop memory drives a wavelength routing switch that is based on cross-gain modulation in a semiconductor optical amplifier. We also present an alternative optical packet routing concept that can be used for all-optical buffering of data packets. In this case, an optical threshold function that is based on a asymmetric configuration of two coupled lasers is used to drive a wavelength routing switch. Experimental results are presented for both the 1 × 2 optical packet switch and the optical buffer switch.