Low-Power Optical Packet Switching for 100-Gb/s Burst Optical Packets With a Label Processor and 8 × 8 Optical Switch

Abstract

We demonstrate error-free 100-Gb/s optical packet switching with low power consumption by using a combination of a label processor and 8 × 8 broadcast-and-select (B&S) optical switch. To achieve energy-efficient label processing, an optical-trigger-pulse generator that consumes energy only for a very short duration is realized, whereas the optoelectronic serial-to-parallel converter used to interface the fast label bits to a slow CMOS processor has been improved to operate with a reduced trigger pulse energy of 0.35 pJ. Moreover, the electro-absorption-modulator-based B&S optical switch is significantly enhanced by introducing a surface ground electrode for eliminating electrical crosstalk and integrated spot-size converters with easy fabrication process. The total power consumption of the full 8 × 8 optical packet switch is estimated to be as low as 27.3 W or 3.4 W/100-Gb/s port.