Optical networks: a practical perspective
Optical networks: a practical perspective
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We demonstrate packet detection at an optical switch input using an optoelectronic control system which then processes the headers of the packets, and controls the switching according to the header content for both fixed and variable length packets arriving synchronously or asynchronously at the optical switch. Furthermore, contention resolution is demonstrated in an optical Crosspoint switch by detecting packets at the input ports and controlling the switch operation accordingly. By incorporating this control system into the Crosspoint switch it is possible to route contending packets to a recirculating fibre delay line and to control the switch output in a flexible manner for any type of traffic depending on the applied switching algorithm. The feasibility of a recirculating buffer implementation is supported by the very low crosstalk characteristics of the Crosspoint switch. The experiments are done with 155 Mb/s headers and 10 Gb/s payloads transmitted on a single wavelength with a guard time of 12.8 ns between the header and the payload. Error-free photonic switching of fixed and variable length packets and contention resolution of fixed length packets are shown, with the main signal degradation being from the switch cell attenuation and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) which can be alleviated by eliminating fibre-to-fibre transmission loss in the Crosspoint switch.