Abstract

In ultrahigh-bit-rate asynchronous photonic network nodes, an accurate packet-level synchronizing technique (not bit-level synchronization, as in OTDM) is indispensable to process burst optical packets for label recognition and routing them properly. We have previously proposed self serial-to-parallel conversion (self-SPC) suitable for such label recognition.^1,2 When an asynchronous burst optical packet arrives, a single-optical-clock-pulse generator¹ provides an accurately synchronized control pulse for all-optical conversion,² and the converter simultaneously converts the serial label of the packet to slow parallel signals so that it can be handled by CMOS electronics. The advantages of label recognition based on self-SPC include ultrafast operation of over 40 Gb/s, low power consumption, and compactness. Furthermore, the system is very attractive because unlike all-optical matched-filter-based ones, which recognize only one address,³ it can recognize addresses with arbitrary bit patterns due to the nature of the bit-by-bit recognition. In this paper, we describe the first demonstration of self-SPC for 100-Gb/s optical packets and also demonstrate 1 × 4 self-routing based on label recognition by self-SPC.

© 2002 Optical Society of America