A novel Dynamically Reconfigurable Optical Packet Switch (DROPS) that combines both spectral and spatial switching capabilities is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time. Compared with an Arrayed Waveguide Grating Router (AWGR), the added spatial switching capability provided by the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) enables dynamically reconfigurable routing that is not possible with an AWGR alone. This methodology has several advantages over an AWGR including scalability, additional degrees of freedom in routing a packet from an ingress port to an egress port and more flexibility in path or line card recovery. The experimental demonstration implemented with 10-Gb/s packets shows that the added spatial switching does not degrade the bit-error-rate performance, indicating the promising potential of DROPS as a versatile and ultra-high capacity switch for optical packet-switched networks.

© 2006 Optical Society of America

1. W. Wang, L. G. Rau, and D. J. Blumenthal, "160 Gb/s Variable Length Packet/10 Gb/s-Label All-Optical Label Switching With Wavelength Conversion and Unicast/Multicast Operation," J. Lightwave Technol. 23, 211-218 (2005). [CrossRef]
2. A. Carena, M. D. Vaughn, R. Gaudino, M. Shell, and D. J. Blumenthal, "OPERA: An Optical Packet Experimental Routing Architecture with Label Swapping Capability," J. Lightwave Technol. 16, 2135-2145 (1998). [CrossRef]
3. H. N. Poulsen, S. Rangarajan, M. L. Masanovic, V. Lal, and D. J. Blumenthal, "Performance of a Label Erase and Wavelength Switching Sub-System for Layer-3 All-Optical Label Switching Using a Two Stage InP Wavelength Converter," in Technical Digest of Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC ’05), Paper OTuC2.
4. X. Zheng, V. Kaman, S. Yuan, Y. Xu, O. Jerphagnon, A. Keating, R. C. Anderson, H. N. Poulsen, B. Liu, J. R. Sechrist, C. Pusarla, R. Helkey, D. J. Blumenthal, and J. E. Bowers, "Three-Dimensional MEMS Photonics Cross-Connect Switch Design and Performance," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 9, 571-578 (2003). [CrossRef]
5. J. Kim, C. J. Nuzman, B. Kumar, D. F. Lieuwn, J. S. Kraus, A. Weiss, C. P. Lichtenwalner, A. R. Papazian, R. E. Frahm, N. R. Basavanhally, D. A. Ramsey, V. A. Aksyuk, F. Pardo, M. E. Simon, V. Lifton, H. B. Chan, M. Haueis, A. Gasparyan, H. R. Shea, S. Arney, C. A. Bolle, P. R. Kolodner, R. Ryf, D. T. Neilson, J. V. Gates, "1100 × 1100 Port MEMS-Based Optical Crossconnect With 4-dB Maximum Loss," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 15, 1537-1539 (2003). [CrossRef]
6. S. Kamei, M. Ishii, M. Itoh, T. Shibata, Y. Inoue, and T. Kitagawa, "64 × 64-channel uniform-loss and cyclic-frequency arrayed-waveguide grating router module," Electron. Lett. 39, 83-84 (2003). [CrossRef]
7. Personal communication with Dr. Roger Helkey of Calient Networks, Goleta, CA, USA
8. P.M. Hagelin, U. Krishnamoorthy, C. M. Arft, J. P. Heritage, O. Solgaard, "Scalable Fiber Optic Switch Using Micromachined Mirrors," in Proceedings of the 1999 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators (Transducer ‘99), pp. 782-785
9. C. Nuzman, J. Leuthold, R. Ryf, S. Chandrasekhar, C. R. Giles, and D. T. Neilson, "Design and Implementation of Wavelength-Flexible Network Nodes," J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 648-663 (2003). [CrossRef]

Electron. Lett.

• S. Kamei, M. Ishii, M. Itoh, T. Shibata, Y. Inoue, and T. Kitagawa, "64 × 64-channel uniform-loss and cyclic-frequency arrayed-waveguide grating router module," Electron. Lett. 39, 83-84 (2003). [CrossRef]

IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron.

• X. Zheng, V. Kaman, S. Yuan, Y. Xu, O. Jerphagnon, A. Keating, R. C. Anderson, H. N. Poulsen, B. Liu, J. R. Sechrist, C. Pusarla, R. Helkey, D. J. Blumenthal, and J. E. Bowers, "Three-Dimensional MEMS Photonics Cross-Connect Switch Design and Performance," IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quantum Electron. 9, 571-578 (2003). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• J. Kim, C. J. Nuzman, B. Kumar, D. F. Lieuwn, J. S. Kraus, A. Weiss, C. P. Lichtenwalner, A. R. Papazian, R. E. Frahm, N. R. Basavanhally, D. A. Ramsey, V. A. Aksyuk, F. Pardo, M. E. Simon, V. Lifton, H. B. Chan, M. Haueis, A. Gasparyan, H. R. Shea, S. Arney, C. A. Bolle, P. R. Kolodner, R. Ryf, D. T. Neilson, J. V. Gates, "1100 × 1100 Port MEMS-Based Optical Crossconnect With 4-dB Maximum Loss," IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 15, 1537-1539 (2003). [CrossRef]

J. Lightwave Technol.

• W. Wang, L. G. Rau, and D. J. Blumenthal, "160 Gb/s Variable Length Packet/10 Gb/s-Label All-Optical Label Switching With Wavelength Conversion and Unicast/Multicast Operation," J. Lightwave Technol. 23, 211-218 (2005). [CrossRef]
• A. Carena, M. D. Vaughn, R. Gaudino, M. Shell, and D. J. Blumenthal, "OPERA: An Optical Packet Experimental Routing Architecture with Label Swapping Capability," J. Lightwave Technol. 16, 2135-2145 (1998). [CrossRef]
• C. Nuzman, J. Leuthold, R. Ryf, S. Chandrasekhar, C. R. Giles, and D. T. Neilson, "Design and Implementation of Wavelength-Flexible Network Nodes," J. Lightwave Technol. 21, 648-663 (2003). [CrossRef]

Other

• Personal communication with Dr. Roger Helkey of Calient Networks, Goleta, CA, USA
• P.M. Hagelin, U. Krishnamoorthy, C. M. Arft, J. P. Heritage, O. Solgaard, "Scalable Fiber Optic Switch Using Micromachined Mirrors," in Proceedings of the 1999 International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators (Transducer ‘99), pp. 782-785
• H. N. Poulsen, S. Rangarajan, M. L. Masanovic, V. Lal, and D. J. Blumenthal, "Performance of a Label Erase and Wavelength Switching Sub-System for Layer-3 All-Optical Label Switching Using a Two Stage InP Wavelength Converter," in Technical Digest of Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC ’05), Paper OTuC2.

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