New Photonic System for Optical Packet Switching

Fast optical switching (μs timebase) is realized by using a RF frequency tone inserted in the optical packet that carries a digital payload. By using a highly selective RF filtering for optical packet header frequency recognition, we have obtained excellent performance in optical switching function.. The RF header is detected at optical node input, and signals the node switching control, which instantly directs the packet to a prescribed output. No electronic processing of the digital payload is performed. The optical circuit is noise-free, has very low crosstalk, and is extremely selective in header frequency detection. BER measurements for payload consistently yield figures as low as 10 . This system is applicable to optical metropolitan and access networks, and is fully compatible with DWDM systems.