Optical packet switch architectures evaluation using optical cost and physical loss

Abstract

Requirement of network capacity is increasing due to growing demand of internet traffic. Data centre network traffic is boosting steadily due to arising mobile, internet and cloud services. In this paper four photonic packet switched architectures namely feedback loop buffer and arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) based switch, loss compensated feedback loop buffer and AWG based switch, electronic memory and AWG based optical switch, and buffer less optical Switch PETABIT have been analysed for their optical cost and physical loss. Cost of these architectures has been evaluated using fiber-to-chip coupling (FCC) and wavelength speed-up model (WSU). FCC model assumes fixed cost and doesnt account for wavelength conversion range. To include the influence of wavelength conversion range WSU model has been used. Optical cost itself may not reflect the true performance of the architecture so physical loss of these architectures has also been estimated. The results of this work shows that the optical cost of electronic memory and AWG based optical switch is the least but its physical loss is the highest and for buffer less optical Switch PETABIT it is vice-versa. Also the optical cost and physical loss of feedback loop buffer and AWG based switch, and loss compensated feedback loop buffer and AWG based switch are almost similar. So, feedback loop buffer and AWG based switch is better among the architectures explored in this work.