Abstract
In the last decade, silicon photonic switches are increasingly believed to be potential candidates for replacing the electrical switches in the applications of telecommunication networks, data center and high-throughput computing, due to their low power consumption (Picojoules per bit), large bandwidth (Terabits per second) and high-level integration (Square millimeters per port). This review paper focuses on the state of the art and our perspectives on silicon photonic switching technologies. It starts with a review of three types of fundamental switch engines, i.e., Mach-Zehnder interferometer, micro-ring resonator and micro-electro-mechanical-system actuated waveguide coupler. The working mechanisms are introduced and the key specifications such as insertion loss, crosstalk, switching time, footprint and power consumption are evaluated. Then it is followed by the discussion on the prototype of large-scale silicon photonic fabrics, which are based on the configuration of above-mentioned switch engines. In addition, the key technologies, such as topological architecture, passive components and optoelectronic packaging, to improve the overall performance are summarized. Finally, the critical challenges that might hamper the silicon photonic switching technologies transferring from proof-of-concept in lab to commercialization are also discussed.
Highlights
Optical switching is a very promising technology in the applications of telecommunication networks, data center networks and interconnect between multi-processes for high-performance computing [1,2,3]
Wavelength-selective switches (WSS) and free-space micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) optical switching technologies have been deployed in the reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexers (ROADMs) of the network nodes for network provisioning and patch panel interconnecting, where the typical switching time is in the order of milliseconds
We demonstrate our latest work in the prototype of silicon photonic switches used for the telecommunication network nodes and summarize the key technologies including the topological
Summary
Optical switching is a very promising technology in the applications of telecommunication networks, data center networks and interconnect between multi-processes for high-performance computing [1,2,3]. The electrical switching is incompatible with the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology, where each optical link needs a multiplexer, a de-multiplexer and a pair of transceivers This increases the total cost and system complexity. The power consumption of the electronic chipset doubles every three years and the performance deteriorates dramatically due to the increasing temperature To solve these problems, new microprocessor architectures based on optical switching technologies are expected to significantly improve the bandwidth and latency characteristics of on-chip interconnects. New microprocessor architectures based on optical switching technologies are expected to significantly improve the bandwidth and latency characteristics of on-chip interconnects With this new technology, the total power consumption is required to be pJ-per-bit-scale for billions of floating-point operations and the cost will be in the level of ~¢/Gb/s in the future. We look into the critical challenges that need to be considered for commercialization of this technology in the future
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