Wavelength-division-multiplexing optical Benes-type networks with simultaneous space-wavelength switching

Abstract

We propose new wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical interconnect architectures with simultaneous space-wavelength switching capability and reduced complexity. The proposed architectures improve over existing space-wavelength Benes networks, as these require the same number of stages and hardware components as a pure space Benes network. In addition, wavelength conversion in the proposed designs occurs only between two predefined wavelengths, eliminating the need for expensive wide-range wavelength converters used in most existing designs. We develop and characterize three families of WDM Benes networks with reduced complexity, and we present a typical architecture in each of the families. We also propose a routing strategy to establish connections over each of the proposed families. Finally, we present a comparative analysis of the properties of proposed architectures with respect to known WDM Benes networks. It is shown that the new designs require a smaller number of switching stages and space switches, and they have a smaller overall cost compared to most existing WDM Benes interconnects.