This is the second of a pair of technology tutorials on all-optical switching by Geoff Bennett, vice president of technology advocacy at Marconi PLC (Nasdaq/London: MONI).
This tutorial covers optical switching fabric, the components and modules that steer light signals from input to output ports in all-optical switches. It names the main technologies, explains how the key ones work, and demonstrates why different sizes and types of all-optical switch require different types of switching fabric.
It should be read in conjunction with the first tutorial, which covers all-optical switches themselves.
Both of these tutorials are based on a presentation given by Bennett at Opticon 2001, Light Reading's annual conference held in San Jose, Calif., in August of this year. Bennett would like to acknowledge the help of Peter Duthie, senior technical specialist, Marconi Optical Components, in preparing this presentation.
I need to come up with a new idea and try it out for a school optical communication project. I was thinking of designing a buffer for optical packet switch. The idea is that the buffer will be a ring ( similar to a ring network) and packets will be circulating in the ring until the manual switch(outside the ring connecting the ring to the demux) is closed.When switch closes the packet with lowest sequence number will get onto the link and the switch opens. The switch doesnot close until the packet on the link is at the output of the N*N crossbar switch.
This is a very very rough idea I have in mind.I have no idea if this can be implemented and the problems I could encounter. Please advice.
Also, is there any free software I can try hands on.I looked at Simulink but it doesnot have a N*N crossbar switch.
If you want to see the patents that are issued (or the applications published) in this technology, go to:
http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html
Free patent-searching website-the official one of the Patent Office.
Much of the technology you are looking for is in class 359 (optical systems) and 385 (optical waveguides). In 359, the most relevant subclasses are found under WDM/optical coupling. These are 359/127, 359/128, 359/129, 359/130, and 359/131. In 385, the subclasses are 15 and 31 (and subclasses under 31, depending upon what you are looking at). If you are interested in MEMS, it is mainly classified with the use of MEMS as modulators.
To search a particular subclass, go to "quick search", enter 359/127 and in "Field Codes" select "Current US Classification." If you give me an idea of the slightly more narrow field you are interested in (rather than broadly "all-optical switching" which covers many technologies), I could narrow the subclasses for you. You can also do a key word search (or many keywords, using the "Advanced Search" feature).
You are smart to do a patent search before embarking on any research. I am amazed how many people fail to take intellectual property into consideration. Even if you don't care about getting your own patents, you could run afoul of someone else's patents, which will kill a small company (and even a few large companies!).
If you are leary of posting your interests on a message board, feel free to e-mail me (praseodymiumfiber@yahoo.com) and I can give you a good idea of where to look-just tell me broadly the subject I don't want the burden of knowing anyone's proprietary information. Also, on the main USPTO website (hit home when you get the above link, then patents, then index, then manual of classification) you can search a subject keyword and find out where that technology is classified. However, the classification system is REALLY quirky and nothing is where you think it will be.
for those intellectuals wanting interesting reading about future storage technology such as ferroelectric molecular photon induced electric field poling creating interfernces patterns knows a holographic storage go to webpage
Ames Sorry this took so long but I have not been back to this site for months.
I was the founder of Optical Switch in Richardson. I now am doing business as Omega Technologies I can be reached at 940-665-2302 or r.h.laughlin@ieee.org
Hi, I have a question about AWG. according to my understanding, if I make a Nx1 recombiner, there will be a loss proportional to N. For example, a 2x1 combiner will lose half the light.
So shouldn't an AWG with 40 channels lose at least a factor of 40, or 16dB?
Maybe my comment only holds for the case of incoherent light, so that a 2x1 combiner can be perfect with coherent light?
Part I & II are one of the best overviews of switching I have seen presented. In part 4 the FTIR switch is defined as "just the ticket for simple 1x2 switches" but it is stated that the "25 ms latency is on the high side"
As the inventor of the original FTIR switching technology, which I believe is being refereed to, I would like to point out that there is a new (next generation) FTIR switching technology in a 2x2 configuration that over comes the 25 ms latency problem and should switch in less that 100 microseconds. This technology is in the patent pending status and is available for acquisition. For further information r.h.laughlin@ieee.org
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