160 Gb/s/port 2 × 2 OPS node test-bed performing 50 Gchip/s all-optical active label processing with contention detection

A 160 Gb/s/port 2 × 2 optical packet switching node test-bed is implemented by exploiting semiconductor optical amplifier-based label extraction and contention detection. Optical packed switched networks are attractive because they allow packet switching without conversion of the data in the electronic domain, making the nodes transparent to the data format and improving the network scalability. Despite the control of the switching and of the contentions in the network nodes can be implemented in the electronic domain, the use of all-optical processing also in the subsystems devoted to the control can increase the node performance by leading to a reduced packet latency time and to a possibly more efficient implementations. Nevertheless integrated realizations are required to make the all-optical approach attractive and effective also in terms of power consumption and footprint. SOA technology represents a mature and reliable technology suitable for hybrid integrated implementations. The implementation of active label processing in a real testbed with discrete devices demonstrates the validity of the proposed approach. Error-free operations are obtained with a 50 Gchip/s label. To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of active label processing at a chip rate as high as 50 Gchip/s. © 2010 IEEE.