Optical Networks Magazine

The performance of data- and telecommunication equipment must keep abreast of the increasing network speed. At the same time, it is necessary to deal with the internal interconnection complexity, which typically grows by N2 or NlogN, where N is the number of ports. This requires new interconnection technologies to be used internally in the equipment. Optical interconnection technology is a promising alternative and much work has already been done. This paper reviews a number of optical and optoelectronic interconnection architectures, especially from a data and telecommunication equipment point of view. Three kinds of systems for adopting optical interconnection technology are discussed: (i) optical cross connects (OXCs), (ii) switches and routers with some kind of burst switching and (iii) switches and routers that redirect traffic on the packet or cell level. The interconnection technologies and architectures are discussed according to their suitability for adoption in the three system types.