System and Method for Photonic Switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337731-A1
Application number	US-201514710815-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 13, 2015
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A photonic switching structure includes a first macromodule, where the first macromodule includes an array of switch matrix photonic integrated circuit (PIC) nodes having a first row, a second row, a first column, and a second column and a first optical splitter optically coupled to PIC nodes in the first row. The first macromodule also includes a second optical splitter optically coupled to PIC nodes in the second row and a first output selector optically coupled to PIC nodes in the first column. Additionally, the first macromodule includes a second output selector optically coupled to PIC nodes in the second column and a first collision detector coupled to PIC nodes in the first column. Also, the first macromodule includes a second collision detector coupled to PIC nodes in the second column.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A photonic switching structure comprising a first macromodule, wherein the first macromodule comprises:
an array of switch matrix photonic integrated circuit (PIC) nodes having a first row, a second row, a first column, and a second column; a first optical splitter optically coupled to PIC nodes in the first row; a second optical splitter optically coupled to PIC nodes in the second row; a first output selector optically coupled to PIC nodes in the first column; a second output selector optically coupled to PIC nodes in the second column; a first collision detector coupled to PIC nodes in the first column; and a second collision detector coupled to PIC nodes in the second column.

2 . The photonic switching structure of claim 1 , wherein a PIC node of the array of switch matrix PIC nodes comprises:
a PIC; and a PIC controller electrically coupled to the PIC.

3 . The photonic switching structure of claim 2 , wherein the PIC node of the array of switch matrix PIC nodes further comprises a connection memory (CM) stack.

4 . The photonic switching structure of claim 2 , wherein an optical macromodule substrate of the PIC node has a well or aperture, wherein the PIC controller is in the well, and wherein an active surface of the PIC is mounted on an active surface of the PIC controller.

5 . The photonic switching structure of claim 4 , wherein the PIC controller is electrically coupled to the macromodule substrate the PIC.

6 . The photonic switching structure of claim 1 , wherein the first macromodule further comprises:
a first CM stack electrically coupled to the first output selector and the first collision detector; and a second CM stack electrically coupled to the second output selector and the second collision detector.

7 . The photonic switching structure of claim 1 , wherein the photonic switching structure comprises an array of macromodules comprising the first macromodule, wherein the array of macromodules has a first row of macromodules, a second row of macromodules, a first column of macromodules, and a second column of macromodules.

8 . The photonic switching structure of claim 7 , further comprising:
a first output selection module optically coupled to macromodules of the first row of macromodules; and a second output selection module optically coupled to macromodules of the second row of macromodules.

9 . The photonic switching structure of claim 8 , wherein the first output selection module comprises:
a macromodule collision detector; a CM stack electrically coupled to the macromodule collision detector; and a third output selector electrically coupled to the CM stack.

10 . The photonic switching structure of claim 7 , wherein a macromodule of the array of macromodule comprises an array of PICs.

11 . The photonic switching structure of claim 10 , wherein the array of PICs comprises a first pair of rows of PICs comprising a first row and a second row, wherein the first row is optically coupled to a polarization rotator splitter, and wherein the second row is optically coupled to the polarization rotator splitter.

12 . The photonic switching structure of claim 1 , wherein the first macromodule further comprises:
a PIC selector configured to select a PIC node of the array of switch matrix PIC nodes in accordance with a PIC selection address to produce a selected PIC; and a column selector configured to select a column of the selected PIC in accordance with a column address.

13 . The photonic switching structure of claim 1 , wherein the first macromodule further comprises a plurality of semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) optically coupled to the array of switch matrix PIC nodes.

14 . A method comprising:
serially loading signaling input port requests into a plurality of input shift registers; loading addresses from the plurality of input shift registers into a plurality of output shift registers; reading out comparison bits from the plurality of output shift registers; and determining input port contention in accordance with the comparison bits.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein determining input port contention further comprises:
comparing address bits with a plurality of exclusive OR (XOR) gates to produce comparison addresses; and gating the comparison addresses with a plurality of AND gates to produce a conflict list.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a number of XOR gates is greater than or equal to a number of input ports minus one.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
receiving an optical signal; converting the optical signal to an electrical signal; and aligning message frames of the electrical signal to produce the signaling input port requests.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising resolving the input port contention using round robin input port contention resolution.

19 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising resolving the input port contention by prioritizing continuing containers over new containers.

20 . A method comprising:
receiving a plurality of output port requests for a frame; detecting collisions between the plurality of output port requests; resolving detected collisions by selecting a first output port request for a first requested output port, and rejecting remaining output port requests; selecting a first output of a photonic switch module in accordance with the first output port request to connect the first output of the photonic switch module to the first requested output port; and transmitting negative acknowledgments (NACKs) corresponding to the rejected output port requests.

21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising transmitting an acknowledgment (ACK) in accordance with the first output port request.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein detecting collisions comprises detecting collisions within a macromodule.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein detecting collisions comprises detecting collisions between macromodules.

24 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising receiving, a fixed period of time after receiving the first output port request, a first optical container corresponding to the first requested output port.

25 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising converting the plurality of output port requests from serial to a parallel before detecting the collisions.

26 . A method comprising:
transmitting, by a peripheral to a photonic switch, a connection request corresponding to a container to be assembled; transmitting, by the peripheral to a photonic switch, the container; storing a copy of the container in a sent container store; determining whether a negative acknowledgment (NACK) corresponding to the connection request has been received; and re-transmitting, by the peripheral to the photonic switch, the copy of the container in response to receiving the NACK.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising
determining whether an acknowledgment (ACK) corresponding to the connection request has been received; and deleting the copy of the container stored in the sent container store when an ACK has been received.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Graves Alan Frank

Classifications

• G02B2006/12145

  Switch · CPC title

• G02B6/3596

  With planar waveguide arrangement, i.e. in a substrate, regardless if actuating mechanism is outside the substrate · CPC title

• G02B2006/1215

  Splitter · CPC title

• G02B6/3588

  of the processed beams, i.e. controlling during switching of orientation, alignment, or beam propagation properties such as intensity, size or shape · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0039

  Electrical control · CPC title