Optical interconnection technology in switches, routers and optical cross connects

The performance of data- and telecommunication equipment must keep up with the increasing network speed. At the same time, one must deal with the internal interconnection complexity, often growing exponentially with the number of ports. Therefore, new interconnection technologies to be used internally in the equipment are needed. Optical interconnection technology is a promising alternative and much work has been done. In this paper, a number of optical and optoelectronic interconnection architectures are reviewed, especially from a data- and telecommunication equipment point-of-view. Three kinds of systems for adoption of 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 which redirect traffic on the packet or cell level. The reviewed interconnection technologies and architectures are discussed according to their suitability of adoption in the three mentioned system types.