SBIR PHASE I: New Architectures and Applications of Multiwavelength Optical Networks Using Waveguide Grating Router

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目将研究能够在各种应用环境中高效地利用波导光栅路由(WGR)独特的多光纤多波长路由能力的系统架构。波分复用(WDM)被证明是一种在点对点通信中更充分地利用巨大的光带宽的可行技术。WDM技术向基于波长路由概念的交换网络环境的扩展揭示了一系列新的具有挑战性的问题。除了网络拓扑上的设备技术和算法之外，这里的一个关键问题是开发高效且经济实惠的系统或子系统，这些系统或子系统使用波长路由来增强性能。将波长复用器/解复用器与光开关相结合提供了最大的灵活性，但是开关交叉点的数量通常随着所使用的波长的数量而线性增加。成本高、制作复杂、插入损耗大，使得声光可调谐滤光器在可预见的未来不再具有商业应用的吸引力。需要一种创新的方法，将波导光栅路由器(WGR)与简单的有源器件相结合。这项SBIR的第一阶段工作将设计一个系统架构，能够在广泛的应用环境中利用WGR设备的独特波长路由能力。我们的初步调查结果也给出了。波长路由在高速计算机网络或电信基础设施中具有巨大的潜在应用。通过利用WGR设备的独特功能，这项研究工作的结果将极大地有利于国家以经济高效的方式实现波长路由，以增强各种应用的性能。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will investigate the system architectures that can efficiently utilize the unique multi-fiber multiwavelength routing capability of Waveguide Grating Router (WGR) in a variety of application environments. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) has been demonstrated as a feasible technology to more fully utilize the vast optical bandwidth in the point-to-point communications. The extension of WDM technology into a switched networking environment based on wavelength routing concept reveals a new set of challenging issues. In addition to device technology and algorithms on network topology, a critical issue here is the development of efficient and cost-effective systems or subsystems that use wavelength routing for performance enhancement. Combining wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers with optical switches provides maximum flexibility, but the number of switch crosspoints generally increases linearly with the number of wavelengths used. The high cost, fabrication complexity, and large insertion loss make acoustooptic tunable filters unattractive for commercial application in the foreseeable future. An innovative approach is required which combines Waveguide Grating Router (WGR) with simple active devices. The Phase I effort of this SBIR will design a system architecture that can exploit the unique wavelength routing capability of WGR device in a wide range of application environments. Results of our initial investigation are also presented. Wavelength routing has enormous potential applications in high-speed computer networking or telecommunication infrastructure. By utilizing the unique feature of WGR devices, results from this research effort should greatly benefit the nation in the cost-effective realization of wavelength routing for performance enhancement in a variety of applications.