Abstract | We present an architecture for implementing optical
buffers, based on the feed-forward-buffer concept, that can truly
emulate input queuing and accommodate asynchronous packet
and burst operation. The architecture uses wavelength converters
and fixed-length delay lines that are combined to form either a
multiple-input buffer or a shared buffer. Both architectures are
modular, allowing the expansion of the buffer at a cost that grows
logarithmically with the buffer depth, where the cost is measured
in terms of the number of switching elements, and wavelength
converters are employed. The architectural design also provides
a tradeoff between the number of wavelength converters and their
tunability. The buffer architectures proposed are complemented
with scheduling algorithms that can guarantee lossless communication
and are evaluated using physical-layer simulations to
obtain their performance in terms of bit-error rate and achievable
buffer size. |