Abstract

Optical packet switching will become a key technology for sophisticated optical network systems in the future.¹ In an asynchronous optical network system, each transmitter node sends out optical packets asynchronously. The electric control systems for switching these packets at an optical packet switching node (OPSw) become much simpler if the incoming packets are aligned in a series of common time slots provided at the OPSw. This alignment, which is also called syn-chronization, is a key technology for the development of OPSw, and it is achieved using an optical packet synchronizer (OPSy).

© 2002 Optical Society of America