Performance issues in SCM label switched networks due to tunable laser switching events

Optical Packet Switched (OPS) networks employing Optical Label Switching (OLS) techniques have the potential to enable an all-optical internet. In these networks, data remains in optical format throughout the entire network and routing is performed using a separate optical label. The label information is used to control fast tunable lasers that will transfer data packets to different wavelengths for routing and contention resolution. In this paper we investigate interference between subcarrier multiplexed (SCM) labels in such a network, due to switching events in the tunable laser transmitter. This interference may place a limitation on the channel spacing and subcarrier frequency used. Two 50GHz spaced optical carriers were modulated with 2.5Gbit/s SCM labels at 20GHz. Bit error rate measurements were taken with two lasers fixed 50 GHz apart, and also with one of the lasers (an SG-DBR) switching between this channel and another one 800GHz away. When the SG-DBR laser is not switching, a power penalty of approximately 0.25 dB is introduced due to interference through the optical filter. However, when the SG-DBR laser is switching between wavelengths an error floor of 1x10-5 is introduced due to the time it takes the tunable laser to settle to its target channel. In a systems application, this would result in packets being incorrectly routed.

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