On Design and Performance Analysis of a Load Balanced Optical Switch Based on Polarization Division Multiplexing

This paper presents comprehensive study on the design and performance analysis of a load balanced optical switch. Different from other load balanced switches, the presented one is based on an array waveguide grating router and tunable laser utilizing polarization division multiplexing to consolidate load balancing function and switching function in the same linecard. A mathematical model is introduced to analyze the switch´s performance in terms of packet loss probability, queuing delay and throughput. Extensive simulations are carried out to verify the correctness of the model and to compare its throughput performance with other switch fabrics. It is shown that the presented switch can achieve nearly the same throughput as output-queue switch does under non-uniform traffic patterns. Furthermore, an improved design of linecard and its operation are presented to solve the out-of-sequence problem for the studied switch.