Scalable and Distributed Contention Resolution in AWGR-Based Data Center Switches Using RSOA-Based Optical Mutual Exclusion

We describe a mutual exclusion element using a reflective semiconductor optical amplifier (RSOA) and a simple scheme for contention resolution in arrayed waveguide grating router (AWGR)-based optical switches in data centers. We describe a hardware demonstration and detailed performance analysis of an AWGR-based optical switch based on the proposed concept. We show that the proposed RSOA-based contention resolution significantly reduces latency compared to existing methods and that it does not require any global or centralized coordination, which makes it inherently scalable and suitable for emerging data center networks.