Multi-slot batch-transfer optical packet switch

In optical packet switching, the reconfiguration time of optical switches should only be a small fraction of the packet transmission time for efficient utilization of the bandwidth. This constraint puts a very stringent demand on the switch reconfiguration time as the transmission rate of optical fiber increases. By using batch transfer of packets, we propose an optical switch architecture that can significantly relax the requirement on switch reconfiguration time. The utilization of the transmission links is greatly improved because the guard time between packets is no longer related to the switch reconfiguration time. We have also demonstrated analytically that the proposed switch architecture can significantly reduce the packet loss probability, at the expense of an increase in the delay variations, if the packets are not restricted to their original time slots at the switch output.