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A Study on Optical Switching: An Efficient Switching Tool for Optical Communication Network

Reji Thomas, Piyush Kumar Sharma

Optical communication network promises to deliver an unmatched data transmission speed with high capacity and bandwidth. However, one could never fully exploit the astonishing speed of light in communication as modern day electronic devices, installed in optical networks, could never stand up to the requirements of the light speed transmission. The optical systems have some serious limitations which include its inability for bit-level optical processing, slow switching and lack of efficient all-optical memory. Switching in optical networks are carried out by electronic devices. These devices rely on repeated O-E-O conversion of incoming data for switching activities, which adversely affect the optical speed. The electronic devices also act as a hurdle during optical system up-gradation as each time it needs to be replaced or upgraded. If the optical switching could be done in optical domain without the need for unwanted conversions, the use of electronic devices could be eliminated. This would not only bolster the speed of optical network but will also reduce the cost of optical system.