Optical Flow Switching Networks

Present-day networks are being challenged by dramatic increases in data rate demands of emerging applications. A new network architecture, incorporating “optical flow switching,” will enable significant rate growth, power efficiency, and cost-effective scalability of next-generation networks. We will explore architecture concepts germinated 22 years ago, technology and testbed demonstrations performed in the last 17 years, and the architecture construct from the physical layer to the transport layer of an implementable optical flow switching network that is scalable and manageable.