Optical label recognition in spectral and time domains with collinear acoustooptic devices for photonic router

Wavelength-selective switching in collinear acoustooptic (AO) devices is investigated for applications to WDM photonic routers. The switching characteristics of optical signals by weighted AO interaction are studied numerically using FDTD method and the results are compared with the coupled mode theory. I. Introduction In photonic networks, photonic routing will be an indispensable function for processing high-bit rate optical packets over wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) large-capacity networks. Optical generalized multiprotocol label switching (GMPLS) is a promising technology and has been intensively studied. Routing information is described on the routing label, which is attached to a packet as a header. Various methods of mapping the label information on optical codes have been proposed, which include using the wavelength itself, the subcarrier, the combination of wavelengths, and the optical codes encoded in the time domain or frequency domain.