Photonic switches, photonic switching fabrics and methods for data centers

Abstract

Data center interconnections, which encompass WSCs as well as traditional data centers, have become both a bottleneck and a cost/power issue for cloud computing providers, cloud service providers and the users of the cloud generally. Fiber optic technologies already play critical roles in data center operations and will increasingly in the future. The goal is to move data as fast as possible with the lowest latency with the lowest cost and the smallest space consumption on the server blade and throughout the network. Accordingly, it would be beneficial for new fiber optic interconnection architectures to address the traditional hierarchal time-division multiplexed (TDM) routing and interconnection and provide reduced latency, increased flexibility, lower cost, lower power consumption, and provide interconnections exploiting scalable optical modular optically switched interconnection network as well as temporospatial switching fabrics allowing switching speeds below the slowest switching element within the switching fabric.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An optical network comprising:
 a plurality of transceivers, each transceiver provides a plurality S input ports and a plurality S output ports; and   a modular optical switch reference network architecture (MOS RNA) comprising a plurality N transmitter side optical switching modules, a plurality N receiver side optical switching modules and a plurality of optical shuffles; wherein   each transmitter side optical switching module of the plurality N transmitter side optical switching module incorporates a 1×N optical switch having a first port and N second ports;   each receiver side optical switching module of the plurality N receiver side optical switching modules incorporates a 1×N optical switch having a first port and N second ports;   the plurality of optical shuffles interconnect the N second ports of each transmitter side optical switching module of the plurality N transmitter side routing engines to a second port of the N second ports of each receiver side optical switching module of the plurality N receiver side optical switching modules;   the plurality S output ports of each transceiver of the plurality of transceivers are coupled to S transmitter side optical switching modules of the plurality N transmitter side routing optical; engines;   the plurality S input ports of each transceiver of the plurality of transceivers are coupled to S receiver side optical switching modules of the plurality N receiver side optical switching modules; and   N and S are positive integers.   
     
     
         2 . The optical network according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the plurality of transceivers comprises R transceiver;   R is a positive integer; and
     N=R·S.    
   
     
     
         3 . The optical network according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the 1×N optical switch within each module of the plurality of modules comprises:
 a substrate; 
 an input waveguide coupled to suspended waveguide portions before and after a pivot point; 
 an array of output waveguides; 
 a beam supporting the suspended waveguide portions; 
 a rotational microoptoelectromechanical (MOEMS) element integrated upon the substrate comprising an actuator coupled to the beam supporting the suspended waveguide portions; wherein 
 a predetermined rotation of the MOEMS element under the motion of the actuator results in an alignment of an end of the suspended waveguide portions distal to the input waveguide with a predetermined output waveguide of the array of output waveguides. 
   
     
     
         4 . The optical network according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the 1×N optical switch within each module of the plurality of modules comprises:
 a substrate; 
 a first non-suspended portion integrated upon the substrate supporting an optical waveguide; 
 a second non-suspended portion integrated upon the substrate supporting a plurality of other optical waveguides; 
 a suspended portion integrated upon the substrate disposed between the first non-suspended portion and the second non-suspended portion comprising:
 a beam having a first end attached to the first non-suspended portion and a second distal end coupled to a pivot point; 
 another beam having a first end attached to the beam at the pivot point and a second distal end; and 
 a further beam having a first end attached to the beam at the pivot and a second distal end of the another beam; and 
 
 a first microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuator integrated upon the substrate mechanically coupled to the pivot point; wherein 
 the optical waveguide extends from the first non-suspended portion onto the suspended portion and is supported by the beam and one of the another beam and the further beam; and 
 an end of the optical waveguide is translated relative to the second non-suspended portion by flexure of the suspended portion induced by the first MEMS actuator to couple the optical waveguide to an other optical waveguide of the plurality of other optical waveguides. 
   
     
     
         5 . The optical network according to  claim 1 , wherein
 each transceiver of the plurality of transceivers is associated with a TOR leaf switch of a plurality of TOR leaf switches; and   each TOR leaf switch is coupled to a plurality of servers within a rack.   
     
     
         6 . The optical network according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a plurality of other transceivers, each other transceiver provides a plurality Y input ports and a plurality Y output ports; and   a second modular optical switch reference network architecture (MOS RNA) comprising a plurality N transmitter side optical switching modules, a plurality N receiver side optical engines and a plurality of optical shuffles; wherein   each transmitter side optical switching module of the plurality N transmitter side optical switching module incorporates a 1×M optical switch having a first port and M second ports;   each receiver side optical switching module of the plurality M receiver side optical switching modules incorporates a 1×M optical switch having a first port and M second ports;   the plurality of optical shuffles interconnect the M second ports of each transmitter side optical switching module of the plurality of M transmitter side routing engines to a second port of the M second ports of each receiver side optical switching module of the plurality M receiver side optical switching modules;   the plurality Y output ports of each transceiver of the plurality X transceivers are coupled to Y transmitter side optical switching modules of the plurality N transmitter side routing optical; engines;   the plurality Y input ports of each transceiver of the plurality X transceivers are coupled to Y receiver side optical switching modules of the plurality of N receiver side optical switching modules; and   M and Y are positive integers.   
     
     
         7 . The optical network according to  claim 6 , wherein
 The plurality of other transceivers comprises X other transceivers;   X is a positive integer; and
     M=X·Y.    
   
     
     
         8 . The optical network according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the MOS RNA is connected to a plurality of top of rack (TOR) leaf switches via the plurality of transceivers;   the second MOS RNA is connected to a plurality of spline switches via the plurality of other transceivers;   a subset of the plurality of TOR leaf switches are connected to a spine switch of the plurality of spine switches; and   another subset of the plurality of TOR leaf switches are connected to another spine switch of the plurality of spine switches.   
     
     
         9 . The optical network according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the plurality of spine switches are interconnected by a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) ring network.