Disclosed herein are multi-layer wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) devices that include a first optical signal router to route first demultiplexed signals from a common layer to a first channel layer and a second optical signal router to route second demultiplexed signals from the common layer to a second channel layer.

To provide a light wavelength separation device and a light wavelength separation method that can be flexibly adapted for various channel intervals of a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) signal, a light wavelength separation circuit is provided with: an optical coupler which splits a wavelength-multiplexed optical signal in which optical signals of a plurality of channels are multiplexed; a band-pass filter which is arranged for each of output ports of the optical coupler, separates optical signals included in the wavelength-multiplexed optical signal inputted from the output ports of the optical coupler into channels of which the central frequencies are not adjacent to each other, and outputs the separated optical signals from respectively different output ports; and an optical switch which selects one of paths of the optical signals inputted from the output ports of each band-pass filter.

Switching technology may be incorporated into various systems, components, and/or architectures in a fiber optic network to promote network reconfigurability and design flexibility. A signal access unit comprises an input, an output, an access port, a switch arrangement including a switch, and a controller. The switch optically couples the input to the output and not to the access port when in a first configuration, and optically couples the access port to at least one of the input and the output without optically coupling the input and the output together when in a second configuration. The controller is configured to receive an indication of a selected wavelength and to operate the switch arrangement to change the switch between the first and second configurations based on the indication of the selected wavelength.

A method of nonblocking optical switching includes guiding a first optical beam from a first input to a first output via a first path through an optical switching fabric. The first path traverses a phase shifter disposed between a pair of cascaded Mach-Zehnder interferometers. The method also includes receiving a second optical beam for a second path intersecting with the first path through the optical switching fabric. The method also includes moving the first optical beam from the first path to a third path connecting the first input to the first output without intersecting the second path. The method also includes shifting a phase of the first optical beam, with the phase shifter, while moving the first optical beam from the first path to the third path to prevent the first optical beam from interfering with the second optical beam.

A highly scalable and modular automated optical cross connect switch devices which exhibit low loss and scalability to high port counts. A device for the programmable interconnection of large numbers of optical fibers (100s-1000s) is provided, whereby a two-dimensional array of fiber optic connections is mapped in an ordered and rule-based fashion into a one-dimensional array with tensioned fiber optic circuit elements tracing substantially straight lines there between. Fiber optic elements are terminated in a stacked arrangement of flexible fiber optic circuit elements with a capacity to retain excess fiber lengths while maintaining an adequate bend radius. The combination of these elements partitions the switch volume into multiple independent, non-interfering zones, which retain their independence for arbitrary and unlimited numbers of reconfigurations. The separation into spaced-apart zones provides clearance for one or more robotic actuators to enter the free volume substantially adjacent to the two-dimensional array of connectors and mechanically reconfigure connectors without interrupting other circuits.

An optoelectronic switch for switching data from a source external client device to a destination external client device, the optoelectronic switch includes: an array of client-side transceivers, each having an array of client-facing optical ports to connect to an external client device, and an array of leaf-facing electrical ports; an array of leaf switches, each including an array of client-side electrical ports and an array of fabric-side electrical ports; a first electrical interconnecting region providing electrical connections between the leaf-facing electrical ports of the client-side transceivers and the client-side electrical ports of the leaf switches, an array of fabric-side transceivers, each having an array of leaf-facing electrical ports, and an array of fabric-facing optical ports; a second electrical interconnecting region providing electrical connections between the fabric-side electrical ports of the leaf switches and the leaf-facing electrical ports of the fabric-side transceivers; an array of spine switches, each including an array of fabric-facing optical ports; and an optical fabric providing connections between the fabric-facing optical ports of the fabric-side transceivers and the fabric-facing optical ports of the spine switches.

Networking device serviceability may be provided. A networking device may be disposed in a rack between uprights. The networking device may comprise a first plurality of switch bars each comprising a first switch type arranged parallel to one another, a second plurality of switch bars each comprising a second switch type arranged parallel to one another, and a third plurality of switch bars each comprising a third switch type arranged parallel to one another. The first plurality of switch bars, the second plurality of switch bars, and the third plurality of switch bars may be arranged orthogonally. A hinge device associated with the networking device may be configured to allow the networking device to rotate at least a predetermined angle value from a first position between the uprights to a second position where both the first plurality of switch bars and the second plurality of switch bars are clear from the uprights.

Today's communications require an effective yet scalable way interconnection of data centers and warehouse scale computers (WSCs) whilst operators must provide a significant portion of data center and WSC applications free of charge to users and consumers. At present, data center operators face the requirement to meet exponentially increasing demand for bandwidth without dramatically increasing the cost and power of the infrastructure employed to satisfy this demand. Simultaneously, consumer expectations of download/upload speeds and latency in accessing content provide additional pressure. Accordingly, the inventors provide a number of optical switching fabrics which reduce the latency and microprocessor loading arising from the prior art Internet Protocol multicasting techniques.

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.

To provide a light wavelength separation device and a light wavelength separation method that can be flexibly adapted for various channel intervals of a wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) signal, a light wavelength separation circuit is provided with: an optical coupler which splits a wavelength-multiplexed optical signal in which optical signals of a plurality of channels are multiplexed; a band-pass filter which is arranged for each of output ports of the optical coupler, separates optical signals included in the wavelength-multiplexed optical signal inputted from the output ports of the optical coupler into channels of which the central frequencies are not adjacent to each other, and outputs the separated optical signals from respectively different output ports; and an optical switch which selects one of paths of the optical signals inputted from the output ports of each band-pass filter.