Zero added latency packet reroute via silicon photonics
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are provided for zero-added latency communication between nodes over an optical fabric. In various embodiments, a photonic interface system is provided that comprises a plurality of optical routing elements and optical signal sources. Each node within a cluster is assigned an intra-cluster wavelength and an inter-cluster wavelength. All the nodes in a cluster are directly connected and each node in a cluster is directly connected to one node in each of the plurality of clusters. When an optical signal from a different cluster is received at a node serving as the cluster interface, the photonics interface system allows all wavelength signals other than the node's assigned wavelength to pass through and couple those signals to an intra-cluster transmission signal. Zero latency is added in rerouting the data through an intermediate node.
1. A photonic interface system comprising:
a node assigned to a first one or more inter-cluster wavelengths and comprising:
a photonic substrate;
at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element configured to transmit an intra-cluster optical signal to one or more local nodes within a first cluster of nodes;
at least one inter-cluster receive routing element configured to receive an inter-cluster optical signal from a remote node within a second cluster of nodes;
an interchange section comprising a portion of the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element, a portion of the at least one inter-cluster receive routing element, and a plurality of optical filters optically coupled to the portion of the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element and the portion of the at least one inter-cluster receive routing element; and
an inter-node receiver comprising a photodetector, the inter-node receiver optically coupled to the at least one inter-cluster receive routing element between the interchange section and the remote node, the inter-node receiver configured to filter the first one or more inter-cluster wavelengths assigned to the node to the photodetector,
wherein the interchange section is configured to add any inter-cluster wavelengths that are not assigned to the node and within the inter-cluster optical signal to the intra-cluster optical signal traversing through the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element.
2. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , further comprising a one or more intra-cluster optical modulators optically coupled to the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element, each of the one or more intra-cluster optical modulators configured to modulate data onto a respective intra-cluster wavelength assigned to a respective local node.
3. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , further comprising an output coupling component disposed on an output end of the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element and configured to couple an intra-cluster optical signal to one or more local nodes.
4. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , wherein the node comprises a direct connection to each of the one or more local nodes of the first cluster of nodes and a remote node of a second cluster of nodes.
5. The photonic interface system of claim 4 , wherein the node comprises a direct connection to a remote node in each of a plurality of clusters of nodes connected over a communication fabric.
6. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one inter-cluster transmission routing element optically coupled to an inter-cluster transmission source at an input end and transmit an inter-cluster transmission optical signal from an output end to the remote node.
7. The photonic interface system of claim 6 , further comprising one or more inter-cluster optical modulators optically coupled to the inter-cluster transmission routing element, each inter-cluster optical modulator configured to modulate data onto a respective inter-cluster wavelength assigned to a respective remote node within the second cluster of nodes.
8. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , further comprising at least one intra-cluster receive routing element configured to receive at least one intra-cluster receive optical signal from one or more local nodes, and at least one intra-node receiver configured to detect an intra-cluster wavelength or inter-cluster wavelength assigned to the node.
9. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , wherein light of an inter-cluster wavelength not assigned to the node and light of an intra-cluster wavelength not assigned to the node are routed to an output end of the at least one intra-cluster transmission routing element without analysis by the node.
10. The photonic interface system of claim 1 , wherein at least the interchange section and the inter-node receiver are disposed on the photonic substrate.