Construction of nonblocking wavelength/space switches with AWGs and WSSes

In this paper, we how to use two technologies, AWG (arrayed-waveguide grating) and WSS (wavelength selective switches), to design nonblocking wavelength/space optical cross connects. An AWG is a passive device and can route multiple wavelengths simultaneously. However, to apply AWGs, there are several issues to consider, including the wavelength conversion range, crosstalk, and switch size constraint. We show a decomposition technique for designing an AWG-based nonblocking wavelength/space switch. The decomposition is carried out in a transformed space network. The new technique is simpler in concept and more flexible in setting switch sizes. We also study another class of wavelength/space switches that are based on WSSes and compare the two approaches in terms of the scalability, switch size constraint, and number of WCs (wavelength converters) required.