MEMS and its Applications
Optical Routing, an example
Shashi Mysore Computer Science UCSB
Outline
MEMS
Introduction, application, fabrication
Generic router
Features and drawbacks
Optical Solution Optical Router Projects
Stanford 100Tbps
Lucent LambdaRouter GMPLS light path setup
What is MEMS?
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems integration of mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a common silicon substrate
Generic System abstraction
Input
Process
Output
Whats challenging? The input, output, processing elements are almost so varied that they are manufactured differently Interfacing problem speed mismatch, transferring signal is difficult
MEMS Applications
Medical Applications
Micro-fabrication
Micromechanical components micromachining IC process
MEMS Manufacturing
Micromotor MicromotorFabrication FabricationExample example
MEMS devices
Scale comparison
Cisco GSR 12416
19
Juniper M160
19
6ft
3ft
2ft Capacity: 160Gb/s Power: 4.2kW
2.5ft
Capacity: 80Gb/s Power: 2.6kW
Whirlwind (1940)
Technology Technology Trend Trend and and Roadmap Roadmap
Mems patents issued per year
MEMS in todays Networks
Outline
MEMS
Introduction, application, fabrication
Generic router
Features and drawbacks
Optical Solution Optical Router Projects
Stanford 100Tbps
Lucent LambdaRouter GMPLS light path setup
Generic Router Architecture
Linecards Header Processing
Lookup IP Address Update Header
Linecards
Buffer Manager
Switch Fabric
Buffer Memory
Address Table
Header Processing
Lookup IP Address Update Header
Buffer Manager
Buffer Memory
Address Table
Header Processing
Lookup IP Address Update Header
Buffer Manager
Buffer Memory
Address Table
Performance trends
1000
Router capacity x2.2/18 months
Relative performance increase
100
10
Moores law x2/18 m
DRAM access rate x1.1/18 m
1 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002
1200 1000
Relative Performance Increase Relative performance increase
Internet traffic x2/yr
800 600 400 200 0 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Router capacity x2.2/18 months
5x
All-optical networks
An all-optical network is one in which information is carried via light particles or photons - from PC to PC, without ever having to be converted to electrical signals
OEO conversions are costly
Electronic switches have managed to keep up with increasing bandwidths; Data sent increasing twice as fast as the routing capacity However, Optical-Electrical-Optical conversions are costly!
Data storage in optics
Data storage is a critical problem for an optical router. Optical solution - Bell Laboratories photonic IC keeps optical signals circulating around within the chip
Optical Router projects
Stanford 100Tbps Optical Router
Optical switching and Communications System Laboratory
UCDavis, UCSC, Colorado University, etc, $12.5 million grant from DARPA for Lucent Bell Labs
"The result of this work will be a scalable prototype system that will digitally manipulate optical beams, like radio beams are manipulated
today, enabling better communications over farther distances," -Mike Geller, vice president of Lucent's Government Communications Lab.
Stanford 100Tb/s router project
160320Gb/s
Switch Fabric
160320Gb/s
160Gb/s
160Gb/s
Request Grant
Arbitration
(100Tb/s = 625 * 160Gb/s)
Racks with 160Gb/s linecards
DRAM DRAM DRAM
SRAM Queue Manager
Lookup
DRAM DRAM
DRAM
SRAM Queue Manager
Lookup
100Tb/s Router
Optical links
Optical Switch Fabric
Racks of 160Gb/s Linecards
Passive Optical Switching
Integrated AWGR or diffraction grating based wavelength router
1 ,
, n
Ingress Linecard 1
1 ,
, n
Midstage 1 , Linecard 1
, n
1 ,
, n
Egress Linecard 1
Ingress Linecard 2
1 ,
, n
1 ,
, n
Midstage 1 , Linecard 2
, n
1 ,
, n
Egress Linecard 2
Ingress Linecard n
1 ,
, n
1 ,
, n
Midstage 1 , Linecard n
, n
1 ,
, n
Egress Linecard n
Outline
MEMS
Introduction, application, fabrication
Generic router
Features and drawbacks
Optical Solution Optical Router Projects
Stanford 100Tbps
Lucent LambdaRouter GMPLS light path setup
Lucent LambdaRouter
Density - 250 micro mirrors fit on a one-square-inch chip Compact switching fabric - 32 times greater switching density Tilting mirrors - individual wavelength can be passed to any of 256 input and output fibers. Power reduction upto 100-fold over electronic fabric solutions. Instant Internet" and other high-speed data and video services
"As communications networks evolve, optical technology will be at the core of these networks and make its way out toward the edges -- bringing unlimited capacity and speed to the desktop and someday, even the home,"
Micro mirrors
Routing light through Micro mirrors
LambdaRouter
Multiple bi-directional fibres Interconnect LambdaRouters Incoming signals demultiplexed Optical Switching Outputs are wavelength multiplexed
Beware of wavelenght collisions!
LambdaRouter with a shared pool of wavelength converters
GMPLS Lightpath setup
Data plane all optical Optical layer control plane required to provision lightpaths Use GMPLS to solve the problem?
Call blocking probability metric
RSVP-TE Lightpath Setup
GMPLS - Wavelength converters
GMPLS Crankback feature
Challenges in MEMS technology
Advanced Simulation and modeling tools Packaging needs improvement Though started in 1960s, the amount of R&D investment has begun only in the past 10 years Multidisciplinary study
Thanks
Some slides/figures borrowed from Stanford 100Tbps project, Colorado University presentation, Bell Labs, and news articles
