Presently, the two-dimensional optical switch is widely applied in the field of the optics communication. Due to the restrictions of the Surface Micro-Machining in MEMS (Micro Electric-Mechanical System), the traditional optical switch can only deliver the signal of fibers in a two-dimensional plane. The common frameworks and principles of two-dimensional optical switch, array of optical switches and micro-actuators are developed. Take the advantage of developed technologies and the concept of the spatial mechanisms, a three-dimensional optical switch possessing two degree of freedoms is designed in this study. Different from the single selectivity of the signal transmission delivered by the two-dimensional optical switch, the three-dimensional optical switch designed in this study possesses two main functions of signal transmission in vertical and horizontal directions. By means of function of these two transmission directions, the signal of fibers of two different silicon substrates can be easily connected. It is believed that, the possibility and the selectivity of the signal transmission of fibers are increased.

The advance of internet applications, such as video streaming, big data and cloud computing, is reshaping the telecommunication and internet industries. Bandwidth demands in datacentres have been boosted by these emerging data-hungry internet applications. Regarding inter- and intra-datacentre communications, fine-grained data need to be exchanged across a large shared memory space. Large-scale high-speed optical switches tend to use a rearrangeably non-blocking architecture as this limits the number of switching elements required. However, this comes at the expense of requiring more sophisticated route selection within the switch and also some forms of time-slotted protocols. The looping algorithm is the classical routing algorithm to set up paths in rearrangeably non-blocking switches. It was born in the electronic switch era, where all links in the switches are equal. It is, therefore, not able to accommodate loss difference between optical paths due to the different length of waveguides and distinct numbers of crossings, and bends, leading to sub-optimal performance. We, therefore, propose an advanced path-selection algorithm based on the looping algorithm that minimises the path-dependent loss. It explores all possible set-ups for a given connection assignment and selects the optimal one. It guarantees that no individual path would have a sufficiently substantial loss, therefore, improve the overall performance of the switch. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been assessed by modelling switches using the VPI simulator. An 8×8 Clos-tree switch demonstrates a 2.7dB decrease in loss and 1.9dB improvement in IPDR with 1.5 dB penalty for the worst case. An 8×8 dilated Beneš shows more than 4 dB loss reduction for the lossiest path and 1.4 dB IPDR improvement for 1 dB power penalty. The improved algorithm can be run once for each switch design and store its output in a compact lookup table, enabling rapid switch reconfiguration. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based optical switches have been fabricated with over 1,000 ports which meet the port count requirements in data centre networks. However, the reconfiguration speed of the MEMS switches is limited to the millisecond to microsecond timescale, which is not sufficient for packet switching in datacentres. Opto-electronic devices, such as Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs) and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) with nanosecond response time show the potential to fulfil the requirements of packet switching. However, the scalability of MZI switches is inherently limited by insertion loss and accumulated crosstalk, while the scalability of SOA switches is restricted by accumulated noise and distortion. We, therefore, have proposed a dilated Beneš hybrid MZI-SOA design, where MZIs are implemented as 1×2 or 2×1 low-loss switching elements, minimising crosstalk by using a single input, and where short SOAs are included as gain or absorption units, offering either loss compensation or crosstalk suppression though adding only minimal noise and distortion. A 4×4 device has been fabricated and exhibits a mere 1.3dB loss, an extinction ratio of 47dB, and more than 13dB IPDR for a 0.5dB power penalty. When operating with 10 Gb/s per port, 6pJ/bit energy consumption is demonstrated, delivering 20% reduced energy consumption compared with SOA-based switches. The tolerance of the current control accuracy of this switch is very broad. Within a 5 mA bias current range, the power penalty can be maintained below 0.2 dB for 8 dB IPDR and 12 mA for 10 dB IPDR with a penalty less 0.5 dB. The excellent crosstalk and power penalty performance demonstrated by this chip enable the scalability of this hybrid approach. The performance of 16×16 port dilated Beneš hybrid switch is experimentally assessed by cascading 4×4 switch chips, demonstrating an IPDR of 15 dB at a 1 dB penalty with a 0.6 dB power penalty floor. In terms of switches with port count larger than 16×16, the power penalty performance has been analysed with physical layer simulations fitted with state-of-the-art data. We assess the feasibility of three potential topologies, with different architectural optimisations: dilated Beneš, Beneš and Clos-Beneš. Quantitative analysis for switches with up to 2048 ports is presented, achieving a 1.15dB penalty for a BER of 10-3, compatible with soft-decision forward error correction.

We are presenting an overview of MEMS-based (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) optical switch technology starting from the reflective two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) MEMS implementations. To further increase the speed of the MEMS from these devices, the mirror size needs to be reduced. Small mirror size prevents efficient reflection but favors a diffraction-based approach. Two implementations have been demonstrated, one using the Texas Instruments DLP (Digital Light Processing), and the other an LCoS-based (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) SLM (Spatial Light Modulator). These switches demonstrated the benefit of diffraction, by independently achieving high speed, efficiency, and high number of ports. We also demonstrated for the first time that PSK (Phase Shift Keying) modulation format can be used with diffraction-based devices. To be truly effective in diffraction mode, the MEMS pixels should modulate the phase of the incident light. We are presenting our past and current efforts to manufacture a new type of MEMS where the pixels are moving in the vertical direction. The original structure is a 32 x 32 phase modulator array with high contrast grating pixels, and we are introducing a new sub-wavelength linear array capable of a 310 kHz modulation rate.

Datacenter networks are not only larger but with new applications increasing the east-west traffic and the introduction of the spine leaf architecture there is an urgent need for high bandwidth, low cost, energy efficient interconnects. This paper will discuss the role integrated photonics can have in achieving datacenter requirements. We will review the state of the art and then focus on advances in optical switch fabrics and systems. The optical switch is of particular interest from the integration point of view. Current MEMS and LCOS commercial solutions are relatively large with relatively slow reconfiguration times limiting their use in packet based datacenter networks. This has driven the research and development of more highly integrated silicon photonic switch fabrics, including micro ring, Mach-Zehnder and MEMS device designs each with its own energy, bandwidth and scalability, challenges and trade-offs. Micro rings show promise for their small footprint, however they require an energy efficient means to maintain wavelength and thermal control. Latency requirements have been traditionally less stringent in datacenter networks compared to high performance computing applications, however with the increasing numbers of servers communicating within applications and the growing size of the warehouse datacenter, latency is becoming more critical. Although the transparent optical switch fabric itself has a minimal additional latency, we must also take account of any additional latency of the optically switched architecture. Proposed optically switched architectures will be reviewed.

This thesis presents a detailed study of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible silicon waveguide and ring resonator technologies. The project specifically focuses on a range of slotted ring resonator configurations comprised of rib-style waveguides. Single ring resonators and Mach-Zehnder interferometers with double rings and central drop port channels have been successfully characterised. Thermal tuning techniques using on-chip heaters were used to determine their sensitivities. A stringent signal cleaning method was also developed to remove systematic background noise. Analysing the transmission signals produced by the Mach-Zehnder interferometers with double rings and a central drop port, it was revealed that coupled resonator induced transparency (CRIT) is created along with Fano-type resonances when the resonant peaks of the two ring resonators are tuned to overlap. The tuning of these features revealed a 2.7 and 2-fold improvement in device sensitivity. A 3x3 transfer matrix model has been developed to simulate the behaviour of light travelling through this configuration. Modelling suggests that effective refractive index and relative phase are the key factors in determining this behaviour. When tuned to close proximity, a resonant ‘superstate’ is achieved in which a modified model is required. Applying the single ring resonators to biosensing applications, basic refractive index testing and a glucose sensing calibration were conducted. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based microfluidics system was also developed to improve the reliability of sensing and enable automation. Using silicon nitride ring resonators with inkjet-printed upconverting nanoparticles, it was found that the evanescent field of the rings could stimulate the upconversion process revealing visible spectrum emission around the rings.

Bragg spaced quantum wells represent a unique class of resonant photonic materials, wherein a photonic bandgap is created by the periodic spacing of quantum wells and the associated variation in the complex susceptibility (index and absorption) of the material. Interest in BSQWs has grown in the past decade due to their large ultrafast nonlinearities and the corresponding large ultrafast reflectivity changes and transmissivity. These nonlinearities are of particular interest in areas of communication technology, where ultrafast all-optical logic components have become increasingly in demand. This research will further investigate BSQWs and the for the first time effects of spin-dependent nonlinear excitation on their photonic band structures. It will also investigate how these effects can be used in all-optical polarization switching and tunable optical buffer (slow light) applications.

Rapid changes in population distribution across Canada and the introduction of new telecommunication services to the consumer market have resulted in a number of significant challenges for existing network infrastructure. Fast growing populations in metropolitan regions require high density access networks to meet the growing need for bandwidth that results. Furthermore, new services such as high definition TV, online gaming and real-time video teleconferencing are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. These services require higher bandwidth to be available to end users. Changes in the Canadian economy will soon lead to a transition in Canadian industry from manufacturing to services and exploration of natural resources. This will create opportunities for new industrial development and growth in northern regions. Expanding industrialization towards northern Canada will require deployment of reliable telecommunication infrastructure. The combination of open source software, Linux operating system and Personal Computer (PC) based hardware platform is proposed to become the foundation for low cost and flexible technology that will provide transition towards all-optical infrastructures. An innovative prototype of a low-cost optical gigabit Ethernet switch is presented and its benchmark results are discussed. Scalability of the switch and its future applications in optical networks are studied. A prototype of a software based data encapsulation system was designed and implemented in a PC based platform, and its performance was evaluated using real data that was captured in commercial LAN. Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) are studied as a building block in next generation switching devices for all-optical access networks. A prototype of an SOA-based low-cost optical switching device with implemented FPGA based controlling mechanism is presented and its characteristics are discussed. SOA is also studied as an energy efficient optical amplifier that can be deployed in end user facilities. The presented results provide proof of concept of a low cost flexible platform that can be used to design and build network devices to facilitate the transition of existing telecommunication networks towards next generation optical access infrastructure.

The behaviour of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in nanoscale geometries is studied using numerical methods supported by theory and experiment. First, we derive the behaviour of SPPs at graded metal-dielectric interfaces, including dispersion relations, field profiles, propagation velocities, losses, and cutoff wavelength. Numerical simulations show excellent agreement with analytic solutions. In the second part of the thesis we design hybrid vanadium dioxide-plasmonic based absorption switches. The switches are designed and optimized using optical, electrical and thermal simulations. 5 $\mu$m switch designs have extinction ratios exceeding 30 dB and require powers of 10 mW. A switch is fabricated based on the proposed design. A 7 $\mu$m experimental switch reaches 16.4 dB of extinction and requires 64 mW of power, making it one of the most efficient optical switches ever demonstrated in terms of extinction and power consumption. Numerical simulations predict experimental results with a high degree of accuracy.

The behaviour of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in nanoscale geometries is studied using numerical methods supported by theory and experiment. First, we derive the behaviour of SPPs at graded metal-dielectric interfaces, including dispersion relations, field profiles, propagation velocities, losses, and cutoff wavelength. Numerical simulations show excellent agreement with analytic solutions. In the second part of the thesis we design hybrid vanadium dioxide-plasmonic based absorption switches. The switches are designed and optimized using optical, electrical and thermal simulations. 5 $\mu$m switch designs have extinction ratios exceeding 30 dB and require powers of 10 mW. A switch is fabricated based on the proposed design. A 7 $\mu$m experimental switch reaches 16.4 dB of extinction and requires 64 mW of power, making it one of the most efficient optical switches ever demonstrated in terms of extinction and power consumption. Numerical simulations predict experimental results with a high degree of accuracy.

Rapid changes in population distribution across Canada and the introduction of new telecommunication services to the consumer market have resulted in a number of significant challenges for existing network infrastructure. Fast growing populations in metropolitan regions require high density access networks to meet the growing need for bandwidth that results. Furthermore, new services such as high definition TV, online gaming and real-time video teleconferencing are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. These services require higher bandwidth to be available to end users. Changes in the Canadian economy will soon lead to a transition in Canadian industry from manufacturing to services and exploration of natural resources. This will create opportunities for new industrial development and growth in northern regions. Expanding industrialization towards northern Canada will require deployment of reliable telecommunication infrastructure. The combination of open source software, Linux operating system and Personal Computer (PC) based hardware platform is proposed to become the foundation for low cost and flexible technology that will provide transition towards all-optical infrastructures. An innovative prototype of a low-cost optical gigabit Ethernet switch is presented and its benchmark results are discussed. Scalability of the switch and its future applications in optical networks are studied. A prototype of a software based data encapsulation system was designed and implemented in a PC based platform, and its performance was evaluated using real data that was captured in commercial LAN. Semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) are studied as a building block in next generation switching devices for all-optical access networks. A prototype of an SOA-based low-cost optical switching device with implemented FPGA based controlling mechanism is presented and its characteristics are discussed. SOA is also studied as an energy efficient optical amplifier that can be deployed in end user facilities. The presented results provide proof of concept of a low cost flexible platform that can be used to design and build network devices to facilitate the transition of existing telecommunication networks towards next generation optical access infrastructure.