Contention-free on-chip routing of optical packets

We propose a new architecture for on-chip routing of optical packets. The proposed infrastructure, referred to as CONoC, facilitates the development of an all-optical on-chip network and alleviates the role of electrical NoCs. As the first step for designing an all-optical NoC, CONoC resolves packet congestions optically and does not use electrical methods. Utilizing wavelength routing method, wavelength division multiplexing, and path reconfiguration capability in CONoC leads to a contention-free architecture. This architectural advantage along with simple and small photonic router architecture results in simple electrical transactions, reduced setup latency, and high transmission capacity. Moreover, we discuss the proper topology for on-chip optical interconnects. Performing a series of simulation-based experiments, we study the efficiency of CONoC along with its power and energy consumption and data transmission delay.