An SFQ-based high-performance packet switch for next-generation high-end routers

摘要

Switching throughput capacities of over 10 Tbps will be required of high-end systems on the backbones of nationwide telecommunications networks within the next decade. However conventional technologies cannot accommodate such capacities. Superconducting single flux quantum (SFQ) technology is a promising approach because of its ultra-low power consumption and ultra-high speed characteristics. We have proposed an opto-electronic-SFQ hybrid switching system. This system is separated into three functions: SFQ packet switching, high-performance CMOS control, and optical transmission. The packet switch is an improved Batcher-Banyan switch that uses a time-shifted internal speedup unit, and shuffle and grouping exchange schemes. Simulation showed good scalability; no conventional router could ever attain this capacity. We report on the numerical analysis and architectural-level design results for this packet switch. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. [References: 7]