Reducing Communication Latency with Path Multiplexing in Optically Interconnected Multiprocessor Systems

A physical link can be time-multiplexed to create several time slots, each of which corresponding to a virtual link. A conventional approach establishes a connection along a path using a set of independent time slots (or virtual links) and thus requires the use of switching devices capable of interchanging time slots. This paper proposes a different approach to all-optical Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) communications in multiprocessor systems. The idea is to establish a connection along a path using a set of time slots (or virtual links) that are dependent on each other, so that no time-slot interchanging is required. It is found that, despite of the possibility that establishing a connection may take a longer time, the proposed approach will result in lower overall communication latency as it eliminates the delays introduced by the time-slot interchanging switching devices.