All-optical buffer array with configurable delay time

A new all-optical buffer array scheme with dynamic configurable delay time is proposed, in which the dual-loop optical buffer (DLOB) based on 3 × 3 collinear fiber couplers is the main part and the nonlinear optical loop mirror (NOLM) or Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is the optical controllable optical switch. Its operation principle is analyzed. The theoretical analysis and experiment demonstrate that delay time can be configurated flexibly, and the signals from the buffer can satisfy the transmission requirement. The proposed optical buffer can eliminate network congestion, and reduce packet loss rate effectively.