Opticaltimepisonmultiplexing(OTDM)isoneofthepromisinigwaysforthefuturehigh-speedopticalfibercommunicationnetworks.All-opticalswitchis,beingoneofthecoretechnologiesofOTDMsystemsandnetorks,crucialtorealizethevaroussignalprocessesincludingtime-pisiondemultiplexing,packerswitching,all-opticalregeneratingandsoon.Thisthesismainlystudiesvariousall-opticalswitchtechnologiesandtheirutilizationinthefieldsofall-opticalsignalprocessingsintheOTDMsystemsandnetworks.Themainjobsarelistedasfollows.(1)Anovelall-opticalultrafastdemultiplexingschemeusingthesolitonself-trappingeffectinbirefringentfiberisproposed.(2)ThedemultiplexingperformanceoftheNonlinearOPticalLoopMirror(NOLM)isthoroughlyanalyzedanditsoptimizationisfurtherdiscussed.(3)Theperformanceanalysisandtheconfigurationoptimizationoftheall-opticalswitchesbasedontheSemiconductorOpticalAmplifier(SOA)aresystematicallypresented.Thespeedlimitationoftheall-opticalSOAswitchesinducedbythefastgaindepletionofSOAisdiscussed,Besides,anovelSOAswitchisproposed,whichadoptstheasymmetricMach-ZehnderInterferomerterconfiguration.(4)The8×2.5Gb/sOTDMexperimentaltransmissionsystemalong105kmstandardfiberisrealizedusingtheNOLMdemultiplexer.(5)TheNOLMswitchisusedtorealizetheall-optical3Rregenerationof2.5G/sReturn-to-Zerosignal.(6)ThefeasibilityandlimitationoftheallopticalSOApacketswitchisdiscussed.AndadevelopedMZIconfigurationofSOApacketswitchisfurthershowntoimprovethepackerswitchingperformance.Finally,anall-opticalpacketdroppingnodesuitableinthenetworkswithringorbusconfingurationandanall-opticalpacketswithcingnodeintheShuffleNetnetworksareproposedtoshowthefeasibilityofall-opticalpacketswitchingthroughcombiningtheall-opticalswitchesandthereasonablelogicdecisions.
