Advances in optical switching and networking: Past, present, and future.

In this paper a survey of optical networks and switching is presented. It starts with a discussion of the development of telecommunication industry, tracing the great shift from asynchronous, to synchronous (SONET), to optical networks. It also presents the main drivers that led to today's high-speed networks. Some of the main technologies of optical networks such as, Wavelength Division Multiplexers (WDM), Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexers (DWDM), Erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA). Then, we shift our focus to optical switching starting from Optical-Electrical-Optical (O-E-O) switches to the All-Optical/photonic switches. A great emphasis is directed towards the later, including its promises to optical networks, its characteristics, as well as the recent development in photonic switching technologies (MEMS, Liquid Crystals, bubbles, Thermo Optics and more). Finally, the challenges facing its large deployment in today's networks are surveyed.