
However, the reality is that while a packet is circulating in the loop, no other
packets can enter it. Therefore, if it is necessary to buffer a stream of closely
spaced incoming packets, multiple recirculating loops are required. This can be
achieved using the cascade configuration of Figure 17.13(a) or the parallel con-
figuration in Figure 17.13(b).
Many of the optical buffers in OPS system experiments in the literature are based
on delay lines using optical fiber as the waveguide. A wide variety of buffers based
on fiber delays have been reported. A possible alternative to fiber delay lines are
low-loss integrated silica delay lines [29]. While ...