Optical Fiber Telecommunications Volume VIA by Kaminow Ivan Li Tingye Willner Alan E & Tingye Li & Alan E. Willner

Author:Kaminow, Ivan, Li, Tingye, Willner, Alan E & Tingye Li & Alan E. Willner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780123972354
Publisher: Elsevier Science
Published: 2013-05-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Integrated and Hybrid Photonics for High-Performance Interconnects

Nikos Bamiedakisa, Kevin A. Williamsb, Richard V. Pentya and Ian H. Whitea, aCentre of Advanced Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, CB3 0FA, UK, bCOBRA Research Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology, Postbus 513, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

11.1 Introduction

Significant progress has been made in the deployment of optical links within high-performance computing systems. Fiber-based interconnection schemes now enable high-capacity and high-density rack-to-rack interconnection within supercomputers and data centers. Optical links with data rates up to 10 Gb/s/channel are installed and significant progress is being made toward the deployment of 100 Gb/s optical interconnections (4 × 25 Gb/s). Intra-rack optical backplanes are expected to appear shortly. Polymer waveguide-based optical backplanes and board-level interconnects have also attracted significant research and development. They can be embedded within electronic printed circuit boards (PCBs) to offer cost-effective, high-aggregate data capacities at even shorter distances. State-of-the-art systems currently deploy point-to-point links based on arrays of VCSEL sources and multimode waveguides. Future generation systems may be expected to deploy three-dimensional interconnects. Wavelength multiplexing schemes are expected to be deployed in order to achieve even higher aggregate data capacities and density interconnections within the board itself and conceivably between and within modules and chips. The trend to implement shorter and shorter links using optical techniques is driving research into new technologies and techniques. Integrated photonic circuits and systems are being devised to facilitate networking even at the chip level. As distances get shorter new design rules come into play. Demands on physical size, interconnectivity, energy use, thermal loading, bandwidth density, and latency and perhaps most importantly cost now dominate short-reach interconnect design.

In this chapter we review the requirements in high-performance interconnects, identifying techniques and technologies for addressing connectivity, size, bandwidth, latency, energy and cost. State-of-the-art technologies for waveguide interconnects are compared and contrasted. We review the design constraints which are apparent today, and the potential for emerging optical technologies. Components for routing in both multimode and single-mode optical systems are discussed in Section 11.2. Fixed waveguide optical routing and optically switched architectures are then described in Section 11.3, reviewing state-of-the-art performance and identifying the opportunities and challenges as concepts are further developed. The prospects for deployment of optical interconnects ever closer to the electronic chip and, ultimately, the processor are discussed in Section 11.4. Finally, design choices and considerations are summarized to understand the likely roles for the broad range of technologies and architectures.

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