Wavelength division multiplexed optical interconnect using short pulses

Nelson, B.E.; Keeler, Gordon Arthur; Agarwal, Diwakar; Helman, N.C.; Miller, David A. B.

doi:10.1109/jstqe.2003.813322

Cited by 23 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Optics could be useful for reducing the number of levels in the clock distribution tree [24], [30], thereby reducing clock power dissipation and improving jitter, though there is likely not enough available optical power to clock the entire chip [30]. Multichannel (e.g., WDM or parallel free-space array) signals could, however, retain their relative timing, thus avoiding having to compensate separately for timing variations between channels [35]; only one clock channel or one clock recovery would be required for an entire multichannel line -a significant possible benefit for optics. In what follows, we concentrate mostly on energy and density in interconnects, though timing benefits could also be important.…”

Section: Physics Of Electrical and Optical Interconnectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Device Requirements for Optical Interconnects to Silicon Chips

2009

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Abstract-We examine the current performance and future demands of interconnects to and on silicon chips. We compare electrical and optical interconnects and project the requirements for optoelectronic and optical devices if optics is to solve the major problems of interconnects to future high performance silicon chips. Optics has potential benefits in interconnect density, energy and timing. The necessity of low interconnect energy imposes low limits especially on the energy of the optical output devices, with a ~ 10 fJ/bit device energy target emerging. Some optical modulators and radical laser approaches may meet this requirement. Low (e.g., a few fF or less) photodetector capacitance is important. Very compact wavelength splitters are essential for connecting the information to fibers. Dense waveguides are necessary on-chip or on boards for guided wave optical approaches, especially if very high clock rates or dense WDM are to be avoided. Free space optics potentially can handle the necessary bandwidths even without fast clocks or WDM. With such technology, however, optics may enable the continued scaling of interconnect capacity required by future chips.

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Section: Physics Of Electrical and Optical Interconnectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are two broad categories of approaches -so-called "free-space" optics and guided wave optics. Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is an additional option that may be particularly useful for the guided wave approaches and could be used in free space systems also [35].…”

Section: Requirements For Optical Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Device Requirements for Optical Interconnects to Silicon Chips

2009

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“…There are two basic approaches to WDM for short-distance interconnects: we can use passive optics to split different wavelengths to photodetectors and to combine signals on different wavelengths from modulators that do not themselves need to be tuned or resonant (see, e.g., [137], [138], [139]); or we can use resonator modulators and/or photodetectors that themselves extract the WDM channels by tuning to specific wavelengths (see, e.g., systems using sets of microring or microdisk resonators, each tuned to a chosen different wavelength [14], [17], [20], [105]). See also [140] for a critical analysis of WDM approaches for dense interconnections.…”

Section: ) Wavelength-division Multiplexing In Short Distance Intercmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attojoule Optoelectronics for Low-Energy Information Processing and Communications

Miller

2017

J. Lightwave Technol.

602

406

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Optics offers unique opportunities for reducing energy in information processing and communications while simultaneously resolving the problem of interconnect bandwidth density inside machines. Such energy dissipation overall is now at environmentally significant levels; the source of that dissipation is progressively shifting from logic operations to interconnect energies. Without the prospect of substantial reduction in energy per bit communicated, we cannot continue the exponential growth of our use of information. The physics of optics and optoelectronics fundamentally addresses both interconnect energy and bandwidth density, and optics may be the only scalable solution to such problems. Here we summarize the corresponding background, status, opportunities, and research directions for optoelectronic technology and novel optics, including sub-femtojoule devices in waveguide and novel 2D array optical systems. We compare different approaches to low-energy optoelectronic output devices and their scaling, including lasers, modulators and LEDs, optical confinement approaches (such as resonators) to enhance effects, and the benefits of different material choices, including 2D materials and other quantum-confined structures. With such optoelectronic energy reductions, and the elimination of line charging dissipation by the use optical connections, the next major interconnect dissipations are in the electronic circuits for receiver amplifiers, timing recovery and multiplexing. We show we can address these through the integration of photodetectors to reduce or eliminate receiver circuit energies, free-space optics to eliminate the need for timing and multiplexing circuits (while also solving bandwidth density problems), and using optics generally to save power by running large synchronous systems. One target concept is interconnects from ~ 1 cm to ~ 10 m that have the same energy (~ 10fJ/bit) and simplicity as local electrical wires on chip.

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“…A separate channel broadcast is also reserved for broadcast. Such wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) schemes have been proven highly effective in long-haul fiberoptic communications and inter-chip interconnects [53,54]. However, there are several critical challenges to adopt these WDM systems for intra-chip interconnects.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

An intra-chip free-space optical interconnect

Xue

Garg

Çiftçioğlu

et al. 2010

Proceedings of the 37th Annual International Symposium on Computer Architecture

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Continued device scaling enables microprocessors and other systems-on-chip (SoCs) to increase their performance, functionality, and hence, complexity. Simultaneously, relentless scaling, if uncompensated, degrades the performance and signal integrity of on-chip metal interconnects. These systems have therefore become increasingly communications-limited. The communications-centric nature of future high performance computing devices demands a fundamental change in intra-and inter-chip interconnect technologies.Optical interconnect is a promising long term solution. However, while significant progress in optical signaling has been made in recent years, applying conventional packetswitching interconnect architecture to optical networks require repeated E/O and O/E conversions that significantly diminish the advantages of optical signaling. In this paper, we propose to leverage a suite of newly-developed or emerging devices, circuits, and optics technologies to build a fully distributed interconnect architecture based on free-space optics. With a complexity-effective communication support layer to manage occasional packet collisions, the interconnect avoids packet relay altogether, offers an ultra-low transmission latency and scalable bandwidth, and provides fresh opportunities for coherency substrate designs and optimizations.

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Wavelength division multiplexed optical interconnect using short pulses

Cited by 23 publications

References 14 publications

Device Requirements for Optical Interconnects to Silicon Chips

Device Requirements for Optical Interconnects to Silicon Chips

Attojoule Optoelectronics for Low-Energy Information Processing and Communications

An intra-chip free-space optical interconnect

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