Silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration for optical interconnection

The performance of optical interconnection has improved dramatically in recent years.Silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration is the key enabler to achieve high performance optical interconnection,which not only provides the optical gain which is absent from native Si substrates and enables complete photonic functionalities on chip,but also improves the system performance through advanced heterogeneous integrated packaging.This paper reviews recent progress of silicon-based optoelectronic heterogeneous integration in high performance optical interconnection.The research status,development trend and application of ultra-low loss optical waveguides,high-speed detectors,high-speed modulators,lasers and 2D,2.5D,3D and monolithic integration are focused on.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A GIGABIT PER SECOND OPTICAL INTERCONNECTION DATA LINK

The interconnection network is one of the key elements of distributed computing systems such as MPP (massively parallel processing) or NOWs (network of workstations).In this paper,a high speed optical interconnection data link which has been designed and implemented is presented.Using TDM (time division multiplexing),virtual parallel synchronous data transmission between the PCI buses of two computers has been achieved.The maximum data rate of the link is 1 250 Mbit/s,and the communication distance of link is more than 600 m using multi mode fibers.The design method of the high frequency electrical signals on the network interface card has been analyzed,and the efficient data transmission bandwidth of the link in different transmission modes has been tested and analyzed.

Sixteen-element Ge-on-SOI PIN photo-detector arrays for parallel optical interconnects

We describe the structure and testing of one-dimensional array parallel-optics photo-detectors with 16 photodiodes of which each diode operates up to 8 Gb/s. The single element is vertical and top illuminated 30μm-diameter silicon on insulator （Ge-on-SOI） PIN photodetector. High-quality Ge absorption layer is epitaxially grown on SO1 substrate by the ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition （UHV-CVD）. The photodiode exhibits a good responsivity of 0.20 A/W at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The dark current is as low as 0.36/aA at a reverse bias of 1 V, and the corresponding current density is about 51 mA/cm2. The detector with a diameter of 30 t.trn is measured at an incident light of 1.55 μm and 0.5 mW, and the 3-dB bandwidth is 7.39 GHz without bias and 13.9 GHz at a reverse bias of 3 V. The 16 devices show a good consistency.

A Single Mode Hybrid Ⅲ-Ⅴ/Silicon On-Chip Laser Based on Flip-Chip Bonding Technology for Optical Interconnection

A single mode hybrid Ⅲ-Ⅴ/silicon on-chip laser based on the flip-chip bonding technology for on-chip optical interconnection is demonstrated. A single mode Fabry-Perot laser structure with micro-structures on an InP ridge waveguide is designed and fabricated on an InP/AIGaInAs multiple quantum well epitaxial layer structure wafer by using i-line lithography. Then, a silicon waveguide platform including a laser mounting stage is designed and fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The single mode laser is flip-chip bonded on the laser mounting stage. The lasing light is butt-coupling to the silicon waveguide. The laser power output from a silicon waveguide is 1.3roW, and the threshold is 37mA at room temperature and continuous wave operation.

Review of the Low-Latency Optical Interconnect Technologies for Peta-Scale Computing

This paper reviews the recently developed optical interconnect technologies designed for scalable, low latency and high-throughput comunications within datacenters or high perforrmnce computers. The three typical architectures including the broadcast-and-select based Optical Shared Memory Supercomputer Interconnect System （OSMOSIS） switch, the defection routing based Data Vortex switch and the arrayed waveguide grating based Low-latency Interconnect Optical Network Switch （LIONS） switch are discussed in detail. In particular, we investigate the various Ioopback buffering technologies in LIONS and present a proof of principle testbed demonstration showing feasibility of LIONS architecture. Moreover, the performance of LIONS, Data Vortex and OSMOSIS with traditional state-of-the-art electrical switching network based on the Flattened-ButterFly （FBF） architecture in terms of throughput and latency are compared. The sinmlation based perfortmnce study shows that the latency of LIONS is almost independent of the number of input ports and does not saturate even at very high input load.

Parallel Optical Interconnect Technology: Combination of Higher Performance and Lower Energy Consumption

This paper analyzes the physical potential, computing performance benefi t and power consumption of optical interconnects. Compared with electrical interconnections, optical ones show undoubted advantages based on physical factor analysis. At the same time, since the recent developments drive us to think about whether these optical interconnect technologies with higher bandwidth but higher cost are worthy to be deployed, the computing performance comparison is performed. To meet the increasing demand of large-scale parallel or multi-processor computing tasks, an analytic method to evaluate parallel computing performance ofinterconnect systems is proposed in this paper. Both bandwidth-limit model and full-bandwidth model are under our investigation. Speedup and effi ciency are selected to represent the parallel performance of an interconnect system. Deploying the proposed models, we depict the performance gap between the optical and electrically interconnected systems. Another investigation on power consumption of commercial products showed that if the parallel interconnections are deployed, the unit power consumption will be reduced. Therefore, from the analysis of computing influence and power dissipation, we found that parallel optical interconnect is valuable combination of high performance and low energy consumption. Considering the possible data center under construction, huge power could be saved if parallel optical interconnects technologies are used.

MSONoC: a non-blocking optical interconnection network for inter cluster communication

Electric router is widely used for multi-core system to interconnect each other. However, with the increasing number of processor cores, the probability of communication conflict between processor cores increases, and the data delay increases dramatically. With the advent of optical router, the traditional electrical interconnection mode has changed to optical interconnection mode. In the packet switched optical interconnection network, the data communication mechanism consists of 3 processes: link establishment, data transmission and link termination, but the circuit-switched data transmission method greatly limits the utilization of resources. The number of micro-ring resonators in the on-chip large-scale optical interconnect network is an important parameter affecting the insertion loss. The proposed λ-route, GWOR, Crossbar structure has a large overall network insertion loss due to the use of many micro-ring resonators. How to use the least micro-ring resonator to realize non-blocking communication between multiple cores has been a research hotspot. In order to improve bandwidth and reduce access latency, an optical interconnection structure called multilevel switching optical network on chip(MSONoC) is proposed in this paper. The broadband micro-ring resonators(BMRs) are employed to reduce the number of micro-ring resonators(MRs) in the network, and the structure can provide the service of non-blocking point to point communication with the wavelength division multiplexing(WDM) technology. The results show that compared to λ-route, GWOR, Crossbar and the new topology structure, the number of micro-ring resonators of MSONoC are reduced by 95.5%, 95.5%, 87.5%, and 60% respectively. The insertion loss of the minimum link of new topology, mesh and MSONoC structure is 0.73 dB, 0.725 dB and 0.38 dB.

Adaptive and Intelligent Digital Signal Processing for Improved Optical Interconnection

In recent years, explosively increasing data traffic has been boosting the con?tinuous demand of high speed optical interconnection inside or among data centers, high performance computers and even consumer electronics. To pursue the improved intercon?nection performance of capacity, energy efficiency and simplicity, effective approaches are demonstrated including particularly advanced digital signal processing (DSP) meth?ods. In this paper, we present a review about the enabling adaptive DSP methods for opti?cal interconnection applications, and a detailed summary of our recent and ongoing works in this field. In brief, our works focus on dealing with the specific issues for short-reach interconnection scenarios with adaptive operation, including signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) limitation, level nonlinearity distortion, energy efficiency consideration and the de?cision precision.

Tailoring light on three-dimensional photonic chips: a platform for versatile OAM mode optical interconnects

Explosive growth in demand for data traffic has prompted exploration of the spatial dimension of lightwaves, which provides a degree of freedom to expand data transmission capacity. Various techniques basedon bulky optical devices have been proposed to tailor light waves in the spatial dimension. However, theirinherent large size, extra loss, and precise alignment requirements make these techniques relativelydifficult to implement in a compact and flexible way. In contrast, three-dimensional (3D) photonic chips withcompact size and low loss provide a promising miniaturized candidate for tailoring light in the spatialdimension. Significantly, they are attractive for chip-assisted short-distance spatial mode optical interconnectsthat are challenging to bulky optics. Here, we propose and fabricate femtosecond laser-inscribed 3D photonicchips to tailor orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in the spatial dimension. Various functions on theplatform of 3D photonic chips are experimentally demonstrated, including the generation, (de)multiplexing,and exchange of OAM modes. Moreover, chip-chip and chip–fiber–chip short-distance optical interconnectsusing OAM modes are demonstrated in the experiment with favorable performance. This work paves the wayto flexibly tailor light waves on 3D photonic chips and offers a compact solution for versatile opticalinterconnects and other emerging applications with spatial modes.

USING WAVELENGTH ROUTING IN THE OPTICAL INTERCONNECTION COMPUTER NETWORK

The wavelength routing technology applied to computer interconnection networks is introduced in this paper.By analyzing the relation between wavelength and network routing,we describe a concept of wavelength used as network IP address,and propose a wavelength routing topology to extend the scale of a network and realize the scalability of the network.Moreover,a twin wavelength ring network that is being developed in our laboratory to implement and test the function of wavelength routing is presented,and the main units of the twin wavelength ring network are presented also.According to the testing results based on a single wavelength ring network,it proves that the optical interconnection technology is a perfect technology to provide enough communication bandwidth for computer network.

10 Gb/s free space optical interconnect with broadcasting capability enabled by a silicon integrated optical phased array

We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a reconfigurable free space optical interconnect with broadcasting capability based on an eight-channel silicon integrated optical phased array.By using the silicon integrated beam steering and broadcasting device,10 Gb/s on-off keying data is transmitted over 15 cm in free space for up to three receivers located in three different cards.The experimental results show that the optical phased array can be used with broadcasting capability provided to multi-receivers in the card to card optical interconnects,which can significantly reduce device size,system complexity,and total costs.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with nanostructures for optical interconnects

Optical interconnects （OIs） are the only solution to fulfil both the requirements on large bandwidth and minimum power consumption of data centers and high-performance computers （HPCs）. Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers （VCSELs） are the ideal light sources for Ols and have been widely deployed. This paper will summarize the progress made on modulation speed, energy efficiency, and temperature stability of VCSELs. Espe- cially VCSELs with surface nanostructures will be reviewed in depth. Such lasers will provide new opportunities to further boost the performance of VCSELs and open a new door for energy-efficient OIs.

Ultra-compact silicon-arrayed waveguide grating routers for optical interconnect systems

We present compact silicon-arrayed waveguide grating routers （AWGRs） with three different channel spacings of 20, 6.4, and 3.2 nm for optical interconnect systems. The AWGR with the 20 nm channel spacing shows a low loss of 2.5 dB and a low crosstalk of -20 dB and has a footprint of only 0.27 mm× 0.19 mm. The AWGR with the channel spacing of 6.4 nm has loss ranging from 3 to 8 dB, and the crosstalk is -18 dB. As for the 3.2 nm channel spacing, the loss is about 4 dB, and the crosstalk is -12 dB.

A pair of integrated optoelectronic transceiving chips for optical interconnects

In this Letter, a pair of integrated optoelectronic transceiving chips is proposed. They are constructed by integrating a vertical cavity surface emitting laser unit above a positive-intrinsic-negative photodetector unit. One of the transceiving chips emits light at the wavelength of 848.1 nm with a threshold current of 0.8 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.81 W/A. It receives light between 801 and 814 nm with a quantum efficiency of higher than 70%. On its counterpart, the other one of the transceiving chips emits light at the wavelength of 805.3 nm with a threshold current of 1.1 mA and a slope efficiency of 0.86 W/A. It receives light between 838 and 855 nm with a quantum efficiency of higher than 70%. The proposed pair of integrated optoelectronic transceiving chips can work full-duplex with each other, and they can be applied to single fiber bidirectional optical interconnects.

Quasi-vertical tapers for polymer-waveguide-based interboard optical interconnects

A mode transformer based on the quasi-vertical taper is designed to enable high coupling efficiency for interboardlevel optical interconnects involving single-mode polymer waveguides and standard single-mode fibers. A triangular region fabricated above the waveguide is adopted to adiabatically transform the mode from the fiber into the polymer waveguide. The effects of the geometrical parameters of the taper, including width, height, tip width,etc., on the coupling efficiency are numerically investigated. Based on this, a quasi-vertical taper for the polymer rib waveguide system is designed, fabricated, and characterized. Coupling losses of 1.79 0.30 and 2.23 0.31 dB per coupler for the quasi-TM and quasi-TE mode, respectively, are measured across the optical communication C and L bands(1535 to 1610 nm). Low-cost packaging, leading to widespread utilization of polymeric photonicdevices, is envisioned for optical interconnect applications.

A scheme of optical interconnection for super high speed parallel computer

An optical cross connection network which adopts coarse wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) and data packet is introduced. It can be used to realize communication between multi-CPU and multi-MEM in parallel computing system. It provides an effective way to upgrade the capability of parallel computer by combining optical wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) and data packet switching technology. CWDM used in network construction, optical cross connection (OXC) based on optical switch arrays, and data packet format used in network construction were analyzed. We have also done the optimizing analysis of the number of optical switches needed in different scales of network in this paper. The architecture of the optical interconnection for 8 wavelength channels and 128 bits parallel transmission has been researched. Finally, a parallel transmission system with 4 nodes, 8 channels per node, has been designed.

An approach to the optical interconnect made in standard CMOS process

A standard CMOS optical interconnect is proposed, including an octagonal-annular emitter, a field oxide, metal 1-PSG/BPSG-metal 2 dual waveguide, and an ultra high-sensitivity optical receiver integrated with a fingered P＋/N-well/P-sub dual photodiode detector. The optical interconnect is implemented in a Chartered 3.3-V 0.35-μm standard analog CMOS process with two schemes for the research of the substrate noise coupling effect on the optical interconnect performance： with or without a GND-guardring around the emitter. The experiment results show that the optical interconnect can work at 100 kHz, and it is feasible to implement optical interconnects in standard CMOS processes.

Power-aware transceiver design for half-duplex bidirectional chip-to-chip optical interconnects

A power-aware transceiver for half-duplex bidirectional chip-to-chip optical interconnects has been designed and fabricated in a 0.13 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor （CMOS） technology. The transceiver can detect the presence and absence of received signals and saves 55% power in Rx enabled mode and 45% in Tx enabled mode. The chip occupies an area of 1.034 mm2 and achieves a 3-dB bandwidth of 6 GHz and 7 GHz in Tx and Rx modes, respectively. The disabled outputs for the Tx and Rx modes are isolated with 180 dB and 139 dB, respectively, from the enabled outputs. Clear eye diagrams are obtained at 4.25 Gbps for both the Tx and Rx modes.

LOOKNoC: a low-loss, non-blocking, scalable passive optical interconnect network-on-chip architecture

Low-loss, non-blocking, scalable passive optical interconnect network on-chip(LOOKNoC) structure was proposed based on 2×2 optical exchange switches, using wavelength division multiplexing(WDM)technology to expand to 8×8, 16×16, 32×32, 64×64 passive optical interconnection networks, which can achieve non-blocking communication. The experimental results show that based on the 16×16 optical interconnection network structure, the number of microring resonators(MRs) in LOOKNoC was reduced by 90.9%, 90.9%, 20.0% and 75.0% compared with the generic wavelength-routed optical router(GWOR), λ-router, topology and CrossBar structure. By testing the performance parameters based on the structure of 16×16 by the OMNET++ platform, as the result shows, the average insertion loss of LOOKNoC is 3.0%, 11.6%, 4.8% and 16.7% less than that of GWOR, λ-router, Mesh, and CrossBar structures.

Short-Range Optical Wireless Communications for Indoor and Interconnects Applications

Optical wireless communications have been widely studied during the past decade in short-range applications, such as indoor highspeed wireless networks and interconnects in data centers and high-performance computing. In this paper, recent developments in high-speed short-range optical wireless communications are reviewed, including visible light communications （VLCs）, infrared indoor communication systems, and reconfigurable optical interconnects. The general architecture of indoor high-speed optical wireless communications is described, and the advantages and limitations of both visible and infrared based solutions are discussed. The concept of reconfigurable optical interconnects is presented, and key results are summarized. In addition, the challenges and potential future directions of short-range optical wireless communications are discussed.