1-GHz clock signal distribution for multi-processor super computers
- Resource Type
- Conference
- Authors
- Suning Tanp; Ting Li; Feiming Li; Linghui Wu; Dubinovsky, M.; Wickman, R.; Chen, R.T.
- Source
- Proceedings of Massively Parallel Processing Using Optical Interconnections Massively parallel processing using optical interconnections Massively Parallel Processing Using Optical Interconnections, 1996., Proceedings of the Third International Conference on. :186-191 1996
- Subject
- Computing and Processing
Clocks
Distributed computing
Optical waveguides
High speed optical techniques
Optical interconnections
Optical surface waves
Optical polymers
Surface waves
Gratings
Couplers
- Language
In this paper, we present our efforts to construct an optoelectronic interconnection layer for high-speed optical clock signal distribution in a Gray T-90 supercomputer board. The optoelectronic interconnection layer under investigation employs optical channel waveguides and cascaded 3 dB 1-to-2 waveguide splitters in conjunction with surface-normal waveguide grating couplers. The planarization requirement for the optical interconnection layer required by multi-layer integration is fulfilled. Furthermore, the difficulties associated with the complicated 3-D multiple alignments are significantly reduced by the surface-normal fanout beams and the unique planarized device feature. An 1-GHz optical clock signal operating at 1.3 /spl mu/m was transmitted through a 45 cm long polymer-based channel waveguide. Some new techniques to fabricate large-area optical channel waveguides and surface-normal waveguide grating couplers are also presented.