High Density Inter-chip Optical Interconnect

THE INDIVIDUAL CHIP INPUT/OUTPUT BOTTLENEXK HAS BECOME A PRIMARY LIMITATION ON COMPUTING CAPABILITY. THE PROPOSED INNOVATION OVERCOMES THIS BOTTLENECK BY OPTICALLY COUPLING ALL OF THE NODES ON ONE CHIP IN PARALLEL WITH ALL THE NODES ON THE CHIPS WITH WHICH IT COMMUNICATES. THE KEY INGRDIENT IS SDIO-SPONSORED UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INTO THE FABRICATION OF LIGHT EMITTING II-VI MATERIALS ON SILICON. BLUE LIGHT EMITTED AT A SURFACE NODE IS TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE SILICON SUBSTRATE TO A PHOTO TRANSISTOR RECEIVER ON A CHIP TO WHICH THE TRANSMITTING CHIP IS LAMINATED. THE TRANSMITTING CHIP IS THINNED TO 10 MICROMETERS ALLOWING THE BLUE LIGHT TO TRANSMIT THROUGH THE CHIP BUT EXTINGUISHING IT BEFORE IT CAN REACH NEIGHBORING NODES. THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL ESTABLISH THE COMPATIBILITY OF THE LIGHT EMITTING PROCESSES WITH COMMERCIAL CMOS FABRICATION AND DESIGN A PHASE II DEMONSTRATION ARTICLE AND TEST PLAN.