SBIR Phase I: Laser Sources for Scalable Optical Connectivity

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be enabling a disruptive architectural shift for future cloud and high performance computing (HPC) networks. The project will result in a single laser that can generate multiple wavelengths. These multiple wavelengths can each have different data encoded on them and can be sent to different destinations. This allows this single laser to interconnect multiple network nodes simultaneously. The increased connectivity resulting from this technology can unlock significant performance accelerations in HPC and cloud networks. Accelerated HPC performance will increase the rate of fundamental scientific discoveries because HPC is essential for advancing our basic understanding of many complex large-scale scientific phenomena. The envisioned product will be a semiconductor laser that emits multiple wavelengths that can be used to interconnect multiple nodes in a network. The commercial impacts of the proposed activity will be improved performance and cost of HPC and datacenter networks. Potential customers include manufacturers of optical transceivers as well as systems integrators of microelectronic computing. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will enhance understanding of novel semiconductor laser and amplifier component operating principles. This enhanced understanding will be used to inform innovative optical interconnect designs capable of meeting the challenging performance requirements specified by the end applications. The project will enable a systematic design study entailing material science, semiconductor laser physics, as well as device engineering in order to evaluate the feasibility of creating a laser product with sufficient performance. This performance includes low signal-to-noise ratio per wavelength as required for error-free communication. Specifically, the goal is to make a single laser that can emit 32 usable wavelengths, each with at least 1 mW of output power and with competitive relative intensity noise levels. This SBIR Phase I study will be an opportunity to evaluate the design space and assess the plausibility of such a laser for commercial use, while contributing to basic understanding of the relevant technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.