Prismatic Coupling Structure for Intrachip Global Communication

On-chip guided-wave optical interconnects using multiple quantum well modulators

“…A prismatic coupling structure is a compact waveguideembedded optical interconnect fabric element that distributes continuous wave (CW) light from a single external optical source into and out of reflection-mode optical modulators, hence effectively emulating on-chip photonic sources and links with a footprint limited only by the size of the optoelectronic devices [5]. The general approach is to create a refractive index contrast between the waveguide and the prismatic coupler so that the light is redirected by total internal reflections (TIR) towards the modulator/detector and guided out of the coupler in a similar way.…”

“…MQW modulators employing the strong quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) are less limited in modulation speed than lasers and shift off-chip the generation of optical power but demand high-density optical fabrics [4][5][6][7]. In this paper, a novel high-density optical fabric is proposed using polymer waveguides and reflection-mode GaAs/AlAs MQW devices integrated on to a silicon chip, in which the minimum footprint of the optical components, or the maximum link density, is limited only by the size of the opto-electronic devices, rather than the coupling optical fabrics.…”

Chip-Level Multiple Quantum Well Modulator-Based Optical Interconnects

“…Key enablers are efficient and minimum footprint optical fabrics and low power consumption optoelectronic devices [2], [4], [5]. Projections based on experiments with GaAs MQW arrays show performance in the ∼100's fJ/bit regime for link performance.…”