skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Easing the chip-to-chip communication bottleneck by leveraging microLED display technology
High-speed optical emitters derived from GaN-based microLED displays can move data at much higher density and lower power than copper, bringing optical connections to the centimetre scale  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2036649
PAR ID:
10274692
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Compound semiconductor
Volume:
27
Issue:
IV
ISSN:
1096-598X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
14-19
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract The transition towards designs which co-package electronic and photonic die together in data center switch packages has created a scaling path to Petabyte per second (Pbps) input/output (I/O) in such systems. In a co-packaged design, the scaling of bandwidth, cost, and energy will be governed by the number of optical I/O channels and the data rate per channel. While optical communication provide an opportunity to exploit wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to scale data rate, the limited 127 µm pitch of V-groove based single mode fiber arrays and the use of active alignment and bonding for their packaging present challenges to scaling the number of optical channels. Flip-chip optical couplers which allow for low loss, broadband operation and automated passive assembly represent a solution for continued scaling. In this paper, we propose a novel scheme to vertically couple between silicon based waveguides on separate chips using graded index (GRIN) couplers in combination with an evanescent coupler. Simulation results using a 3D Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) solver are presented, demonstrating coupling losses as low as 0.35 dB for a chip-to-chip gap of 11 µm; 1-dB vertical and lateral alignment tolerances of approximately 2.45 µm and ± 2.66 µm, respectively; and a possible 1-dB bandwidth of greater than 1500 nm. These results demonstrate the potential of our coupler as a universal interface in future co-packaged optics systems. 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    ilicon Nitride integrated photonic circuits have drawn much attention owing to its ultra-low loss and large Kerr nonlinearity. However, the lack of Pockels effect makes it difficult to be modulated electro-optically, which posts a major challenge for the further development of Si3N4 circuits with advanced functions. The widely adopted thermo-optical tuning suffers from large power consumption and restricted speed (~1 kHz). In this study, microwave frequency modulation (up to 9 GHz) of Si3N4 ring resonator is achieved by exciting bulk acoustic waves piezoelectrically, which modulates the microring via stress-optical effect. The acoustic waves are confined tightly in a released SiO2 thin film which enhances the acoustic energy density and thus modulation efficiency. 
    more » « less
  3. Optical levitation of dielectric particles in vacuum is a powerful technique for precision measurements, testing fundamental physics, and quantum information science. Conventional optical tweezers require bulky optical components for trapping and detection. Here, we design and fabricate an ultrathin dielectric metalens with a high numerical aperture of 0.88 at 1064 nm in vacuum. It consists of 500-nm-thick silicon nano-antennas, which are compatible with an ultrahigh vacuum. We demonstrate optical levitation of nanoparticles in vacuum with a single metalens. The trapping frequency can be tuned by changing the laser power and polarization. We also transfer a levitated nanoparticle between two separated optical tweezers. Optical levitation with an ultrathin metalens in vacuum provides opportunities for a wide range of applications including on-chip sensing. Such metalenses will also be useful for trapping ultracold atoms and molecules. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract Attosecond science has demonstrated that electrons can be controlled on the sub-cycle time scale of an optical waveform, paving the way towards optical frequency electronics. However, these experiments historically relied on high-energy laser pulses and detection not suitable for microelectronic integration. For practical optical frequency electronics, a system suitable for integration and capable of generating detectable signals with low pulse energies is needed. While current from plasmonic nanoantenna emitters can be driven at optical frequencies, low charge yields have been a significant limitation. In this work we demonstrate that large-scale electrically connected plasmonic nanoantenna networks, when driven in concert, enable charge yields sufficient for single-shot carrier-envelope phase detection at repetition rates exceeding tens of kilohertz. We not only show that limitations in single-shot CEP detection techniques can be overcome, but also demonstrate a flexible approach to optical frequency electronics in general, enabling future applications such as high sensitivity petahertz-bandwidth electric field sampling or logic-circuits. 
    more » « less
  5. null (Ed.)
    We demonstrate >200 optical lanes in 0.5mm diameter imaging fiber with a speed-optimized GaN LED array, and independently, NRZ links of each LED to 10Gb/s over meters, extrapolating to >2Tb/s at a density >10Tb/mm2. 
    more » « less