POET Near Term

POET will implement an optical interface as a single chip to connect existing CMOS processors. The optical interface chip integrates the laser, modulator, modulator driver, detector, receiver amplifiers, SER/DES, CDR and PLL circuits monolithically. Both the DSP and the POET chip are mounted face do close proximity on a Si carrier which forms a single common plane. The carrier has a standard MT connector for a 12 channel fiber ribbon cable for optical I/O. The POET chip connects to the fibers through a proprietary, (patented) mating technique. POET also connects to transmission lines (T/L's) on the Si carrier through standard solder bumps. The CMOS processor connects to the same T/L's with solder bumps. The assembly cost is reduced substantially along with the power dissipation. The sizeable speed advantage of strained InGaAs quantum wells increases the bandwidth. Assigning one optical interface to each processor, processors on multiple carriers are connected optically by fiber. The initial OE solution will address requirements for both military and commercial markets.

more at: http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/09/will-gallium-arsenide-finally-be-ready.html

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