Photonic interconnects for computer system devices

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to photonic interconnects that can be used for on-chip as well as off-chip communications between computer system components. In one embodiment of the present invention, a photonic interconnect (108) comprises a plurality of on-chip waveguides (308). Additionally, the photonic interconnect may include a plurality of off-chip waveguides (310,620), and at least one optoelectronic converter (306). The at least one optoelectronic converter (306) can be photonically coupled to a portion of the plurality of on-chip waveguides (308), can be photonically coupled to a portion of the plurality of off-chip waveguides (310,620), and is in electronic communication with at least one computer system component (615-618).

Description

technical field [0001] Embodiments of the invention relate to photonic interconnects that can be used for on-chip as well as off-chip communication between computer system components in computer system devices. Background technique [0002] In the mid-1960's, semiconductor manufacturers observed that the density of circuits (such as transistors) fabricated on integrated circuits doubled approximately every 18 months. This trend has continued and is now known as "Moore's Law". Transistor density is viewed as a rough measure of computer processing power, which in turn corresponds to data processing speed. Although originally derived as an observation, Moore's Law has over time become widely accepted by the semiconductor industry as the fundamental driving force behind increased computer processing power. As a result, semiconductor manufacturers have developed techniques for reducing the size of chip components to microscale and even nanoscale dimensions. Computer system arc...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Computational bandwidth scales linearly with the number of cores, but the rate at which data can be sent across a multicore chip using top-level metal wires is improving at a much slower rate

In addition, the rate at which data can be transferred off-chip via pins located along the edge of the chip also grows more slowly than computational bandwidth, and the energy costs of on-chip and off-chip communication significantly limit the available bandwidth

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