Optical Interconnect System Using Passive Taps for Memory Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical communication architectures in computer systems face challenges in scaling performance while reducing power consumption and electromagnetic emissions, particularly in memory systems where high-speed parallel buses lead to signal integrity issues and latency bottlenecks, limiting the scalability of memory interconnects.
Innovation Solution
An optical interconnect system with optical data communication paths and passive optical taps that split power according to reflectivity and transmissivity ratios, ensuring consistent signal power delivery to multiple receivers and minimizing power consumption, using large core hollow waveguides and pellicle beam splitters to maintain signal integrity and reduce latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If wide parallel bus is used to increase communication speed and memory density, then communication performance is improved, but signal integrity deteriorates and electromagnetic emissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the electrical parallel bus system with an optical communication system using waveguides and optical taps. This substitution eliminates electrical signal integrity issues and electromagnetic emissions while maintaining high communication speed through optical signal transmission between memory controllers and memory devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of signal transmission from electrical to optical domain. By using optical taps with specific reflectivity and transmissivity ratios, the system achieves signal distribution without the interference and degradation problems inherent in electrical parallel buses, thereby improving signal integrity while maintaining speed.
2Reliability
If point-to-point electrical interconnects are used to maintain signal integrity, then reliability is improved, but latency increases due to multiple hops and replication requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The optical interconnect system segments the signal distribution function across multiple passive optical taps along the waveguide. Each tap independently extracts signal power for its associated memory device without requiring active replication or forwarding, enabling simultaneous one-to-many communication and reducing latency compared to sequential point-to-point hops.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces passive optical taps as intermediary elements that couple memory devices to the optical waveguide. These taps act as mediators that split optical signal power according to reflectivity and transmissivity ratios, enabling multiple receivers to access the communication path simultaneously without active signal replication, thereby reducing latency while maintaining signal integrity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If FBDIMM with AMB is used to increase scalability, then number of memory devices is improved, but power consumption increases due to serialization/deserialization and signal replication
Solution Approach 1:
The optical interconnect system enables memory devices to self-configure and self-access the communication path through passive optical coupling. Each memory device connects to the waveguide via an optical tap that automatically distributes signal power without requiring active serialization/deserialization or signal replication by intermediate buffers, significantly reducing power consumption while maintaining scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electrical FBDIMM architecture with optical waveguides and passive taps. This substitution eliminates the power-hungry AMB components responsible for serialization/deserialization and signal replication, achieving scalability through passive optical power distribution that consumes minimal energy while supporting multiple memory devices.
4Power
If optical taps with higher transmissivity are used to reduce power loss, then signal power is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to insufficient power extraction at each tap
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different reflectivity and transmissivity ratios to different optical taps based on their position in the system. Taps closer to the transmitter have lower transmissivity to extract sufficient power, while taps farther away have higher transmissivity to maintain signal power, ensuring each location receives appropriate power levels for reliable communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the optical parameters (reflectivity and transmissivity ratios) of individual taps to optimize the trade-off between power extraction and signal power delivery. By changing these parameters locally at each tap, the system ensures sufficient power is extracted for reliable detection while maintaining adequate signal power for downstream taps, achieving both power efficiency and communication reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The optical interconnect system enables high-speed, low-power communication with reduced latency and increased scalability, supporting multiple receivers and drivers, while maintaining signal integrity and achieving a bit error rate of less than 10^-12, thus overcoming the limitations of electrical communication systems.
Implementation Method 1
Each optical tap splits power of a signal received from either the optical data communication path or its respective computer component into an optical signal having a first power and an optical signal having a second power in accordance with a respective power ratio relationship between reflectivity and transmissivity
Implementation Method 2
Each optical tap splits power of a signal received from either the optical data communication path or its respective computer component into an optical signal having a first power and an optical signal having a second power in accordance with a respective power ratio relationship between reflectivity and transmissivity
Implementation Method 3
using large core hollow waveguides and pellicle beam splitters to maintain signal integrity and reduce latency
Implementation Method 4
using large core hollow waveguides and pellicle beam splitters to maintain signal integrity and reduce latency
Data Source
AI summary
An optical interconnect system for communication between computer system components is described. The system includes an optical data communication path and a plurality of optical taps, each optical tap optically coupling a respective computer system component to the optical data communication path. Each optical tap splits power from an optical signal received from the data communication path or from a light source generating a data signal from its associated computer component resulting in another optical signal. Each optical tap splits light in accordance with a respective power ratio relationship between reflectivity and transmissivity. The ratio relationships of the optical taps together provide a predetermined communication reliability metric for signals traversing the optical interconnect system between computer system components.