Optical Signal Routing in Multi-Chip Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
As microprocessor performance increases, latency issues in global on-chip wires and high power consumption become significant constraints, making it difficult to maintain communication bandwidth, especially with the growing demand for terabits-per-second data transfer in multi-core microprocessors.
Innovation Solution
A multi-chip system utilizing optical communication through an array of chip modules with primary and secondary optical signal paths, including 2-way and 3-way optical splitters, to enable high-bandwidth data transfer without intervening electrical processing, reducing latency and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If electrical proximity communication is used in global on-chip wires, then communication bandwidth can be maintained, but latency increases and power consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical signal transmission with optical signal transmission in global on-chip wires. Optical signals propagate at higher speeds and consume less power compared to electrical signals, thereby reducing both latency and power consumption while maintaining communication bandwidth in multi-core microprocessor systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of signal transmission from electrical to optical domain. This parameter change enables signals to travel faster with lower energy dissipation, directly addressing the latency and power consumption issues in global on-chip communication without sacrificing bandwidth.
2Speed
If clock frequency is increased to improve microprocessor performance, then computation speed increases, but power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes optical communication for electrical communication in the interconnect structure, enabling higher clock frequencies to be achieved with lower power consumption. Optical signals experience less resistance and energy loss, allowing faster operation without proportional increases in power consumption.
3Loss of time
If multiple processor cores are used to reduce global delays, then communication operations become local, but communication bandwidth requirements increase to terabits-per-second
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs optical communication to provide the necessary terabits-per-second bandwidth for multiple processor cores. Optical channels offer significantly higher bandwidth capacity compared to electrical wires, enabling the system to handle the increased communication requirements of multi-core architectures without bottlenecking.
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 system achieves high-bandwidth communication with reduced latency and power consumption by using optical communication paths, effectively addressing the limitations of conventional conductive wires in multi-core microprocessors.
Implementation Method 1
an array of chip modules (CMs) that are configured to communicate data signals with each other via optical communication
Implementation Method 2
a 2-way optical splitter, which is coupled to the transmitter, the first primary optical signal path and the second primary optical signal path, is configured to receive an optical signal from the transmitter and to provide a first unidirectional optical signal on the first primary optical signal path and to provide a second unidirectional optical signal on the second primary optical signal path
Implementation Method 3
the first primary optical signal path is optically coupled to CMs in the array along a direction in a dimension of the array, and the second primary optical signal path is optically coupled to CMs in the array along another direction in the dimension of the array
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a system are described. This system includes an array of chip modules (CMs) that are configured to communicate data signals with each other via optical communication. In a given CM module, optical signal paths, such as waveguides, are routed in the same way as in the other CMs in the array. In this way, a common optical design in the CMs may be used in the system to prevent data conflicts during the optical communication.