In this dissertation, the development of an experimental prototype for on-board optical-to-electrical signal broadcasting at 10 Gb/s per channel over an interconnect distance of 10 cm was presented. The optical distribution network was implemented using a polymer-based 1-by-4 multimode interference (MMI) splitter with linearly tapered output facet. A 1-by-8 MMI splitter with input/output waveguides of 10 microns in width was first fabricated using standard photolithography and characterized at 40 Gb/s in NRZ format and PRBS = 2^7-1. The pulse response of MMI devices was further quantified from the time-dependent, pulse-modulated field propagation perspective incorporated with various dispersion mechanisms. The results predict their operating limitations and investigate why and how such devices become non-functional in the ultrashort-pulse limit that is far beyond the most present-day optical systems. The guided-mode attenuation associated with polymer waveguides fabricated on FR-4 printed-circuit boards was also investigated for the first time. The rigorous transmission-line network approach was applied and the FR-4 substrate was treated as a long-period substrate grating with rectangular corrugations. The peaks of attenuation were shown to occur near the Bragg conditions that were recognized as the leaky-wave stop bands. As the buffer layer thickness increases, the attenuation becomes negligibly small that is attributed to the weak grating-induced perturbation to the mode behavior. The prototype was then developed on the basis of both experimental verifications to the devices and theoretical investigations. An improved 1-by-4 MMI splitter at 1550 nm with linearly tapered output facet was heterogeneously integrated with four p-i-n photodetectors (PDs) on a silicon (Si) bench. The Si bench itself was then hybrid integrated onto an FR-4 printed-circuit board with four receiver channels composed of transimpedance amplifiers, limiting amplifiers, and surface-mounted components. The innovative integration approach demonstrated the simultaneous alignment between multiple waveguides and multiple PDs during the MMI fabrication process that is a complete radical departure from the conventional assembly method inherent from the telecommunication industry. The entire system was fully functional at 10 Gb/s per channel.

Our burgeoning appetite for data relentlessly demands exponential scaling of computing and communications resources leading to an overbearing and ever-present drive to improve efficiency while reducing on-chip area even as photonic components expand to fill application spaces no longer satisfied by their electronic counterparts. With a high index contrast, low optical loss, and compatibility with the CMOS fabrication infrastructure, silicon-on-insulator technology delivers a mechanism by which efficient, sub-micron waveguides can be fabricated while enabling monolithic integration of photonic components and their associated electronic infrastructure. The result is a solution leveraging the superior bandwidth of optical signaling on a platform capable of delivering the optical analogue to Moore's Law scaling of transistor density. Device size is expected to end Moore's Law scaling in photonics as Maxwell's equations limit the extent to which this parameter may be reduced. The focus of the work presented here surrounds photonic device miniaturization and the development of 3D optical interconnects as approaches to optimize performance in densely integrated optical interconnects. In this dissertation, several technological barriers inhibiting widespread adoption of photonics in data communications and telecommunications are explored. First, examination of loss and crosstalk performance in silicon nitride over SOI waveguide crossings yields insight into the feasibility of 3D optical interconnects with the first experimental analysis of such a structure presented herein. A novel measurement platform utilizing a modified racetrack resonator is then presented enabling extraction of insertion loss data for highly efficient structures while requiring minimal on-chip area. Finally, pioneering work in understanding the statistical nature of doublet formation in microphotonic resonators is delivered with the resulting impact on resonant device design detailed.

No description available.

This thesis proposed and demonstrated a new all-polymer based fabrication process for an all-polymer flexible and parallel optical interconnect cable having a vertical light coupler, which can not only cut down the cost by eliminating metallization process for alignment but also facilitate both in production and application. Throughout the process, polyimide was used as the substrate, coated by Epoclad as claddings, then AP2210B and WPR 5100 were used to fabricate waveguides and 45 degree mirror couplers, respectively. In addition, precisely aligned mirror couplers to waveguides are fabricated by using polymer-based, non-metallic, and transparent alignment marks. Conventional and metallic alignment marks are easy to be detected by camera, when a layer of high reflective material, generally Cr metal, is patterned. However, transparent polymer material is used in this process, as alignment marks made of it which are actually buried phase structures. Therefore, it is hardly to be observed by conventional microscopy system. Hence, to increase the contrast of the alignment marks, I proposed and tested a feature specific alignment camera system for which the shape and depth of the alignment marks are optimized for phase-based imaging, such as phase contrast and Schlieren imaging. The results showed a contrast enhancement of alignment marks image compared to that of a conventional microscopy system. By using the fabrication and alignment process, process for adding waveguides to the structure is identified by using the polymer based alignment marks on the WPR 5100 layer. Mask was made by etch down process using fused silica wafer plate, Cr and AZ 3312 photoresist. At last, the developed and proposed process provides means of all-polymer based fabrication process for a flexible and parallel optical interconnect.

Short-distance digital communication links, between chips on a circuit board, or between different circuit boards for example, have traditionally been built by using electrical interconnects - metallic tracks and wires. Recent technological advances have resulted in improvements in the speed of information processing, but have left electrical interconnects intact, thus creating a serious communication problem. Free-space optical interconnects, made up of arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, microlenses, and photodetectors, could be used to solve this problem. If free-space optical interconnects are to successfully replace electrical interconnects, they have to be able to support large rates of information transfer with high channel densities. The biggest obstacle in the way of reaching these requirements is laser beam diffraction. There are three approaches commonly used to model the effects of laser beam diffraction in optical interconnects: one could pursue the path of solving the diffraction integral directly, one could apply stronger approximations with some loss of accuracy of the results, or one could cleverly reinterpret the diffraction problem altogether. None of the representatives of the three categories of existing solutions qualified for our purposes. The main contribution of this dissertation consist of, first, formulating the mode expansion method, and, second, showing that it outperforms all other methods previously used for modelling diffraction in optical interconnects. The mode expansion method allows us to obtain the optical field produced by the diffraction of arbitrary laser beams at empty apertures, phase-shifting optical elements, or any combinations thereof, regardless of the size, shape, position, or any other parameters either of the incident optical field or the observation plane. The mode expansion method enables us to perform all this without any reference or use of the traditional Huygens-Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integrals. When using the mode expansion method, one replaces the incident optical field and the diffracting optical element by an effective beam, possibly containing higher-order transverse modes, so that the ultimate effects of diffraction are equivalently expressed through the complex-valued modal weights. By using the mode expansion method, one represents both the incident and the resultant optical fields in terms of an orthogonal set of functions, and finds the unknown parameters from the condition that the two fields have to be matched at each surface on their propagation paths. Even though essentially a numerical process, the mode expansion method can produce very accurate effective representations of the diffraction fields quickly and efficiently, usually by using no more than about a dozen expanding modes. The second tier of contributions contained in this dissertation is on the subject of the analysis and design of microchannel free-space optical interconnects. In addition to the proper characterisation of the design model, we have formulated several optical interconnect performance parameters, most notably the signal-to-noise ratio, optical carrier-to-noise ratio, and the space-bandwidth product, in a thorough and insightful way that has not been published previously. The proper calculation of those performance parameters, made possible by the mode expansion method, was then performed by using experimentally-measured fields of the incident vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser beams. After illustrating the importance of the proper way of modelling diffraction in optical interconnects, we have shown how to improve the optical interconnect performance by changing either the interconnect optical design, or by careful selection of the design parameter values. We have also suggested a change from the usual 'square' to a novel 'hexagonal' packing of the optical interconnect channels, in order to alleviate the negative diffraction effects. Finally, the optical interconnect tolerance to lateral misalignment, in the presence of multimodal incident laser beams was studied for the first time, and it was shown to be acceptable only as long as most of the incident optical power is emitted in the fundamental Gaussian mode.

Short-distance digital communication links, between chips on a circuit board, or between different circuit boards for example, have traditionally been built by using electrical interconnects -- metallic tracks and wires. Recent technological advances have resulted in improvements in the speed of information processing, but have left electrical interconnects intact, thus creating a serious communication problem. Free-space optical interconnects, made up of arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, microlenses, and photodetectors, could be used to solve this problem. If free-space optical interconnects are to successfully replace electrical interconnects, they have to be able to support large rates of information transfer with high channel densities. The biggest obstacle in the way of reaching these requirements is laser beam diffraction. There are three approaches commonly used to model the effects of laser beam diffraction in optical interconnects: one could pursue the path of solving the diffraction integral directly, one could apply stronger approximations with some loss of accuracy of the results, or one could cleverly reinterpret the diffraction problem altogether. None of the representatives of the three categories of existing solutions qualified for our purposes. The main contribution of this dissertation consist of, first, formulating the mode expansion method, and, second, showing that it outperforms all other methods previously used for modelling diffraction in optical interconnects. The mode expansion method allows us to obtain the optical field produced by the diffraction of arbitrary laser beams at empty apertures, phase-shifting optical elements, or any combinations thereof, regardless of the size, shape, position, or any other parameters either of the incident optical field or the observation plane. The mode expansion method enables us to perform all this without any reference or use of the traditional Huygens-Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integrals. When using the mode expansion method, one replaces the incident optical field and the diffracting optical element by an effective beam, possibly containing higher-order transverse modes, so that the ultimate effects of diffraction are equivalently expressed through the complex-valued modal weights. By using the mode expansion method, one represents both the incident and the resultant optical fields in terms of an orthogonal set of functions, and finds the unknown parameters from the condition that the two fields have to be matched at each surface on their propagation paths. Even though essentially a numerical process, the mode expansion method can produce very accurate effective representations of the diffraction fields quickly and efficiently, usually by using no more than about a dozen expanding modes. The second tier of contributions contained in this dissertation is on the subject of the analysis and design of microchannel free-space optical interconnects. In addition to the proper characterisation of the design model, we have formulated several optical interconnect performance parameters, most notably the signal-to-noise ratio, optical carrier-to-noise ratio, and the space-bandwidth product, in a thorough and insightful way that has not been published previously. The proper calculation of those performance parameters, made possible by the mode expansion method, was then performed by using experimentally-measured fields of the incident vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser beams. After illustrating the importance of the proper way of modelling diffraction in optical interconnects, we have shown how to improve the optical interconnect performance by changing either the interconnect optical design, or by careful selection of the design parameter values. We have also suggested a change from the usual `square' to a novel `hexagonal' packing of the optical interconnect channels, in order to alleviate the negative diffraction effects. Finally, the optical interconnect tolerance to lateral misalignment, in the presence of multimodal incident laser beams was studied for the first time, and it was shown to be acceptable only as long as most of the incident optical power is emitted in the fundamental Gaussian mode.

Short-distance digital communication links, between chips on a circuit board, or between different circuit boards for example, have traditionally been built by using electrical interconnects -- metallic tracks and wires. Recent technological advances have resulted in improvements in the speed of information processing, but have left electrical interconnects intact, thus creating a serious communication problem. Free-space optical interconnects, made up of arrays of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers, microlenses, and photodetectors, could be used to solve this problem. If free-space optical interconnects are to successfully replace electrical interconnects, they have to be able to support large rates of information transfer with high channel densities. The biggest obstacle in the way of reaching these requirements is laser beam diffraction. There are three approaches commonly used to model the effects of laser beam diffraction in optical interconnects: one could pursue the path of solving the diffraction integral directly, one could apply stronger approximations with some loss of accuracy of the results, or one could cleverly reinterpret the diffraction problem altogether. None of the representatives of the three categories of existing solutions qualified for our purposes. The main contribution of this dissertation consist of, first, formulating the mode expansion method, and, second, showing that it outperforms all other methods previously used for modelling diffraction in optical interconnects. The mode expansion method allows us to obtain the optical field produced by the diffraction of arbitrary laser beams at empty apertures, phase-shifting optical elements, or any combinations thereof, regardless of the size, shape, position, or any other parameters either of the incident optical field or the observation plane. The mode expansion method enables us to perform all this without any reference or use of the traditional Huygens-Kirchhoff-Fresnel diffraction integrals. When using the mode expansion method, one replaces the incident optical field and the diffracting optical element by an effective beam, possibly containing higher-order transverse modes, so that the ultimate effects of diffraction are equivalently expressed through the complex-valued modal weights. By using the mode expansion method, one represents both the incident and the resultant optical fields in terms of an orthogonal set of functions, and finds the unknown parameters from the condition that the two fields have to be matched at each surface on their propagation paths. Even though essentially a numerical process, the mode expansion method can produce very accurate effective representations of the diffraction fields quickly and efficiently, usually by using no more than about a dozen expanding modes. The second tier of contributions contained in this dissertation is on the subject of the analysis and design of microchannel free-space optical interconnects. In addition to the proper characterisation of the design model, we have formulated several optical interconnect performance parameters, most notably the signal-to-noise ratio, optical carrier-to-noise ratio, and the space-bandwidth product, in a thorough and insightful way that has not been published previously. The proper calculation of those performance parameters, made possible by the mode expansion method, was then performed by using experimentally-measured fields of the incident vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser beams. After illustrating the importance of the proper way of modelling diffraction in optical interconnects, we have shown how to improve the optical interconnect performance by changing either the interconnect optical design, or by careful selection of the design parameter values. We have also suggested a change from the usual `square' to a novel `hexagonal' packing of the optical interconnect channels, in order to alleviate the negative diffraction effects. Finally, the optical interconnect tolerance to lateral misalignment, in the presence of multimodal incident laser beams was studied for the first time, and it was shown to be acceptable only as long as most of the incident optical power is emitted in the fundamental Gaussian mode.

CMOS is well known for its ability to scale. This fact is reflected in the aggressive scaling on a continual basis from the invention of CMOS up to date. As devices are scaled, device performance improves due to shorter channel lengths and more densely packed functions for the same amount of area. In recent years, however, the performance gain obtained through scaling has begun to suffer under the degradation of the associate interconnect performance. As devices become smaller, interconnects need to follow. Unlike transistors, the scaling of interconnects results in higher capacitances and resistances, thereby limiting overall system performance. Trying to alleviate the delay effects results in increased power consumption, especially in global structures such as clock distribution networks. A possible solution to this problem is the use of optical interconnects, which are fast and much less lossy than the electrical equivalents. This dissertation describes an investigation on what future technology nodes will entail in terms of power consumption of clock networks, and what is required for an optical alternative to become feasible. A common clock configuration is used as a basis for comparison, where both electrical and optical networks are designed to component level. Optimisation is done on both to ensure a reasonable comparison, and the results of the respective power consumption components are then compared in order to find the criteria for a feasible optical clock distribution scheme. Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted

The global traffic is experiencing an exponential growth posing severe challenges to the communication networks in terms of capacity. As a future-proof technology fiber communication is widely implemented in different network segments, which can be categorized by transmission distance as long-haul and short-reach. This thesis focuses on the short-reach communication networks including fiber access network connecting the end users to the metro/core networks that covering tens of kilometers and optical datacenter network handling the traffic within the datacenter with distance up to a few kilometers. For fiber access networks, wavelength division multiplexing passive optical networks (WDM-PONs) assign a dedicated wavelength channel to each user guaranteeing high data rate. Dense channels enlarges the user count but makes the signals vulnerable to the wavelength drift. In this regard we propose two schemes based on optical frequency comb technique to generate stable carriers for WDM-PONs. Meanwhile, radio-over-fiber techniques allows the transmission of radio signals between central offices and the cells. Millimeter wave (MMW) over fiber, on the other hand, offer high bandwidth for future high capacity mobile access. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a palm-shaped spectrum generation where the high-power central carrier can be used for upstream transmission while multiple MMW bands are capable of transmitting different downstream data simultaneously. Regarding optical datacenter networks, passive optical interconnects (POIs) have been proposed as an energy-efficient solution since only passive optical components are used for server interconnection. However, the high insertion loss may result in a scalability problem. We develop a methodology that considers various physical-layer aspects, e.g., receiver types, modulation formats, to quantify the scalability of POIs. Both theoretical analyses and experimental measurements have been performed to assess the scalability of various coupler-based POIs. / Den globala datatrafiken växer exponentiellt, både på grund av nya bandbreddskrävande applikationer och ökningen av antalet användare. Detta innebär en utmaning för kommunikationsnätens kapacitet. Fiberoptisk kommunikation är en framtidssäker teknik för att möta detta kapacitetsbehov och används redan i stor utsträckning i olika delar av näten. Beroende på överföringsavstånd, kan fibernät kategoriseras som långdistansnät eller nät med kort räckvidd. Denna avhandling behandlar nät med kort räckvidd, innefattande dels 1) accessnät som förbinder slutanvändarna till stadsnätet/ huvudnätet och typiskt omfattar tiotals kilometer, dels 2) optiska datanätverk som hanterar den interna trafiken inom datacenter med överföringsavstånd upp till ett par kilometer.För fiberaccessnät är en av de lovande teknikerna våglängdsmultiplexade passiva optiska nät (WDM-PON), där en dedicerad våglängdskanal tilldelas varje användare vilket garanterar hög datahastighet. Genom ett litet kanalavstånd så kan antalet användare i WDM-PON utökas men det gör samtidigt systemet känsligt för våglängdsdrift hos lasrarna. För att råda bot på detta, föreslår vi två system baserade på optisk frekvenskams-teknik. Vi validerar experimentellt att de kan generera stabila optiska bärvågor för WDM-PON. Radio-över –fiber-tekniken gör samtidigt det möjligt att sända radiosignaler över en lång sträcka och används därför i mobilsystem för överföring mellan centralstationen och radiocellerna. Millimetervågor (MMW) över fiber erbjuder ännu större modulationsbandbredd och är lovande för framtidens mobilradiosystem med hög kapacitet. I denna avhandling föreslår vi, och demonstrerar experimentellt, generation av ett frekvenskams-spektrum som är format som en handflata, där en central bärare med hög effekt (långfingret på handflatan) kan användas i radiocellerna för uppströms överföring, medan multipla MMW band (övriga fingrar) samtidigt kan överföra olika data nedströms. När det gäller nätverk för optiska datacenter, har passiva optiska interconnects (POI) föreslagits som en energieffektiv lösning, där endast passiva optiska komponenter används för ihopkoppling av servrarna. Höga inkopplingsförluster hos passiva optiska komponenter kan emellertid leda till allvarliga skalbarhetsproblem. I denna avhandling presenterar vi en nyutvecklad metod för att kvantifiera skalbarheten, vilken tar hänsyn till olika faktorer i det fysiska lagret som t.ex. mottagartyp och modulationsformat. Både teoretiska analyser och experimentella mätningar har utförts för att utvärdera skalbarheten hos olika kopplarbaserade POI. / <p>QC 20161117</p>

Due to their inherent BW capacity, optical interconnect (OI) offers a means of replacement to BW limited copper as bottlenecks begin to appear within the various interconnect levels of electronics systems. Low-cost optically enabled printed circuit boards are a key milestone on many electronics roadmaps, e.g. iNEMI. Current OI solutions found in industry are based upon optical fibres and are capable of providing a suitable platform for inter-board applications especially on the backplane. However, to allow component assembly onto high BW interconnects, an integral requirement for intra-board applications, optically enabled printed circuit boards containing waveguides are essential. Major barriers to the deployment of optical printed circuit boards include the compatibility of the technique, the cost of acquiring OI and the optical power budget. The purpose of this PhD research programme is to explore suitable techniques to address these barriers, primarily by means of laser material processing using UV and IR source lasers namely 248 nm KrF Excimer, 355 nm UV Nd:YAG and 10.6 μm IR CO2. The use of these three main lasers, the trio of which dominates most PCB production assembly, provides underpinning drive for the deployment of this technology into the industry at a very low cost without the need for any additional system or system modification. It further provides trade-offs among the suitable candidates in terms of processing speed, cost and quality of waveguides that could be achieved. This thesis presents the context of the research and the underlying governing science, i.e. theoretical analysis, involving laser-matter interactions. Experimental investigation of thermal (or pyrolitic) and bond-breaking (or photolytic) nature of laser ablation was studied in relation to each of the chosen lasers with regression analysis used to explain the experimental results. Optimal parameters necessary for achieving minimum Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) and surface/wall roughness were explored, both of which are key to achieving low loss waveguides. While photochemical dominance - a function of wavelength and pulse duration - is desired in laser ablation of photopolymers, the author has been able to find out that photothermallyprocessed materials, for example at 10.6 μm, can also provide desirable waveguides. Although there are literature information detailing the effect of certain parameters such as fluence, pulse repetition rate, pulse duration and wavelength among others, in relation to the etch rate of different materials, the machining of new materials requires new data to be obtained. In fact various models are available to try to explain the laser-matter interaction in a mathematical way, but these cannot be taken universally as they are deficient to general applications. For this reason, experimental optimisation appears to be the logical way forward at this stage of the research and thus requiring material-system characterisation to be conducted for each case thereby forming an integral achievement of this research. In this work, laser ablation of a single-layer optical polymer (Truemode™) multimode waveguides were successfully demonstrated using the aforementioned chosen lasers, thus providing opportunities for rapid deployment of OI to the PCB manufacturing industry. Truemode™ was chosen as it provides a very low absorption loss value < 0.04 dB/cm at 850 nm datacom wavelength used for VSR interconnections - a key to optical power budget - and its compatibility with current PCB fabrication processes. A wet-Truemode™ formulation was used which required that optical polymer layer on an FR4 substrate be formed using spin coating and then UV-cured in a nitrogen oxygen-free chamber. Layer thickness, chiefly influenced by spinning speed and duration, was studied in order to meet the optical layer thickness requirement for multimode (typically > 9 μm) waveguides. Two alternative polymers, namely polysiloxane-based photopolymer (OE4140 and OE 4141) from Dow Corning and PMMA, were sparingly utilized at some point in the research, mainly during laser machining using UV Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers. While Excimer laser was widely considered for polymer waveguide due to its high quality potential, the successful fabrication at 10.6 μm IR and 355 nm UV wavelengths and at relatively low propagation loss at datacom wavelength of 850 nm (estimated to be < 1.5 dB/cm) were unprecedented. The author considered further reduction in the optical loss by looking at the effect of fluence, power, pulse repetition rate, speed and optical density on the achievable propagation but found no direct relationship between these parameters; it is therefore concluded that process optimisation is the best practice. In addition, a novel in-plane 45-degree coupling mirror fabrication using Excimer laser ablation was demonstrated for the first time, which was considered to be vital for communication between chips (or other suitable components) at board-level.