Abstract

Optical interconnect is very promising for signal transport in advanced digital systems with high data rates at the board and backplane level. In the ESPRIT-HOL-ICS project we aim at interconnecting a number of boards with an optical backplane, which requires a star coupler topology. Multimode polymeric waveguide boards offer an interesting solution for such interconnect problems because they allow for a more complex functionality than is possible with point to point links. Furthermore, multimode waveguides have the advantage of relaxed coupling conditions. However, the design of multimode waveguide elements (bends, junctions, etc.) is often more difficult than that of single mode structures, due to the uncertainty in modal content.

© 1994 IEEE