Abstract

Integrated optoelectronics is enabling a revolution in intrasystem communication by facilitating multifiber (parallel) optical communication. The use of 12-channel ribbon optical fiber interconnects is becoming commonplace to provide high aggregate data rate communication between different racks or boards of a computing or switching system, the so-called optical backplane. Going to higher channel count by using two-dimensional arrays would increase this data rate proportionally. Such two-dimensional transmitters or receivers are achieved by integrating the lasers or detectors directly onto the receiver or driver circuits. ^1,2 Alternatively, higher aggregate data rates can be achieved by increasing the data rate per channel, but there again intimate integration may be required to reduce the electrical parasitics.

© 2002 Optical Society of America