Abstract

As the number and bandwidth requirements of connections to integrated circuit chips approach thousands and hundreds of megahertz, respectively (which is occurring now), the capability of standard electrical chip input/output becomes strained. For this reason optical input/output to chips is being explored by a number of groups.¹ In modulator systems, an off-chip laser would be split into an array of beams that illuminates an array of surface-normal modulators. The modulators would be switched by the on-chip electronics to imprint information on the reflected beams. Multiple quantum well (MQW) modulators are attractive because they can produce large enough absorption changes in surface-normal devices with good yields, low intrinsic power dissipation and apparently good reliability. Since the modulators are p-i-n type devices they are also efficient input detectors. 64x64 arrays of operational modulators have been demonstrated.² Reliable modulators have also been demonstrated on silicon.³

© 1993 Optical Society of America