Cointegration of optoelectronics and silicon ULSI for scaled, high-performance distributed computing systems

Stuart K. Tewksbury; Lawrence Anthony Hornak

doi:10.1117/12.18045

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1 July 1990 Cointegration of optoelectronics and silicon ULSI for scaled, high-performance distributed computing systems

Stuart K. Tewksbury, Lawrence Anthony Hornak

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Proceedings Volume 1215, Digital Optical Computing II; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18045
Event: OE/LASE '90, 1990, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

The evolution of silicon submicron technologies will yield very powerful single chip U LSI processors (possibly processor arrays) and high performance advanced packaging technologies, providing significant opportunities to realize very compact, distributed computing systems. However, exploiting that opportunity will require development of very high performance communication networks, scaled to the much smaller size and more monolithic realization of such future distributed systems. Optical communication is presently being applied to larger scale versions of such networks which, if scalable to the smaller, more monolithic world of future system structures, may help overcome several physical limits of scaled electrical networks. We review general system-level limits of scaled optical networks, assuming cointegration of Si CMOS logic, GaAs-based optoelectronics and waveguides within a common monolithic technology. The system limits suggest that a number of performance limits remain. Resolving such limits will be critical in exploiting the considerable advantages of scaled, optical interconnections for such future, highly integrated systems.

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Stuart K. Tewksbury and Lawrence Anthony Hornak "Cointegration of optoelectronics and silicon ULSI for scaled, high-performance distributed computing systems", Proc. SPIE 1215, Digital Optical Computing II, (1 July 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18045

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