Three-dimensional self-organized microoptoelectronic systems for board-level reconfigurable optical interconnects-performance modeling and simulation

Self-organized microoptoelectronic system (SELMOS) built from three concepts - scalable film optical link multichip-module (S-FOLM), three-dimensional (3-D) microoptical switching system (3D-MOSS), and self-organized lightwave network (SOLNET)-is proposed. The feasibility of SELMOS for board-level reconfigurable optical interconnects is studied by the beam propagation method/finite difference time domain simulation focusing on three key issues; reducing size/cost of electrical to optical (E-O) and optical to electrical (O-E) signal conversion devices, tolerating alignment accuracy for optical coupling, and miniaturizing high-speed massive optical switching. S-FOLM, which consists of film-waveguide-based 3-D structures with embedded optoelectronic active elements and optical Z-connections for interplane links, enables drastic size/cost reduction of E-O and O-E conversion devices. 3D-MOSS, which is an S-FOLM with embedded microoptical switches, has a potentiality of 1024 * 1024 switching with a system size of ~1.4 * 0.6 cm/sup 2/ and an insertion loss of 29 dB. The switching rate of the 3D-MOSS is determined by the heat releasing speed to be ~2 * 10/sup 5/ 1/s when PLZT waveguide-prism-deflector microoptical switches are used. By using advanced electrooptic materials, rates higher than 10/sup 8/ 1/s are expected. Twenty-five percent misalignment in waveguide assembly raises the insertion loss of the 3D-MOSS to 73 dB. The loss is reduced to 32 dB in SELMOS-based 3D-MOSS, where a self-organized 3-D microoptical network is implemented using SOLNET. Further loss reduction is expected by structural optimization of loss-inducing parts. Thus, SELMOS is found to be a solution of the three key issues for board-level reconfigurable optical interconnects. In addition, photolithographic packaging with selectively occupied repeated transfer (PL-Pack with SORT), which integrates different types of active elements into one substrate in desired arrangements using an allphotolithographic process, can contribute to cost and the coefficient of thermal expansionmismatching reduction.