Interchip and WSI optical interconnect based on electro absorption modulators

After a brief account of the implications of scaling of VLSI circuits and the possible effects of the developing superconductors for optical interconnect, the potential superiority of using electro absorption modulators compared to laser diodes or conventional electronics is demonstrated on a power vs. speed basis. Results suggest, this approach gives considerable power saving for interchip links at frequencies above 100 MHz, for modulators smaller than 100 μm. The authors then describe SPOC (Simulation Program for Optoelectronic Circuits) which is currently under development at UCL, together with its relevance to the detailed modelling of VLSI circuits with optical I/O