Dielectric waveguide with planar multi-mode excitation for high data-rate chip-to-chip interconnects

An all-electrical, low-cost, wideband chip-to-chip link on a multi-mode dielectric waveguide is proposed. The signal is coupled from the silicon chip to the fundamental and polarization-orthogonal degenerate E_x¹¹ and E_y¹¹ waveguide modes using planar electric and slot dipole antennas, respectively. This approach doubles the capacity of a single line without sacrificing robustness or adding implementation cost and complexity. Two independent ultra-wideband 30GHz channels, each from 90 GHz to 120 GHz, are demonstrated. The large available bandwidth will be channelized in frequency for optimal overall efficiency with a CMOS transceiver. Various design aspects of the structure are examined and discussed. The proposed waveguide offers a solution for Terabit-per-second (Tbps) electrical wireline links.