Optical interconnect
Optical interconnect is a means of communication by optical fiber cables.[1] Compared to traditional cables, optical fibers are capable of a much higher bandwidth, from 10 Gbit/s up to 100 Gbit/s.[2] Riding on the achievements of photonic technologies, a wide range of studies have been done.[3]
Intel demonstrated the Light Peak technique in 2009 for mobile devices,[4] as well as on motherboards and devices within computers.[2][5]
IBM created a prototype optical interconnect using wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM). They suggest that if successful, this technology could lead to the first computer capable of exascale computing (a computer that can perform a billion billion computations per second).[6] A waveguide emits eight different colored beams into several different ports of a modulator, which allows eight signals to be transferred concurrently. This multi-wavelength beam travels through the chip, with optical switches controlling the direction.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Myslewski, Rik (2009-09-23). "Intel unfurls copper-killing optical cables". The Register. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- 1 2 Shankland, Stephen (2009-09-23). "Intel's Light Peak: One PC cable to rule them all". CNet. Retrieved 2009-09-27.
- ↑ Optical Interconnect Bibliography
- ↑ Shah, Agam (September 23, 2009). "Intel Connects PCs to Devices Using Light". PC World. Retrieved March 31, 2017.
- ↑ Bek, Jesper (2008-06-09). "Parallel Optical Interconnects". IPtronics. Archived from the original on 2011-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
- ↑ Ross, Valerie. April, 2011. "The Light-Driven Computer". Popular Science. Volume 278, #4, Page 58.
- ↑ "Light-driven plasmonic nanoswitch may pave way for new computers, tech". January 16, 2009. June 8, 2011.
Further reading
- Tocci, Christopher; H J Caulfield (1994). Optical interconnection : foundations and applications. Artech House. ISBN 0890066329.
- Shigeru Kawai, ed. (2005). Handbook of optical interconnects. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8247-2441-2.