Ultra-Compact Low-Power Photonic Network-on-Chip

超紧凑低功耗光子片上网络

• 批准号: 418352-2012
• 负责人: Ménard, Michaël
• 金额: $ 1.6万
• 依托单位: Université du Québec à Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=637226
• 关键词: Ultra; Compact; Low; Power; Photonic

As the computing capacity of microelectronic chips increases, thanks to continuous improvements in speed and transistor density, the flows of information they generate are becoming harder to handle. As a result, the electrical interconnections between chips and even between logical units within a chip are becoming bottlenecks. With aggregate bandwidths exceeding one Tb/s, optical networks have demonstrated the potential of light to transmit information, and now it can be used to resolve the challenges arising at the chip scale. Silicon photonics has demonstrated that optical devices can be manufactured using CMOS compatible processes but there are still numerous challenges that must be addressed to efficiently combine optical and electronic circuits on the same chip. For instance, the requirements on the silicon and buried oxide layers of silicon-on-insulator wafers differ greatly depending on whether they are used for optical or electronic applications.This research program investigates a novel approach to integrated optics that could enable the creation of ultra-compact and low-power optical devices on top of electronic circuits. To achieve this, we will develop a fabrication process where silicon carbide (SiC) is used to form optical waveguides. SiC offers numerous advantages for on-chip optical circuits, including a high refractive index, the possibility of being deposited at low temperatures, and it can exhibit the electro-optic effect. Including optical components on CMOS dies represent a significant technological shift, and the knowledge developed during this research program will be valuable to Canadian electronics companies. Moreover, it will train 2 PhD and 3 M.Eng. students in the design and fabrication of advanced photonic circuits. The impact of integrated optical circuits based on SiC extends beyond on-chip optical telecommunications. The mechanical strength of SiC can be used to increase the resonant frequency of optomechanical cavities, and since graphene can be grown on SiC, SiC waveguides will be well suited to optically interconnect graphene electronics.

随着微电子芯片计算能力的提高，由于速度和晶体管密度的不断提高，它们产生的信息流变得越来越难以处理。结果，芯片之间甚至芯片内逻辑单元之间的电气互连正在成为瓶颈。随着总带宽超过 1 Tb/s，光网络已经展示了光传输信息的潜力，现在它可以用来解决芯片级出现的挑战。硅光子学已经证明，光学器件可以使用 CMOS 兼容工艺来制造，但仍然存在许多必须解决的挑战，以便在同一芯片上有效地结合光学和电子电路。例如，对绝缘体上硅晶圆的硅和埋氧化层的要求有很大不同，具体取决于它们是用于光学还是电子应用。该研究项目研究了一种集成光学的新方法，可以实现超-电子电路之上的紧凑型低功耗光学设备。为了实现这一目标，我们将开发一种使用碳化硅 (SiC) 形成光波导的制造工艺。 SiC 为片上光电路提供了许多优势，包括高折射率、可以在低温下沉积，并且可以表现出电光效应。在 CMOS 芯片上包含光学元件代表着重大的技术转变，该研究项目中开发的知识对于加拿大电子公司来说非常有价值。此外，还将培养博士2名、工程硕士3名。学生从事先进光子电路的设计和制造。基于 SiC 的集成光电路的影响超出了片上光通信领域。 SiC 的机械强度可用于提高光机械腔的谐振频率，并且由于石墨烯可以在 SiC 上生长，因此 SiC 波导将非常适合光学互连石墨烯电子器件。