Semiconductor active waveguide reconfigurable optical interconnect devices and networks

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Semiconductor active waveguide reconfigurable optical interconnect devices and networks

Balestra, C.L. / Alkinson, T.L. / Johnson, B.C. / Perrymore, L.G.

The authors have developed semiconductor active (with gain) waveguide structures than can be used as building blocks at a monolithic device and multi-device level to configure a high transmission bandwidth space division switch. For space and aircraft systems, where weight and volume are a premium and reliability is essential, reconfigurable optical interconnects promise a quantum improvement in overall system performance and capability. Because of its inherent gain, our switch can split up an optical signal, to multiple destinations, many times and still achieve a net 0 dB loss. The authors have used this basic structure to design distributed gain matrix vector multiplier (DGMVM) 4 x 4 and 8 x 8 crossbar switches. These monolithic device are completely nonblocking, bidirectional, and can be opterated in either a point-to-point or broadcast mode. Multiple monolithic space switching fabric on a single substrate. The simulations for signal-to-noise (S/N) performance show that a -10 dBm 10 GHz optical signal can split over thirty times and still maintain better than a 10^-10 bit error rate (BER) level. Optical interconnect devices are inherently immune to electronically generated noise-e.g., EMI, RFI, EMP. Conversely, active waveguide interconnect devices are non-noise-intrusive in that they do not generate EMI or RFI. The authors discuss concepts for applying semiconductor active waveguide devices to higher levels of network integration for space and avionics applications.