Scaling vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser reliability for petascale systems

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Computer Engineering
• Reliability Engineering

Background:

• Next-generation computers require massive bandwidths, potentially reaching hundreds of terabits.
• Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are key components for high-speed optical interconnects.
• Ensuring VCSEL reliability is critical for the success of these advanced computing systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) for high-productivity computing systems.
• To model VCSEL failure rates and establish scaling relationships for performance optimization.
• To analyze system-level strategies for enhancing VCSEL link dependability.

Main Methods:

• VCSEL failure rates were modeled using established statistical methods.
• An empirical relationship was developed to describe VCSEL performance scaling with bit rate and aperture size.
• System-level reliability was analyzed considering sparing, water cooling, and redundancy techniques.

Main Results:

• VCSEL failure rates were quantified, providing insights into device longevity.
• The study presents an empirical model for VCSEL scaling, crucial for link design.
• Analysis indicates that system-level approaches like sparing and redundancy significantly improve VCSEL link reliability.

Conclusions:

• VCSELs are viable for next-generation computing, but their reliability must be managed.
• The developed empirical relationship aids in predicting VCSEL performance and scaling.
• Implementing sparing, water cooling, and redundancy are effective strategies to ensure robust VCSEL-based optical links.