Optical free-space board-to-board interconnect: options for optical pathways.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Optical Engineering
• Computer Interconnects

Background:

• Optical free-space interconnects offer high density and routing capabilities, crucial for modern electronics.
• Board-to-board interconnects are essential for modular system design and scalability.
• Light-emitting diode (LED) arrays provide a viable source for optical interconnects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the design and performance of a free-space optical interconnect for board-to-board applications.
• To evaluate different optical pathway designs, specifically lens arrays versus single lenses.
• To analyze key performance metrics including power transfer, crosstalk, and uniformity.

Main Methods:

• Design and simulation of optical pathways for free-space interconnects.
• Utilizing light-emitting diode arrays as optical sources.
• Comparative analysis of a lens array configuration and a single lens configuration.
• Evaluation of performance metrics: power transfer efficiency, crosstalk levels, and signal uniformity.

Main Results:

• Simulation results provide insights into the optical pathway design.
• Performance comparison highlights the trade-offs between lens array and single lens designs.
• Analysis quantifies power transfer, crosstalk, and uniformity for each option.

Conclusions:

• The study provides design rules and simulation data for free-space optical interconnects.
• The evaluation of lens options offers guidance for selecting the optimal configuration.
• Findings contribute to the advancement of high-density optical interconnect technologies.