VCSEL Characterisation for use in Optical Interconnects
Speaker: Christopher O’Brien, ITEE
When: 2003-09-18 11:00:00
Venue: 78-420
Host: Dr. Aleks Rakic
Abstract:Over their lifetime, computers have enjoyed an exponential growth in
speed and power, in accordance with Moore's law. A major obstacle
preventing this growth from continuing is the limited onboard
bandwidth provided by electrical interconnects. The move to low loss
copper lines from aluminium and the development of superior
interconnect protocols has stretched the lifetime of these
interconnects. However, a long term solution is needed to allow for
the bandwidth which will be required in the future.
A proposed solution to this communications bottleneck is to
introduce optical interconnects. Optical signals are already used
exclusively for long distance, high bandwidth data links, and are
becoming more popular for use in shorter channels. The extremely
high carrier frequency of light makes it ideal for high speed
communications. Additionally, optical channels avoid many of the
inherent physical limitations of electrical lines. Light signals
also possess characteristics which would lead to new, more efficient
communication techniques. Optical interconnects could conceivably
replace electrical interconnects at the rack, board and chip level
of computing systems.
This seminar will introduce the idea of optical interconnects and
analyse the state of the field. Additionally, it will cover the work
performed by the author specifically relating to the
characterisation of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs)
in the context of optical interconnects.
Biography:Christopher O’Brien graduated from the University of Queensland in
2001 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He is currently
studying towards a PhD in the field of Photonics. His interests
include high-speed optical communications, laser performance and
characterisation procedures.
Type: Ph.D confirmation
Contact:Dr. Aleks Rakic, seminar host (rakic@itee.uq.edu.au)
or Guido Governatori (ITEE seminar co-ordinator)
(guido@itee.uq.edu.au)