title: Implementation of a compact, four-stage, scalable optical interconnect for photonic backplane applications.
abstract: We report on the implementation of a dense 512-beam free-space optical interconnect linking four optoelectronic VLSI chips at the backplane level. The system presented maximizes the positioning tolerances of the components by use of slow f-number (f/16) Gaussian beams and oversized apertures. A beam-clustering scheme whereby a 4 x 4 array of beams is transmitted by each minilens is used to provide a high channel density. A modular approach is used to decrease the number of degrees of freedom in the system and achieve passive alignment of the modules in the final integration phase. A design overview as well as assembly and experimental results are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada. fredl@photonics.ece.mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bernier
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ayliffe
authors.forename: Frank A P
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Tooley
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Plant
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kirk