Performance comparison between electrical copper-based and optical fiber-based backplanes.
A performance comparison between the electrical Cu-based backplane and a full-optical fiber-based backplane is presented in terms of capacity and power consumption. By means of systematic simulations we find the electrical configuration, which allows to optimize the Cu-based backplane by exploiting the best technologies available today. On the other hand, a fiber-based optical backplane is proposed by exploiting the most performing VCSEL sources. Limitations of the electrical and optical approaches are discussed, considering their capabilities to support up to about 25-Gb/s transmission and the possibility to evolve towards higher bit-rates.
Politecnico di Milano, Dept. Electronics Information and Bioengineering, via G. Ponzio, 34/5, 20133 Milano, Italy. boletti@elet.polimi.it
Anna
A
Boletti
Daniela
D
Giacomuzzi
Giorgio
G
Parladori
Pierpaolo
P
Boffi
Maddalena
M
Ferrario
Mario
M
Martinelli