Power minimization and technology comparisons for digital free-space optoelectronic interconnections

Digital free-space optoelectronic interconnections can be optimized to have minimum power dissipation of the overall link and maximum interconnect density. A method to minimize the total power dissipation of an interconnect link at a given bit rate is discussed, and the impact of link performance of two competing transmitter technologies, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and multiple quantum well modulators, are examined along with their driver-receiver circuits including CMOS and bipolar transmitter driver circuits, and p-n junction photodetectors with multistage transimpedance receiver circuits. An aggregate bandwidth in excess of 1 Tb/s-cm² is achieved in an optimized free-space interconnect using either transmitter technologies.