Optical I/O core based on silicon photonics technology and optical/electrical assembly was developed as a fingertip-size optical module with high bandwidth density, low power consumption, and high temperature operation. The advantages of the optical I/O core, including hybrid integration of quantum dot laser diode and optical pin, allow us to achieve 300-m transmission at 25Gbps per channel when optical I/O core is mounted around field-programmable gate array without clock data recovery.

One of the most serious challenges facing the exponential performance growth in the information industry is a bandwidth bottleneck in inter-chip interconnects. We therefore propose a photonics-electronics convergence system with a silicon optical interposer. We examined integration between photonics and electronics and integration between light sources and silicon substrates, and we fabricated a conceptual model of the proposed system based on the results of those examinations. We also investigated the configurations and characteristics of optical components for the silicon optical interposer: silicon optical waveguides, silicon optical splitters, silicon optical modulators, germanium photodetectors, arrayed laser diodes, and spot-size converters. We then demonstrated the feasibility of the system by fabricating a high-density optical interposer by using silicon photonics integrated with these optical components on a single silicon substrate. As a result, we achieved error-free data transmission at 12.5 Gbps and a high bandwidth density of 6.6 Tbps/cm2 with the optical interposer. We think that this technology will solve the bandwidth bottleneck problem.

LSI on-chip optical interconnections are discussed from the viewpoint of a comparison between optical and electrical interconnections. Based on a practical prediction of our optical device development, optical interconnects will have an advantage over electrical interconnects within a chip that has an interconnect length less than about 10 mm at the hp32-22 nm technology node. Fundamental optical devices and components used in interconnections have also been introduced that are small enough to be placed on top of a Si LSI and that can be fabricated using methods compatible with CMOS processes. A SiON waveguide showed a low propagation loss around 0.3 dB/cm at a wavelength of 850 nm, and excellent branching characteristics were achieved for MMI (multimode interference) branch structures. A Si nano-photodiode showed highly enhanced speed and efficiency with a surface plasmon antenna. By combining our Si nano-photonic devices with the advanced TIA-less optical clock distribution circuits, clock distribution above 10 GHz can be achieved with a small footprint on an LSI chip.