Nanophotonic network on chip for next generation of multiprocessors system on chip

Chip multiprocessor interconnects have been facing power and performances issues. While Optical Networks on Chip (ONoC) are identified as a possible solution. Recent advances in integration technologies allow stacking optical layers, which leads to the design of highly efficient optical devices avoiding waveguide crossing. The paper presents an Optical Multi-layer Network on Chip called "OMNoC", a novel circuit-switched ONoC relying on this multi-level optical layer design paradigm and based on multi-layer microresonator switches allowing efficient light coupling and low crosstalk. Comparisons with existing ONoCs indicate that OMNoC can achieve low power consumption and chip area.