High-speed 850 and 980 nm VCSELs for high-performance computing applications

The ever growing demand for more bandwidth in high-performance computing (HPC) applications leads to a continuous replacement of traditional copper-based links by optical interconnects at ever shorter transmission distances. However, this trend results in a more stringent performance requirements for laser light sources utilized in new generations of optical interconnects in respect to single channel speed, packaging density, power consumption and temperature stability, to make the technology competitive and commercially viable. Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers operating at different wavelengths, e. g. 850 or 980 nm, represent one possible solution for the short distance high density interconnects in HPC applications. Here we present ultra-high speed highly temperature stable 980 nm VCSELs operating error-free at the record high bit rate of 44 Gbit/s at room temperature and 38 Gbit/s at 85 °C for future inter-and intra-chip, and module-to-module optical links. Next we present high speed extremely energy efficient 850 nm VCSELs with record low energy consumptions of only 83 fJ/bit while operating at 17 Gbit/s and of only 117 fJ/bit at 25 Gbit/s. Our VCSELs enable ecologically sound and economically practical HPC designs.