Applying optical interconnects to electronic systems. Promise vs. practicality

Optical interconnects have long promised to solve a number of problems assumed to exist in electronic systems. A wealth of technology exists in the area, yet few electronic systems today employ optical interconnects. In many cases, it is the cost of optical interconnects which prevents their widespread adoption, as little fundamental advantage is offered by most applications of optical interconnects. The decreasing cost of optoelectronic technology and of its incorporation into electronic systems will enable further penetration of the market. Plastic fiber is likely to provide a competitive solution for intercabinet interconnects, while both high density fiber backplanes and polymer backplanes are likely to impact first high performance computer systems and eventually a broader range of systems, while free space interconnects will facilitate both advanced versions of existing architectures and the implementation of new systems. The key to practical implementation lies in providing transparency to the system integrator to minimize the departure from established practices. Significant progress is also being made in a new direction in which the inherent advantages of optics can be exploited in unique architectures, while still implementing logic functions in electronics, however such systems are unlikely to find widespread use in the near future.