Title :
A comparison of electrical and optical clock networks in nanometer technologies
Author :
Ackland, Bryan ; Razavi, Behzad ; West, Larry
Author_Institution :
Appl. Mater., Santa Clara, CA
Abstract :
A study of the limitations of global electrical clock distribution networks in nanometer technologies is presented. Contrary to previously reported results, it is shown that skew and jitter grow to unacceptable levels, even with unscaled interconnect. While there are challenges to be solved, it is shown that optical clock networks may offer superior performance at lower power levels. A hybrid network reduces laser power requirements without sacrificing performance
Keywords :
clocks; integrated circuit interconnections; nanoelectronics; optical interconnections; electrical clock distribution network; electrical network; hybrid network; laser power requirement; nanometer technology; optical clock network; unscaled interconnect; CMOS logic circuits; CMOS technology; Clocks; Frequency; Intelligent networks; Jitter; Optical fiber networks; Optical materials; Power system interconnection; Repeaters;
Conference_Titel :
Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, 2005. Proceedings of the IEEE 2005
Conference_Location :
San Jose, CA
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-9023-7
DOI :
10.1109/CICC.2005.1568784
