Fiberoptic interconnect system for next-generation supercomputers

A system whereby a single optical fiber can be used for each of the external types of links while retaining the integrity of the parallel information structure and providing the needed data rate capability is described. The system is capable of terabit-per-second transmission rates over a single optical fiber. It is particularly suited for chip-to-chip, board-to-board, and console-to-console communications within supercomputers using extensive parallel processing regimes. A breadboard version was built to test the image rejection capabilities of the system and to determine optimum system parameters such as maximum channel packing densities. The parameters found apply to systems operating at any wavelength