Parallel optical interconnect at 10 Gb/s per channel

In many high-end systems, there is a growing need to replace copper interconnects with optical interconnects for link lengths up to 600 meters. 12-channel parallel-optical interconnects with each channel operating at a data rate up to 10 Gb/s are designed, assembled, and demonstrated. This is achieved using bottom-emitting 990-nm VCSELs and bottom-illuminated photodetectors (PDs) flip-chip bonded directly to 12-channel transmitter and receiver integrated circuits, respectively. Results show a 12-channel parallel-optical transmitter module operating at a data rate of 10 Gb/s per channel with all 12 channels operating simultaneously. In addition, a 12-channel parallel-optical receiver module with each channel operating at a data rate up to 10 Gb/s with all channels operating simultaneously is demonstrated. A BER <10^-12 is measured on a single channel operating at a data rate of 10 Gb/s with all 12 channels operating simultaneously after transmission over 100 meters of 50-μm core standard multimode ribbon fiber.