Optical interconnect technologies for high-speed VLSI chips using silicon nano-photonics

Optoelectronic and electrooptic elements are integrated on VLSI chips. The junction capacitance of a nano-photodiode is extremely low (<10aF), which permits a high load resistance to be used, resulting in higher output voltage at high frequencies. A ceramic Pb(,ZrTi)O₃ film with average crystallite diameter below 20nm has a high electro-optical coefficient (>150pm/V) suitable for on-chip modulators. This paper introduces a new approach for realizing high-speed optical interconnects on silicon chips. This concept uses nano-photodiodes on silicon with extremely low parasitic capacitance (less than 10aF) enabling robust communication at very high frequencies. The results demonstrate 5GHz clocking with the promise of up to 20GHz. The authors will also discuss how the silicon nano-photodiode can be used for wavelength-division multiplexing and low-voltage electro-optic modulators for on-chip and off-chip optical communications