Challenges for optical interconnect for beyond Moore's law computing

In this paper we describe the challenge of implementing optical interconnect for beyond Moore’s electronic devices. In particular, we developed a simple link model and calculated the optical communications energy for logic... [ view full abstract ]

In this paper we describe the challenge of implementing optical interconnect for beyond Moore’s electronic devices. In particular, we developed a simple link model and calculated the optical communications energy for logic voltages down to 10mV. The results of this link model show a limit to the minimum communications energy that depends on the achievable extinction ratio of the devices. This work gives some insight into the tact that should be taken for improved optical devices to have an impact in future computing systems using ultra-low voltage transistor devices.