Design And Characterization Of FET-SEED Smart Pixel Transceiver Arrays For Optical Backplanes

Abstract

Currently, we are developing the optical, optoelectronic, and optomechanical technology required to demonstrate a representative portion of a free-space optical backplane. Such a backplane can be created with two dimensional arrays of passive free-space Parallel Optical Channels (POCs) to optically interconnect the systems electronic Printed Circuit Boards and/or Multichip Modules (MCMs). Specific demonstration projects include the optical interconnection of PCBs via these passive optical channels using FET-SEED Smart Pixel transceivers. The first demonstrator will show the optical interconmtion of a 4 x 4 FET-SEED transmitter array mounted on one PCB to an opposing 4 x 4 FET-SEED receiver array mounted on an adjacent PCB.