Wafer-level optical interconnection network layout

Two important issues will greatly influence the success of mapping optical interconnections into future waferlevel distributed computing systems: (1), the scalability of active optical devices with cointegration along side ULSI components, and (2), the scalability of optical networks and components to the wafer level. If these criteria can be met, planar integrated and free-space optics can potentially provide a very high performance communication network within the multi-wafer environment. With the predominantly planar geometry and processing of waferlevel circuits, process compatible integrated planar optical interconnections are especially attractive for providing network passive connectivity. As with their electrical counterparts, spatial, as well as time division multiplexing of optical interconnections is desirable, given that layout and area constraints are not too severe. Therefore here, emphasis is shifted away from the individual behavior of traditional long distance lightwave single mode waveguides towards the collective system behaviour (i.e. density, coupling, layout, etc.) of large dense arrays of multimode optical waveguides. In this paper, initial experimental optical coupling results are presented for arrays of multimode polysilyne polymer waveguides, both for straight configurations and for arrays with radial right angle bend layouts.