ABSTRACT
In most basic terms, a digital computing structure consists of two different types of elements, both necessary for the system to function. On the one hand we have nonlinear gates within which signals must interact with each other. Accompanying these elements we have interconnections between gates and between groups of gates of various sizes. The interconnections provide the means of communication between gates. Optical interconnections offer the promise of a fundamental freedom from mutual interference, although in practice there are always practical effects, such as scattering, that induce some level of crosstalk. A second advantage of optical interconnections lies in the comparative simplicity with which optical signals can be terminated. A third advantage of optics lies in its freedom from planar or quasi-planar constraints. Use of an optical interconnect implies conversion of electrons to photons and back to electrons. At the chip-to-chip level, the numbers required of the electrical interconnect are different, while the optical interconnect numbers remain unchanged.
