STTR Phase I: Fully Embedded Optical Interconnect Layers Based on Molded Polymer Lightwave Components for Large Field Size Printed Circuit Boards

这个小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在开发一种商业上可行的光互连技术。传统的光互连技术受到垂直方向尺寸较小的平面光波导的影响，这导致对准困难，激光耦合效率降低，封装可靠性降低。这些光互连技术也不能提供大场尺寸上的传输，并且光互连的插入与电子设备封装不兼容。在这项计划中，建议使用模压光波导与薄膜激光器和薄膜光电探测器(厚度均为~10微米)相结合，在三维(3D)电互连层内开发完全嵌入的光学互连层。聚合物基模压光波导的选择解决了两个悬而未决的问题，即互连线的小场大小和光波导的浅深度。提出者打算展示最多24“x36”模制波导膜，其波导尺寸为50微米乘50微米，这使得激光二极管和光电探测器的对准和封装高度可靠。在商业上，使用当前的通信设备，由于信号衰减、电磁干扰和寄生噪声等问题，使用当前的铜互连技术很难在印刷电路板和系统级实现未来的数据传输需求。最先进的电气互连技术预计将在2008年至2012年间以超过10 Gb/S的速度陷入僵局。拟议的研究提供了一种独特的解决方案，可以可靠地将光学互连整合到印刷电路板(PCB板)的制造和集成中。这项研究计划的结果将为未来的印刷电路板行业奠定坚实的基础，这对美国在未来几年引领市场至关重要。

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project aims at developing a commercially viable optical interconnect technology. Conventional optical interconnect technologies suffer from planar optical waveguides with small dimensions in the vertical direction, which leads to alignment difficulties, laser coupling efficiency reduction, and deteriorated packaging reliability. These optical interconnect technologies also fail to provide transmission over a large field size, and the insertion of optical interconnects is incompatible with electronic device packaging. In this program, it is proposed to develop a fully embedded optical interconnection layer within the three dimensional (3D) electrical interconnect layers using molded optical waveguides in conjunction with thin film lasers and thin film photodetectors (both ~ 10 micron in thickness). The selection of polymer based molded waveguides solves two pending problems, the small field size of the interconnects and the shallow depth of the waveguides. The proposers intend to demonstrate up to 24"x36" molded waveguide films having waveguide dimensions of 50 microns by 50 microns, which make the alignment, and therefore packaging, of laser diodes and photodetectors highly reliable. Such a waveguide depth is not economically feasible using any other waveguide technologies.Commercially, using current communication devices, future data transmission demands at the printed circuit board and system level will be difficult to achieve with current copper interconnect technology due to issues regarding signal attenuation, electromagnetic interference, and parasitic noise. The state of the art electrical interconnect technology is anticipated to hit a deadlock between 2008 and 2012 at speeds above 10Gb/s. The proposed research provides a unique solution that reliably incorporates the optical interconnects into printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication and integration. The result of this research program will lay a solid foundation for a future PCB industry, which is critical for the United States to lead the market for the years to come.