CAREER:Terahertz Interconnect, the Last Centimeter Data Link

职业：太赫兹互连，最后一厘米的数据链路智力优点：本提案的目标是开发与硅工艺兼容和可扩展的太赫兹互连，以解决长期存在的互连问题。不断增加的芯片间和芯片内通信带宽带来了几十年来的巨大挑战：互连瓶颈。现有的电子互连（EI）和光学互连（OI）不能单独解决互连问题。这就造成了数据链路“最后一厘米”的困境。THz具有独特的频谱特性，介于微波和光频之间，具有低成本、高可靠性的电子处理和低损耗、小尺寸的传输通道等优点，因此在互连领域有很大的潜力，可以作为“最后一厘米”链路的桥梁。最终的互连解决方案要求高能效、高带宽密度、高可靠性、低成本以及快速适应性和可扩展能力。为了应对这一多维挑战，PI提出了THz互连研究，包括TI理论研究，通道设计，电路实现技术和演示验证。特别是，我们将研究三个关键的使能技术：平面硅工艺兼容的通道和耦合器，高效率的自振荡谐波功率放大器的发射机，和高灵敏度的接收机。THz互连系统架构和基本性能限制给定的实际电路/系统的限制，和TI的可扩展性与工艺的进步也将进行研究。据PI所知，这将是第一次研究与主流硅技术兼容的THz互连。THz互连理论发现了对互连的带宽密度和能效限制的理解，并导致不断发展的TI架构，这些架构通过技术扩展性能，最终缩小互连差距。如果成功，THz互连将提供比现有互连更好的带宽密度和能效，最终解决最后一厘米的互连问题。更广泛的影响：THz互连的发展为未充分利用的THz频谱开辟了一个新的，高潜力的应用。PI还设想THz互连的成功将使新的计算机架构能够满足大数据时代不断增长的带宽需求。它还将节省大量能源，不仅带来重大的经济影响，而且还可以缓解全球变暖问题。THz互连将成为未充分利用的THz频谱的杀手级应用，以进一步推动THz的进步，并在更大和更深的范围内影响我们的生活和社会。PI还将把研究与教育和推广计划结合起来，并通过出版物广泛传播研究成果。

CAREER: Terahertz Interconnect, the Last Centimeter Data LinkIntellectual Merit: The objective of this proposal is to develop terahertz interconnect compatible and scalable with silicon processes to address the long-standing interconnect issue. The ever-increasing inter- and intra- chip communication bandwidth imposes a big challenge over decades: interconnect bottleneck. Existing electronic interconnect (EI) and optic interconnect (OI) cannot address the interconnect issue by their own. These result in the "last centimeter" dilemma in data links. THz unique spectrum, sitting between microwave and optic frequencies, allows it to enjoy advantages of both low cost, high reliability electronic processing and low loss, small size transmission channels, therefore holds great promises in interconnect area to bridge the "last centimeter" link. Ultimate interconnect solutions mandate high energy efficiency, high bandwidth density, high reliability, low cost, as well as a fast adaptability and scaling capability with process advancements. To address this multi-dimension challenge, the PI proposes THz Interconnect research, including the investigation of TI theory, channel design, circuit implementation techniques and demonstration validation. Particularly, we will investigate three crucial enabling techniques: planar silicon process compatible channels and couplers, the high efficiency self-oscillating harmonic power amplifier based transmitter, and the high sensitivity receiver. THz interconnect system architecture and fundamental performance limits given practical circuit/system constraints, and TI scalability with process advancements will also be investigated. To the PI's knowledge, this will be the first time to investigate THz Interconnect compatible with mainstream silicon technologies. THz interconnect theory discovers the understanding of the bandwidth density and energy efficiency limits of the interconnect, and leads to evolving TI architectures that scale performance with technologies to ultimately close the interconnect gap. If successful, THz Interconnect will provide orders of magnitude better bandwidth density and energy efficiency than existing interconnects to ultimately address the last centimeter interconnect issue. Broader Impacts: THz interconnect development opens a new, high potential application for the under-utilized THz spectrum. The PI also envisions that the success of THz interconnect will enable new computer architectures to satisfy the ever-increasing bandwidth requirement in the BIG DATA era. It will also save tremendous energy to not only bring significant economic impacts, but also mitigate global warming problems. THz interconnect will form a killer application for the under-utilized THz spectrum to further motivate THz advancements and impact our lives and societies in larger and deeper scales. The PI will also integrate research with education and outreach programs, and broadly disseminate the research results through publications.