Semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA)-assisted silicon photonics interconnect

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This six-month project investigates cost-effective approaches in scaling the interconnection network of largecomputing platforms such as data centers supporting the internet. The demand for larger data interconnectivitybetween servers with low latency is pushing further innovation exploiting the aggregated bandwidth offered byoptical technologies. Through recent development in photonic integration, specifically silicon photonics, moreefficient optical switch matrices are seen as an important and potentially disruptive solution. The challengesremain in addressing their inherent propagation loss. The project investigates the prospect of integrating opticalamplifications onto a Silicon-on-Insulator integrated photonic switches for data centers interconnectivity. Theproject is in collaboration with an Ottawa-based startup, Rockport Networks Inc. The researchers at McGillwill leverage their significant contributions made in the last five years in the area of photonic integrated circuitsand switches to define an approach to integrate semiconductor optical amplifiers in a practical andcost-effective way. The benefits of this industrial collaboration is the assessment of a feasible solution for theirnetwork control solutions which will be further explored through a longer-term research program.