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

小企业技术转移（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在开发商业上可行的光互连技术。传统的光互连技术受到在垂直方向上具有小尺寸的平面光波导的影响，这导致对准困难、激光耦合效率降低和封装可靠性恶化。这些光学互连技术也不能在大的场尺寸上提供传输，并且光学互连的插入与电子器件封装不兼容。在该计划中，提出了使用模制光波导结合薄膜激光器和薄膜光电探测器（厚度均约为10微米）在三维（3D）电互连层内开发完全嵌入的光互连层。基于聚合物的模制波导的选择解决了两个悬而未决的问题，即互连的小场尺寸和波导的浅深度。提议者打算展示高达24“x36”的模制波导膜，其具有50微米x50微米的波导尺寸，这使得激光二极管和光电探测器的对准以及因此的封装高度可靠。在商业上，使用当前的通信设备，由于关于信号衰减、电磁干扰和寄生噪声的问题，使用当前的铜互连技术将难以实现印刷电路板和系统级的未来数据传输需求。最先进的电互连技术预计将在2008年至2012年之间以10 Gb/s以上的速度陷入僵局。拟议的研究提供了一个独特的解决方案，可靠地将光学互连到印刷电路板（PCB）的制造和集成。这项研究计划的结果将为未来的PCB行业奠定坚实的基础，这对美国在未来几年领导市场至关重要。

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.