E2CDA: Type II: Collaborative Research: Nanophotonic Lithium Niobate platform for next generation energy efficient and ultrahigh bandwidth optical interconnect

高性能计算系统和数据中心耗费了大量电力，其中很大一部分花在数据传输上。光技术很好地提高了数据传输的效率，然而，它带来了与负责将信息从用于计算的电域转换到用于通信的光域的设备相关的新型能量损失。该方案将克服这一障碍，实现高效、紧凑的电光转换器。该课程涉及与光通信、材料科学、计算机建模、纳米技术和电子学相关的主题，因此为所有级别的学生提供了一个独特的培训场所。为了吸引更多的观众，团队成员将准备公开讲座，重点讨论用于实现现代社会严重依赖的通信系统的科学和技术。该项目的目标是开发高度集成的微米级铌酸锂电光调制器，这种调制器具有以最低能耗实现大通信速率的潜力。这将允许高效的数据传输，以满足未来高性能计算系统的苛刻要求。该计划将促进光电子器件的发展，探索新的器件概念和系统架构，开发适用于集成调制器实现的纳米制造技术，并开发新的通信方法。

High performance computing systems and data centers dissipate a large amount of power, much of which is spent on data transmission. Optical technology is well poised to increase the efficiency of data transfer, however it brings along new types of energy losses associated with devices responsible for converting the information from the electrical domain, used for computation, to the optical domain, used for communication. This program will overcome this hurdle and will enable realization of efficient and compact electrical-to-optical converters. The program addresses topics related to optical communications, material science, computer modeling, nanotechnology, and electronics, and therefore represents a unique training ground for students at all levels. To engage a wider audience, the team members will prepare public lectures focused on discussing the science and technology used to realize the communication systems that modern society heavily relies on. The goal of this project is development of highly integrated, micrometer scale, lithium-niobate electro-optic modulators, that have the potential to enable large communication rates with minimal energy consumption. This will allow for efficient data transfer that could meet demanding requirements of future high performance computing systems. The proposed program will advance the state of the art of optoelectronic devices, will explore new device concepts and system architectures, will develop nanofabrication techniques suitable for realization of integrated modulators, and will develop new communication methods.