KR-20260066666-A - Optical Interconnect System with Dynamic Path Control Based on Thermal State of Micro-LED Array and Control Method Thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical interconnect system having a dynamic path control function based on the thermal state of a micro LED array and a method for controlling the same. The present invention is characterized by configuring the data transmission path between a processor and a memory with an optical channel based on a micro LED array instead of copper wiring, a temperature sensing unit (300) detecting the temperature of each light-emitting element (210) in real time, a smart routing controller (400) dynamically reallocating the path of a high-temperature generating element to a spare light-emitting element (220) or a low-temperature element, a variable delay buffer (500) correcting the skew between channels due to the reallocation, and a thermal equalization algorithm unit (430) maintaining a uniform temperature distribution of the entire array. Through this, the lifespan of the entire micro LED array is leveled upward, and the effect of simultaneously ensuring system reliability and data transmission integrity is provided.

Inventors

• 안범주

Assignees

• 안범주

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20260325

Claims (1)

1. In a method for transmitting data between a computer processor and memory through a micro LED array, (a) a step of real-time monitoring of the temperature state or signal distortion (Skew) for each of the plurality of light-emitting elements in the micro LED array; (b) a step of identifying components with a high temperature outside the normal range or a high risk of failure based on monitored data; (c) blocking the data transmission path assigned to the identified element and dynamically re-routing the transmission path to a spare element or a element in a relatively low temperature state within the array; and (d) Reordering data packets to match the reassigned path and transmitting them. A data transmission method characterized by including

Description

Optical Interconnect System with Dynamic Path Control Based on Thermal State of Micro-LED Array and Control Method Thereof Optical Interconnect System with Dynamic Path Control Based on Thermal State of Micro-LED Array and Control Method Thereof The present invention relates to data transmission technology for a computer system, and more specifically, to intelligent optical interconnect technology that replaces a copper wiring bus between a processor (100) and a memory (700) in a Von Neumann Architecture-based computing environment with a micro LED-based optical signal channel and changes the transmission path in real time according to heat generation and signal distortion of each light-emitting element (210). Modern computer systems are based on the Von Neumann architecture, in which the processor (CPU) responsible for computation and the memory storing data are physically separated. In this architecture, data transfer between the two devices is performed via a system bus composed of copper traces. However, due to the rapid increase in semiconductor integration density and the explosion of data-intensive tasks such as AI computation and big data processing, copper trace buses are facing the so-called "Von Neumann Bottleneck," characterized by signal interference, heat generation from power consumption, and physical bandwidth limitations. To address this, optical interconnect technology utilizing optical signals is being actively researched. Optical interconnects have the advantages of being free from electromagnetic interference (EMI), capable of transmitting signals at the speed of light, and securing bandwidths of tens of gigabits (Gbps) or more through wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques in a single optical channel. In particular, Micro LEDs are ultra-small light-emitting devices measuring several micrometers (μm) in size, and are attracting attention as a key light source for next-generation optical interconnects due to their advantages such as high modulation bandwidth, low power consumption, and the possibility of single-chip integration with CMOS driver circuits. However, the following technical problems exist when utilizing a micro LED array as a processor-memory interconnect. First, micro LED devices are extremely small in size (typically several µm to several µm), resulting in high power density per unit area. When data transmission loads are concentrated in a specific channel, a localized high-temperature environment is formed in the corresponding light-emitting device (210). This localized heat generation lowers the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the LED and reduces the intensity of the light output signal, which is a direct cause of increasing the bit error rate (BER). Second, the light-emitting device (210) continuously exposed to a high-temperature environment experiences accelerated electrical and physical degradation, which shortens its lifespan and ultimately leads to a channel failure state in the corresponding channel. Third, when the light-emitting element (210) is replaced or the path is changed, the newly assigned channel has a different physical wiring length or propagation delay from the existing channel, so a difference in signal arrival time between channels, i.e., skew, occurs, and if this is not corrected at the receiving end, a problem occurs in which the order of data packets is mixed up. Conventional technologies include spare path switching techniques in electrical interconnects (e.g., US20130159587A1) and thermal rerouting techniques in on-chip optical networks utilizing silicon photonics-based ring resonators. However, these conventional technologies are not intended for micro LED arrays and are limited to reactively switching spare paths after a defect occurs. Furthermore, a control mechanism linked with a Variable Delay Buffer (VDB) for active correction of inter-channel skew has not been disclosed. Moreover, the concept of active thermal leveling, which maintains a uniform temperature distribution across the entire array to level the lifespan of the entire light-emitting element (210), is not taught in any of the conventional technologies. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an optical interconnect system (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the connection relationships of a processor (100), a micro LED driver (110), a micro LED array (200), a temperature sensing unit (300), a smart routing controller (400), a variable delay buffer (500), an optical-electrical conversion receiver (600), and a memory (700). Figure 2 shows a conceptual diagram of a dynamic path reassignment process in which, when a light-emitting element (213) located in the third channel within a micro LED array (200) enters a high-temperature state, the path reassignment module (420) of the smart routing controller (400) blocks the path and diverts the data to a spare light-emitting element (220). Figure 3 is a flowcha