US-20260126601-A1 - OPTICAL LINK WITH REDUNDANT LIGHT SOURCE AND METHOD OF COUPLING

US20260126601A1US 20260126601 A1US20260126601 A1US 20260126601A1US-20260126601-A1

Abstract

An optical interconnect system comprising: a primary substrate; one or more light sources for emitting light fabricated on the primary substrate; at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance; the at least one communication medium comprising a numerical aperture, and wherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium; and wherein the predefined distance is selected such that the emitted light is coupled into the at least one communication medium without an optical component.

Inventors

Mohsen ASAD
Hossein FARIBORZI
Bilal JANJUA

Assignees

HYPERLUME INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250223

Claims (20)

1 . An optical interconnect system comprising: a primary substrate; one or more light sources for emitting light fabricated on the primary substrate; at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance; the at least one communication medium comprising a numerical aperture, and wherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium; and wherein the predefined distance is selected such that the emitted light is coupled into the at least one communication medium without an optical component.
2 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein each of the light sources emit light having an identical wavelength.
3 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the light sources emit light having a different wavelength from the other light sources.
4 . The optical interconnect system of claim 3 , wherein the at least one of the light sources emit light comprise an emission wavelength separation selected to minimize data mixing.
5 . The optical interconnect system of claim 4 , further comprising a color conversion layer assembled over the one or more light sources to generate the light having different wavelengths.
6 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the light sources emit light having a different intensity from the other light sources.
7 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein each of the light sources emit light having an identical intensity.
8 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein a first active set of the light sources are selected to emit light while a second set of the redundant light sources is selected to emit light when the first active set of the light sources is inactive.
9 . An optical interconnect system comprising: a primary substrate; one or more light sources for emitting light fabricated on the primary substrate; at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance, and wherein the at least one communication medium comprises a numerical aperture; an optical component configured to collimate the emitted light for coupling into the at least one communication medium; and wherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, the predefined distance, and optical component are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium.
10 . The optical interconnect system of claim 9 , wherein the optical component is optimized for a single wavelength or for a wide range of spectrum.
11 . The optical interconnect system of claim 10 , wherein a single optical component is associated with the one or more light sources.
12 . The optical interconnect system of claim 11 , wherein each of the one or more light sources has an individual optical component associated therewith.
13 . The optical interconnect system of claim wherein the optical component is fabricated on a transparent substrate.
14 . The optical interconnect system of claim 13 , further comprising a waveguide to connect the one or more light sources to the transparent substrate.
15 . The optical interconnect system of claim 14 , wherein the waveguide comprises photo-definable polymers having a predefined refractive index suitable for light extraction, and wherein sidewalls of the waveguide comprise a reflective material to maintain the emitted light within the waveguide.
16 . The optical interconnect system of claim 15 , wherein the one or more light sources are fabricated or transferred on a secondary substrate, wherein the secondary substrate is connected to the primary substrate through conductive vias.
17 . The optical interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more light sources comprise an epitaxial structure comprising epitaxial layers having a n-type semiconductor material, a quantum well or a p-type semiconductor material, and further comprising at least one of p-doped material and n-doped material, wherein the quantum wells or quantum dots emit photons.
18 . The optical interconnect system of claim 17 , wherein the epitaxial layers are patterned by removing a part of the epitaxial layer using a physical or chemical processes.
19 . The optical interconnect system of claim 18 , wherein at least one contact is formed on top of epitaxial structure at an area thereof.
20 . The optical interconnect system of claim 19 , wherein a passivation layer covers a topside and sidewall of the patterned epitaxial structure, wherein the passivation layer comprises dielectrics or polymers to provide both insulating and optical properties.

Description

FIELD Aspects of the disclosure relate to communication methods and systems. BACKGROUND Enabling large-scale applications like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning demands rapid processing of vast amounts of data, predominantly within data centers. To enhance computational speed, optimization of communication between processors and memories is imperative. However, traditional copper interconnects suffer from latency issues and cannot provide the desired bandwidth at low power consumption. Moreover, they generate significant heat, necessitating efficient cooling systems. Optical interconnect may replace copper interconnect providing higher bandwidth at lower latency. Light sources such as micron-size light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), or other lasers may be used for shorter-range communication such as chip-to-chip communication. Micro-LEDs are reliable light sources that operate at high temperatures with low failure rates. Optical light sources such as lasers and LEDs are used for generating photons and sending information to optical waveguides such as fiber optics. The lifetime of the light source may degrade over time due to thermal and electrical stresses resulting in system operation failure. SUMMARY In one of its aspects, an optical interconnect system comprising: a primary substrate;one or more light sources for emitting light fabricated on the primary substrate;at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance;the at least one communication medium comprising a numerical aperture, and wherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium; andwherein the predefined distance is selected such that the emitted light is coupled into the at least one communication medium without an optical component. In another aspect, an optical interconnect system comprising: a primary substrate;one or more light sources for emitting light fabricated on the primary substrate;at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance, and wherein the at least one communication medium comprises a numerical aperture;an optical component configured to collimate the emitted light for coupling into the at least one communication medium; andwherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, the predefined distance, and optical component are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium. In another of its aspects, a method for assembling an optical interconnect system, the method comprising the steps of: providing at least one light source for emitting light,providing at least one communication medium for transmitting the light, wherein the at least one communication medium is separated from the one or more light sources by a predefined distance, and wherein the at least one communication medium comprises a numerical aperture;providing an optical component configured to collimate the emitted light for coupling into the at least one communication medium; andwherein the numerical aperture, the one or more light sources, and the at least one communication medium, the predefined distance, and optical component are dimensioned to minimize loss of optical power coupling of the emitted light into the at least one communication medium. The methods and systems described herein use high NA glass and plastic fibers or high NA imaging fiber bundles and associated optical and mechanical components and configurations to enable optimized light collection. Since short-distance connection is the main goal of these optical cables, the propagation loss and dispersion are less critical for the guiding fiber, and fiber larger diameter fibers and/or high NA fibers may be employed. Based on the size of the micro-LED source and the divergence angle, an optical fiber with a diameter large enough and high enough NA is used in the apparatus to maintain the low loss optical power coupling into the fiber. Employing high NA fibers allows higher optical misalignment errors in the system, enabling passive alignment of the components in the production line and thereby reducing the costs and scalability of the design. By optimizing the fiber diameter and NA, the etendue of the micro-LED source can be maximally preserved. The apparatus employs high NA fibers and/or imaging fibers along with end-coupling to maximize the coupling of micro-LED sources, which is not as directional as laser sources. The short-distance link required for chip-to-chip or board-to-b