Design of a gigabit optical network interface card and layout methodology for high-voltage drivers in large arrays of modulators and MEMs devices

High-speed optical data links enable Local Area Networks (LAN) that operate at data rates above 10Gbps. Various networks, protocols and switch architectures have been proposed that use these links. The optical Network Interface Card (ONIC) is an important component for demonstrating efficient application of these architectures. In this dissertation, the design of a programmable ONIC that interfaces a 12-channel gigabit optical link module with a 64-bit/66Mhz PCI computer bus is described. Hardware programmability (using FPGAs) enables the ONIC to efficiently implement different communication protocols. The ONIC design provides a lost-cost solution that can be readily adapted for applications and device specific requirements. The use of ONIC in a free-space optical switch system is described in this dissertation.; The second part of the dissertation describes a layout methodology for high-voltage smart-pixel ICs that integrate, high-voltage circuits and low-voltage high-density VLSI circuits with a one-dimensional/two-dimensional array of modulators and MEMS devices. The layout methodology was applied to a high-voltage driver IC with 256 individual high-voltage drivers to drive a one-dimensional array of 256 Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) devices. The IC has been designed to be flip-chip integrated with GaAs Multiple Quantum Well (MQW) SLM devices. Also present in the dissertation are the features in the IC for test purposes and also the test strategy used to test the ICs electrically at wafer scale before optical devices were attached.