Development of components for wavelength division multiplexing over parallel optical interconnects

Parallel optical interconnects based on multimode fiber ribbon cables are emerging as a robust, high performance data link technology that enhances throughput by using parallel arrays of fibers. While this technology has primarily been implemented as single wavelength point-to-point links, it can be significantly enhanced by wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). The Lambda-connect project (λ-Connect) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a technology development and proof-of-principle demonstration of the enabling hardware for WDM parallel optical interconnects for use in massively parallel processing systems and other high-performance data link applications. This dissertation demonstrates several key system components and technologies for λ-Connect.; We demonstrate 2-port and 3-port byte-wide thin film filter modules based on III-V semiconductors and having robust, low-cost plastic packages with passive alignment, no micro-optics, and direct compatibility with ribbon cables terminated with Mechanically Transferable ferrules. The 2-port modules are suitable for broadcast and select architectures while the 3-port devices provide add/drop multiplexing.; We also address two issues that can potentially enhance the performance and reduce the production cost of a λ-Connect system. First, we address the need to increase the size of the filter DBR stop-bands in order to increase the number of wavelength channels that can be implemented in λ-Connect. Second, we describe a method to shift the passband of an epitaxially grown filter with a post-growth process.; Finally, a bit-parallel wavelength router suitable for coarse WDM over multimode fiber was developed. Using a diffraction grating and lens combination along with 3-port add/drop filters, full wavelength re-use was achieved. A 3 x 3 wavelength router with 2 parallel bit-lines per port and 37nm channel spacing was demonstrated. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of a bit-parallel wavelength router. Scaling of the device to accommodate 16 wavelengths and an arbitrary number of parallel bit-lines is addressed. This device provides a new tool for WDM over multimode fiber. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...