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Photonic PCBs inching closer

PORTLAND, Ore.--A team of researchers from IBM and Dow Corning Electronics is claiming a breakthrough that could enable silicone to supplant copper for creating fast, energy efficient photonic interconnects on printed-circuit boards (PCBs). The team demonstrated optical waveguides using a photonic polymer at the Photonics West 2013 conference Monday (Feb. 4).

IBM claims its collaboration with Dow Corning provides an integrated approach to optical interconnects, similar to how metal PCB traces route electrical signals around inside computers today. The polymer waveguides are "highly flexible and resistant to high temperatures," said Bert-Jan Offrein, manager of the Photonics Research Group at IBM Research (Zurich). Offrein said no curling or deformation was incurred for bends as tights a 1 millimeter, and for extreme operating conditions of 85 percent humidity and 185 degrees Fahrenheit.

Silicone makes uses of the same basic element as CMOS chips--silicon--but in a flexible form that can transmit light around the bends and turns with very little distortion. As a result, extremely fast and energy efficient photonic interconnects can be fabricated that are capable of carrying the exabytes of data needed for future data centers and supercomputers.

Eric Peeters, a vice president at Dow Corning Electronic Solutions, predicted that the new material will enable "silicone-based board-level interconnects that quickly supersede conventional electronic signal distribution methods."

Flexible photonic waveguide made from Dow-Corning silicone material in IBM's Binnig and Roher Nanotechnology Center (Rueschlikon, Switzerland).