IBM Observes Phenomenon That Could Lead to Optical Interconnects in ICs

[Glenwing]

Nanowires made of semi-conducting materials can apparently be used for a very efficient form of both light emission and detection.  This could theoretically be used for optical interconnects within ICs like CPUs, which would reduce heat a lot.  Heat comes from electrical resistance as electrons move through the circuits in the CPU, and using optical interconnects between different parts of the CPU would eliminate a lot of places where electrons are lost as heat.  The problem in the past has been in converting electrical signals into light, and then converting back again on the receiving end, which creates great complexity in the chip's construction.  The observation made here could be used to enable a much simpler design.

 

That is just a theoretical application though, the phenomenon itself has only just been observed.  I think using Stanene is probably a yet simpler solution for highly-efficient IC interconnects, but either way I think this discovery is fascinating in its own right.

 

 

Thanks to these tiny nanostructures, scientists envision not only a more powerful new generation of transistors, but also to integrate optical communication systems within the very same piece of silicon, making possible to transfer data between chips at the speed of light.

 

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Using this new physical phenomenon, scientists might be able to integrate the light emitter and the detector functions in the very same material. This would drastically reduce the complexity of future silicon nanophotonic chips.

http://ibmresearchnews.blogspot.com/2014/04/new-physical-phenomenon-on-nanowires.html

[Altecice]

I sware IBM do all the innovating then "loose" the tech to other companies who sell it for billions.... lets hope they don't this time. 

[HexaGuy]

Really cool. Hope this is implemented in my lifetime.

[jezza39]

That sounds awesome