Realization and characterization of 8 x 8 resonant cavity LED arrays mounted onto CMOS drivers for POF-based interchip interconnections

An 8 x 8 array of resonant-cavity light-emitting diodes (RCLED's) emitting at 980 nm and flip-chip mounted onto complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated drivers, is presented. The RCLED's are optimized for maximal extraction efficiency into the numerical aperture of polymer optical fibers (N A = 0.5) and minimal optical crosstalk, Design of the optimal cavity structure is presented, and 8 x 8 arrays are realized and mounted directly onto standard CMOS chips using a solder reflow technique. The CMOS integrated drivers are designed for high-speed operation and low-power consumption, and are realized in 0.8 and 0.6-mu m CMOS technology. The electrooptical modules have been realized and characterized, and over 50-mu W optical power coupled to POF at 3-mA drive current is reported. Open eye diagrams at operation speed up to 250 Mb/s are presented. These characteristics are compatible with CMOS integrated low-power receivers.