Optical interconnects are flexible jumpers used to interface or connect with integrated circuits (ICs), or circuits in general. There are three main types of products: chip-to-chip, chip-to-board, and board-to-board. Chip-to-chip optical interconnects can be directly-coupled, or coupled with out-of-plane I/O mirrors. Chip-to-board interconnects provide connectivity to off-board waveguide arrays or optical links on a motherboard. They can also be used to couple backplanes at right angles. Board-to-board interconnects use flexible waveguide array films which are aligned to board-level components. These optical interconnects have I/O mirrors and edge-connectors that are designed for board mounting. Other types of optical interconnects include specialized products for 90-degree backplane-to-daughterboard connectivity.

Specifications for optical interconnects include pitch density, ferrule type, system loss, thermal noise, and substrate material. Pitch density is measured in microns and refers to the degree of separation or spacing. MT ferrules are a common choice for board-to-board optical interconnects; however, products with larger or smaller ferrules are also available. Typically, MT ferrules for board-edge or backplane connections are inserted or modified with latching blind-mate housings for coupling. System loss, another important parameter when selecting optical interconnects, is usually measured in decibels (dB) to indicate the amount of signal power-loss from optical interconnetions. Thermal noise for optical interconnects is caused by thermally-induced, random current fluctuations in the load resistance. Choices for substrate material include FR4, semiconductor wafers, and ceramics.

Optical interconnects are flexible jumpers used to interface or connect with integrated circuits (ICs), or circuits in general. There are three main types of products: chip-to-chip, chip-to-board, and board-to-board. Chip-to-chip optical interconnects can be directly-coupled, or coupled with out-of-plane I/O mirrors. Chip-to-board interconnects provide connectivity to off-board waveguide arrays or optical links on a motherboard. They can also be used to couple backplanes at right angles. Board-to-board interconnects use flexible waveguide array films which are aligned to board-level components. These optical interconnects have I/O mirrors and edge-connectors that are designed for board mounting. Other types of optical interconnects include specialized products for 90-degree backplane-to-daughterboard connectivity.

Specifications for optical interconnects include pitch density, ferrule type, system loss, thermal noise, and substrate material. Pitch density is measured in microns and refers to the degree of separation or spacing. MT ferrules are a common choice for board-to-board optical interconnects; however, products with larger or smaller ferrules are also available. Typically, MT ferrules for board-edge or backplane connections are inserted or modified with latching blind-mate housings for coupling. System loss, another important parameter when selecting optical interconnects, is usually measured in decibels (dB) to indicate the amount of signal power-loss from optical interconnetions. Thermal noise for optical interconnects is caused by thermally-induced, random current fluctuations in the load resistance. Choices for substrate material include FR4, semiconductor wafers, and ceramics.

Optical interconnects are used in high-speed computing (HSC) for short and ultra-short distance applications. They provide higher interconnection densities, packing densities, and interconnection bandwidths than traditional metal interconnects or copper cable. Optical interconnects also provide greater electrical isolation and immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). They also offer reduced signal distortion and lower clock and signal slew. Although optical interconnection technology has been used traditionally in longer-distance applications such as wide area networks (WAN), the development of optical interconnects enables chip-to-chip, chip-to-board, and board-to-board connections.

Optical interconnects are used with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transceivers, radio frequency (RF) connectors, photodiode array chips, multi-terminal connectorized polymer waveguide arrays, and decoupling capacitors. VCESL arrays and CMOS transceivers are flip-chip mounted to enable parallel point-to-point optical transmissions. To minimize frequency-dependent loss on the microstrip traces, the CMOS transceiver chip is in close proximity to the optoelectronic array chips. Decoupling capacitors are used on the top and bottom of the package to provide a return path from the lasers to the driver chip, and to minimize power-supply noise. Bias planes are used to externally-bias VCSELs and photodiodes.