電腦晶片傳輸雷射 有譜

電腦晶片傳輸雷射 有譜

■ 編譯謝璦竹／綜合十八日電

英特爾公司與聖塔芭芭拉加州大學（UCSB）宣稱，已研發出能在電腦晶片上產生雷射的科技，這項突破將可大幅降低超快資料通訊的成本。

雷射是現代通訊硬體中的重要元件，光脈衝透過玻璃纖維束傳輸資料。但光纖網路比一般銅電線貴，通常僅用在長途高量的應用。但有了這種新技術，未來電腦內即可透過雷射而非電線來傳輸資料，電腦的設計將徹底改變。

科學家一直致力開發利用標準電腦晶片材料矽來傳輸雷射的方法。由於矽本身無法發射光線，他們必須依賴外加零件。

英特爾與UCSB研究人員在晶圓上塗上一層磷化銦，這是用於傳統雷射的材料。在這層材料上安裝可產生光的微小裝置，通電後即可產生攜帶資料的光。

英特爾光電科技研究室主任潘尼契估計，該科技至少還須五年才能量產。UCSB研究人員鮑爾斯說，目前受測的雷射在華氏100度以上就會失靈，旦他們已找到幾種可能降低其對熱敏感的辦法。

過去要在矽晶片上整合可發射光的材料一直無法克服溫度的問題，該團隊開發出一種低溫黏著技術，可避免黏著時融化矽晶上的電路。

英特爾說，有了這種技術，一顆晶片上可以整合數十、甚至數百組雷射。市場上同級的每組雷射要價50美元至數百美元不等，但研究人員認為，將來這種新雷射最低只要1美元。

潘尼契說，目前資料傳輸速度最快可達每秒八個十億位元（Gb）至十個十億位元，距離最遠可達18英吋。未來，20Gb至40Gb的速度將是家常便飯，距離 可達幾十英尺。因此，電腦效能將顯著提昇，硬體設計也將大大不同。例如，記憶晶片再也不須緊挨著微處理器，資料傳輸速度也不會受影響。

這項研究結果將在下期Optics Express上發表。英特爾跟UCSB這項研究用的是磷化銦，同樣在該領域研究的日本科學家則選擇化學元素鉺。

【2006/09/19 經濟日報】

'Sticky' silicon could speed data

Data speeds inside computers or across continents could get a boost from Intel research into hybrid processors.

Intel researchers have solved a manufacturing problem that has delayed the creation of devices that can both generate and route light.

The breakthrough could mean cheaper and higher speed computer networks and help to speed up the transfer of data inside computers.

Intel said commercial versions of the hybrid chip may not appear until 2010.

Light speed

The breakthrough revolves around the fusing of the two materials commonly used in computer chips and high-speed optical networks.

Silicon has been the mainstay of computer chip making for decades and its ability to move, amplify and detect light is well known.

However, silicon is not very good at generating light. As a result high-speed continent-spanning networks often use components made from an exotic material known as indium phosphide that does posses very good light generating properties.

Intel researchers, working with Professor John Bowers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, have found an easy way to unite silicon and indium phosphide.

The researchers discovered that the use during manufacturing of an oxygen plasma acts as a "glass glue" that tightly bonds the two materials into one device.

Applying a voltage makes the indium phosphide generate light which can then be manipulated by the silicon elements of the hybrid chip.

The close mating of the two materials could mean that data can get on and off computer chips far more quickly than it can via conventional connections.

It should also mean much closer links between computers and data networks. Intel envisages a day when silicon chips sport dozens of the tiny lasers and their light-manipulating machinery.

The fact that it uses the relatively low-cost manufacturing techniques used to make silicon chips could slash the cost of making components for high-speed telecommunications networks.

"This marks the beginning of highly integrated silicon photonic chips that can be mass-produced at low cost," said Prof Bowers.

The research builds on earlier Intel research on making silicon generate light and on improving its ability to direct it.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/technology/5356636.stm

Published: 2006/09/18 12:57:04 GMT