CHTM to Lead $7.123M Multi-University Contract

The Center for High Technology Materials has just been awarded $7.123 million for a four year program in High-Capacity Optoelectronic Interconnects by the DARPA Microsystems Technology Office. This is a multi-university partnership in which we are the lead university. Our partners include: Stanford University, University of Texas - Austin, University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana, and the University of Southern California. The program start date was 6/29/00 and the end date is 9/30/04.

Quote from the vision statement in the proposal
The major research thrust area of this program is optoelectronic interconnects with a focus on chip-scale integration with Si CMOS. Unique enabling capabilities include materials such as quantum dots and GaInNAs and (imaging) interferometric lithography to allow scalable nanostructure fabrication.

The potential advantages of extending optics to the chip level are enormous. The current spurt in microprocessor speeds is being fueled by the conversion to copper/low-k electrical interconnections along with continued CMOS scaling; there is significant uncertainty over the roadmap beyond this transition. For data communications, the distance scale for which optics prevails over electronics has been reduced from km's to less than 1 meter. A program goal is to lay the foundations for pushing optics onto the chip. This will require new approaches and new materials for optoelectronic components and for packaging and device integration, and new systems concepts and design tools.