WO2009107761A1

WO2009107761A1 - Optical integrated circuit device

Info

Publication number: WO2009107761A1
Application number: PCT/JP2009/053639
Authority: WO
Inventors: 石　勉
Original assignee: 日本電気株式会社
Priority date: 2008-02-27
Filing date: 2009-02-27
Publication date: 2009-09-03
Also published as: JPWO2009107761A1; JP5257710B2

Abstract

An optical integrated circuit device is provided with a plurality of cores and a plurality of optical transmitters. Each of the cores transmits an electric signal showing information to be transmitted to another core out of the cores to a corresponding optical transmitter out of the optical transmitters. The corresponding optical transmitter transmits an optical signal showing the information to an optical signal line network on the basis of the electric signal. On the basis of the optical signal, the optical signal line network transmits the information to another core described above. In the case, the number of the cores is larger than that of optical wirings which connect the optical transmitters to the optical signal line network.

Description

Optical integrated circuit device

The present invention relates to an optical integrated circuit device, and more particularly to an optical integrated circuit device that transmits and receives data between a plurality of cores via light.

Developed in the world of microprocessors to improve processing performance. The microprocessor does not increase the operating speed of a single processing unit to improve processing performance, but integrates a plurality of processing units on a single chip to improve processing performance while suppressing power consumption. Is becoming mainstream. In the world of system on chip (SoC) in which a processor, a memory, and a functional module are mounted on one chip, a multiprocessor SoC (MPSoC: Multi-Processor SoC) is also being studied. The number of cores (processors) on a chip is expected to continue to increase in order to further improve chip performance, and it is desired to realize an on-chip bus that connects these cores so that information can be transmitted efficiently. . In order to prevent communication between cores from becoming a bottleneck in chip performance, transmission lines (wiring) that constitute a bus that mediates communication are required to have low wiring delay, low power consumption, and high transmission rate characteristics.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-191390 discloses an on-chip optical interconnection circuit that can increase the signal transmission speed and can be easily miniaturized and can be easily manufactured. The intra-chip optical interconnection circuit includes a plurality of circuit blocks provided on one integrated circuit chip and an optical waveguide provided on the integrated circuit chip so as to optically connect the circuit blocks. Data transmission using light is inherently broadband compared to electricity, and increases the possibility of realizing data transmission with low delay and low loss. In general, the number of cores that can be efficiently connected can be increased by changing from a bus to a network.

A. “On the Design of a Photonic Network-on-Chip” by Shacham (Procedure of the First International Symposium on Network-on-Chip is used for the circuit, and the optical circuit is used in 2007) Such an on-chip network circuit can reduce chip power consumption by a torus type optical wiring network and a low power consumption optical switch.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-151559 discloses a communication method using sub-carrier analog optical transmission, in which only one optical fiber line is provided without affecting the RF signal to be originally transmitted. An optical communication system capable of transmitting data signals such as baseband signals used for monitoring, control, etc., and voice band signals for communication between base stations and relay stations between maintenance personnel at the time of maintenance is disclosed. In the optical communication method, the transmitting side modulates a carrier wave with a signal having a frequency outside the occupied band of the RF signal to be originally transmitted, and originally transmits the data signal filtered by the low-pass filter and filtered by the high-pass filter. The RF signal to be processed is combined with an RF combining circuit, and the combined electric signal is converted into an analog optical signal by an electro-optical conversion element for transmission. On the receiving side, the analog optical signal transmitted from the transmitting side is converted into an electric signal by a photoelectric conversion element, this electric signal is separated into an RF signal and a modulated data signal by an RF distribution circuit, and an RF signal obtained by the separation Is filtered by a high-pass filter, the modulated signal obtained by the separation is filtered by a low-pass filter, and demodulated to extract the original data signal.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-148684 discloses an optical signal distribution device that has a simple circuit configuration and does not require a request signal from a reception side circuit to a transmission side circuit. The optical signal distribution device includes a transmission side circuit and a reception side circuit connected to the output side of the transmission side circuit via a first optical fiber. The receiving circuit multiplexes the receiving circuits of a plurality of circuits each having a laser diode that outputs light having different wavelengths, and the optical signals having different wavelengths output from the laser diodes of the receiving circuits as multiplexed optical signals. And an output optical multiplexer. A transmission side circuit modulates a multiplexed optical signal transmitted from the optical combiner of the receiving side circuit via the second optical fiber with a signal such as a video signal, an audio signal, or a data signal, and outputs it as a multiplexed modulated optical signal. Has a modulator. Furthermore, the receiving circuit has a laser diode that separates the multiplexed modulated optical signal transmitted from the optical external modulator of the transmitting circuit via the first optical fiber for each wavelength and outputs light of the same wavelength. And an optical demultiplexer that distributes to each other.

In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-204444, the signal wiring length in the semiconductor chip is effectively shortened, the size of the logic circuit cell is reduced to increase the number of mounted gates, and the length of the signal wiring and the load are small or large. Accordingly, a semiconductor integrated circuit capable of setting a logic circuit cell having an appropriate driving capability is disclosed. The semiconductor integrated circuit is arranged on a main surface of the semiconductor chip in a grid pattern, a logic circuit formation region partitioned by the main power path and arranged in a matrix, and a peripheral portion of the semiconductor chip. Power supply and input / output signal connection pads, and input / output gates provided adjacent to the main power supply bus on the inner periphery of the pads. In the central portion of the logic circuit formation region, a transistor and a resistor for logic circuit formation are arranged, and a collective cell region having a small current logic circuit cell for light load and a large current logic circuit cell for heavy load is provided. In addition, a signal connection wiring region between the assembly cell regions is provided on the outer periphery of the assembly cell region of the logic circuit formation region.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-131471 discloses a signal transmission method that enables low power consumption and high speed. In the signal transmission method, a termination voltage is supplied to both ends using one of a pair of wires arranged in parallel as a signal transmission path via a termination resistor matched to the characteristic impedance. The other end of the pair of wires is used as a reference voltage transmission line, and a termination voltage or a circuit ground potential is supplied to both ends via a termination resistor matched to the characteristic impedance. The transmission side is provided between the ground potential and the output terminal. A signal is sent out by the driven transistor, and a reference voltage is generated by an offset voltage set to about 1/2 of the termination voltage on the receiving side, and an amplification transistor to which the termination voltage is supplied and an amplification transistor to which an input signal is supplied The signals are received by performing a differential operation.

Although the above technology has been proposed, it is desired to effectively use the light distributed from the light source module in order to realize an on-chip optical wiring network. For example, if each of the cores transmitting data has a separate light source module, the power consumption and the mounting area increase in proportion to the number of cores. Accordingly, it is generally more efficient to perform a data communication by sharing a limited number of light sources among a plurality of more cores.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-02222 discloses a light distribution system that distributes light from a single light source to a desired position by a waveguide-type light distributor. An optical modulator is installed at each end of the waveguide type optical distributor, and the distributed light is modulated to transmit data. However, in this configuration, even when data transmission is not performed to each modulator, an equal amount of light is constantly distributed, and the light use efficiency is not high. In order to solve this problem, it is desired to construct a variable optical distribution system that distributes light only to a modulator coupled to a core that performs data transmission.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-51395 discloses an optical outlet capable of constructing an optical distribution system that does not waste optical output of an optical transmitter. The optical outlet includes a variable light quantity splitter that distributes the light input at an arbitrary ratio of light quantity, a fixed light quantity splitter that distributes the branched light output branched by this variable light quantity splitter at a constant ratio of light quantity, and this fixed And a control circuit that measures the light amount of the branched light output branched by the light amount branching unit and controls the light amount branching ratio of the variable light amount branching unit so that the light amount becomes a preset light amount. If this technology is applied, light can be distributed only to the modulator that transmits data, and efficient light distribution is possible. However, in this case, it is necessary to newly install an optical switch, and power consumption and the footprint of the optical switch may become a problem.

The present invention provides an optical integrated circuit device in which utilization efficiency of light used for data transmission / reception between a plurality of cores arranged in one chip is improved.
The present invention also provides an optical integrated circuit device capable of realizing efficient optical distribution without waste even if the optical distribution system is not variable in an optical wiring system that performs high-throughput data communication between a plurality of cores. .

An optical integrated circuit device according to the present invention includes a plurality of cores and a plurality of optical transmitters. Each of the plurality of cores transmits an electrical signal indicating information transmitted to another core of the plurality of cores to one optical transmitter of the plurality of optical transmitters. The one optical transmitter transmits an optical signal indicating the information to the optical signal line network based on the electrical signal. The optical signal line network transmits the information to other cores based on the optical signal. At this time, the number of the plurality of cores is larger than the number of optical wirings connecting the plurality of optical transmitters to the optical signal line network.

In an optical integrated circuit chip according to the present invention, one of optical wirings connecting a plurality of optical transmitters to an optical signal line network is shared by a plurality of cores, and data communication is performed between a plurality of cores in one chip. Therefore, it is possible to achieve efficient and efficient light distribution without making the light distribution system variable, and it is possible to improve the utilization efficiency of light used when data is transmitted within the chip.

The above subject matter and features of the present application will be understood from the exemplary embodiments described in connection with the accompanying drawings. Here, the drawings are as follows.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an optical integrated circuit chip according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the optical transmitter. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the frequency with which the optical transmitter transmits data to the optical signal line network. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the optical integrated circuit chip according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing still another embodiment of the optical integrated circuit chip according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing another optical transmitter.

Hereinafter, an optical integrated circuit device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical integrated circuit device 1 includes a plurality of optical distribution lines 2-1 to 2-9, a plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9, and a plurality of cores 5-1. 5-36. The plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 are arranged in a tile shape of 6 rows and 6 columns on the substrate. The columns are the first to sixth columns, and the row includes the first to sixth rows. Each of the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 is provided for the corresponding group of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36, and each of the cores 5-1 to 5-36 is provided. Is electrically connected to any one of the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 so that information can be transmitted.

Each of the plurality of optical distribution lines 2-1 to 2-9 includes an optical fiber. Each of the light distribution lines 2-i (i = 1, 2, 3,..., 9) of the plurality of light distribution lines 2-1 to 2-9 is connected to the light source 6 outside the substrate, One end is connected to one optical transmitter 3-i among the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9. The optical distribution line 2-i transmits the light generated by the light source 6 to the optical transmitter 3-i.
Each of the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 is formed on a substrate. Each of the optical transmitters 3-i of the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 is electrically connected to four cores of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 so that information can be transmitted. Yes.

FIG. 2 shows the optical transmitter 3-i. The optical transmitter 3-i includes a control circuit 7 and an optical modulator 8. The control circuit 7 is connected to four of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 through the electrical wirings 11-1 to 11-4 so that information can be transmitted. For example, the control circuit 7 of the optical transmitter 3-1 is connected to the core 5-1 in the first row and first column via the electric wiring 11-1 so as to be able to transmit information, and is connected via the electric wiring 11-2. It is connected to the core 5-2 in the first row and the second column so as to be able to transmit information, and is connected to the core 5-3 in the second row and the first column via the electrical wiring 11-3 so as to be able to transmit information. To the core 5-4 in the first row and the second column through the communication. The control circuit 7 is further electrically connected to the optical modulator 8 via the electric wiring 12 so as to be able to transmit information.

The optical modulator 8 is connected to the light source 6 through the optical distribution line 2-i and connected to the optical signal line network 15 through the optical fiber 14 so that information can be transmitted. The optical fiber 14 and the optical signal line network 15 are provided separately from the optical distribution lines 2-1 to 2-9. The optical modulator 8 generates an optical signal by intensity-modulating the light supplied from the light source 6 via the optical distribution line 2-i based on the information output from the control circuit 7, and via the optical fiber 14. The optical signal is output to the optical signal line network 15.

The optical integrated circuit device 1 further includes a plurality of optical receivers not shown. Each of the plurality of optical receivers is connected to the optical signal line network 15 via an optical wiring so as to be able to receive an optical signal from the optical signal line network 15, and is electrically connected to the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36. Are connected to the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 via electric wiring.

When one core of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 generates information to be transmitted to the other cores of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36, the information and information for identifying other cores Is output to the optical transmitter 3-i. The control circuit 7 of the optical transmitter 3-i sequentially outputs the data indicated by the electrical signals output from the four cores connected to the optical transmitter 3-i to the optical modulator 8. The light source 6 supplies light to the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 through the plurality of optical distribution lines 2-1 to 2-9. The optical modulator 8 modulates the intensity of light supplied from the light source 6 via the optical distribution line 2-i to generate an optical signal. The optical signal indicates data output from the control circuit 7. The optical modulator 8 outputs the optical signal to the optical signal line network 15 through the optical fiber 14. The optical signal line network 15 transmits the optical signal received from the optical transmitter 3-i to one of the optical receivers, and the optical receiver indicates the optical signal output from the optical signal line network 15 An electrical signal indicating data is output to one of the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36. Such an optical signal line network 15 is well known. Disclosed in “On the Design of a Photonic Network-on-Chip” by Shacham (disclosed in Proceeding of the First International Symposium on Network-on-Chip, 2007).

FIG. 3 shows the effective operating rate of the optical transmitter 3-i. The effective operation rate is such that the optical transmitter 3-i transmits one data to the optical signal line network 15 via the optical signal, and the optical transmitter 3-i transmits the optical signal line via the optical signal per unit time. The frequency at which data is transmitted to the network 15 is shown. That is, the effective operating rate is shared by the average transmission frequency α at which one core transmits information per unit time and one optical wiring connecting the optical transmitter 3-i to the optical signal line network 15. The number n of cores to be used is expressed by the following formula: α × n.

When the average transmission frequency α is 0.25, the effective operating rate indicates that it is 1 or less when the number n of cores is 3, and when the number n of cores is 4 1 and 1 or more when the number n of cores is 5. That is, the effective operation rate indicates that the light use efficiency is lowered when the average transmission frequency α is 0.25 and the number of cores is less than four. The effective operation rate further indicates that when the average transmission frequency α is 0.25 and the number n of cores is more than 4, a so-called congestion state occurs and a delay occurs during data transmission.
That is, when the average transmission frequency α is 0.25, the effective utilization rate is such that when one optical wiring is shared by four cores, the light utilization efficiency does not decrease and congestion occurs. It shows that it is appropriate without entering a state. The effective operation rate further indicates that the value is appropriate when the number n of shared cores is about the reciprocal of the average transmission frequency α.
That is, in the optical integrated circuit chip 1, when data is transmitted and received between a plurality of cores, the number of cores sharing one optical wiring is set to be approximately the reciprocal of the average data transmission frequency of the plurality of cores. . For this reason, the optical integrated circuit chip 1 has an opportunity for data transmission in any of the plurality of cores sharing the optical wiring, and can efficiently and efficiently distribute the light source without making the light source distribution system variable. Become.

FIG. 4 shows an optical integrated circuit device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The optical integrated circuit chip 21 includes an optical distribution line 22, a plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9, a plurality of fixed light amount branching units 24-1 to 24-8, and a plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36. And. The plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36 are arranged in a 6-row and 6-column tile shape on the substrate in the same manner as the plurality of cores 5-1 to 5-36 in the first embodiment described above. . The column is composed of a first column to a sixth column. The row is formed from the first row to the sixth row. Each of the plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36 is electrically connected to any one of the plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9 so that information can be transmitted.

The optical distribution line 22 is formed from an optical fiber. The optical distribution line 22 is arranged so as to circulate a plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9 on the optical integrated circuit device, and an end thereof is connected to a light source 26 outside the substrate, and the other end Are connected to a plurality of optical transmitters 23-9.
A plurality of fixed light quantity branching devices 24-1 to 24-8 are interposed in the middle of the optical distribution line 22. The fixed light quantity splitter 24-1 separates the light supplied from the light source 26 into two lights having a light quantity of 1: 8, and outputs the light having a light quantity of 1 to the light distribution line 22-1. 8 is output to the fixed light quantity splitter 24-2. The fixed light amount branching device 24-2 separates the light supplied from the fixed light amount branching device 24-1 into two lights having a light amount of 1: 7, and the light having the light amount of 1 is separated into the light distribution line 22-2 ( (Not shown), and the light having the light quantity of 7 is outputted to the fixed light quantity splitter 24-3. The fixed light quantity splitter 24-3 separates the light supplied from the fixed light quantity splitter 24-2 into two lights having a light quantity of 1: 6, and the light having a light quantity of 1 is supplied to the optical distribution line 22-3. The light having a light amount of 6 is output to the fixed light amount branching device 24-6. The fixed light amount branching device 24-6 separates the light supplied from the fixed light amount branching device 24-3 into two lights having a light amount of 1: 5, and the light having the light amount 1 is supplied to the light distribution line 22-6. The light having a light quantity of 5 is outputted to the fixed light quantity splitter 24-5. The fixed light amount branching device 24-5 separates the light supplied from the fixed light amount branching device 24-6 into two lights having a light amount of 1: 4, and the light having the light amount of 1 is divided into the light distribution lines 22-4 ( (Not shown), and the light having the light quantity of 4 is outputted to the fixed light quantity splitter 24-4. The fixed light quantity splitter 24-4 separates the light supplied from the fixed light quantity splitter 24-5 into two lights having a light quantity of 1: 3, and the light having a light quantity of 1 is supplied to the optical distribution line 22-4. The light having the light amount of 3 is output to the fixed light amount branching device 24-7. The fixed light quantity splitter 24-7 separates the light supplied from the fixed light quantity splitter 24-4 into two lights having a light quantity of 1: 2, and the light having a light quantity of 1 is supplied to the optical distribution line 22-7. The light having a light quantity of 2 is outputted to the fixed light quantity splitter 24-8. The fixed light quantity splitter 24-8 separates the light supplied from the fixed light quantity splitter 24-7 into two lights having a light quantity of 1: 1, and separates one light into an optical distribution line 22-8 (not shown). ) And another light is output to the optical distribution line 22-9.

The configuration of the plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9 is the same as that of the plurality of optical transmitters 3-1 to 3-9 in the first embodiment described above, and is formed on the substrate. Each of the optical transmitters 23-i of the plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9 is electrically transmitted so that information can be transmitted to four adjacent cores of the plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36. It is connected.

The optical integrated circuit device 21 operates in the same manner as the optical integrated circuit device 1 in the first embodiment described above. That is, in the optical integrated circuit device 21, when one core of the plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36 generates information to be transmitted to the other cores of the plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36, the information And an electrical signal indicating information identifying other cores are output to the optical transmitter 23-i. The light source 26 and the plurality of fixed light quantity dividers 24-1 to 24-8 supply light to the plurality of optical transmitters 23-1 to 23-9. The optical transmitter 23-i sequentially generates an optical signal indicating the data indicated by the electrical signals output from the four cores connected to the optical transmitter 23-i, and the optical signal is transmitted to the optical signal line network 15 Output to. The optical signal line network 15 transmits the optical signal received from the optical transmitter 23-i to one of the optical receivers, and the optical receiver indicates the optical signal output from the optical signal line network 15. An electrical signal indicating data is output to one of the plurality of cores 25-1 to 25-36.
Similarly to the optical integrated circuit device 1 in the first embodiment described above, the optical integrated circuit device 21 can achieve efficient and efficient light distribution without making the optical distribution system variable. That is, such an optical wiring system is also applied to an optical integrated circuit device 21 that generates an optical signal by intensity-modulating light into a plurality of light beams divided by using a plurality of fixed light amount branching units 24-1 to 24-8. can do.

FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment of the optical integrated circuit device according to the present invention. The optical integrated circuit device 31 includes a plurality of optical distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8, a plurality of optical distribution lines 33-1 to 33-8, a plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8, and a plurality of cores. 37-1 to 37-64. The plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64 are arranged in a tile shape of 8 rows and 8 columns on the substrate. Each of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64 is electrically connected to any one of the plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8 so that information can be transmitted.
The plurality of optical distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8 are each formed from an optical fiber. Each of the light distribution lines 32-j (j = 1, 2, 3,..., 8) of the plurality of light distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8 has an end connected to the light source 35 outside the substrate. One end is connected to one optical transmitter 34-j among the plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8. The optical distribution line 32-j transmits the light generated by the light source 35 to the optical transmitter 34-j.
The plurality of optical distribution lines 33-1 to 33-8 are each formed from an optical fiber. Each of the light distribution lines 33-j (j = 1, 2, 3,..., 8) of the plurality of light distribution lines 33-1 to 33-8 has an end connected to the light source 36 outside the substrate. One end is connected to one optical transmitter 34-j among the plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8. The optical distribution line 33-j transmits the light generated by the light source 36 to the optical transmitter 34-j. The light generated by the light source 36 has a wavelength different from that of the light generated by the light source 35.
The plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8 are each formed on a substrate. Each optical transmitter 34-j is electrically connected to eight of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64 so as to be able to transmit information.

FIG. 6 shows the optical transmitter 34-j. The optical transmitter 34-j includes a control circuit 47, an optical modulator 38, and an optical modulator 39. The control circuit 47 is electrically connected to eight of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64 via the electric wirings 41-1 to 41-8 so that information can be transmitted. For example, the control circuit 47 of the optical transmitter 34-1 is electrically connected to the core in the first row and the first column via the electric wiring 41-1 so as to be able to transmit information, and is connected via the electric wiring 41-2 to the first circuit. It is electrically connected to the core of the first row and the second column so as to be able to transmit information, and is electrically connected to the core of the first row and the third column via the electric wiring 41-3 so as to be able to transmit information. Is electrically connected to the core of the first row and the fourth column via the wiring, and is electrically connected to the core of the second row and the first column via the electric wiring 41-5 so as to be able to transmit the information. It is electrically connected to the core of the second row and the second column via the wiring 41-6 so as to be able to transmit information, and electrically connected to the core of the second row and the third column via the electric wiring 41-7. It is connected and electrically connected to the core in the second row and the fourth column via the electric wiring 41-8 so that information can be transmitted.

The control circuit 47 is further electrically connected to the optical modulator 38 via the electric wiring 42 so that information can be transmitted. It is electrically connected to the optical modulator 39 through the electrical wiring 43 so as to be able to transmit information. The control circuit 47 transmits the data output from the eight cores to the optical modulator 38 via the electrical wiring 42 or transmits it to the optical modulator 39 via the electrical wiring 43.
The optical modulator 38 is connected to the light source 35 through an optical distribution line 32-j, and is connected to an optical signal line network 46 through an optical fiber 44 so that information can be transmitted. The optical fiber 44 and the optical signal line network 46 are provided separately from the optical distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8 and the optical distribution lines 33-1 to 33-9. Based on the information output from the control circuit 47, the optical modulator 38 modulates the intensity of light supplied from the light source 35 via the optical distribution line 32-j and generates an optical signal. The optical modulator 38 outputs the optical signal to the optical signal line network 46 via the optical fiber 44.
The optical modulator 39 is connected to the light source 36 via an optical distribution line 33-j and connected to an optical signal line network 46 via an optical fiber 45 so as to be able to transmit information. The optical fiber 45 is provided separately from the optical distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8 and the optical distribution lines 33-1 to 33-9. Based on the information output from the control circuit 47, the optical modulator 39 modulates the intensity of light supplied from the light source 36 via the optical distribution line 33-j to generate an optical signal. The optical modulator 39 outputs the optical signal to the optical signal line network 46 through the optical fiber 45.
The optical integrated circuit device 31 further includes a plurality of optical receivers not shown. The optical signal line network 46 transmits the optical signal received from the optical transmitter 34-j to one of the plurality of optical receivers, and the optical receiver outputs the optical signal output from the optical signal line network 46. An electrical signal indicating information indicated by the signal is generated, and the electrical signal is output to one of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64.

When one core of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64 generates information to be transmitted to the other cores of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64, the information and information for identifying other cores Is output to the optical transmitter 34-j. The light source 35 supplies light to the plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8 via the plurality of optical distribution lines 32-1 to 32-8. The light source 36 supplies light to the plurality of optical transmitters 34-1 to 34-8 via the plurality of optical distribution lines 33-1 to 33-8. The control circuit 47 of the optical transmitter 34-j sequentially outputs the data indicated by the electrical signals output from the eight cores connected to the optical transmitter 34-j to the optical modulator 38 or the optical modulator 39. . The optical modulator 38 modulates the intensity of light supplied from the light source 35 via the optical distribution line 32-j to generate an optical signal. The optical signal indicates data output from the control circuit 47. The optical modulator 38 outputs the optical signal to the optical signal line network 46 via the optical fiber 44. The optical modulator 39 modulates the intensity of light supplied from the light source 36 via the optical distribution line 33-j and generates an optical signal. The optical signal indicates data output from the control circuit 47. The optical modulator 39 outputs the optical signal to the optical signal line network 46 through the optical fiber 45. The optical signal line network 46 transmits the optical signal received from the optical transmitter 34-j to one of the optical receivers, and the optical receiver indicates the optical signal output from the optical signal line network 46. An electrical signal indicating data is output to one of the plurality of cores 37-1 to 37-64.

According to such an operation, the optical integrated circuit device 31 realizes efficient and efficient light distribution even if the optical distribution system is not variable, in the same manner as the optical integrated circuit device 1 in the first embodiment. be able to. Further, the optical integrated circuit device 31 has the same throughput (transmission capacity) per core as that of the optical integrated circuit device 1 or the optical integrated circuit device 21 in the above-described embodiment, but has two different wavelengths as data carriers. Since light is used, transmission within the same link can be permitted in the optical signal line network 46 (wavelength multiplexing), and there is an advantage that the degree of freedom in route selection is increased. In the present embodiment, the case where the number of light sources is up to two has been described. However, more light sources may be integrated within a range allowed by power consumption and element footprint. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
This application claims treaty priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-046482. That disclosure is incorporated herein by reference.
Although the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, the invention is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present application as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

A plurality of cores formed on a chip and grouped into a plurality of groups;
A plurality of optical transmitters formed on the chip and provided for each of the plurality of groups;
Each of the plurality of cores transmits an electrical signal addressed to another core of the plurality of cores to a corresponding one of the plurality of optical transmissions, and the corresponding optical transmitter includes the electrical transmitter An optical signal based on the signal is transmitted to the other core via the optical signal line network;
The number of the plurality of cores is greater than the number of optical wirings connecting the plurality of optical transmitters to the optical signal line network.
The optical integrated circuit device according to claim 1,
The number of cores in each of the plurality of groups is such that each of the plurality of optical transmitters transmits the optical signal to the optical signal line network per unit time. An optical integrated circuit device that is calculated based on an average transmission frequency for transmitting the signal to one of the plurality of optical transmitters.
The optical integrated circuit device according to claim 2,
An optical integrated circuit device in which the number of cores is approximately equal to the inverse of the average transmission frequency.
The optical integrated circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Each of the plurality of optical transmitters is connected to a single optical fiber for supplying light used to generate the optical signal.
The optical integrated circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A fixed light amount splitter that is provided for each of the plurality of optical transmitters and distributes the light generated by the light source to each of the optical transmitters;
Each of the plurality of optical transmitters generates the optical signal using the branched light supplied from the fixed light amount branching device.
The optical integrated circuit device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Each of the plurality of optical transmitters transmits a plurality of the optical signals to the optical signal line network using a plurality of lights respectively supplied from a plurality of light sources.
The optical integrated circuit device according to claim 6,
The plurality of lights are optical integrated circuit devices having different wavelengths.
A plurality of cores formed on a chip and grouped into a plurality of groups;
A plurality of optical transmitters formed on the chip and provided in each of the plurality of groups;
A fixed light amount branching unit that distributes light generated by a light source to the plurality of optical transmitters,
Each of the plurality of cores transmits an electrical signal addressed to another core of the plurality of cores to a corresponding one of the plurality of optical transmissions;
The corresponding optical transmitter generates an optical signal using the branched light supplied from the corresponding fixed light amount branching unit based on the electrical signal, and sends the optical signal to the other core via the optical signal line network. Transmit
The number of the plurality of cores is greater than the number of optical wirings connecting the plurality of optical transmitters to the optical signal line network.
The optical integrated circuit device according to claim 8, wherein
The number of cores in each of the plurality of groups is such that each of the plurality of optical transmitters transmits the optical signal to the optical signal line network per unit time. An optical integrated circuit device that is calculated based on an average transmission frequency for transmitting the signal to one of the plurality of optical transmitters.
The optical integrated circuit device according to claim 9,
An optical integrated circuit device in which the number of cores is approximately equal to the inverse of the average transmission frequency.