Optical interconnects operate on the fundamental principle that light can be modulated to carry information, which is then transmitted through a medium, such as optical fibers or waveguides, to a receiver that converts the light back into an electrical signal. In integrated circuits, optical interconnects refers to any system of transmitting signals from one part of an integrated circuit to another using light. Advanced Signal Integrity for High-Speed Digital Designs, S. Heck, John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Optical interconnects have negligible frequency dependent loss, low cross talk and high band width. Another important task, however, is enabling data center operators to scale quickly and reliably.
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