Magneto-optical switching backplane for processor interconnection
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsMaurice McGlashan-Powell, Philip Charles Danby Hobbs
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Abstract
A system and method are disclosed for an optical backplane in an electronic processor that comprises of a plurality of processing units. The backplane is comprising of a network of optical waveguides which can guide polarized light. Furthermore, the backplane has magneto optic routers for steering light at the vertexes of the network, and the backplane also has optical devices for operationally connecting the processing units to the network. The backplane network affords an optical interconnection amongst all of the processing units.
Claims42
A router for polarized light, comprising:
- a magneto optic rotator (MOR) for controllably rotating a polarization angle of said polarized light;
- and
- a polarization beam splitter (PBS) for accepting said polarized light from said MOR, and routing said light according to said polarization angle.
A routing method for polarized light in an optical waveguide network comprising the steps of:
- controllably rotating a polarization angle of said polarized light in a magneto optic rotator (MOR), wherein said MOR being a segment of said optical waveguide;
- and
- accepting said polarized light from said MOR and routing said light along an optical path by a polarization beam splitter (PBS), in accordance with said polarization angle.
In an electronic processor comprising a plurality of processing units, an optical backplane, comprising:
- a network of optical waveguides, said optical waveguides guiding polarized light;
- routers for polarized light in vertexes of said network of optical waveguides;
- and
- optical devices for operationally connecting said processing units of said electronic processor to said network, wherein said network affords an optical interconnection amongst said processing units.
A method for providing an optical interconnection amongst processing of an electronic processor using an optical backplane, comprising the steps of:
- guiding polarized light in an optical waveguide network;
- routing said polarized light in vertexes of said optical waveguide network;
- and
- operationally connecting said processing units of said electronic processor to said network by optical devices.
While providing an optical interconnection amongst processing units of electronic processor using an optical backplane, said backplane comprising an optical waveguide network, and said network having optical routers at its vertexs, a method for directing communication amongst said processing units, comprising the steps of:
- keeping track of a state of said optical backplane;
- accepting requests for communication from one or more of said processing units;
- identifying one or more available optical paths on said optical backplane, wherein said available optical paths connecting said processing units in need of communication;
- setting conditions of said optical routers along said one or more available optical paths, wherein said conditions allow for transmitting light along said one or more available optical paths;
- and
- directing said processing units in need of communication to execute said communication.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.