Key technology enablers for co-packaged optics

The exponential growth in data center traffic which creates a need for a paradigm shift in I/O technology that meets future connectivity requirements within data centers. Silicon Photonics (SiPh) based optical interfaces significantly improve I/O density by optimizing solutions along three technology vectors independently: Packaging density, speed per lane, and number of wavelengths per channel. This paper shows the necessary technologies for a SiPh based optical I/O solution that merges mature silicon chiplet packaging and fiber connectivity to achieve the highest I/O efficiency for networking applications. An early Broadcom prototype system is demonstrated.