VCSEL-based Multimode Fiber Optics for Datacenters and Supercomputers

Dr. Brendan Hamel-Bissell
Assistant Professor ES Dept, SSU

Cerent Engineering Science Complex, Salazar Hall 2009A
3:00 PM

Abstract – High Performance Computing and Data Centers are driving the demand for high bandwidth interconnects. According to Cisco, cloud data center traffic is projected to grow to 8.6 Zettabytes per year, with 73% of that traffic within the data center. Future exascale supercomputers capable of more than a quintillion operations per second will demand higher performance networks characterized by lower power consumption, lower cost, and higher bit rate. VCSEL-based multimode optical links are one key solution to enable this growth. In this talk, I will present three projects to address the demands of future optical links. In the first part, I will describe a 30Gb/s 90nm CMOS-driven multimode optical link that uses equalization to achieve higher data rates and lower power consumption. In the second part, I will describe a 4-channel wavelength division multiplexing solution for uncooled lasers using injection-molded optics to reduce system costs. In the third part, I will describe a system to characterize VCSELs using hyperspectral imaging, and I will show how this system can be used to improve multimode fiber bandwidth from 6.3GHz to 17.5GHz over 300m.

Dr. Brendan Hamel-Bissell is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering, SSU. He grew up in Underhill, Vermont, where he spent most of his time in the mountains skiing, including 6 years on the US National Ski Patrol. He did his undergrad at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and became interested in the applications of optics, especially optical communications. He completed his PhD in electrical engineering at Stanford University in 2016, with a focus of optical communications in data centers. While at Stanford, he worked with industry researchers as a Senior Scientist at Finisar Corporation and taught electrical engineering at De Anza College. Brendan is passionate about supporting the LGBTQ community; he has served on the Board of Directors of Stanford Pride, Stanford's LGBT alumni association since 2012 and as the Director of Admissions for the Out for Undergrad Engineering Conference since 2014.