ams and Osram launch optical interconnect MicroLED array

On March 18, optical solutions provider ams OSRAM announced that its mature EVIYOS Micro LED technology has been successfully expanded into the next-generation AI optical interconnect field. ams Osram demonstrated a Micro LED array prototype with ultra-low power consumption and high-speed transmission, and said that the company is steadily advancing into the product development stage.

Aldo Kamper, CEO of ams Osram, said that through EVIYOS technology, the company has achieved large-scale application of high-pixel Micro LED arrays in the field of automotive headlights. Currently, ams OSRAM is using its professional accumulation in EVIYOS technology to solve the energy efficiency challenges of data links inside and outside the AI server rack.

The concept of integrating Micro LED arrays and photodiode receivers into high-bandwidth data transmission solutions for AI data centers (Source: ams-OSRAM)

Facing the energy efficiency requirements of AI data centers, the new Micro LED array prototype uses patented epitaxial stacking technology. Test data shows that the cut-off frequency of the device exceeds 1GHz, while the energy consumption per bit is less than 2pJ.

It is reported that ams-OSRAM's EVIYOS technology is the world's first mass-produced automotive-grade Micro LED emitter array. EVIYOS integrates 25,600 independently addressable pixels, each pixel is only about half the width of a human hair.

In optical interconnect applications, the manufacturing process of Micro LED arrays is similar to that of automotive matrix emitters. The main difference is that EVIYOS uses a monolithic array, while data center applications use segmented individual Micro LEDs. The emitters are cut from the wafer and mounted on a substrate, allowing each device to be coupled to an independent vertical channel in a multi-core fiber optic cable. The substrate can then be integrated onto a target CMOS wafer for system-level integration.

With an extremely small footprint, Micro LED-based adapters can achieve extremely high bandwidth density. A single transmitter supports a data transmission rate of greater than or equal to 3.0 Gbit/s per channel over a 10-meter link with an energy consumption of less than 2 pJ/bit, while meeting the industry standard bit error rate requirement of less than 10 to the power of minus 15.

Optical interconnection Micro LED manufacturing technology

Compared with traditional ultra-high frequency laser transmission, this "low-speed broadband" architecture that replaces a single ultra-high-speed line with hundreds of parallel channels brings multiple advantages to AI infrastructure.

The first is reliability, systems can include redundant channels, allowing faulty transmitters to be replaced without affecting overall functionality. The second is efficiency. This architecture significantly reduces power consumption and heat generation, providing data center operators with valuable cooling space. Finally, there is simplicity. Micro LED optical interconnects are inherently parallel, eliminating the complex and expensive serialization/deserialization steps in traditional solutions.

With the EVIYOS basic technology successfully adapting to the needs of the data communications market, ams-OSRAM is rapidly transitioning to the product development stage and continuing to develop in the direction of the company's "digital photonics" strategic transformation.