Sapphire chip linked by light
10 April 2002
News
One of the challenges of making computer chips is to efficiently ferry information into and out of them. While usually done via metal wire conductors, engineers at Johns Hopkins University have now devised a cost-effective way to speed up the way microchips 'talk' to each other by using light! Their method takes advantage of unusual characteristics associated with 'silicon on sapphire' technology. Integrated circuits are usually made up of thin slices of the semiconductor silicon. To this are added layers of synthetic sapphire, an insulator that does not conduct electricity, but allows light to pass through. Signals that originate from a wire are transformed into light and beamed through the transparent sapphire substrate by a tiny laser. Here, microlenses and other optical components collect the light beam and guide it to another place on the chip or, by optical fibre, move it to another chip. At its destination, the light enters a high-speed optical receiver circuit that turns the photons back into a stream of electrons that can be handled by the chip's electrical wiring. According to the researchers a signal could move 100 times faster like this, than with a metal wire. They claim their prototype is capable of shunting information on and off the chip at the rate of one gigabit per second! Since the sapphire substrate is an insulating material, the optoelectric interface circuits require much less power. Wires also have parasitic capacitances, which not only degrade signals but also increase power consumption. Without parasitic capacitance it is much faster to send signals at the speed of light. With processes as small as 0,1 µm the design has the potential to run at 5 Gbps, say the researchers.
So, while hardware gets faster, cheaper and smaller, software still gets slower, costlier and bigger! To read more on this research see www.nd.edu/~stjoseph/newscas/CASMagvol1no3.pdf
Further reading:
Rooibos heads to space
News
A South African scientific initiative linking agriculture and space research has officially launched today with the Rooibos in Space programme at Parklands College’s Innovation Centre in Cape Town.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: Local can be international
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
Welcome to the July 2026 issue of
Dataweek. As you can see from this introduction,
Dataweek’s regular editor, Peter Howells, is on extended leave and I am filling the void in his editor’s column – hopefully without being too boring.
Read more...
Landis+Gyr EMEA introduces new company name: EYKON
News
EYKON is the new company name of Landis+Gyr EMEA, formerly part of the Landis+Gyr Group. The company supports electricity, gas, water and thermal utilities in managing increasingly complex networks, improving operational efficiency and enabling more sustainable use of resources.
Read more...
Yamaha Robotics will show visitors to EFX
Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services News
Yamaha Robotics will show visitors to EFX 2026, the Expo for Electronics Manufacturing, in Stuttgart from 6-8 October 2026, how advanced surface-mount automation helps companies grow their business and increase productivity.
Read more...
From the editor's desk: The art of measuring the truth
Technews Publishing
Editor's Choice News
All electronic measurements are a lie. The trick is making the lie as small as possible.
Read more...
TSE has relocated
News
The Technology Station in Electronics (TSE) has entered a new chapter with its relocation from the CSIR campus to TUT-owned building at Ditsela Place in Hatfield.
Read more...
Innovative MyLegrand app
RS South Africa
News
Legrand SA is set to launch the MyLegrand mobile application, a digital platform designed to strengthen engagement across its professional network.
Read more...
Kulani Energy acquires critical assets from Optipower
News
Kulani Energy preserves engineering, procurement, and construction capability and positions a wholly women-owned firm at the forefront of South Africa’s grid expansion.
Read more...
From Cape Town to Johannesburg
News
Würth Elektronik South Africa has taken a significant step forward with its recent relocation from Cape Town to Johannesburg, marking a new phase of growth and ambition for the company.
Read more...
Lesley Havenga: Building partnerships for Africa’s electronics future
Editor's Choice News
As Würth Electronik expands its footprint across South Africa and the broader sub-Saharan region, Havenga’s blend of manufacturing expertise, supply chain knowledge, and people-centred leadership appears well suited to the task.
Read more...
printer friendly version