Optical interconnection circuits for high capacity ICT apparatus

In high-bandwidth ICT apparatus (data centers, servers, switching stations, etc.) and high-performance computing systems, high-effectiveness optical connections are requested. [2] These high-capacity ICT apparatus are based on optical backplanes where switching cards are connected each other with optical interconnection circuits. These optical interconnection circuits on the backplane allow signal transmission between cards. They should answer to several technical requirements as low optical power losses, low disturbance and interference in transmission, low size, standardized optical and mechanical interfaces, easy maintenance and, finally, low system costs. For these reasons, in the last years several solutions have been proposed for optical backplane interconnection circuits. The paper presents the design and development of a new optical backplane interconnection circuit for high-capacity ICT apparatus, mainly used for switching stations and distribution networks. It has several innovative aspects [1] and it solves drawbacks of prior art. The paper also shows circuit optical performances and describes the innovative assembly method conceived for the automatic assembly of optical backplane circuits.