Skewless optical data-link subsystem for massively parallel processors using 8 Gb/s x 1.1 Gb/s MMF array optical module

A high-capacitance, compact, low-cost, and convenient optical data-link subsystem for parallel computers is developed using an 8 Gb/s/spl times/1.1 Gb/s multimode fiber (MMF) array optical module and newly developed data-link IC. Although the subsystem uses an MMF ribbon, parallel data is successfully transmitted over 1 km due to /spl plusmn/15-ns deskew operation of the IC. The subsystem operated stably in a processor networking testbed system of the Real World Computer-1, a newly constructed parallel computer. Random packets are transmitted without any error for over 17.5 h, corresponding to a bit-error rate (BER) of less than 10/sup -15/.