The AMOEBA chip: an optoelectronic switch for multiprocessor networking using dense-WDM

We present AMOEBA: a single-chip asynchronous multiprocessor optoelectronic bit-sliced arrayed crossbar switch intended to provide switched interconnection between multiple processors in a distributed computing environment. AMOEBA relies on optoelectronic-VLSI integration, free-space optical interconnects, and wavelength-and-space-division multiplexed networking on single-mode fiber. We report the implementation and testing of a first generation, 16-channel prototype of the switch and a compact opto-mechanical transceiver package that accomplishes the free-space-to-fiber interfacing.