How Chips Get Both Light and Electricity on a Special Glass Base

This patent describes a way to build computer chip packages using a special glass base that can carry both electrical signals and light signals, making chips faster and more efficient.

What it covers

The patent describes an integrated circuit package that uses a glass substrate, which includes a glass core layer and a glass cladding layer, with one or more cavities (Claim 1). An integrated circuit chip is positioned in these cavities (Claim 1). This chip is connected electrically through "redistribution layers" and optically through an "optical channel" (Claim 1). The optical channel can include a glass waveguide embedded within the glass, which guides light signals (Claim 5). For example, a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip, which uses light, can be placed in a cavity and communicate optically with the glass waveguide, while also connecting electrically to other parts of the package via the redistribution layers.

What it doesn't cover

• —Integrated circuit packages that only use electrical connections and do not include an optical channel for light signals.
• —Packages where the integrated circuit chip is not positioned within a cavity formed in the glass substrate.
• —Packages that use substrates made from materials other than glass, such as silicon wafers or organic laminates.
• —Optical connections that do not involve a glass waveguide embedded within the optical channel of the glass substrate.
• —Integrated circuit packages where the optical channel is not structurally part of the glass substrate itself.

The clever bit

The innovation lies in using a glass substrate that is specifically engineered to simultaneously provide both precise electrical routing via redistribution layers and efficient optical signal transmission via embedded glass waveguides, all within a compact package. This allows for a direct, high-bandwidth connection between electrical and optical components.

Why it matters

As data speeds increase, traditional electrical connections face limitations in bandwidth and power consumption. This patent addresses the need for high-speed, high-bandwidth communication within and between chips by integrating optical pathways directly into the chip package. This approach can lead to more compact, energy-efficient, and faster computing systems, especially for demanding applications like data centers and high-performance computing.

Real-world examples

• 1.High-performance computing modules
• 2.Data center optical transceivers
• 3.AI accelerator packages
• 4.Next-generation network switches