Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated that cryogenic vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (cryo-VCSELs) could provide a more energy-efficient method of transmitting data from infrared imaging systems while reducing thermal load.
The findings, published in IEEE Photonics Technology Letters recently, address a growing challenge facing advanced infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs), which increasingly require data transmission rates exceeding 100 gigabits per second as sensor resolution and imaging speeds improve.
Conventional electrical interconnects rely on copper links that can transfer heat into cryogenic imaging systems, increasing noise levels, cooling requirements and power consumption. [Read more…] about IEEE study highlights cryogenic VCSELs for high-speed optical interconnects