On chip CMOS optical element

• US 7,056,760 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2004
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dunning, David, Drottar, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Fourson, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Toledo, Fernando L.
• Application Number:
  US10/984,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20050095004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 438/60, 438/61, 257/80, 257/82, 257/84, 359/344
• US Class Current: 438/60
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/801 using optical interconnects, e.g. light coupled isolators, circuit board interconnections

Abstract

CMOS optical receiver and optical transmitters are described. The optical receiver is formed from a CMOS CCD which is modified to immediately output all information indicative of incoming light, i.e., with no transfer gate. The optical transmitter is formed of a modulation window device. Both the optical transmitter and optical receiver are located on-chip with a microprocessor and form the I/O for the microprocessor. Since the modified I/O is serial, a serial to parallel converter, and parallel to serial converter are provided.

Claims

1. A method of communicating with a microprocessor, comprising:

providing an optical receiving device and an optical transmitting device on a substrate with a microprocessor;

receiving light indicative of a serial stream of incoming information for said microprocessor;

converting said light to electrical signals in parallel form, and connecting said signals to said microprocessor;

obtaining a result from said microprocessor in parallel form, and converting said result to serial;

using said serial-converted result to drive said optical transmitting device to produce a serial optical stream indicative of said microprocessor result; and

wherein said optical receiving device is a CCD without a transfer gate, configured to immediately output information indicative of incoming light.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said optical receiving device and optical transmitting device are formed using a process compatible with CMOS.