LightTime’s LightClocks™ are passively modelocked semiconductor lasers that produce high-speed optical pulses.  LightClocks have fixed rep rates scalable from 10 to 160+ GHz, with optical CW powers > 40mW (i.e., period average), and optical peak powers > 200 mW.  Their center wavelengths can be from 700 nm to 1600 nm. LightClocks are amenable to standard mass production methods and therefore relatively inexpensive for high-volume applications.


LightClock™ Optical Clocks Attributes:

• COMPLETELY SCALABLE: Speed: LightClocks can be produced with pulse rates from 10 GHz to 160GHz. Distribution: LightClock optical signal output is divisible into multiple clock distribution paths.

• REDUCED POWER CONSUMPTION: Net savings on the order of 10% of the total MPU power consumption are anticipated. Due to the LightClock's native pulses being directly distributed to various MPU chip locations, electronic signal transmission and line driver losses are eliminated.

• LESS JITTER: Rather than tens of picoseconds jitter inherent to VCO/PLL electronic clocking, the LightClock has less than a few picoseconds jitter.

• LESS DELAY: In electronic clocking, scaling increases RC delay. LightClocks have inherently less delay, which decreases
  with scaling. 

• SIMPLIFIED SKEW MANAGEMENT: The LightClocks' photonic signal time-of-arrival to the regions of the chip can be easily controlled using different optical path lengths.

• EMI/RFI ADVANTAGE: As an entirely optical signal, LightClock output neither produces nor is vulnerable to EMI and RFI, unlike electronic clocks and their signal transmissions. 

• ECONOMICAL: LightClocks are semiconductor devices designed for mass production.

• VERSATILE PHYSICAL INTERFACES: LightClocks can interface with MPUs in a variety of customer-preferred formats including flipchip, fiberoptic, or via other made-to-order methods.