Contrasting Laser Power Requirements of Wavelength-Routed Optical NoC Topologies Subject to the Floorplanning, Placement, and Routing Constraints of a 3-D-Stacked System

A realistic assessment of optical networks-on-chip (ONoCs) can be performed only in the context of a comprehensive floorplanning strategy for the system as a whole, especially when the 3-D stacking of electronic and optical layers is implemented. This paper fosters layout-aware ONoC design by developing a physical mapping methodology for wavelength-routed ONoC topologies subject to the floorplanning, placement, and routing constraints that arise in a 3-D-stacked environment. As a result, this paper is able to compare the power efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio of ring-based versus filter-based wavelength-routed topologies as determined by their physical design flexibility.