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The company is attempting to integrate the speed of optical signal processing within standard CMOS high-volume chip manufacturing techniques. The result, it claims, could be an integrated package that makes optical connectivity viable for widespread computing use.

The work has been done at Big Blue's renowned T. J. Watson Research Center, which has revealed details of a prototype optical transceiver chipset. The researchers claim it is capable of reaching speeds at least eight times faster than optical components available today - that the transceiver is fast enough to reduce the download time for a high definition feature-length film to a single second.

Specifically, the chipset can process data at 160 Gbits/sec by using light pulses across optical connections, rather then sending electrons over wires.

But while IBM is trying to maximise the bandwidth that is available using

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optical signals, the researchers built the optical transceiver with driver and receiver integrated circuits (ICs) using current CMOS technology, which is used for most chips today. These were then coupled with other necessary optical components, which were made with non-standard materials, such as indium phosphide (InP) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). The final integrated package measures 3.25 by 5.25mm.

'This transceiver chipset is designed to enable low cost optics by attaching to an optical printed circuit board employing densely spaced polymer waveguide channels using mass assembly processes,' states IBM.

The result, the company claims, is a compact design that provides both a high number of communications channels as well as very high speeds per channel. Possible uses include integration onto printed circuit boards within computers or set top boxes.

'The explosion in the amount of data being transferred, when downloading movies, TV shows, music or photos, is creating demand for greater bandwidth and higher speeds in connectivity,' said Dr. T.C. Chen, IBM Research's VP of Science & Technology. 'Greater use of optical communications is needed to address this issue. We believe our optical transceiver technology may provide the answer.'

Details of the prototype chipset will be revealed by IBM at the 2007 Optical Fiber Conference in California, on 29 March, in a report entitled '160-Gb/s, 16-Channel Full-Duplex, Single-Chip CMOS Optical Transceiver'.