Overview of the POLO Project

The Parallel Optical Link Organization is a DARPA sponsored Industrial/University consortium consisting of Hewlett-Packard, AMP, DuPont , SDL and The University of Southern California . The consortium is developing low-cost, high-performance parallel optical interconnect modules for workstation clusters, multimedia, and high-speed switching systems.

Within the consortium, Hewlett-Packard is responsible for developing the HP-POLO module. AMP and DuPont are providing optical connectors and waveguide technologies respectively. USC is developing a link adapter to interface the HP-POLO module to workstations. USC is also responsible for initial system integration, test and demonstration. POLO leverages the performance of Gb/s fiber-optic technology and multiplies it by ten using fiber ribbon. Ribbon fiber from Siecor is used for parallel data links over distances of a few meters to a kilometer. The HP-POLO module has ten Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers and ten receivers. The module uses Polyguide technology developed by DuPont and manufactured by AMP. AMP is also developing the Polyguide to fiber array connection. The assembled POLO module is a low-cost multi-Gb/s physical layer for advanced networks.

The technology migration path for HP-POLO module technologies evolves from telephone switches to super computers. The research group at USC is leap-frogging past these early applications and addressing future need for advanced scaleable servers and workstation clusters. USC is developing the network interfaces to realize this goal and USC is also responsible for early system demonstration. Network technologies developed at USC include the high-performance CMOS Link Adapter Chip (the LA Chip) needed to interface between the HP-POLO module and the host computer bus adapter. USC will also make the complete POLO Network Interface Card which will be used to attach the network to workstations.

Throughout the lifetime of the project, USC has been working very closely with HP Laboratories in Palo Alto. Initial experiments on HP-POLO modules were performed using an experimental Gb/s network called JetStream developed by HP Bristol Laboratories. In these experiments a medical imaging application involving the use of three workstations interconnected and HP-POLO modules was developed and demonstrated. At present, the USC effort is focused on LA Chip development, test, and demonstration portions of the program.