Architectural implications of a digital optical processor

Abstract

A general technique is described for implementing sequential logic circuits optically. In contrast with semiconductor integrated circuitry, optical logic systems allow very flexible interconnections between gates and between subsystems. Because of this, certain processing algorithms which do not map well onto semiconductor architectures can be implemented on the optical structure. The algorithms and processor architectures which can be implemented on the optical system depend on the interconnection technique. We describe three interconnection methods and analyze their advantages and limitations.