JPH03177825A - Optical arithmetic unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable fast information processing by providing a slab-shaped waveguide structure wherein the projection light of a light emitting element is enlarged in only one direction and made incident on an optical modulator. CONSTITUTION:A light receiving element array 4 is formed by arranging one laterally long column of rectangular light receiving elements and one light receiving element photodetects light from one row of the optical modulator which has modulating elements arranged in matrix. Each light emitting element emits light according to an input vector signal and the projection light is enlarged in the column direction in a slab waveguide 2 and made incident on the optical modulator 3. At such a time, the light emitted by one light emitting element is made incident on all optical modulating elements in one column and the light modulated by the optical modulator is received all in the row direction by one rectangular light receiving element of the light receiving element array 4. Consequently, positioning is facilitated, the number of connections is easily increased, and the fast information processing becomes possible.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an optical arithmetic device that performs arithmetic operations at high speed using light.

[Conventional technology]

Research is progressing on computers that can perform calculations at high speed in order to process large-scale information, but methods that use sequential processing using electrical circuits are already approaching their performance limits. Therefore, research is progressing on parallel processing architectures such as supercomputers and array processors that execute multiple operations simultaneously. On the other hand, light has a spatial spread and its physical properties do not interfere with each other, so
Computations using light have excellent parallelism. Possible means for modulating light include amplitude, two phases, nine frequencies, and polarization.
Spatial light modulators are being developed.

As an optical arithmetic device for calculating the product of a vector and a matrix, there have been methods in which a one-dimensional light-emitting element and a one-dimensional light-receiving element are connected using an anamorphic optical system, and a method in which input data is modulated with a spatial light modulator. It has been known. For information on how to use anamorphic optical systems, see, for example, the magazine Optics Letters, 2.
vol., 1978, pp. 1-3, ``Fully parallel high 5
peed 1ncoherent optical
method for performing di
Screte Fourier transform
m) are detailed in J. Further, regarding the method of modulating input data with a spatial light modulator, for example, the magazine Applied Optics (applied optics)
cs), Vol. 26, 1987, pp. 5055-5056.
ptical bidirectional asso
This is explained in detail in the following section. However, the method using an anamorphic optical system requires complicated positioning of each optical element, and is not suitable for processing large amounts of data.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In order to facilitate positioning, a method of connecting the light emitting element 1 and the optical modulator 3 using an optical fiber 31 as shown in FIG. 3 is also being considered. However, in such a system, as the number of connections increases, the amount of fiber connections becomes enormous, and the number of connections is limited.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical arithmetic device that can be easily positioned and can easily increase the number of connections.

[Means to solve the problem]

The optical processing device of the present invention includes an array of light emitting elements, a light modulator in which modulation elements for modulating the intensity of light are arranged in a matrix, and a light receiving element array for receiving the modulated light. The light emitting device is characterized by having a slab-like waveguide structure that magnifies the light emitted from the light emitting element in only one direction and inputs the light into the optical modulator.

[Effect]

The operation of the present invention will be explained using FIG. When multiplying a matrix and a vector, one element of the vector is multiplied by multiple elements of the matrix. In an optical calculator, it is necessary to input light emitted from one light emitting point to a plurality of light modulation elements. For this purpose, it is most practical to create an elongated rectangular light beam.

In the present invention, a trapezoidal slab-shaped waveguide as shown in FIG. 1 is formed from a material such as glass or plastic that transmits light. Since the side surfaces of the waveguide can reflect most of the light, the incident light from one bottom surface of the trapezoid can be guided to the other bottom surface. Therefore, an elongated rectangular light beam can be easily formed. And vice versa,
It is also possible to focus a rectangular beam at one location.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention. Book full!
In KAI, a pixel is constructed by sandwiching a light emitting element array 1 in which light emitting elements are arranged in a one-dimensional manner, a light receiving element array 4 in which Si photodetectors, for example, are arranged, and a transparent substrate on which electrodes are formed, for example, a TN liquid crystal. The device includes a spatial light modulator 3 composed of liquid crystal cells arranged in a strix pattern, a slab waveguide 2, a light emitting element drive circuit 5, and an optical modulator drive circuit 6. The liquid crystal cell has the same structure as a conventionally used liquid crystal display panel, with each pixel serving as a light modulation element constituting a light modulator. The light-receiving element array has a configuration in which rectangular light-receiving elements are arranged horizontally in a single vertical row, and one light-receiving element receives light from one row of optical modulators in which modulation elements are arranged in a matrix. Note that the drive circuits 5 and 6 used are commonly used ones.

The light emitting element emits light according to the input vector signal, and the emitted light is expanded in the column direction by the slab waveguide 2.
The light enters the optical modulator 3. At this time, light emitted from one light emitting element is incident on one row of light modulating elements. The light modulated by the optical modulator is collectively received in the row direction by one rectangular light receiving element of the light receiving element array 4.

Although rectangular light receiving elements are used in this embodiment, it is also possible to install a slab waveguide on the output side of the optical modulator and receive the modulated light with a one-dimensional light receiving element array.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, it is also possible to use a slab waveguide 2 that reflects the incident light on the incident surface 21 on the reflective surface 23 and guides it to the output surface 22.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily configure an optical processing device with an increased number of optical connections, and high-speed information processing becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a conventional technique. In the figure, 1... light emitting element array, 2... slab waveguide, 3...
...Light modulator, 4... Light receiving element array, 5... Light emitting element drive circuit, 6... Light modulator drive circuit, 2
1... Incidence surface, 22... Output surface, 23... Reflection surface, 31... Optical fiber.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an optical operation device including an array of light emitting elements, a light modulator in which modulation elements for modulating the intensity of light are arranged in a matrix, and a light receiving element array for receiving the modulated light, the output light of the light emitting element is 1. An optical arithmetic device comprising a slab-shaped waveguide structure that expands only one direction of light to enter an optical modulator.