SBIR-STTR Award

Recent advances in optical processing have created an opportunity to build massively parallel processing units which are comparable in size to current desk top computers. This massive parallelism promises orders of magnitude increase in processing speed and the optical nature of the system makes it ideal for image and array processing. To date, the primary roadblock in recognizing the potential of optical processors is the input and output devices. Because the actual processing literally occurs at the speed of light, the I/O interface creates a system bottle-neck which limits overall system throughput. High frame rate spatial light modulators capable of independently modulating both phase and amplitude are key to addressing this problem. SMD proposes the development of a pixelated Spatial Light Modulator (SLM) array, where each pixel independently modulates both phase and amplitude. SMD has previously demonstrated high-speed, amplitude-only SLM's for use in optical processing systems. This technology base will be extended to a new SLM architecture which also includes phase modulation.

In an optical processor, data is first converted to coherent light with a Spatial Light Modulator (SLM). Raw data is fed to an SLM and illuminated with a coherent reference beam to create a 2 dimensional data pattern. This approach requires converting data from its original parallel optical format to a serial electrical SLM input and then back to parallel optical form as a coherent reference beam illuminates the SLM. After optical processing, the parallel data output is then squeezed back into serial format as the imaging array outputs data in RS-170 or similar format. Because of this serial/parallel/serial conversion, the very power gained from the parallelisms of optical processing is typically forfeited at the input/output interface. The Phase II development proposed will focus on a high-speed architecture which maximizes input parallelism through the use of an optically addressed SLM. At the system output, throughput will again be maximized by digitally preprocessing correlation data within the camera itself. The marriage of an ultra high-speed front end SLM with smart digital processing at the processor output promises a new breed of correlator which more fully utilizes the power of optical computing.