HIGH-SPEED LOW-ENERGY DIGITAL OPTICAL PROCESSORS

We describe the effort to design and construct a high-speed low-energy digital optical processor that is currently in progress at OptiComp C orporation. The reasons for believing that it is possible to build opt ical processors that have lower switch energies than are possible with electronic processors are discussed. Two systems, a second-generation digital optical computer (DOC II) and a high-performance optoelectron ic computer (HPOC), which are under development at OptiComp, are descr ibed. Both systems are based on high optical fan-out emitters and high optical fan-in detectors. Finally, potential practical applications f or the high-performance optoelectronic computer are discussed. (C) 199 6 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.