A nine-context programmable optically reconfigurable gate array with semiconductor lasers

ABSTRACT

Recently, optically reconfigurable gate arrays (ORGAs), which consist of a gate array VLSI, a holographic memory, and a laser array, have been developed to achieve a huge virtual gate count that is much larger than those of currently available VLSIs. Consequently, ORGAs with more than tera-gate capacity will be realized by exploiting the storage capacity of a holographic memory. However, compared with current field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), conventional ORGAs have an important shortcoming: they are not reprogrammable after fabrication because, to reprogram ORGAs, a holographic memory must be disassembled from its ORGA package, reprogrammed outside of the ORGA package using a holographic memory writer, and then implemented onto the ORGA package with high precision beyond the capability of manual assembly. To remove that daunting problem, this paper presents a nine-context programmable ORGA and its writer. Furthermore, this paper presents discussion of the availability of this architecture and future plans based on experimental results.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.7 INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
      B.7.0 General

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.0 GENERAL

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Reliability

Keywords:
field programmable gate arrays, holographic memory, optically reconfigurable gate arrays