Multiwave computing circuits using integrated opto-electronic devices

VLSI technology provides the means for implementing parallel systems with large numbers of computing elements. However, the high cost of communication in area, time, and power, relative to that of logic and storage, constrains the design and engineering of large-scale tightly-coupled systems. The problem severity increases as die size increases, and is at its worst in wafer-scale integration (WSI) and multichip module (MCM) packaging. Multiwave optical computing, where discrete wavelengths are employed as multiplexable information carriers, presents an interesting solution to the communication crisis in next-generation integrated systems. A computer architecture using multiwavelength opto-electronic integrated circuits (multiwave OEICs) provides the wavelength space as an extra dimension of freedom for parallel processing. A key feature is that several independent computations can be performed in a single optical circuit using wavelength space, as if it were several computing circuits operating in parallel.<>