A digital optical implementation of RISC

The authors describe how a programmable, arbitrary-bit-length optical digital ALU (arithmetic and logic unit) functions. DOC II is a prototype processor designed to demonstrate these concepts in the implementation of some RISC (reduced instruction set computer) instructions. The theoretical basis for this architecture is mapped into current optical hardware that uses laser diode arrays, multichannel spatial light modulators, and avalanche photodiode arrays. Optics offers to digital computation a technology that can achieve extremely high speed while approaching the Boltzmann kT limit for power consumption. The use of optimal optical primitives in digital optical computers shows that potential of achieving gate interconnect bandwidth products (GIBPs) of up to 10/sup 16/ with a power consumption on the order of 100 W.<>