Dependability-increasing technique for a multi-context optically reconfigurable gate array

Optically reconfigurable gate arrays (ORGAs) have been developed as a type of multi-context field programmable gate array. An ORGA´s programmable gate array with more than 100 reconfiguration contexts can be reconfigured in nanosecond-order. In addition to that beneficial feature, ORGAs can be reconfigured with invalid configuration data that have been damaged by high-energy charged particles in a radiation-rich space environment. Even if 35 % or 5,915 pixels of holographic memory data are damaged by high-energy charged particles, the ORGA can execute configuration operations correctly. Therefore, ORGAs are sufficiently robust devices for use in space-radiation environments. This paper presents a proposal of a more advanced dependability-increasing technique on a multi-context ORGA. This technique can raise the ORGA´s level of configuration dependability even further by exploiting multi-context implementation.