George Panotopoulos

Optically programmable gate array

The Optically Programmable Gate Array (OPGA), an optical version of a conventional FPGA, benefits from a direct parallel interface between an optical memory and a logic circuit. The OPGA utilizes a holographic memory accessed by an array of VCSELs to program its logic. An active pixel sensor array incorporated into the OPGA chip makes it possible to optically address the logic in a very short time allowing for rapid dynamic reconfiguration. Combining spatial and shift multiplexing to store the configuration pages in the memory, the OPGA module can be made compact. The reconfiguration capability of the OPGA can be applied to solve more efficiently problems in pattern recognition and database search.

Optical memory for computing and information processing

The high data transfer rate achievable in page-oriented optical memories demands for parallel interfaces to logic circuits able to process efficiently the data. The Optically Programmable Gate Array, an enhanced version of a conventional FPGA, utilizes a holographic memory accessed by an array of VCSELs to program its logic. Combining spatial and shift multiplexing to store the configuration pages in the memory, the OPGA module is very compact and has extremely short configuration time allowing for dynamic reconfiguration. The reconfiguration capability of the OPGA can be applied to solve more efficiently problems in pattern recognition and digit classification.

Optically reconfigurable processors

Reconfigurable processors bring a new computational paradigm where the processor modifies its structure to suit a given application, rather than having to modify the application to fit the device. The Optically Programmable Gate Array, an enhanced version of a conventional FPGA, utilizes a holographic memory accessed by an array of VCSELs to program its logic. Combining spatial and shift multipexing to store the configuration pages in the memory, the OPGA module is very compact and has extremely short configuration time allowing for dynamic reconfiguration. The reconfiguration capability of the OPGA can be applied to solve more efficiently problems in pattern recognition and digit classification.

Holographic recording of fast events on a CCD camera

We report on holographic recording of nanosecond events on a conventional CCD camera. Three frames of an air-discharge event, with resolution of 5.9 ns and frame interval of 12 ns, are recorded in a single CCD frame. Each individual frame is reconstructed by digital filtering of the CCD frame, since successively recorded holograms are centered at different carrier frequencies in the spatial frequency domain.

Temperature dependence of absorption in photorefractive iron-doped lithium niobate crystals

We present experimental data showing a significant dependence of light absorption on temperature in photorefractive LiNbO3:Fe crystals. The results are successfully explained by assuming that the widths of the Fe2+ absorption bands in the visible and in the infrared spectral region depend on temperature. The findings are of relevance for thermal fixing of holograms. Furthermore, a temperature-induced increase of the infrared absorption is promising for improved infrared recording.

Athermal holographic filters

This letter presents the theory and experimental results of an athermal holographic filter design employing a thermally actuated microelectromechanical system mirror to compensate for the drift of Bragg wavelength due to changes of temperature. The center wavelength of our holographic filter is shown to remain constant from 21/spl deg/C to 60/spl deg/C.

Optically reconfigurable gate array

Summary form only given, as follows. Reconfigurable processors, like the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), open new computational paradigms where the processor is able to tailor its internal structure to better implement a given application. A typical FPGA consists of an array of configurable logic blocks and a mesh of interconnections fully programmable by the user to perform a given application. By just changing its internal connectivity, the FPGA can implement a totally different new function. However in most of the applications, the FPGA is configured only once and used as coprocessor to carry out some highly complex or time-consuming computation. The reason for such limitation is the small communication bandwidth between the FPGA chip and the external memory, usually ROM, where the configuration data is stored. The Optically Programmable Gate Array (OPGA), an enhanced version of a conventional. FPGA, can overcome this problem. The OPGA utilizes a holographic memory accessed by an array of VCSELs to program its logic. The on-chip logic has been complemented with an array of photodetectors to detect the configuration template recorded in the memory. Combining spatial and shift multiplexing to store the configuration pages in the memory, the OPGA module is very compact and has extremely short configuration time allowing for dynamic reconfiguration. The reconfiguration capability of the OPGA can be applied to solve more efficiently problems in pattern recognition and database searches.

Holographic techniques for recording ultrafast events

In this paper we report on a holographic method used to record fast events in the nanosecond time scale. Several frames of the expansion of shock waves in air and in a polymer sample are recorded holographically in a single shot experiment, using a pulse train generated with a single pulse from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The time resolution is limited by the laser pulse width, which is 5.9 ns. The different frames are recorded on the holographic material using angle multiplexing. Two cavities are used to generate the signal and reference pulses at different angles. We also present a method in which the recording material is replaced by a CCD camera. In this method the holograms are recorded directly on the CCD and digitally reconstructed. The holograms are recorded on a single frame of the CCD camera and then digitally separated and reconstructed.

Inter-pixel grating noise in holographic memories

We have experimentally discovered that the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of holograms initially remains constant as the number of holograms stored increases and drops significantly only after a large number of holograms are recorded. This suggests that in a large-scale memory, the limiting noise source is not crosstalk between holograms but holographic noise due to the prolonged exposure of the signal beam. We have carried out experiments to investigate the formation and influence of the inter-pixel grating noise and shown that it is a very important form of holographic noise. We also proposed and demonstrated the use of random-phase modulation in the signal to suppress the inter-pixel grating noise.