Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Particular coupling structure
Patent
1991-09-19
1994-09-06
Richardson, Robert L.
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Particular coupling structure
385130, 364713, 395750, G06F 1300, G06F 126
Patent
active
053455576
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
According to current know-how, computer-relevant signals can be transmitted both electrically and optically. In this respect the possibility exists in principle of using both types of transmission outside and inside the computer chips. The development of optical chips is being pursued at present, but has not reached anything like the advanced state, in particular in miniaturization, already attained in the case of electronic chips. Thus, there are both optical and electronic components for computers, to construct circuits by the one type of transmission or the other. In addition, there are so-called optronic components for the realization of transitions between circuit regions having a different type of transmission.
In the case of digital computers of the generic type, a plurality of processor units are operated simultaneously, in order to increase the computer speed. Wherever this concerns computers with neural networks, a more or less pronounced adaptiveness of the computers can be achieved by the simultaneous operation of many processors. The individual functional units, processors and storage devices have a high packing density in the case of electronic chips. The space requirement of processors is reduced and thereby the length of the internal transmission paths is shortened. The high packing density is achieved by the individual electronic switching elements arranged on a chip being miniaturized to an ever greater degree with the aid of electron-beam lithography. Considerable functional densities are already attainable with computer systems based on such chips. Nevertheless, it can be foreseen that there are limits to the development of purely electronic supercomputers. What is meant here by "supercomputers" is adaptive computers, which are conceivable only in multiprocessor arrangements in the form of neural networks, it being possible, according to the application, for the number of interacting processors to be, for example, in the tens of thousands, or even higher by orders of magnitude. Computer structures with such numbers of individual processors can no longer be realized by processors of a conventional type if acceptable hardware dimensions are to be maintained. In US-Z Aerospace America/June 1988, page 40, column 2, lines 28 to 41, a computer is described which is based on VLSIC technology (Very Large Scale Integrated Chip) and can execute 250,000 processes and 5 million cross-connections. Here it is then also stated that, depending on the application, some millions of cross-connections may be far too few. For example, pattern recognition by means of an optical recording member having a million optoelectrically active individual elements requires a number of cross-connections between the individual units of the computer which goes into the billions. In order to advance development in this direction, new ways of chip contacting would have to be found, since the interconnection of such large numbers of processors is very restricted by current contacting technology. With this technology, the individual chips are connected to the rest of the computer circuit by solder connections usually arranged on the edges of their packages.
As far as producing supercomputers of the abovementioned type is concerned, the electronic type of transmission offers the following advantage: production. In this case, component dimensions, for example conductor track widths, of 0.01 .mu.m can be realized.
However, on the other hand there are the following disadvantages: the development of supercomputers tremendously. electromagnetic interference fields. paths have the effect of considerably restricting the transmission rate and the transmission band widths on these paths.
If one considers the feasibility of optical concepts for the realization of supercomputers, the following disadvantage is encountered in particular: of miniaturization such as that already achieved in the case of electronic chips.
However, the following is advantageous in the case of optical computer concepts: interference
REFERENCES:
patent: 4007978 (1977-02-01), Holton
patent: 4732446 (1988-03-01), Gipson et al.
patent: 4939682 (1990-07-01), Falk
patent: 5009476 (1991-04-01), Reid et al.
patent: 5159700 (1992-10-01), Reid et al.
Proceedings of the IEEE vol. 72 No. 7 pp. 850-866 Jul. 1984.
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