Abstract

An optical technique for multiplication of binary numbers is described. A novel feature of this technique is the optical parallel generation of all carriers. The system, based on the polarization-rotation property of a liquid crystal light valve, may be space-shared to form an array of multipliers and developed into an optical matrix-vector multiplier. The system offers a better solution to the problem of propagation of carriers than the residue arithmetic approach. It has the potential of achieving high throughput rates without sacrificing noise immunity. The results of proof-of-principle experiments are discussed.

© 1985 Optical Society of America