Abstract

Because of the potential for high interconnectivity, several researchers have designed and implemented optical systems using volume holograms (e.g., the synaptic interconnects of neural networks). So far, this work has concentrated on optically generated holograms (i.e., holograms recorded by using interferometric techniques). Optical generation of the volume hologram often presents challenges in both the recording stage and the reliability of the playback stage. We are investigating the potential of generating the volume hologram by computer. In a computer generation approach, the volume hologram is discretized and described as a 3-dimensional array of voxels (volume elements) similar to the 2-dimensional array of pixels used to describe a planar hologram. The fundamental issues of this approach are to properly model the forward diffraction problem, to develop a procedure to encode the desired interconnections, and to determine a method of fabricating a discretized volume structure. This talk outlines the basic considerations involved in the generation and fabrication of volume holograms by computer.

© 1992 Optical Society of America