Abstract

We demonstrate a new mode of operation for quantum well self-electrooptic-effect devices (SEEDs) using their analog features, and our results shows that this device is potentially useful for analog systems. This device was recently proposed as a new analog SEED circuit operating with differential pairs of light beams[1]. It uses the difference in two light beam powers to represent an analog value. Normally, processing such bipolar values is difficult with optics. This new circuit allows many different analog functions to be performed, including addition, subtraction, and differentiation of images, correlation, and optically controlled bipolar matrix-vector multiplication[2]. In general, such operations operate on and generate both positive and negative values; this circuit allows full use of such values in analog systems, and, since it was fabricated using the symmetric SEED array process[4], it is compatible with being fabricated in large two-dimensional arrays. We demonstrate the linear performance of this circuit from 50 nW to 3 mW optical powers.

© 1993 Optical Society of America