Production of Holographic Optical Interconnection Elements

Current trends in computing and telecommunications point to a growing need for devices that are able to switch optical beams carrying information without having to convert them to electric signals. This would create a whole new generation of hybrid optoelectronic processors combining the computational strength of electronics with the very large information throughput density of optics. Holographic optical interconnection elements for a proposed optoelectronic integrated coprocessor are characterized and a feasibility study of the interconnection scheme is conducted. The performed interconnection simulation presents a rigorous analysis of the scheme within a framework of diffraction and holography theory. A novel method for production of holographic optical interconnection elements has been devised, and a corresponding production system designed and built. The system is made to be highly versatile in order to accommodate the production of interconnection elements that are twodimensional arrays with either small or large (e.g. 3x3 or 128X128) of pixels where the element has a different diffraction angle. Thus an investigation of a variety of interconnection schemes is possible Ideal parameters for production of interconnection elements on traditional holographic silverhalide plates were determined. The plates were then tested for diffraction efficiency and acceptability of the diffracted beam profile. Although these thin holographic optical interconnection elements had an expectable low diffraction efficiency of typically 10%, they successfully demonstrated the functionality of the proposed interconnection scheme and the production system. Thesis Supervisor: Cardinal Warde Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science