NOVEL ANALOG SELF-ELECTROOPTIC-EFFECT DEVICES

New circuits and modes of operation for quantum-well self-electrooptic-eff ect devices (SEED) are proposed that allow analog processing of optical images and arrays. Analog functions performed include addition, subtraction, uniform amplification, replication, spatial differentiation, convolution, cross-correlation, and optically controllable weights for matrix-vector processors or neural nets. Many of the devices can operate with differential pairs of light beams, allowing full bipolar analog processing, and other devices can convert between differential and single-beam representations. Many of the circuits could be made using the existing SEED array process. The devices should be sensitive enough to allow direct processing at video frame rates of scenes under normal room illumination. Operation up to speeds of nanoseconds is predicted for proportionately higher powers.