The Reconfigurable Optical Coprocessor

Researchers at GW have developed a novel, cost-effective, energy-efficient solution having enhanced performance, programmable array of photonic R (and LC) components using nanoplasmonics technology in order to solve systems that can be described through differential equations and converted into electrical analogues. The solution involves computing processes are in optical domain with ultra-high frequency allowing for enhanced performance. The solution is also highly cost-effective and energy-efficient as the associated optical co-processor is based on metatronics.

The proposed meta-nano circuits and its pure optical logic blocks can be used for developing a reconfigurable optical co-processor or other computing module with ultra-fast operating frequency and tiny on-chip scale due to its high interaction between light and matter using plasmonic devices. Moreover, the metasurface optical function elements (meta-nano blocks) can achieve much complex logic blocks such as differential equation and convolution via tunable materials known in the art. The proposed reconfigurable optical co-processor can also be used in any computing system to solve different types of partial differential equations, and this can be achieved at very high speeds and at low power.

Fig. 1 – One example of the disclosed Invention

Applications:

  • Computing applications
    • Reconfigurable optical co-processor or other computing module with ultra-fast operating frequency and tiny on-chip scale due to its high interaction between light and matter using plasmonic devices

Advantages:

  • Cost-effective
  • Energy-efficient
  • Enhanced performance
Patent Information:
Title App Type Country Serial No. Patent No. File Date Issued Date Expire Date
The Reconfigurable Optical Coprocessor (ROC) US Utility United States 15/369,371 10,318,680 12/5/2016 6/11/2019 12/5/2036