An Electro Optic Binary Adder.
Abstract
The patent application relates to an electro-optic adder which eliminates the requirement for serial logic operations in adding binary bits and greatly reduces the number of sequential steps needed to add numbers of high precision. A common substrate supports a plurality of waveguides numbering one more than the number of bits in the binary addends to be summed. Linearly polarized light is transmitted along each of the waveguides and a plurality of electrodes connectable to an electrical potential representative of a binary bit. The electrodes have discrete lengths contiguous to the waveguides for causing pi-radian phase retardation of light propagation upon application of the electrical potential. A polarization separator receives the output of each waveguide and produces signals commensurate with orthogonally polarized components. Photo detectors responsive to the signals representing each of the components produce commensurate electrical output signals which are, in turn, amplified and compared in an analog comparator for producing a binary output signal representative of the relative amplitudes of each pair of signals representing the orthogonally polarized components in each of the waveguides.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 28, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADD002889
Entities
People
- Henry F. Taylor
Organizations
- United States Department of the Navy