Abstract: In one aspect the system serves as a transmitter and comprises an optics system; a plurality of source elements positioned on the focal plane; and, a small angle beam steerer. The plurality of source elements are each capable of providing a point source of radiation to the optics system. The optics system provides a collimated output. The small angle beam steerer receives the collimated output and redirects the collimated output through a small angular deviation. The redirected output is thus transmitted in a desired direction without a need for mechanical gimbals and is capable of covering a large angular range with respect to the optical axis of the optics system. The system can also be implemented as a receiver.

Abstract: In one aspect the system serves as a transmitter and comprises an optics system; a plurality of source elements positioned on the focal plane; and, a small angle beam steerer. The plurality of source elements are each capable of providing a point source of radiation to the optics system. The optics system provides a collimated output. The small angle beam steerer receives the collimated output and redirects the collimated output through a small angular deviation. The redirected output is thus transmitted in a desired direction without a need for mechanical gimbals and is capable of covering a large angular range with respect to the optical axis of the optics system. The system can also be implemented as a receiver.

Abstract: A semiconductor device is disclosed in which a long interaction path length is provided for a non-invasive probe beam. In a preferred embodiment, mirror surfaces are etched in the surface of the semiconductor substrate which are used to reflect the probe beam along the longest dimension of a charge carrier region of the semiconductor device. Interaction between the probe beam and the charge carriers present in the region is thereby enhanced.

Abstract: A hybrid optical/electronic processor for determining the presence of a feature of interest in an input image. The system includes an optical processor for convolving the input image with a target image representing the feature of interest, to produce an output image that is incident onto an electronic processing array. The array comprises a two dimensional array of processing cells, each of which performs local operations. In particular, each processing cell comprises a a photodetector for producing an electronic detection signal corresponding to the intensity of illumination at the processing cell, means for transmitting the detection signal to adjacent processing cells, and means for receiving detection signals from adjacent processing cells. Each processing cell produces an output signal if the local and neighboring detection signals satisfy a predetermined criteria. The output signal preferably comprises the address of the processing cell.

Abstract: A spatial light modulation technique for a coherent optical processor, permitting binary spatial light modulators to represent a range of grey levels. The technique modulates a coherent input beam at a plurality of spatially separate image pixels, to produce a modulated beam having the image pixels spatially encoded thereon. The input beam is divided into N sub-beams, each of which is passed through a separate binary spatial light modulator to produce a modulated sub-beam. Each binary spatial light modulator comprises an array of sub-pixels, each of which either blocks or passes a portion of the sub-beam. One sub-pixel of each binary modulator corresponds to each image pixel. The modulated sub-beams are then combined. Weighting means are provided for modifying the intensity of light following the sub-beam paths by selected weighting values. The weighting values form a series in which each of N-1 weighting values differs from the preceding weighting value by a factor of 4.

Abstract: An optical computing system includes an input device, a converter and an optical computing device. The input device generates first light beams along selected ones of a first plurality of light transmitting paths. Each of the first light beams is representative of a digit of a number. The converter converts the first light beams into second light beams selected among a second plurality of light transmitting paths. Each of the second light beams is representative of the residue of the number modulo a given modulus among a plurality of mutually prime moduli. The converter generates, for each number, an ordered group of second light beams corresponding to an ordered group of residues modulo each of the mutually prime moduli. The optical computing device is coupled to receive the orderd group of second light beams from the converter for performing residue arithmetic operations.