Error-correction schemes for volume optical memories

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Computer Engineering
• Information Theory

Background:

• Optical memories require efficient error correction mechanisms.
• Parallel processing offers advantages in speed and efficiency for data retrieval.
• Reed-Solomon codes are widely used for error correction in digital systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate an optically addressed Reed-Solomon parallel decoder.
• To evaluate its performance for one-dimensional parallel access optical memories.
• To explore extensions for two-dimensional error correction and compare architectures.

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of an optically addressed Reed-Solomon decoder.
• Operation with 60 parallel optical inputs at a data rate of 300 megabits/s.
• Development of a hybrid optoelectronic architecture using optical finite-field matrix-vector multipliers.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a [15, 9] Reed-Solomon decoder operating at 300 megabits/s.
• Achieved greater area efficiency and reduced latency compared to serial decoders.
• Presented an extension for 2D error correction and a hybrid architecture exceeding 10^12 bits/s.

Conclusions:

• Optically addressed parallel Reed-Solomon decoders are effective for optical memory systems.
• Parallel architectures offer significant advantages in area efficiency and latency.
• Hybrid optoelectronic approaches enable high-speed error correction for large data rates.