Field Programmable Smart Pixel Arrays
Abstract
Smart pixel arrays are integrated two dimensional arrays of
opto-electronic devices with optical I/O and with electronic processing
capabilities. Opto-electronic technologies have matured to the point where
relatively large and complex arrays of smart pixels can now be fabricated.
However, one limitation to the wider acceptance of the smart pixel
technology is the need for custom VLSI design of the CMOS substrate, which
can require VLSI design expertise and a lengthy turn-around time. A "Field
Programmable Smart Pixel Array" is one where each pixel can be user
programmed in the field to implement arbitrary logic functions, typically
by down-loading a control bit-stream into an on-chip control memory. The
design of a field programmable smart pixel array using the ATT/ARPA/COOP
("Consortium for Optoelectronic Technologies") Hybrid/SEED technology is
described. When scaled to a one centimeter square die, the device would
support a 20x20 array of programmable pixels with 160 Gigabits/sec of
optical I/O bandwidth.