SLM-on-Si RAM Page Composer for Optical Memory

The goal of the proposed program is to develop a page composer for optical memories that can be connected directly to host processors with conventional processor/memory interfaces. Three-dimensional optical memories offer tremendous capacity if a cost-effective page composer can be made. The new page composer would be an oxide-film spatial lisght modulator (SLM) fabricated directly on silicon random access memory (RAM). The film would consist of PLZT or similar complex oxide material with electrooptic properties. Each pixel of the SLM can be driven interfaces to processors that could be combined with highly parallel two-dimensional optical interconnects to optical memory. The design is adaptable to a wide variety of wavelengths to accommodate various 3-D memory materials. In Phase I we propose to deposit films on silicon circuits to establish the compatibility of Si circuits with the oxide fabrication process. In Phase II we propose to demonstrate the operation of the page composer, measure its performance characteristics, and investigate technical aspects of producing this page composer.