Research on optical multistage butterfly interconnection and optoelectronic logic operations

We briefly study butterfly interconnection construction and propose an experimental approach to implementing multistage butterfly interconnection networks by using a special interconnection grating with the reflection ladder structure and liquid crystal light valves (LCLVs), and implementing the optical butterfly interconnections and primary optical digital logic operations. With this foundation, we analyse and discuss the features of the approach by computer simulations. In terms of our theoretical analyses, we improve the ring-circuit approach, based on the reflection ladder structure gratings, into a more suitable form based on transmission gratings, and we substitute the LCLVs with optoelectronic switches. Finally we give the experimental results of both the transmission grating and optoelectronic switches.