A rack-mounted prototype packet switch that makes use of wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) interconnect techniques has been developed. The switch has a maximum throughput of 320 Gbit/s. It features a WDM star-based switch architecture, an electrical control circuit layer and a broad-bandwidth optical WDM layer. The basic characteristics of the broad bandwidth WDM layer, such as level diagram, transmission characteristics, 32-wavelength-channel switching, and high-speed optical gating within a 1.6-ns guard time, are described. Experimental results demonstrated that the switch can perform practical self-routing switch operations, such as address-extraction, optical buffering, and filtering for packet speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s. The switch is promising for such applications as a terabit-per-second switching node in future WDM transport networks.

We have developed a highly integrated liquid-crystal-on-silicon microdisplay for virtual reality applications. The silicon panel of 704 576 pixels was designed and fabricated by a custom 0.35 µm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology with emphasis on surface planarization. Topographic variation of less than 100 within the pixels was achieved. The pixel pitch was 9.6 µm, fill factor was 88% and display area was 0.36" in diagonal. Eight-bit digital data drivers and gamma-correction circuitry were integrated onto the silicon panel for true gray scale and full color representation. The display panel was assembled with a mixed twisted nematic and birefringence liquid crystal cell for high contract at CMOS compatible voltage. Chromatic characterization of the display using 3-color-in-1 light emitting diode (LED) as light source was performed. Contrast ratios on the pixel array were 95, 72 and 56, respectively, for red, green and blue colors at 3 V root-mean-squared voltage. In addition, a three-dimensional (3D) video stream in interlaced format was generated by a 3D modeling code for test and demonstration. Control logic was implemented to extract the left and right video frames and perform system timing synchronization. The silicon microdisplay was driven in frame inversion and by color sequence. With two sets of silicon microdisplays and eyepieces for each eye, we have demonstrated a 3D stereoscopic display based on the silicon microdisplay technology.

A WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) technology is a new optical technology, providing multiple wavelengths at the rate of 10 Gbps on the fiber. IP (Internet Protocol) over WDM networks where IP packets are directly carried on the WDM network is expected to offer an infrastructure for the next generation Internet. For IP over WDM networks, a WDM protection mechanism is expected to provide a highly reliable network (i.e., robustness against the link/node failures). However, conventional IP also provides a reliability mechanism by its routing function. In this paper, we first formulate an optimization problem for designing IP over WDM networks with protection functionalities of WDM networks, by which we can obtain IP over WDM networks with high reliability. Our formulation results in a mixed integer linear problem (MILP). However, it is known that MILP can be solved only for a small number of variables, in our case, nodes and/or wavelengths. We therefore propose two heuristic algorithms, min-hop-first and largest-traffic-first approaches in order to assign the wavelength for backup lightpath. Our results show that the min-hop-first approach takes fewer wavelengths to construct the reliable network, that is, all of lightpaths can be protected using the WDM protection mechanism. However, our largest-traffic-first approach is also a good choice in the sense that the approach can be saved the traffic volume increased at the IP router by the link failure.

We generalize the construction of quantum error-correcting codes from F4-linear codes by Calderbank et al. to pm-state systems. Then we show how to determine the error from a syndrome. Finally we discuss a systematic construction of quantum codes with efficient decoding algorithms.

We propose an extraction method of personal features based on on-line handwriting information. Most recent research has been focused on signature verification, especially in the field of on-line writer verification. However, signature verification has a serious problem in that it will accept forged handwriting. To solve this problem, we have introduced an on-line writer verification method which uses ordinary characters. In this method, any handwritten characters (i.e., ordinary characters) are accepted as a text in the verification process, and the text used in the verification process can be different from that in the enrollment process. However, in the proposed method, personal features are extracted only from the shape of strokes, and it is still uncertain how efficient other on-line information, such as writing pressure or pen inclination, is for extracting personal features. Therefore, we propose an extraction method of personal features based on on-line handwriting information, including writing-pressure and pen-inclination information. In the proposed method, handwriting information is described by a set of three-dimensional curves, and personal features are described by a set of Fourier descriptors for the three-dimensional curves. We also discuss the reliability of the proposed method with some simulation results using handwritten data. From these simulation results, it is clear that the proposed method effectively extracts personal features from ordinary characters.

This work presents a frame-structure, referred to as CATM (CATV ATM), to serve as a wireless network infrastructure. The widespread CATV (Community Antenna TV) networks are attractive infrastructures for next generation wireless networks. Providing interactive broadband services over CATV networks is a major trend in communication and ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) networks with broadband communication features well fitted to be the backbone of CATV networks. Based on the proposed network architecture, this work addresses and investigates the problems of call setup and handoff handling. This work also proposes a wireless signaling protocol for establishing mobile connections over the CATM-based wireless networks. To enhance bandwidth utilization, the proposed scheme attempts to keep the path resulting after handoff as short as possible. The protocol also evolves a seamless handoff scheme (denoted as SHSW-CATM), that can preserve data continuity, is transparent to other mobile terminals, and produces a shorter path. Analytical results reveal that the SHSW-CATM has a high probability of obtaining an optimal path (that is, a non-elongated path) following mobility.

The a-Si TFT characteristics were studied for process temperatures of as low as 100C. The a-Si TFT kept normal characteristics for process temperature of as low as 150C. The a-Si TFT bias temperature stability was evaluated and degradation of stability initiated at around 150C. The characteristics of a-Si TFT fabricated on plastic substrates were the same as those of a-Si TFT fabricated on glass substrates at low process temperature. TFT-LCD fabricated at a process temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of plastic substrates indicated good display image. These results indicate the possibility of fabricating TFT-LCD on plastic substrates, which would promote the application of a-Si TFT-LCD for mobile devices.

By using full-color light emitting diode (LED) panel, we have been studying a stereoscopic full-color large television in broad daylight. In order to implement stereoscopic large display for the general public, optimum parameters of display elements and parallax barrier and viewing areas of stereoscopic display using parallax barrier are discussed. Although stereoscopic display with parallax barrier permits the viewer to view stereoscopic images without any special glasses, its viewing area is restricted by crosstalk and disappearing of pixels. Enlarged viewing areas, which are derived from the small ratio of light emitting region to pixel and a proper aperture ratio of parallax barrier, are analyzed. A model of a viewer standing toward the display is proposed because the viewer apart from the horizontal center of the display turns to the center point of LED display and this turning causes a deviation of viewer's eye position. Then, the allowable number of viewing locations is derived on "no crosstalk" and "no disappearance" conditions. The optimum aperture ratio of parallax barrier and the width of light emitting region is obtained through the optimization. The viewing area obtained from the analysis is confirmed by experiments using full-color LED panel. Relations between viewing area and the moire fringes is also discussed. The depth of the viewing area agrees the viewing distance where no moire fringe appears. Furthermore, possibility of display for the crowds is discussed.

Voltage holding property of liquid crystal (LC) cell for long period was investigated and the experimantal results were analyzed using a microscopic model considered the movement of ions in LC layer. The time dependent voltage decay curve observed in the experiment, which is not driven by the analysis with the conventional equivalent circuit comprised of the capacitance and the resistance, can be well explained by the microscopic model.

BaAl2S4:Eu thin-film EL device using a new blue emitting EL phosphor was prepared by the two targets pulse-electron-beam evaporation. The maximum luminance level was 65 cd/m2 under the 50 Hz pulse voltage. The EL spectrum had blue emission with a peak around 470 nm due to the transition for Eu2+ ion. The CIE color coordinates of BaAl2S4:Eu EL device were x = 0.12 and y = 0.10. The performance of blue-emitting BaAl2S4:Eu EL devices is shown to be sufficient for commercial color EL display in color purity and luminance level.

For vacuum-UV (VUV) phosphor application such as plasma display panels (PDPs) and mercury free lamps, CaAl2O4:Eu2+ (CA:Eu2+) showing 440 nm blue emission was examined. A single phase CA:Eu2+ was obtained by two step firing technique. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum shows blue shift compared to that of blue-emitting BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM:Eu2+) phosphors. CA:Eu2+ phosphors with β-tridymite crystal structure show less luminance degradation on baking in comparison to the commercial BAM:Eu2+ phosphors under VUV excitation. The initial PL intensity of CA:Eu2+ (Eu: 2 mol%) powder phosphor excited by 147 nm light was found to be about 60% of the commercial BAM:Eu2+ and the luminance of test panel with CA:Eu2+ (Eu: 1 mol%) was 37.4 cd/m2. The low test panel luminance with CA:Eu2+ phosphor is partly caused by the poor spread characteristics of the phosphor slurry due to the large particle size distribution. With improvement of luminance efficiency and the powder characteristics, there is a possibility that CA:Eu2+ phosphors can be applied for PDPs.

We have proposed and fabricated a new poly-Si TFT employing the selectively doped regions in the active layer. In the proposed poly-Si TFTs, the selectively doped regions where doping concentration is identical to that of the source/drain, reduce the effective channel length during the on-state. Under the off-state, the selectively doped regions may reduce the lateral electric field induced near the drain and reduce the leakage current considerably. The experimental data of the proposed TFT exhibit high on-current, low leakage current and low threshold voltage. The fabrication of the proposed TFT is rather simple; the required steps for the proposed TFT are reduced because high dosage ion-implantation for the source/drain and the selectively doped regions is performed simultaneously prior to excimer laser irradiation step.

The alignment of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) parallel to the polarization direction of the laser could be induced by three types of polyimide (PI) films, a PI based on aromatic dianhydride and two PIs on alicyclic dianhydride, exposed to polarized pulsed laser at 266 nm at high fluence in air. The UV-visible absorption spectra of the PI films showed that a remarkable chemical change occurred after exposure at the high fluence in air. In contrast, in argon atmosphere the PI based on aromatic dianhydride was radiation-resistant and the exposed PI film could induce alignment of the LC molecules parallel to laser polarization. We estimate that the mechanism of the parallel alignment observed in argon is not the photodegradation but the orientation of the PI molecules.

This paper describes an all-optical label swapping for the photonic label switching router (LSR). The optical code routing photonic LSR in which label is mapped onto an optical code is one of the most promising photonic network technologies. It utilizes such unique features of optical code division multiplexing (OCDM) as asynchronous transmission, tell-and-go access protocol, and high degree of scalability. In practical photonic LSRs, all optical code conversion will play an important role. All-optical code conversion of 10 Gbit/s binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) codes by use of cross-phase modulation (XPM) in an optical fiber without wavelength-shift is proposed for the photonic LSR and experimentally demonstrated.

With the continuing growth of the World Wide Web (WWW) services over the Internet, the demands for rapid image transmission over a network link of limited bandwidth and economical image storage of a large image database are increasing rapidly. In this paper, a classified binary-tree-structured Self-Organizing Feature Map neural network is proposed to design image vector codebooks for quantizing images. Simulations show that the algorithm not only produces codebooks with lower distortion than the well-known CVQ algorithm but also can minimize the edge degradation. Because the adjacent codewords in the proposed algorithm are updated concurrently, the codewords in the obtained codebooks tend to be ordered according to their mutual similarity which means more compression can be achieved with this algorithm. It should also be noticed that the obtained codebook is particularly well suited for progressive image transmission because it always forms a binary tree in the input space.

Loop optimization plays an important role in compiler optimization and program transformation. Many sophisticated techniques such as loop-invariance code motion, loop restructuring and loop fusion have been developed. This paper introduces a novel technique called loop quasi-invariance code motion. It is a generalization of standard loop-invariance code motion, but based on loop quasi-invariance analysis. Loop quasi-invariance is similar to standard loop-invariance but allows for a finite number of iterations before computations in a loop become invariant. In this paper we define the notion of loop quasi-invariance, present an algorithm for statically computing the optimal unfolding length in While-programs and give a transformation method. Our method can increase the accuracy of program analyses and improve the efficiency of programs by making loops smaller and faster. Our technique is well-suited as supporting transformation in compilers, partial evaluators, and other program transformers.

Although a number of car-traffic simulators have been developed for various purposes, none of the existing simulators enhance the simulation accuracy using sensor data or allow the system structure to re-configure the system structure depending on the application. Our goal was to develop a highly accurate, highly modular, flexible, and scalable micro-model car-traffic simulation system. The HLA (High Level Architecture) was applied to every system module as a standard interface between each module. This allows an efficient means for evaluating and validating a variety of micro-model simulation schemes. Our ongoing projects consist of running several identical simulations concurrently, with different parameter sets. By sending the results of these simulations to a manager module, which analyzes both the parameter sets and the simulated results, the manager module can evaluate the best-simulated results and determine the next action by comparing these results with the sensor data. In this system, the sensor data or the statistical data on the flow of traffic, obtained by monitoring real roads, is used to improve the simulation accuracy. Future systems are being planned to employ real time sensor data, where the input of the data occurs at almost real time speed. In this paper, we discuss the design of a HLA-based car-traffic simulation system and the construction of a sensor-data fusion algorithm. We also discuss our preliminary evaluation of the results obtained with this system. The results show that the proposed fusion algorithm can adjust the simulation accuracy to the logged sensor data within a difference of 5% (minimum 1.5%) in a specific time period. We also found that simulations with 500 different parameter sets can be executed within 5 minutes using 8 simulator modules.

This paper shows how a divisive state clustering algorithm that generates acoustic Hidden Markov models (HMM) can benefit from a tied-mixture representation of the probability density function (pdf) of a state and increase the recognition performance. Popular decision tree based clustering algorithms, like for example the Successive State Splitting algorithm (SSS) make use of a simplification when clustering data. They represent a state using a single Gaussian pdf. We show that this approximation of the true pdf by a single Gaussian is too coarse, for example a single Gaussian cannot represent the differences in the symmetric parts of the pdf's of the new hypothetical states generated when evaluating the state split gain (which will determine the state split). The use of more sophisticated representations would lead to intractable computational problems that we solve by using a tied-mixture pdf representation. Additionally, we constrain the codebook to be immutable during the split. Between state splits, this constraint is relaxed and the codebook is updated. In this paper, we thus propose an extension to the SSS algorithm, the so-called Tied-mixture Successive State Splitting algorithm (TM-SSS). TM-SSS shows up to about 31% error reduction in comparison with Maximum-Likelihood Successive State Split algorithm (ML-SSS) for a word recognition experiment.

We investigate possibility of fault-tolerant and self-stabilizing protocols (ftss protocols) using an unreliable failure detector. Our main contribution is (1) to newly introduce k-accuracy of an unreliable failure detector, (2) to show that k-accuracy of a failure detector is necessary for any ftss k-group consensus protocol, and (3) to present three ftss k-group consensus protocols using a k-accurate and weakly complete failure detector under the read/write daemon on complete networks and on (n-k+1)-connected networks, and under the central daemon on complete networks.

Low luminous efficacy is one of the major drawbacks of PDPs, with the discharge being the predominant limiting factor. Numeric simulations granting deeper insight in the core processes of the discharge are presented and the key parameters influencing the plasma efficiency are examined.