We propose and describe a free-space optical interconnection device with a photorefractive semi-linear resonator. The hologram in the photorefractive crystal is, in general, volatile and the erasing of it coincides with the diffraction of the signal beam. Therefore we have to reform the hologram again after several transmissions of the data or use some fixing techniques such as thermal fixing and electrical fixing. In our interconnection device, the hologram is enhanced by the feedback beam that is a part of the input signal divided by the beam splitter within semi-linear resonator, therefore the sustentation time of the connection can be extended. We explain the sustentation mechanism and investigate the optimum reflectivity of the beam splitters, which determine the feedback rate of the input signal, within feedback circuit for the high output conversion efficiency. We also analyze the coupling strength threshold for sustentation of the connection. We give a basic experiment on 33 interconnection by using BaTiO3 crystal and Ar+ laser whose wavelength is 514 [nm]. We show that the connections are held for long time without the continuous illumination of the control beam.

Angle-multiplexed holography using four-wave mixing (4WM) was demonstrated with a monolithic photorefractive carbazole trimer. We measured the diffraction efficiency as a function of incident angle of the read beam. The cross-talk was almost negligible at the Bragg angle mismatch of 1. Two figure images were recorded with the different incident angle of the reference beam in the photorefractive carbazole trimer film, and were read out independently by illuminating with the read beam which counter-propagated to the corresponding reference beam.

We propose and describe a new configuration for splitting and combining operations of high-speed amplitude-modulated optical signals between the two interacting beams by using two-wave mixing in photorefractive Cu-doped (K0.5 Na0.5)0.2 (Sr0.61 Ba0.39)0.9 Nb2O6 (Cu-KNSBN) crystal. These operations are simultaneously achieved by changing the intensity ratio of the two incident beams. We also apply this scheme to a photorefractive pulse shaping in the time domain that consists of two amplitude-modulated beams that are coupled automatically through two-beam interactions in the crystal. Some preliminary experimental results are presented and discussed.

A photorefractive ring resonator with self-pumped four-wave mixing (PRRR-SPFWM) in which the Cat mirror region and the four-wave mixing region are formed in a single photorefractive crystal is proposed, and the steady-state analysis of this unknown device is first performed. Since the backward pump beam is generated as a phase conjugate of the forward pump beam in the Cat mirror region, counterpropagation of both pump beams is spontaneously obtained. We analyze its oscillation intensities in steady state, and show that the threshold coupling strength of oscillation depends on the cavity mirror reflectivity and the reflectivity of the Cat mirror region. We also show interesting property of PRRR-SPFWM, the possibility to switch over between unidirectional and bidirectional oscillation by controlling the amplitude of coupling strength.

Three dimensional (3-D) optics offers potential advantages to the massively-parallel systems over electronics from the view point of information transfer. The purpose of this paper is to survey some aspects of the 3-D optical interconnection technology for the future massively-parallel computing systems. At first, the state-of-art of the current optoelectronic array devices to build the interconnection networks are described, with emphasis on those based on the semiconductor technology. Next, the principles, basic architectures, several examples of the 3-D optical interconnection systems in neural networks and multiprocessor systems are described. Finally, the issues that are needed to be solved for putting such technology into practical use are summarized.