Binary Zone Plate Array for Parallel Joint Transform Correlator System:Design and Evaluation

Abstract

Optical information processing systems based on Fourier transformation, such as the matched filtering correlation or the joint transform correlation, offer advantages such as parallel processing capability, direct input of signal images, freedom from electronic noise, and so on1,2). The key components of these systems are micro-optic components for generating efficient multiple image and spatial light modulators for real-time optical filtering . Binary zone plate array (BZPA), one of the diffractive optical elements, is especially attractive in the fields of optical computing and interconnection, where use of free space optics offer flexibility in designing a system of massive parallelism3,4).