Reconfigurable ternary optical processor based on row operation unit

In order to eliminate the difference between the data bits and the pixel bits of the processors in the logic operation of Ternary Optical Computer (TOC), and to make the reconfiguration of the processors more convenient and efficient, while extending the research ideas of TOC, the paper presents a new typical optical component, which is row operation unit (ROU). The features, circuit implementations, and commands for the reconfiguration of ROU are also discussed in detail. On this basis, the reconfigurable ternary optical processor (RTOP) was designed and achieved, which reduces the complexity of the processor management software. Finally, the experiments of reconfigurable ROU are performed, which shows that the principles of RTOP are correct, and all 81 commands for the reconfiguration are effective. Each of the two-input, tri-valued logic operations with thousands of data bits can be concurrently achieved in RTOP.