Matrix-vector multiplication using digital partitioning for more accurate optical computing.

Digital partitioning offers a flexible means of increasing the accuracy of an optical matrix-vector processor. This algorithm can be implemented with the same architecture required for a purely analog processor, which gives optical matrix-vector processors the ability to perform high-accuracy calculations at speeds comparable with or greater than electronic computers as well as the ability to perform analog operations at a much greater speed. Digital partitioning is compared with digital multiplication by analog convolution, residue number systems, and redundant number representation in terms of the size and the speed required for an equivalent throughput as well as in terms of the hardware requirements. Digital partitioning and digital multiplication by analog convolution are found to be the most efficient algorithms if coding time and hardware are considered, and the architecture for digital partitioning permits the use of analog computations to provide the greatest throughput for a single processor. To our knowledge this is the first study to propose the use of digital partitioning for optical matrix processing.