0.18-μm CMOS Process highly sensitive differential optically reconfigurable gate array VLSI

Currently, demand is increasing for high-speed dynamic reconfiguration on programmable devices to improve their performance. To support high-speed dynamic reconfiguration, optically reconfigurable gate arrays (ORGAs) have been undergoing rapid development. Moreover, to more increase the reconfiguration speed, optically differential reconfigurable gate arrays (ODRGAs) incorporating a differential reconfiguration method between configuration contexts have been developed. An ODRGA comprises a holographic memory, a laser array, and an optically reconfigurable gate array VLSI. The holographic memory can store many configuration contexts. Its large-bandwidth optical connection enables high-speed reconfiguration. However, photodiode sensitivities of conventional ODRGAs are not good. This paper therefore presents a newly fabricated 0.18 mu m CMOS process optically differential reconfigurable gate array VLSI chip with highly sensitive photo-circuits.