PURPOSE: To facilitate the multi-element conversion by placing a light emitting element and a light receiving element on a two-dimensional array, and attaining the setting of a coupling coefficient between both of them by controlling a plane of polarization of a linearly polarized light radiated by the light emitting element and a plane of polarization of a linearly polarized light component detected by the light receiving element.
CONSTITUTION: Light intensity of a linearly polarized light radiated from an element array part 21 is detected by a light receiving element array part 24, a photocurrent generated from the light receiving element array part 24 is integrated, this integral value is compared with a threshold, and in accordance with a result of this comparison, a control is executed so that each light emitting element part of the light emitting element array part 21 is brought independently to light emission or extinction. Accord ingly, by only covering each element of the light emitting element array 21 and the light receiving element array 24 with space filter arrays 23a, 23b having a function for rotating a plane of polarization, a hop field type associative storage device can be realized. In such a way, comparing with a conventional technology using a holo gram, a necessary space per one element on the array can be reduced remarkably, and the multi-element can be realized easily.
SAKANO TOSHIKAZU
HOKARI KAZUO
MATSUMOTO TAKAO
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