The ITEK PROM - A Status Report

The PROM is a solid state, rapidly recyclable, image storage device having a number of applications in image and signal processing. Some of its important characteristics include 10th-wave optical surface quality, 100 1p/mm three-bar resolution, 10-ergs/cm2 light sensitivity, and image plane contrast of 104:1. One of the unique features of the PROM is that the bias level of stored patterns can be adjusted through application of an external voltage, resulting in image contrast inversion or enhancement. This same operation (baseline subtraction) is used to null the zero order in an optical Fourier transform, achieving a Fourier plane signal-to-noise ratio approaching 106:1. This paper will report on the current status of this device and a number of applications for which it has been tested in several areas of image and signal processing. Results will be shown for coherent optical processing by computer controlled Fourier plane filtering and real time image correlation, and sig-nal processing systems will be described which couple the PROM with an acousto-optic raster recorder to perform spectrum analysis and correlation on radio frequency signals.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.