Abstract

In the last three decades, random access memory (RAM) densities have progressed at an incredible rate, from the early 1 Kilobit chips to the 1 Gigabit DRAMs that have recently been produced [1]. Similar progress has been made in the development of micro-processors, with 64-bit RISC processors now operating at 450MHz, and GHz processors on the horizon [2]. Data transfer rates from high-density memories to processors have not, however, followed this growth curve, producing an increasing gap between memory and processor bandwidths. This has created an opportunity for new techniques for high-speed data transfer from main memory.

© 1997 Optical Society of America