US 12,456,515 B2
Photonic content addressable memory
James Tan You Sian, Oxford (GB); Harish Bhaskaran, Oxford (GB); and Johannes Feldmann, Oxford (GB)
Assigned to OXFORD UNIVERSITY INNOVATION LIMITED, Oxford (GB)
Appl. No. 18/572,227
Filed by Oxford University Innovation Limited, Oxford (GB)
PCT Filed Jun. 14, 2022, PCT No. PCT/GB2022/051499
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 20, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/275509, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 5, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 2109302 (GB), filed on Jun. 28, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0296886 A1, Sep. 5, 2024
Int. Cl. G11C 15/04 (2006.01); G11C 13/00 (2006.01); G11C 15/00 (2006.01)
CPC G11C 13/0004 (2013.01) [G11C 15/00 (2013.01); G11C 15/046 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photonic content addressable memory (CAM), comprising:
N search lines, wherein each search line is configured to receive a search optical signal, each search optical signal comprising a different wavelength encoding one of N parallel search symbols; and
a plurality of match lines, wherein each match line is configured to receive:
a wavelength division multiplexed content optical signal comprising a plurality of wavelengths, each wavelength encoding one of N parallel content symbols; and
the N search optical signals from the N search lines, and
wherein each match line comprises:
 N photonic CAM cells, each configured to compare a respective search symbol with a respective content symbol and provide an output optical signal that is responsive to the comparison; and
a content optical demultiplexer, configured to demultiplex the wavelength division multiplexed content optical signal and provide each CAM cell with the respective content symbol.