Optics goes where no electronics can go: Zero-energy-dissipation logic

Abstract

Optical computing has a seemingly eternal problem. It always appears to be in competition with electronic computing. Moore's law and the advantages of digital over analog processing make pure electronics superior in almost every case. Optical computing uses come when the signal is already in the optical domain or when it is used to reduce the heat load in hybrid optical-electronic chips. I describe here work done with a number of bright opticists and logicians over the last four years that produces using optics logic that dissipates no energy and accommodates whatever bandwidth the input and output laser modulation affords. Moreover, we can show why electronics alone can never accomplish those important properties. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.