Cascadable digital optical logic circuit elements in the visible and infrared: demonstration of some first all-optical circuits

Abstract

The results of investigations into the feasibility of incorporating optically bistable elements into an optical processor are presented. Two forms of bistable device, etalons of InSb and interference filters containing ZnSe, have been used in the first experimental demonstrations of digital all-optical circuits. It is shown that cw optical bias beams may be used to hold logic gates sufficiently close to their switch point that the available signal gain allows one to realize indefinitely extensible optical logic. The results of such experiments are presented and the implications they have on the field of optical computing are discussed. It is concluded that parallel arrays can give significantly high rates of digital operations.