Optical Control of Light on a Silicon Chip

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday October 27, 2004 @09:45PM from the light-turns-it-on dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Cornell University have demonstrated a device that allows one low-powered beam of light to switch another on and off, on silicon, a key component for future "photonic" microcircuits in which light replaces electrons for propagating signals. It is highly desirable to use silicon--the dominant material in the microelectronic industry--as the platform for these photonic chips. The approach developed confines the beam to be switched in a circular resonator, greatly reducing the footprint required on the chip and allowing a very small change in refractive index to shift the material from transparent to opaque."

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Uh Huh by Wehesheit · 2004-10-27 21:55 · Score: -1, Troll

Bliggatty blu blah blamarangutang light fast, zoom wossname. Change your life!

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This P.I.G. will walk on the water, This P.I.G. will walk on the sea, This P.I.G. will walk whereever he wants.
Re:Light switching CPU mentioned before? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-10-28 04:17 · Score: -1, Troll

I'm not an EE either, but you've got the wrong idea about processor efficiency, and probably have romantic notions about optical computing.