Production of Photon Processors Expected in 2006

ThinSkin writes "Photon processors that transmit data via light, not electrons, are slated to enter production in mid-2006, ExtremeTech reports. Headed by a UCLA professor and a Nobel Prize winner, startup Luxtera claims that its optical modulator clocks in at 10-GHz, tens times that of Intel's optical modulator researchers talked about last year. Since the optical module exists as its own entity, it will require a standard CMOS processes to integrate the optical waveguides. Luxtera has worked closely with Freescale Semiconductor to develop this technology."

Comments

Mistake in the blurb

[PxM]

The article isn't about pure photonic processors that working completely on light. These would be used in fiber optic routers where switching between light and electric signals is a waste. Data is already transmitted via light but the modulators used are seperate from the computing logic parts. In this new system, the computing system is still using classic transistors but the optical parts are integrated onto the IC. This is still a far step from pure photonic computers where the "transistors" or logic gates are done purely via light.

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The Japanese...

[bogaboga]

The Japanese just like the Russians, are doing their research without any of our knowledge or bragging of any kind. I have a feeling that just like with the transistor in the 50s, these Japanese will come from behind and overwhelm our American companies in this new category of technology.

I just looked around my living room and found that I have nothing electronic made here, save for the front door lock that was made by a company in Ohio.

Re:Error In The Article

[PxM]

I think you meant to say electricty is light. This is somewhat right but not exactly. Light /is/ made up of electromagnetic fields and the electric force between charges /is/ transmitted by photons, but they are two seperate ideas. Modern quantum physics has electricity sent via virtual photons while normal light is sent by real photons. Real photons involve both an electric field and a magnetic field perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the direction of the wave propogation. The reason fiber optics transmissions are "faster" is because we can send multiple signals on different wavelengths over the same line without them interfering with each other two much. We can't do this with normal electric signals because high frequency electric signals start acting strangly since metal wires can no longer be though as resistors but now have to be modeled as inductors too.

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Seeing is believing

[Neo-Rio-101]

I'll believe it when I see it in action.

History

[Mr. Underbridge]

The Japanese just like the Russians, are doing their research without any of our knowledge or bragging of any kind. I have a feeling that just like with the transistor in the 50s, these Japanese will come from behind and overwhelm our American companies in this new category of technology.

The transistor was invented in America, fuckstick.

I just looked around my living room and found that I have nothing electronic made here, save for the front door lock that was made by a company in Ohio.

Probably not, but why don't you check who had the original patent on whatever you look at? Commodity equipment is meaningless, and has nothing to do with R&D. Who developed the microprocessor? Telephone? TV?

America's research and university system is what has allowed it to dominate a lot of R&D for the last 50 years. Too bad we're stifling innovation at our national labs through bureaucracy and cutting funding to university research. Yay! Maybe you'll be right in 50 years, but you aren't now.