ABSTRACT Optical computing means performing computations, operations, storage and transmission of data using light.
Instead of silicon chips optical computer uses organic polymers like phthalocyanine and polydiacetylene. Optical technology promises massive upgrades in the efficiency and speed of computers, as well as significant shrinkage in their size and cost. An optical desktop computer is capable of processing data up to 1,00,000 times faster than current models. Current processor advances are largely based on miniaturization- the smaller the circuits within the processor the shorter distance the electron has to travel. Currently die sizes of 0.13 m are being achieved allowing for lightning speed.... but where does it stop? There is a limit to the size that can be achieved; this is where Optical computing comes in. Optical computing is based upon light instead of electricity, this can enable speeds a hundred million times faster, and it is only with recent advances that this can be made possible. Recent discoveries have allowed light to be stopped, stored, and further more - released upon command. This kind of control of light paves way for advanced optical computing, currently we use optics for data transmission, as with the Internet, however the use of this was limited. Unlike a copper cable, which sends electricity one pulse at a time, optical fibers can transmit several pieces of data as waves of different colors (i.e. wavelengths) of light which can travel down a fiber simultaneously. Thats much faster. Optically, we can solve a problem in one hour which would take an electronic computer 11 years to solve, said Hossin Abduldayem, a senior research scientist at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. Here we took a look at what optoelectronic and optical artifacts have been churn out of the labs so far and what this means or fully-optical computing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER NO. ABSTRACT LIST OF FIGURES 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Optical components for binary digital computer 1.2 Controversy 1.3 Misconceptions, Challenges and Prospects 1.4 Photonic Logic 2 3 NEED FOR OPTICAL COMPUTING SOME KEY COMPONENTS FOR OPTICAL COMPUTING 3.1 Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser 3.2 Spatial Light Modulators 3.3 Smart Pixel Technology 3.4 Wavelength Division Multiplexing 3.5 Role of NLO in Optical computing 4 OPTICAL MEMORY 4.1 Optical Disk 5 OPTICAL TRANSISTORS 5.1 Silicon photonic crystal based transistor 6 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 TITLE PAGE NO. iii vii 1 2 3 3 4 5 6
OPTICAL LOGIC GATES 6.1 Operating Logically
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THE OPTICAL COMPUTER 7.1 The Optical Processor 7.2 Ablaze
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MATERIALS NEEDED HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE 9.1 Working of Holography Technology 9.2 Holographic Storage System 9.3 Holographic Data Storage Materials 9.4 Problems with the Holographic storage system
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ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTING AT LIGHT SPEED 34 10.1 Very fast 34
10.2 Photonic transistors are able to manipulate information 35 nearly 100000 times faster than electronic transistors 10.3 Miniaturization limit 10.4 Light is able to do much more than electricity 10.5 Information carrying capacity of a single beam of light 10.6 Use of Holograms to replace computer chips 10.7 Photonic transistor circuits are cheaper than electronic circuit 35 36 37 37 38
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APPLICATIONS MERITS DRAWBACKS SOME CURRENT RESEARCH FUTURE TRENDS CONCLUSION
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LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE NO. 3.1 TITLE Optical interconnection of circuit boards using VCSEL and photodiode 4.1 5.1 Optical Disk Geometrically and spatially confined oriented colloidal photonic crystal growth exclusively within surface relief micro patterns 6.1 6.2 6.3 Logic gate with single pulse entering at one of the inputs Logic gate with diffraction of pulse at the optical hologram Logic gate with output pulses at output and (at right) the Illumination of the masking mirror as seen from the hologram 6.4 6.5 6.6 Logic gate with output of the XOR after reflection Logic gate with output of the XOR after reflection Logic gate with the two beams interfering with each other at the hologram producing an image 6.7 Logic gate with output of both OR and XOR, (at right) with 20 18 19 19 17 17 17 12 14 PAGE NO. 7
corresponding Constructive Interference and Destructive Interference 6.8 6.9 Logic gate after output light has passed the masking mirror Logic gate with various logic outputs from the various combinations of inputs one after another 22 20
7.1 7.2 7.3 8.1
Conventional Electrical crossover v/s Optical crossover EnLight256 Ablaze- Spatial Light Modulator A polymer film "painted on" with an ultraviolet laser next to a film created with a broad-spectrum ultraviolet lamp 28
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Fundamental components of a holographic storage system Future Trends in Optical computing
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