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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
11:08
Fabrication And Characterization Of Photonic Crystal Slow Light Waveguides And Cavities
Published on: November 30, 2012
High-speed low-power photonic transistor devices based on optically-controlled gain or absorption to affect optical
1Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Optics Express
|October 15, 2008
Summary
Researchers developed a novel photonic transistor using optical interference for efficient signal gain and switching. These micro-sized devices offer high speed and low power, outperforming current technologies.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Optoelectronics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Current optical switching technologies face limitations in speed and energy efficiency.
- Nonlinear optical effects (chi((3))) are typically used for optical signal processing, but offer limited performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel photonic transistor device.
- To achieve efficient transistor signal gain and switching action using optical interference.
- To explore applications in optical signal processing and computing.
Main Methods:
- Manipulation of optical interference through optically controlled gain or absorption.
- Design and fabrication of two complementary photonic transistor device types.
- Characterization of device performance, including operating speed, size, and power consumption.
Main Results:
- Successful realization of photonic transistor devices with efficient signal gain and switching.
- Devices exhibit high operating speed, micrometer size, and microwatt switching power.
- Demonstrated potential for wavelength conversion, pulse regeneration, and logical operations.
Conclusions:
- The novel photonic transistor offers a significant advancement over existing technologies.
- These devices present a highly attractive platform for future optical computing and signal processing.
- Potential for Transistor Figure-of-Merits exceeding current chi((3)) approaches by over 10(5) times.
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