Communications of the ACM
Stanford Engineers Take Big Step Toward sing Light Instead of Wires Inside Computers
This tiny slice of silicon etched with a pattern that resembles a bar code is one step on the way toward linking computer components with light instead of wires.
Credit: Vuckovic Lab
Stanford University researchers have developed a prism-like device that can split a beam of light into different colors and bend the light at right angles, a breakthrough they say could lead to computers that use optics to carry data.
The device includes an optical link made of a tiny slice of silicon etched with a pattern that resembles a bar code. When a beam of light is shined at the link, two different wavelengths of light split off at right angles to the input, forming a "T" shape.
"Light can carry more data than a wire, and it takes less energy to transmit photons than electrons," notes Stanford professor Jelena Vuckovic.
The researchers also developed an algorithm that automates the process of designing optical structures, enabling them to create new nanoscale structures to control light.
The new device was made by etching a tiny barcode pattern into silicon that splits waves of light in the manner of a small-scale prism. The Stanford algorithm designed a structure that alternated strips of silicon and gaps of air in a specific way, directing one wavelength of light to go left, and a different wavelength of light to go right.
The algorithm gives researchers a tool to create optical components to perform specific functions.
From Stanford Report (CA)
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