Interconnect-Free Multibit Arithmetic and Logic Unit in a Single Reconfigurable 3 μm² Plasmonic Cavity

Abstract

Processing information with conventional integrated circuits remains beset by the interconnect bottleneck: circuits made of smaller active devices need longer and narrower interconnects, which have become the prime source of power dissipation and clock rate saturation. Optical inter-chip communication provides a fast and energy-saving option that still misses a generic on-chip optical information processing by interconnect-free and reconfigurable Boolean arithmetic logic units (ALU). Considering metal plasmons as a platform with dual optical and electronic compatibilities, we forge interconnect-free, ultracompact plasmonic Boolean logic gates and reconfigure them, at will, into computing ALU without any redesign nor cascaded circuitry. We tailor the plasmon mode landscape of a single 2.6-µm 2 planar gold cavity and demonstrate the operation and facile reconfiguration of all 2-input logic gates. The potential for higher complexity of the same logic unit is shown by a multi-input excitation and a phase control to realize an arithmetic 2-bit adder.

Compact Implementation of a 1-Bit Adder by Coherent 2-Beam Excitation of a Single Plasmonic Cavity

“…The consequence of the demonstrated noncascaded paradigm shift is that more complex Boolean functions that require the adequate cascaded circuitry in a Shannon-like approach, the design rules of which are well established nowadays and optimally used in microelectronics, will require an adequate design of the cavity shape and excitation/ detection parameters in our approach. Considering the size of the DH structure, more inputs can be accommodated 11 and suitable excitation/detection schemes may allow to implement more complex ALU, such as a 2-bit full adder which, following our concept, would require four inputs and three outputs to reach 3 + 3 = 6 (i.e., 11 + 11 = 110 in binary digits).…”

“…The principle of coherent excitation of two-dimensional (2D) plasmonic cavities is described in Figure . The two-dimensional resonant surface plasmon (SP) modes borne by these cavities result in extended near-field patterns that promote a distributed nonlinear photoluminescence (NPL) response under focused pulsed laser excitation . The NPL is primarily generated at the excitation focal point with an efficiency directly related to the local density of plasmonic modes .…”

“…The two-dimensional resonant surface plasmon (SP) modes borne by these cavities result in extended near-field patterns that promote a distributed nonlinear photoluminescence (NPL) response under focused pulsed laser excitation. 11 The NPL is primarily generated at the excitation focal point with an efficiency directly related to the local density of plasmonic modes. 12 However, when the lateral dimensions of the cavity are large enough to sustain delocalized modes, NPL is also remotely produced, away from the excitation spot.…”

“…We have recently proposed that two-dimensional plasmonic cavities carved from ultrathin and crystalline gold microplates could be operated as reconfigurable all-optical ALU. 11 A proof of concept was established by recording the nonlinear photoluminescence (NPL) response of the cavity upon excitation of a single location of the cavity edge with a one fs-pulsed focused laser spot. The agile reconfigurability was experimentally demonstrated, and several logic gates were reported.…”

A light-operated dual-mode method for neuroblastoma diagnosis based on a Tb-MOF: from biometabolite detection to logic devices

“…As a kind of the crystalline porous materials with structural tunability and functional versatility, luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] have been considered as promising candidates for optical sensors. They not only offer the advantages of high sensitivity, fast response, simple operation and low cost as fluorescent sensors, [29][30][31][32][33][34][35] but can also be designed to perform Boolean logic operations [36][37][38] to transmit and process information, just like the human brain and electronics. Additionally, intelligent, decision-based molecular logic devices show great potential for life science applications.…”