Review on all-optical logic gates: design techniques and classifications – heading toward high-speed optical integrated circuits

Abstract

All-optical logic gates (AO-LGs) are the key elements that play a pivotal role in the development of future all-optical networks and all-optical computing. A complete overview of the seven all-optical logic gates (i.e., AND, OR, NOT, XOR, XNOR, NAND, and NOR) based on their design techniques and applications are covered, including the latest technologies, such as topological photonics and artificial intelligence-based designs techniques. In addition, we have further categorized the AO-LGs as reconfigurable gates, simultaneous gates, reversible gates, modulation-based gates, and data rate-based gates. The techniques to implement these different classes of gates are reviewed and their limitations are discussed. We also discuss in brief the various simulation tools used to design and analyze the AO-LGs. Finally, the most feasible techniques for constructing optical integrated circuits based on the existing fabrication technologies and available resources are explored, and future prospects are outlined.

An Introduction to Nonlinear Integrated Photonics: Structures and Devices

“…All-optical logic gates and flip-flops are other fundamental elements for optical computing [ 22 ], even if still, at the beginning of the last decade, there were doubts about their feasibility and their possibility of competing with microelectronics [ 144 ]. Such skepticism was not fully justified, even if, still five years later, realization of an all-optical flip-flop required coupling two optical triode switches made by a nonlinear étalon and gradient-index lenses [ 19 ]; to date, however, several all-optical logic devices have been demonstrated [ 13 , 25 , 27 , 145 , 146 , 147 , 148 ].…”

“…If the intensity of the incident field is subsequently lowered, the field inside the cavity tends to remain large because the absorption of the material system has again been reduced. However, even if single bistable switches have already been demonstrated on different platforms, it is worth noting that the next big challenge is realization of a complex system where several bistable switches are connected in tandem and in parallel [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Design of silicon slab waveguides based all‐optical logic gates

“…PPLN, topological photonics, and plasmonic-based waveguides also face issues like dependencies on temperature, phase, polarization, and high loss of signal, which reduces their performance. 25 Kita et al proposed a logic gate design based on silicon wires. 26 The proposed design uses three input ports and a single design for many binary logic operations based on the variation of phase and power of the input sources.…”

“…All these technologies have their merits but most of them suffer from excess power consumption and bulky designs. PPLN, topological photonics, and plasmonic‐based waveguides also face issues like dependencies on temperature, phase, polarization, and high loss of signal, which reduces their performance 25 …”

Orbital angular momentum logic gates based on optical diffraction neural network

“…Optical computing is a data processing technology that uses beam as the information carrier. Compared with electronic computing, optical computing has the advantages of high speed, high bandwidth and low power consumption, and it is a potential way to achieve artificial intelligence 1 . Optical logic gate is the core device of optical computing, which is widely used in various fields, such as error detection 2 , data coding 3 and pattern recognition 4 .…”