Creating Faster Integrated Circuits by Slowing Light

April 25, 2008 | Source: PhysOrg.com

UC San Diego researchers have shown that slowing down light can enable the efficient transport of information optically rather than with wires, a breakthrough that could significantly enhance computer performance and lower the power required by future computer systems.

However, slow-light-based systems are also very susceptible to the effects of disorder, which can be used in optical waveguides to localize photons for optical buffering (temporary storage, similar to RAM memory). UCSD physicists and engineers are exploring the combination of these effects, which could led to faster, more functional nanophotonic integrated circuits.