Optoelectronic Logic Gate

An apparatus comprising:

• a first stage interferometric switch configured to:
• receive an electrical data bit and a first optical input;
• and
• output a pair of first-stage optical outputs, the first one of the pair carrying the electrical data bit and the second one of the pair carrying a complement of the electrical data bit;
• and a second stage configured to receive an electrical target bit, the second stage comprising a pair of interferometric switches,
• each of the pair of interferometric switches receiving one of the first-stage optical outputs,
• the pair configured to produce another optical output indicating whether the electrical target bit and the electrical data bit are same or different.

A method for detecting a target pattern in a data stream, the method comprising:

• generating N delayed electrical data bitstreams from an electrical data bitstream having N bits, each of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams being delayed by an additional bit time as compared to the previous one of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams;
• superimposing the data bits from one of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams onto a first optical input bitstream to produce a pair of first-stage optical output bitstreams, the first one carrying the data bits from the one of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams and the second one carrying a complement of the data bits from the one of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams;
• comparing target bits from an electrical target bitstream having N bits with the data bits carried by the first one of the first-stage optical output bitstreams, and with a complement of the electrical data bit carried by the second one of the first-stage optical output bitstreams, to determine whether each of the target bits is same as each of the respective data bits;
• repeating the superimposing and the comparing with successive ones of the N delayed electrical bitstreams;
• and
• indicating a match when N of the target bits are determined by the comparing to be same.

An apparatus for detecting a target pattern in a data stream, the method comprising:

• a first stage comprising an array of interferometric switches, each of the interferometric switches configured to output a pair of first-stage optical output bitstreams at a respective one of a plurality of different wavelengths, the first one of the pair carrying data bits from a respective one of a plurality of N delayed electrical data bitstreams and the second one of the pair carrying a complement of the data bits from the respective one of the N delayed electrical data bitstreams;
• a second stage configured to receive an electrical target bit stream, a complement of the electrical target bit stream, and the pair of first stage optical output bitstreams, and further configured to produce another optical output bitstream indicating whether target bits from the electrical target bitstream are the same as data bits from the N delayed electrical data bitstreams;
• and
• a match stage configured to monitor the plurality of optical output bitstreams for an indication that one of the target bits and a respective one the data bits is same, and to indicate a match when N of the target bits are determined to be same.