US 7,547,907 B2 · Non-blocking switch having carbon nanostructures and Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention, a non-blocking quantum interference switch includes a segmented electron wave coupler that splits an electron wave and couples its two parts to two arms of a Mach Zehnder interferometer. A voltage may be applied to an interferometer gate electrode to change the phase of the electron wave traveling in that arm. A second segmented electron wave coupler may receive the two electron waves from the interferometer arms and recombine them into one electron wave. If the two electron waves interfere constructively, then the recombined electron wave exits through one switch output port, which may be a “logical zero” switch port, and if the two electron waves interfere destructively, then the recombined electron wave exits through a second switch output port, which may be a “logical one” switch port.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

an interferometer disposed on a base;
a first coupler to receive an electron wave from a first input port of the interferometer and to split the electron wave into a first wave and a second wave, the interferometer having a first arm to receive the first wave and a second arm to receive the second wave;
and
a second coupler to receive the first and the second waves from the first and the second arms of the interferometer, respectively, to guide the first and the second waves to a first output port of the interferometer if the interference of the first and the second waves is destructive, and to guide the first and the second waves to a second output port of the interferometer if the interference of the first and the second waves is constructive.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Non-blocking switch having carbon nanostructures and Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Life of this patent

Non-blocking switch having carbon nanostructures and Mach-Zehnder interferometer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims12