US 7,925,131 B2Granted

Optical logic gate

AssigneeEricsson Inc.

InventorsAntonella Bogoni, Paolo Ghelfi, Luca Poti, Filippo Ponzini

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Abstract

An optical logic gate (10) comprises: first and second optical inputs (11, 12) for receiving respective optical signals (A, B) and an optical output (15) for outputting an optical signal (Pout) which represents the result of applying a required logic function. The logic gate is characterized by optical combining means (13) for combining the optical signals to produce a corresponding combination signal whose power (Pi) is the combination of the powers (PA, PB) of the optical signals and non-linear optical means (14) for receiving the combination signal (Pi) and emitting the optical output signal (Pout) the logic function depending on the characteristic of the non-linear optical means wherein the characteristic is selected such that the power of the output signal is correlated to the power of the combination signal by the selected logic function.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An optical logic gate comprising:

first and second optical input ports configured to receive respective optical signals (A, B);
an optical output port configured to output an optical signal (Pout);
an optical combiner configured to combine the optical signals (A, B) to produce a combination signal having a power (Pi) that is the combination of the powers (PA, PB) of the optical signals (A, B);
a non-linear optical device configured to receive the combination signal from the optical combiner, and to output the optical signal (Pout) from the optical output port based on a characteristic of the non-linear optical device such that the optical signal (Pout) represents the result of a logic function applied to the optical signals (A, B);
a logic selector configured to select the characteristic of the non-linear optical device such that the logic function correlates the power of the output signal (Pout) to the power of the combination signal (Pi);
and
the logic selector comprising a polarization controller in a fiber loop of the non-linear optical device, the polarization controller configured to alter the characteristic of the non-linear optical device to select the logic function.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.