It is known that the logic elements are the basic “bricks” from which all computer chips, including processors, are made. Conventional electronic logic elements work by using the movement of electrons, an electric current as the information carrier, but there are also optical logic elements that use photons of light to transmit and process information. Recently, researchers at Aalto University in Finland have developed a new type of optical logic element that runs a million times faster than any of their current technologies and could form the basis of new kinds of ultra-powerful optical processors.

The new optical logic elements use circular (rotating) polarized light as the input signal. It is made of transparent materials that are sensitive to different parameters of the light beam circulation and transmit them differently depending, for example, on the direction of rotation.

The first optical logic element created by scientists was an element that performs the XNOR function, the principle of which is shown in one of the images shown here. Using the same principles, scientists then added special filters and various optical components to create other kinds of logic elements.

In addition, scientists have proven that a single device, an optical processor, can contain different kinds of logical elements operating independently and in parallel. Moreover, most of the generated logic elements can perform the same operation in parallel with several different datasets provided in the form of light beams with slightly different parameters, allowing the creation of complex and multifunctional logic circuits on their basis.

And in conclusion, it should be noted that most of the new optical logic elements allow configuration and control in a conventional electronic way. This will allow the creation of hybrid electronic-optical computing systems that will allow optical devices to be easily combined with existing electronic interfaces and peripheral devices.