Photonic crystal RAM could improve high-speed communications
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027965
Ars Technica : To further streamline fiber-optic communications, Japanese researchers are developing a way to avoid having to convert optical signals to electrical ones. Their optical random access memory device uses a two-dimensional array of photonic crystals made of silicon “logs” stacked in a lattice pattern. By varying the logs’ thickness and the spacing of their layers, the researchers can tune each crystal to absorb a specific wavelength of light. The photonic crystals are then combined to form an array of optical bits, which absorb, store, and re-emit photons that pass through. Although the processes of reading and writing data with the new device have proven to be fairly fast, it is still too energy-intensive to be competitive in current systems.
