This effort provides new approaches to optical computation. This is based upon the direction in which an electric field points in a thin film material. If this involves a periodically layered material structure such as that consisting of alternating Gallium arsenide and Gallium arsenide with aluminum added, then this so-called polarization switching can be enhanced (ie done in a smaller amount of material). It is this aspect which is new. With the field direction pointing in a specified direction, say across the film, a one is represented; parallel to the film, a zero. Thus binary states can be fit into such a polarization switching mechanism. This is interesting since this naturally leads to binary logic implementation. The effort in this proposal is thus directed towards optical signal processing using new data processing devices fabricated in semiconductor materials.
