“When two pulses of different colored lasers light (the two waves at the top of the image)meet in a new device created at the University of Michigan, researchers create a beam of electrons (small golden particles) that flows in a controllable direction. By changing the laser colors, the electron beam can sweep through different directions. Like the beam of a lighthouse. Credit: Yiming Gong." (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)
"The light-controlled electron current could open new paths for sensing, telecommunications, and other advanced technologies.” (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)
“A pair of laser beams can now send electrons through a semiconductor in a chosen direction without any external electrical power. Researchers at the University of Michigan built the device to explore a previously unobserved physical effect and demonstrate that light alone can both generate and steer an electronic current. ” (ScitechDaily, New Semiconductor Device Turns Light Into a Directed Current)
The biggest problem with photonic computers is the nano-sized optics. That optics is needed to transmit information in the system. It uses light for data transmission. Photonic computers are becoming more interesting. Because they could use less energy. But the main role is that photonic computers. They are immune to EMP (Electromagnetic pulses). Optical data storage doesn’t care about electromagnetic radiation. The problem is. Of course, the control system. Of those computers. Moving parts like turning mirrors. Their turning mechanisms are still vulnerable. So. If we want to make a computer that is fully protected against the EMP.
We must put the entire computer. Along with its power source, in the EMP-protected space. The name of that space is a Faraday cage.
This metal cage denies radio waves. Travel through it. The system must communicate with the internet by using an optical switch. This means laser data transmission through that Faraday cage. The computer must use laser data transmission with the EMP-protected computer and the net. The system must not have one single iron or metal wire through the Faraday cage. Or. The EMP pulse travels through it. But optical communication through the cage. It could solve that problem.
There are actually three versions of photonic computers.
1) The system where data travels in laser beams between the microprocessors. This system uses conventional microchips. Laser beams transmit data into photovoltaic cells. They transform it into electric signals. Microprocessors compute those signals as regular computers.
2) In the second photonic system, the data travels in photonic form through the entire system. The system. It can have nano-scale optics. That controls light. Like an electric computer controls electric signals. Optics require electric systems. That control those mirrors.
3) Fully photonic computers. There, the entire system operates. With. Some other than regular mirrors and prisms. Things like photoacoustics are promising tools. The photoacoustic or optoacoustic systems. It could control light by using pressure or sound waves in the optical materials. One of the things that can make this kind of dream possible. It could be the tool.
It uses electric eruptions in a mountain crystal to manipulate light. The light beams can be conducted to the quartz crystal. Then the system sends pressure waves into that crystal. That causes electric phenomena that affect light. The idea is to aim the laser beam into those lightning strikes that form in that crystal. But the problem is how to make those crystals small enough.
New semiconductor aims light precisely in the desired direction. Researchers at the University of Michigan created a system. Two laser beams send information into the semiconductor. That semiconductor resends that information in the desired direction. This system can turn light in the desired direction. That is important for photonic data transmission. The system must control light beams. The diameter of those light beams is extremely small. And that makes it hard to create normal mirrors. These types of crystals can bring optical computers one step closer.
The crystals could manipulate natural light. They can make a new model for quantum optical stealth systems possible. But even if they could manipulate only IR light. That could be fundamental. If the system. It could aim just the IR radiation into the desired direction. That could make it possible to deny the IR signature. The system. It just directs IR light away from the observer. That makes it possible to create a system that is not visible in IR light. We know that turning the natural light away from the observer is challenging. But changing the direction of one wavelength type is easier. And the ability to aim IR into the desired directions. It can give the ultimate night-operation capacity. It could turn the system invisible to IR cameras. Because. It aims IR radiation away from the system.
https://scitechdaily.com/new-semiconductor-device-turns-light-into-a-directed-current/














