Photonic computing uses photons or light instead of electricity to perform computations. It has several advantages over traditional electronic computing including faster speeds, immunity to electromagnetic interference, low transmission losses, and massive parallelization capabilities. However, optical components are still more expensive to produce than electronic ones and have not been fully miniaturized. Future trends include developing new laser diodes, photodetectors, and nonlinear materials to enable even faster optical switches and truly optical computers.

1. Photonic
Computing
Opto-Electronics (ES-425)
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2. ArslanAli (16ES25)
AyoubBakhsh(16ES20)
IbtehajAslam (16ES32)
Supervisor: Engr. AbidMunir
Deptt. of Electronic Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Islamia
University of Bahawalpur, Punjab
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3. Overview
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Introduction
What is Photonic Computing
Photonic computers (Why, Examples,
Parallel comm.)
Advantages / Disadvantages
Optical Components
Future Trends / Conclusion
We will cover ;

4. Introduction
 Optical computing was a hot research area in 1980’s. But the work tapered off due to
materials limitations. Using light, instead of electric power, for performing computations.
 This choice is motivated by several features that light has:
 It is very fast. And the speed is exactly what we need for our computers.
 It can be easily manipulated (divided, transported, delayed, split, etc).
 It is very well suited for parallelization.
 Optical computing technology is, in general, developing in two directions.
i. To build computers that have the same architecture as present day computers but
using optics that is Electro optical hybrids.
ii. Another approach is to generate a completely new kind of computer, which can
perform all functional operations in optical mode.
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5. Photonic Computing
 A photonic computer is a device that uses the PHOTONS in visible light or infrared (IR)
beams, rather than electric current, to perform digital computations.
 Photons, effectively massless and incredibly fast, are generated using diodes or lasers.
It take the place of electrons in more traditional computers and are used to represent
the flow of data.
 Instead of transistors, such a computer will have TRANSPHASORS.
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6. Photonic computers (Why, Examples, Parallel comm.)
Why Optical Computers ?
* In silicon computers, the speed of
computers was achieved by
miniaturizing electronic components.
* They are immune to electromagnetic
interference, and free from electrical
short circuits.
* They have low-loss transmission and
provide large bandwidth;
i.e. multiplexing capability.
Examples
Consider an e-mail:
* Photonic computers use light for
storing , transmitting and operating on
data.
Parallel Communication
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7. Advantages / Disadvantages
Advantages
i. Fast speed of computation.
ii. Free from electrical short circuits.
iii. Have low- transmission loss and large bandwidth.
iv. Capable of communicating several channels in parallel
without interference.
v. No power loss due to excess of heating.
vi. Life of the hardware of optical computer is more.
Disadvantages
i. Optical components and their production is
expensive.
ii. Optical components are not miniaturized enough
yet.
iii. problems of exact manufacture.
iv. In compatibility.
v. Due to interference caused by dust particles.
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8. Optical Components
VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting micro laser)
 VCSELs have high performance and low cost advantages.
 Emits light in a cylindrical beam vertically from the surface of a fabricated
wafer.
Photonic Crystals- crystals designed to replace transistors in optical
computers.
 Optical nanostructures that are designed to affect the motion of Photons.
a
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Conclusion

9. `
 Optical technology promises massive upgrades in the efficiency
and speed of computers, as well as significant shrinkage in their
size and cost.
 Even though pure Optical computer has many challenges hybrid
opto-electrical computer can be expected very soon, and in near
future pure optical computer too..
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Conclusion
Future Trends
Research is going
on for
developing new
laser diodes,
photo detectors,
and nonlinear
material studies
for faster
switches.