Optical computing

Abstract

Researchers are using new conducting polymers to make transistor-like switches that are smaller and thousand times faster than the silicon transistors. Electricity-conducting organic molecules that are much thinner than semiconductor wires, are being teased into self-assembling. These advances promise super-tiny all-optical chips. In fact, progress in optical storage devices can now shrink an entire Library’s book collection down to sugar-cube size. Optical computers could be leaving silicon number crunchers choking in the dust by decade’s end.