Photonics+competes+with+electronics.

Photonic transistor products, which are expected to replace much of the electronics infrastructure during the 21st century, can be made smaller, faster, and cheaper. Currently, electronics (electrons) have copper wires for data transmission. Even the quickest of electronics are slow compared to photonic transistor products.

Photonic circuits process information by manipulating light with light at the speed of light. Information can be passed on in just half a second or even less. The reason photon circuits move quicker is because they are moving at the speed of light in a straight line. Electrons also move at the speed of light but go in a circular fashion instead of a straight line to get from A to B.

In today's market, consumers are wanting computers that process information at higher rates. The electron has been pushed to its limit with bandwidth moving faster and faster. The more the electron s pushed to its limits, the higher the costs become for electronics. High speed electronics requires extremely pure materials and extremely precise manufacturing equipment that can control manufacturing down to the size of an atom. Photonic transistors can be made of glass, plastic,aluminum and other common materials.

Photonic transistor are still in infancy. Recently, Yale University Scientists have found a new way to manipulate microwave signals that could aid the long-term effort to develop a quantum computer. Today's computers are cutting edge technology. Tomorrow, today's computer can be as obsolete as the abacus.

References

Rocky Mountain Research

Yale News