Patent ID: 6219160
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: B82Y,G02F,G11C,Y10S

Abstract:
Multistable optical logic element comprising:a light-sensitive organic material which can undergo a photocycle by irradiation with light of one or more suitable wavelengths, the photocycle having a physical ground state and also having one or more metastable physical states, wherein the states are assigned logical values,wherein the logic element initially and before any addressing thereto takes place is in a metastable state generated in advance, with a significant fraction of the molecules of said organic material forming the logic element populating the metastable state generated in advance,wherein the physical state of the molecules of the organic material can be changed in the photocycle by causing a transition from a metastable state to another metastable state or by causing a transition from the ground state to a metastable state or by causing a transition from a metastable state to the ground state, andwherein a change of the physical state of the molecules of the organic material causes a change in the logical value of the logic element, the change of the physical state taking place by optically writing, storing, erasing or switching of an assigned logical value.