Patent ID: 7554707

Claim:
An optical logic circuit performing an inversion function, comprising: a semiconductor substrate comprising a first semiconductor material; a first semiconductor light source formed on the semiconductor substrate using integrated circuit processing techniques; a second semiconductor light source formed on the semiconductor substrate using integrated circuit processing techniques; an optical layer overlaying the semiconductor substrate, the optical layer comprising a second semiconductor material, the optical layer configured to provide a plurality of optical pathways, wherein the pathways are formed using integrated circuit processing techniques, the optical pathways forming an optical logic gate, the optical logic gate having a first optical input coupled to the first semiconductor light source formed on the same semiconductor substrate and configured to receive a first light input signal directly from the first semiconductor light source, a second optical input coupled to the second semiconductor light source formed on the same semiconductor substrate and configured to receive a second light input signal directly from the second semiconductor light source, wherein the first light input signal is a constant coherent signal and the second light input signal is a coherent signal which can be selectively turned on and off, an interference region coupled to the first and second optical inputs and configured to receive the first light input signal from the first optical input and the second light input signal from the second optical input, and an optical output coupled to the interference region opposite the first and second optical inputs; the interference region comprises the second semiconductor material and is bounded on all sides by semiconductor material other than the second semiconductor material except where the first and second optical inputs and optical output are located, wherein the interference region is a uniform three dimensional region and contains no potential barriers partitioning the interference region between the first and second optical inputs and the optical output, the first and second optical inputs are spaced apart and the optical output is positioned along a chosen line, along which maximum destructive interference occurs when the second light input signal at the second optical input is on, the maximum destructive interference being caused exclusively by the interaction between first and second light input signals, wherein an output light signal is a Boolean logic output signal based on the second light input signal, the output light signal exits the interference region at the optical output, the output light signal having one of two intensities, either a substantially on or a substantially off intensity.