Patent ID: 6853014

Claim:
An optoelectronic circuit comprising: a) a substrate; b) a resonant cavity that is formed on said substrate and into which is injected an input optical signal; and c) a heterojunction thyristor device, formed in said resonant cavity, that includes i) an anode terminal and a cathode terminal; ii) first and second channel regions disposed between said anode terminal and said cathode terminal, and iii) an electrical input terminal and an electrical output terminal coupled to opposite ends of said first channel region, wherein, in response to a light intensity level of said input optical signal corresponding to a predetermined ON condition, sufficient charge is generate in said second channel region to cause said heterojunction thyristor device to operate in an ON state whereby current flows between said anode terminal and said cathode terminal and said electrical input terminal is electrically coupled to said electrical output terminal, and in response to a light intensity level of said input optical signal corresponding to a predetermined OFF condition, said heterojunction thyristor device operates in an OFF state whereby current does not flow between said anode terminal and said cathode terminal and said electrical input terminal is electrically isolated from said electrical output terminal.