Patent ID: 7848601

Claim:
An optically controlled optical latch device, comprising: first and second integrated waveguide loops for guiding optical signals; a first nonlinear phase shifting element for phase shifting optical signals in the first integrated waveguide loop; a first tunable input coupler for receiving a portion of an optical output signal of the second integrated waveguide loop and a first optical input signal, and providing resulting optical input signals in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions of the first integrated waveguide loop; a first bias coupler for providing an optical set signal in the first integrated waveguide loop; a second bias coupler for providing an optical reset signal in the second integrated waveguide loop; and a first output coupler for providing a portion of an optical output signal of the first integrated waveguide loop to the second integrated waveguide loop; wherein the optical latch device is triggered on by an optical set signal at the first bias coupler, and triggered off by an optical reset signal at the second bias coupler.