The device uses the force generated by light to flop a mechanical switch of light on and off at a very high speed. This development could lead to advances in computation and signal processing using light instead of electrical current with higher performance and lower power consumption. The research results were published today in the online journal Nature Communications.
University of Minnesota researchers have invented a novel microscale mechanical switch of light on a silicon chip.
"This device is similar to electromechanical relays but operates completely with light," said Mo Li, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering...