Thin-film computing with the nonlinear interface

An optical integration technique using thin-film technology can be based on an interface with a diffusive Kerr-like nonlinearity. Idealized switching behavior is assumed in order to assess the ultimate worth of such an expedient approach to optical computers if appropriate materials could be identified. This effort is justified by the results of two-dimensional simulations of the nonlinear interface carried out on the Cray X-MP/48 computer that show nearly whole-beam switching with high contrast. The simplicity of the integration architecture is demonstrated by designing a thin-film half-adder.