Nanoscale all-optical logic devices

Commercial computers based on electronic logic devices have brought great changes to the world. However, traditional electronic devices are suffering from numerous technical challenges in their attempts to continue to satisfy Moore’s law. All-optical logic devices, as promising successors to their electronic counterparts, have become a major focus of optics research. In this paper, we provide a review of current all-optical logic devices. The logic gates in these devices, which are described in the first part of the review, are divided into five categories based on the different principles used in their realization. Complex optical devices with various functions and reconfigurable devices are summarized in the next section. In the final part of this paper, we discuss some of the previous works on all-optical integrated chips with specific functions. This review will provide a complete technological roadmap for all-optical devices and aims to be helpful in possible future developments in this growing field.