Molecule-Based Logic Gates and Half-Adder Controlled by Light

The invention consists of two organic materials combined with a third harmonic generating optical crystal. It carries out the operations of a binary half-adder. The system contains both a molecule based AND and a molecule based XOR gate that share two optical inputs, and two outputs which may be optical or electronic. It is capable of summing two binary numbers (0's or 1's). Half-adders are the basis of modern computer processors. The possible commercial applications are in the area of optical and (opto)electronic computing. An advantage of this system is that unlike many other approaches to molecule-based logic and computation, the addition of chemical species as inputs is not required. The speed of operation of the device is not limited by chemical diffusion, and physical access to the volume occupied by the gate is not required. These factors are the result of using optical inputs and outputs. Outputs could be electronic with proper attachment of molecules to electrical circuits.