Switches and Logic Gates Based on Photoisomerizable Molecules and Electric Linear Dichroism

Most computers today use all-electronic devices for doing the logic operations necessary for their function. This discovery allows the use of light as an input and output for a logic device. This would allow optical computing, in combination with electronic computing components. The method is exceptionally simple to implement, and is capable of miniaturization, and incorporation into three-dimensional arrays. It does not require physical addition of chemicals or internal diffusion of chemicals, and in this way is superior to chemical approaches to molecular logic.