A team of scientists and engineers at the University of
Minnesota has invented a unique microscale optical device that could greatly
increase the speed of downloading information online and reduce the cost of
Internet transmission.
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.
journal reference (abstract free): nature >>