Such technology has the potential to exceed the speed of electronics[citation needed], while conserving more power.
In principle, all-optical digital signal processing and routing is achievable using optical transistors arranged into photonic integrated circuits.
[2] The same devices could be used to create new types of optical amplifiers to compensate for signal attenuation along transmission lines.
This is due to the fact that the speed of light in an optical medium is typically much faster than the drift velocity of electrons in semiconductors.
Optical transistors can be directly linked to fiber-optic cables whereas electronics requires coupling via photodetectors and LEDs or lasers.
This fact has played a major role in the uptake of fiber optics for long-distance communication but is yet to be exploited at the microprocessor level.
[5] No single design has yet satisfied all these criteria whilst outperforming speed and power consumption of state of the art electronics.