PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS OF OPTICAL THYRISTORS

The optical thyristor is a promising device for optical information pr ocessing. It combines a receiving-, transmitting- and memory function in a single device, with at the same time a considerable optical gain. We show in this paper the dynamics of differential switching, i.e., t he switching of a single thyristor in an array of thyristors, and comp are it to the switching of a single device. We also review the recent developments which have led to a dramatic increase of the speed and op tical sensitivity of optical thyristors. Finally, we show some interes ting applications which have been realized with differential switching in arrays of sensitive thyristors (5 x 5, 16 x 16 unto 32 x 64 device s), such as locating the maximum light intensity or integrated intensi ty of optical input patterns, and transcription of optical information from one thyristor array to another in free space.