A new proposal for low power 4 × 2 optical encoder using AND OR NOT mechanism in two dimensional photonic crystals.

Achieving high-speed and efficient data processing in optical processors is a key goal for researchers in integrated photonics. Photonic crystals, with their ability to control light propagation through periodic variations in refractive index, offer a promising platform for realizing compact and high-performance optical components. This work presents a novel low-power 4 × 2 all-optical encoder design based on a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure. The proposed encoder makes use of waveguides and ring resonators inside the photonic crystal to create AND, OR, and NOT gates in combination. The design incorporates four input ports, two output ports, two ring resonators, five optical waveguides, and two power dividers. By strategically introducing defects and optimizing the coupling between waveguides and resonators, the desired logical operations are achieved. The encoder exhibits a low input power requirement of 15 mW and a maximum delay time of 1.33 ps. Additionally, the compact footprint of 522 μm2 makes the design well-suited for integration into photonic integrated circuits. Simulation results, obtained through plane-wave expansion and finite-difference time-domain methods, validate the functionality of the proposed encoder, with output powers of 55% and 10% for logic 1 and logic 0, respectively. This work demonstrates the potential of photonic crystal-based architectures for realizing efficient, high-speed, and compact optical signal processing components with applications in data communication and optical computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]