What is a Photon Processor?
Photon processors are one practical use of the emerging field of photonics. With photonics, light is used as a medium to carry information. Photonics operate at frequencies on the order of hundreds of terahertz. Intel has begun working on all-silicon lasers which they hope will soon be able to utilize light (rather than electrical currents) to move data around. A number of start-ups are developing various technologies to take advantage of the situation once the mainstream market makes the shift. Luxtera, one of these startups, has slated production for an optical modulator which will be used to turn electrons into photons for use in photon processors. They predict processors that rapidly reach speeds of up to 10-GHz, ten times the speeds Intel has discussed for its latest optical modulators. Luxtera has begun working with microprocessor producer Freescale Semiconductor on their technology, and Freescale has already rolled out some engineering samples. These samples utilize a similar te
