Germanium lasers offer ray of hope for optical computing
By Vlad Savov 
posted February 5th 2010 7:03AM
posted February 5th 2010 7:03AM
Bandwidth scarcity, is there any more pressing global issue that we're faced with today? We think not. Given the exponential growth in both computing power and software's exploitation and expectation of greater resources, it's no surprise that at some point we'll have to look beyond simple electrical currents as the transporters of our data. One bold step taken in that direction has been the demonstration of an operational germanium-on-silicon laser by researchers at MIT. By tweaking the electron count in germanium atoms with the help of some added phosphorous, they've been able to coax them into a photon-emitting state of being -- something nobody thought possible with indirect bandgap semiconductors. Perhaps the best part of this is that germanium can be integrated relatively easily into current manufacturing processes, meaning that light-based internal communication within our computers is now at least a tiny bit closer to becoming a reality.
lasers make everything better.
Pew Pew!
@a dark day
Cyborg laser cats with optical CPUs pew pew
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/one-megajoule-laser-brings-nuclear-fusion-closer-to-reality/
@a dark day Luke, I am your father! Pew Pew!
@a dark day http://9gag.com/photo/7082_full.jpg Pew Pew! Or Moo Moo!
@a dark day especially German ones.
das uber pew!
I can't wait till I have this stuff in my computer. Betcha someone will make a transparent CPU, so you can see it glow as you work :-)
I would imagine seeing it glow would be the last thing you want. Any light reflected to your eyes would be lost information.
...and burnt retinas
Does this mean that we can potentially make a CPU by installing billions of mirrors in a sealed building such that the mirrors flip when a gigawatt laser strikes them?
@onlymyrailgun
That reads more like a recipe for building a superlaser for the death star.
@onlymyrailgun
As long as it leads to the tanning invitational, I'm down.
Germanium? Now that was random.
@horchata
I read "geranium" and had a brief moment of total floral confusion.
And who said the Germans never did anything for computing!
JK.
But didn't they just say the FCC is worried about bandwidth? Hu-WHAT?
HAHAHAHAHAHA RAY! Geddit? Ray... like light... like lasa- nevermind.
=D
It's all very well but where are we going to grow all these germaniums?
@toph101 I am pretty sure that they grow best on German soil. German weather is also an important factor, not to mention the caring hands of Germans.
The digital age is a thing of the past ladies and gens. Bring on the photonic age!!!
So am I still nuts??? I remember talking about the future of computing while I was stoned out of my mind.... quite a few years back now (I don't do that stuff anymore, I promise), probably close to 10 years ago. In my inebriated state, I claimed 'optical computing' was the future. My friends all looked at me like I was nuts... didn't have a clue what I was talking about.
Finally, it's coming closer to being more of a reality and less of a weed-induced fairytale.
IDK what the freaking hold up on optical is. TOLINK has been out since 1983. I seriously can't believe the hardware industry didn't come up with a Optical Data interconnect sooner, and think it is donkey tard that they are still dill 'ing around. Another thing, Intel has know how to Litho a solid state later into their IC's for a long time, so WTF. I am anxious for an interconnect that smashes on SATA and USB3. Onward with LightPipe or whatever they are working on.....
@cosmicinglewood No, this isn't an optical connection interface, it is transforming the actual electronic components into an optical state, i.e. your CPU would be made from lights (simplified heaps, but you get the idea)
That pun at the end is absolutely terrible. I wholeheartedly approve of the "bit" pun you're making, but dang, that is stealth incarnate.
The Germans always make good stuff right?
So, we're about to have optical chips go mainstream? Will they be isolinear?