Vortex Beam Encoded All-Optical Logic Gates Based on Nano-Ring Plasmonic Antennas

Abstract

Vortex beam encoded all-optical logic gates are suggested to be very important in future information processing. However, within current logic devices, only a few are encoded by using vortex beams and, in these devices, some space optical elements with big footprints (mirror, dove prism and pentaprism) are indispensable components, which is not conducive to device integration. In this paper, an integrated vortex beam encoded all-optical logic gate based on a nano-ring plasmonic antenna is proposed. In our scheme, by defining the two circular polarization states of the input vortex beams as the input logic states and the normalized intensity of the plasmonic field at the center of the nano-ring as the output logic states, OR and AND (NOR and NAND) logic gates are realized when two 1st (1st) order vortex beams are chosen as the two input signals; and a NOT logic gate is obtained when one 1st order vortex beam is chosen as the input signal. In addition, by defining the two linear polarization states (x and y polarization) of the input vortex beams as the two input logic states, an XNOR logic gate is realized when two 1st order vortex beams are chosen as the two input signals.