Optical computer research

Computers that use light to process large amounts of data are one of many possible applications of a new £6m research programme at Queen's University Belfast and Imperial College London.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is funding the two universities to establish a research programme on the fundamental science of 'nanoplasmonic devices', whose key components include metal structures that guide and direct light. Industry support for the project is being provided by INTEL, Seagate, Ericsson, Oxonica, IMEC and the National Physics Laboratory.

The structures have been made to interact with light in a highly controlled way, which means they could one day be used to build new high-speed 'optical computers' that process information using light signals instead of electric current.

At present, the speed at which computers process information is limited by the time it takes for the information to be transferred between electronic components. Currently, this information is transferred using tiny metallic wires that transmit the signals as an electric current.