8/spl times/8 array of cascadable optical thyristor devices for free-space parallel optical interconnects

We conceived a novel layer structure for optical thyristors, which greatly enhances the input-light sensitivity of such devices, We present measurements showing that a differential pair of our thyristors is, to our knowledge, the fastest and most sensitive cascadable emitter/receiver device existing today, capable of detecting optical pulses, emitted from a similar device, of 0.14 femtoJoulespl mu/m/sup 2/ at a clock rate of 12 MHz. These thyristor pairs can, moreover, be integrated into compact 2-dimensional arrays. We demonstrate a fully functional monolithic array of 8/spl times/8 pairs. This work is a commendable step towards low-power, fast and parallel optical interconnects.<>