Ultrafast All Optical N-Bit Comparator Using 2D Photonic Crystals with Hexagonal Lattice Structure

Abstract

The manuscript represents a design of all optical N-bit comparator using 2D photonic crystals. The device can compare two N-bit numbers by comparing the most significant bit (MSB) and successive bits serially. The device is numerically simulated for optimized performance and an operating speed of 5 Tb/s is calculated from response time diagram. The design ensures high contrast ratios, compact footprint, and scalability to higher bit levels. Numerical simulations using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method confirm the efficient performance of the comparator, with an operational speed in the tera bite regime and negligible signal degradation. The proposed N-bit comparator is a promising candidate for integration in all-optical signal processing and high-speed photonic computing systems.