All-optical devices are essential for next generation ultrafast,
ultralow-power and ultrahigh bandwidth information processing systems. Silicon
microring resonators (SiMRR) provide a versatile platform for all-optical
switching and CMOS-compatible computing, with added advantages of high
Q-factor, tunability, compactness, cascadability and scalability. A detailed
theoretical analysis of ultrafast all-optical switching 2 x 2 SiMRRs has been
carried out incorporating the effects of two photon absorption induced
free-carrier injection and thermo optic effect. The results have been used to
design simple and compact all-optical 3-bit and 4-bit pseudo-random binary
sequence generators and the first reported designs of all-optical 4 x 4-bit
multiplier and divider. The designs have been optimized for low-power,
ultrafast operation with high modulation depth, enabling logic operations at 45
Gbps.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures. Submitted at Journal (Optik) for publicatio