Electromagnetic energy logic employing saturable absorbers

Claim 2

In combination, a member containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of substantially linear energy transmission at a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear transmission at a much lower energy absorption level in response to the same type of irradiation but in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controllably actuating said member to the second intensity range for producing the corresponding energy absorption capability of said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, and means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range.

Claim 3

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said characteristic has at the upper end of said first range a first predetermined threshold of the onset of nonlinearity and at the lower end of said second range a second predetermined threshold of the onset of saturation, and said material and the length of said path being proportioned to produce a predetermined difference between transmitted energy levels at said first and second thresholds.

Claim 4

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said material includes cryptocyanine.

Claim 5

The combination in accordance with claim 3 in which said member comprises a solution of said material in methanol.

Claim 6

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said material includes chloroaluminum phthalocyanine.

Claim 7

The combination in accordance with claim 5 in which said member comprises a solution of said material in chloronaphthalene.

Claim 8

In combination, a member-containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear energy transmission at a substantially saturated energy absorption capability in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controllably producing said saturated energy absorption capability in said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being of incoherent energy, each of said control beams having an intensity in said second range, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, and means selectively actuating one or more of said control beams to permit substantially full transmission of said signal energy beam in the presence of any one or more of said control beams.

Claim 9

In combination, a member-containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear energy transmission at a substantially saturated energy absorption capability in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controllably producing said saturated energy absorption capability in said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being of incoherent energy, each of said control beams having an intensity in said second range, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, and means selectively actuating one or more of said control beams to permit substantially full transmission of said signal energy beam in the presence of any one or more of said control beams.

Claim 10

The combination in accordance with claim 25 in which each of said control beams has an intensity in said second range.

Claim 11

The combination in accordance with claim 23 in which each of said control beams has an intensity between, and in neither of, said first and second ranges.

Claim 12

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said control beams are of such similar phase and frequency that they produce, when more than one is present, a perceptibLe interference pattern in said material, each of said control beams has an intensity in said second range, and means selectively actuate one or more of said beams to permit substantially full transmission of said signal energy beam in the presence of no more than one of said control beams.

Claim 13

The combination in accordance with claim 10 in which said selective actuating means includes means cyclically actuating a predetermined one of said control beams.

Claim 14

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said control beams are differently oriented to produce, when at least two are present, in a predetermined volume of said member including a part of said path an energy interference pattern producing in adjacent bands of said material different levels of absorption capability, said bands intersecting said signal beam.

Claim 15

The combination in accordance with claim 12 in which said pattern is an iterative pattern of alternate bands of absorption capability and saturation.

Claim 16

The combination in accordance with claim 13 in which said control beams are coherent beams, and said pattern is substantially stationary in said member.

Claim 17

The combination in accordance with claim 1 in which said control beams are beams of coherent light, each including the same frequency components in a range to which said material is responsive in accordance with said transmission-versus-intensity characteristic.

Claim 18

The combination in accordance with claim 15 in which said control beams have electric vector components, and said electric vector components of said control beams are parallel to one another and perpendicular to beam propagation directions.

Claim 19

The combination in accordance with claim 15 in which said member includes a plurality of different surfaces, and said control beams each include a portion entering a common surface of said member to define by intersection of such portions a predetermined volume of said material through which said path extends.

Claim 20

In combination, a member containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of substantially linear energy transmission at a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear transmission at a much lower energy absorption level in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controlling the energy absorption capability of said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being beams of coherent light, each including the same frequency components in a range to which said material is responsive in accordance with said transmission-versus-intensity characteristic, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, said signal energy beam and one of said control beams being collinearly oriented in said material for projection in opposite directions toward said material, a message member with predetermined information-representative light transmission characteristics interposed in a part of said one control beam which is collinear with said signal energy beam and between said control beam-applying means and said material, and beam splitting means interposed in said one control beam between said message member and said material to divert said signal energy beam, the diverted beam containing intensity modulations across its cross section representing the complement of said light transmission characteristics.

Claim 21

In combination, a member containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of substantially linear energy transmission at a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear transmission at a much lower energy absorption level in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controlling the energy absorption capability of said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being beams of coherent light, each including the same frequency components in a range to which said material is responsive in accordance with said transmission-versus-intensity characteristic, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, said signal energy beam and one of said control beams being collinearly oriented in said material for projection in opposite directions toward said material, a message member with predetermined information-representative light transmission characteristics interposed in a part of said one control beam which is collinear with said signal energy beam and between said control beam-applying means and said material, and beam splitting means interposed in said one control beam between said message member and said material to divert said signal energy beam, the diverted beam containing intensity modulations across its cross section representing the complement of said light transmission characteristics.

Claim 22

The combination in accOrdance with claim 18 in which means are provided for adjusting the intensity of a second one of said control beams for optimum contrast between dark and light portions of said cross section.

Claim 23

The combination in accordance with claim 18 in which said control beams are oriented to intersect in a predetermined common volume of said material to produce therein an interference pattern of alternate bands of different levels of energy absorption, said transmission-versus-irradiation characteristic includes between said absorption and linear transmission portions a portion of nonlinear absorption, and said control beams have intensities individually in said portion of nonlinear absorption but, in combination, providing a maximum absorption capability in said path less than that corresponding to maximum intensity in said first range and a minimum absorption capability in said path greater than that corresponding to minimum intensity in said second range.

Claim 24

The combination in accordance with claim 12 in which means are provided for adjusting the intensity of at least one of said control beams for controlling the net absorption of said member along said path.

Claim 25

The combination in accordance with claim 15 in which said signal energy beam path is oriented in said member in a direction which is different from the direction of any of said control beams.

Claim 26

In combination, a member containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of substantially linear energy transmission at a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear transmission at a much lower energy absorption level in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controlling the energy absorption capability of said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being of such similar phase and frequency that they produce, when more than one is present, an interference pattern in said material, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, said signal energy beam and one of said control beams being substantially collinearly oriented for projection in opposite directions toward said material, a message member with predetermined information-representative light transmission characteristics interposed in said one control beam between said control beam applying means and said material, and means detecting said signal beam after transmission through said material.

Claim 27

In combination, a member containing material which is capable of absorbing electromagnetic energy incident thereon, said material having a transmitted-versus-incident energy intensity characteristic including a first range of substantially linear energy transmission at a high energy absorption level in a first predetermined irradiation intensity range, and a second range of substantially linear transmission at a much lower energy absorption level in a second predetermined intensity range higher than said first range, means supplying to said member a plurality of control beams of said energy for controlling the energy absorption capability of said member along a predetermined path through said member, said control beams being oriented to intersect in a common volume in space so that each beam irradiates the full extent of said path, said control beams being of such similar phase and frequency that they produce, when more than one is present, an interference pattern in said material, means applying along said path in said member an information signal energy beam different from said control beams, with an intensity in said first range, said signal energy beam and one of said control beams being substantially collinearly oriented for projection in opposite directions toward said material, a message member with predetermined information-representative light transmission characteristics interposed in said one control beam between said control beam applying means and said material, and means detecting said signal beam after transmission through said material.