Silicon slab waveguide based XOR and XNOR all optical logic gates

Abstract This paper focuses on the design and implementation of silicon slab waveguides (SSWs) based all-optical XOR and XNOR logic gates. Utilizing silicon’s high refractive index at optical communication wavelengths (1.55 µ m), these gates exhibit strong optical confinement and efficient propagation in SSWs. The proposed design is optimized for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic modes. By strategically introducing air holes at key intersections of the waveguide, phase variations are induced to achieve the desired output logic for XOR and XNOR logic operations. These gates demonstrate femtosecond-scale propagation delays, significantly outperforming traditional logic gate designs, with low propagation losses and compact design.