To provide an optical buffer circuit which is capable of high-speed operation without requiring photoelectric conversion or electric-photo conversion and which can arbitrarily vary the storage time.
The optical buffer circuit includes a light source 10, an inversion optical gate switch 11 to block the output light from the light source in accordance with a block control signal, and an optical bistable device 12. The optical bistable device 12 accepts the output light from the light source and the optical input signal and outputs the output light from the light source by transmission in accordance with the optical input signal. The circuit also has a read-out optical gate switch 13 which receives the output from the optical bistable device. The read-out optical gate switch transmits the input light as the delayed output of the optical buffer circuit in accordance with the read-out control signal for arbitrarily controlling the delay time. The circuit also has a delay circuit 14 connected to the inversion optical gate switch so as to delay the read-out control signal by a given time to generate a block control signal for the inversion optical gate switch.
Takashi Ishihara
Ihei Ihei