SHIFT REGISTER HAVING OPTICAL BISTABLE ELEMENT

摘要

PURPOSE:To simplify a wiring structure, to integrate plural optical bistable element to a high density and to enable high-speed operation by shifting the light radiated from the optical bistable elements in a light emitting state via optical waveguide means to the other arbitrary optical bistable elements. CONSTITUTION:The plural optical bistable elements are disposed on one n-InP semiconductor substrate 100 and optical waveguide layer 101 consisting of n- InGaAsP is formed on this n-InP semiconductor subtrate 100. The optical waveguide layer 101 is commonly used as an emitter layer of the phototransistors of the respective optical bistable elements. The state of the optical bistable elements changes to the light emitting state in spite of incidence of light of a relatively low set power if the bias voltage to be applied to anode electrodes is increased. The state of the optical bistable elements, therefore, changes to the light emitting state when an extremely high bias voltage is applied to the optical bistable elements. Then, the light emitting state is shifted from the optical bistable elements in the light emitting state to the desired optical bistable elements.