A new type of transistor is bridging the gap between electronics and optics, potentially replacing expensive optical-to-electronic-to-optical converters. In the photo, three are wired as an adder--two at the bottom inputting to the summing transistor at the top. The inputs accept optical signals, converting them to excitons--high-energy bound electron-hole pair--which can be added electronically, then at the output the optical signal reemerges through recombination of the electron-hole pairs.

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