All-optical clocked D flip-flop using a single SOA-MZI

All-optical flip-flops are key elements in photonics switching techniques, which justify the continuous interest to develop new solutions for high-speed and low-power one-bit memories. In this paper, a novel scheme for all-optical clocked D flip-flop based on a single Mach-Zehnder interferometer, with semiconductor optical amplifiers in both arms (SOA-MZI), is numerically demonstrated. The proposed flip-flop will allow the synchronization of different optical devices and since its input presents the same value as the variables at the next state, are suitable for being used in finite state machines. Simulations results show that the proposed flip-flop can operate with switching energies below 20 fJ and presents high photonic integration capability.