The EML as frequency-coded optical neuron

摘要

Neuromorphic photonics is considered as one of the key enables that support the convergence of optics and information technology. In its endeavour to realise neuro-inspired circuitry at high speed, low latency and high interconnect density it unleashes a plurality of novel applications such as analogue optical processing and accelerators or optical neural networks. The basic building blocks do not necessarily have to be complex. A basic opto-electronic device as simple as an externally modulated laser can already mimic the function of an optical neuron in the optical frequency domain. It responds to excitatory and inhibitory inputs, provided that their particular weights exceed the excitation threshold. I will show that these parameters can be mapped in spectrum and power in case of the proposed EML implementation and experimentally validate spiking behaviour under both types of stimuli for 5-GHz pulse characteristics.