Photonics Research Group Home
Ghent University Research Topics
About People Research Publications Education Services
 IMEC
intern

 

Optical spiking neurons

Research Area: Neuromorphic computing enabled by integrated photonics

Main Researcher: Thomas Van Vaerenbergh

Our brains typically process information that is encoded in spike trains. This is a hybrid analog/digital processing scheme that has important advantages in terms of robustness and flexibility.

An important ingredient here is the concept of excitability: provided the input is large enough, the system sends out a pulse with a fixed shape.

We are investigating how to translate these concepts to photonic devices and how to cascade these photonic neurons.


Other people involved:

Publications

    International Journals

  1. A. Lugnan, Santiago Garcia-Cuevas Carrillo, C. David Wright, P. Bienstman, Rigorous dynamic model of a silicon ring resonator with phase change material for a neuromorphic node, Optics Express, 30(14), p.25177-25194 doi:10.1364/OE.459364 (2022)  Download this Publication (2.6MB).
  2. K. Alexander, T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, P. Mechet, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Excitability in optically injected microdisk lasers with phase controlled excitatory and inhibitory response, Optics Express, 21(22), p.26182-26191 doi:10.1364/oe.21.026182 (2013)  Download this Publication (1.3MB).
  3. T. Van Vaerenbergh, K. Alexander, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Excitation transfer between optically injected microdisk lasers, Optics Express, 21(23), p.28922-28932  doi:10.1364/oe.21.028922 (2013)  Download this Publication (1.3MB).
  4. T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Simplified description of self-pulsation and excitability by thermal and free-carrier effects in semiconductor microcavities, Physical Review A, 86(6), p.063808 doi:10.1103/PhysRevA.86.063808 (2012)  Download this Publication (1.3MB).
  5. T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, P. Mechet, T. Spuesens, R. Kumar, G. Morthier, B. Schrauwen, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Cascadable Excitability in microrings, Optics Express, 20(18), p.20292-20308 doi:10.1364/oe.20.020292 (2012)  Download this Publication (3.6MB).
      International Conferences

    1. I. Luntadila Lufungula, B. Kuyken, Nonvolatile switching in a ring resonator with saturable absorption, IEEE Photonics Conference, United States, doi:https://doi.org/10.1109/IPC57732.2023.10360717 (2023)  Download this Publication (421KB).
    2. T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, An optical delayline based on excitable microrings, IEEE Photonics Conference, United States, p.118-119 doi:10.1109/ipcon.2014.6995240 (2014)  Download this Publication (447KB).
    3. T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Simulation of nonlinear optical resonator circuits, NUSOD 2014, Spain, p.103-104 doi:10.1109/nusod.2014.6935377 (2014)  Download this Publication (1.6MB).
    4. T. Van Vaerenbergh, K. Alexander, M. Fiers, P. Mechet, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Cascadable excitability in optically injected microdisks, Proc. SPIE 9134, Semiconductor Lasers and Laser Dynamics VI, 91341W, Belgium, doi:10.1117/12.2051962 (2014).
    5. T. Van Vaerenbergh, M. Fiers, J. Dambre, P. Bienstman, Towards integrated optical spiking neural networks: delaying spikes on chip, Laser Dynamics and Nonlinear Photonics, 2013 Sixth "Rio De La Plata" Workshop on (invited), 1, Uruguay, p.9-12 doi:10.1109/LDNP.2013.6777418 (2013).

        Back to overview