Publicação
3D optical interconnect networks for neuromorphic computational applications
| Resumo: | Optical waveguides are promising candidates for next-generation integrated systems that feature parallel interconnects such as neuromorphic photonic computational hardware, an important emerging technology in the field of artificial intelligence. However, parallel waveguide systems fabricated via traditional two-dimensional lithography, are bound by unfavorable scaling and, consequently, are strongly limited in size. Two-photon polymerization (TPP), as a three-dimensional lithography technique, enables the microfabrication of complex 3D polymer structures, allowing superpositions not achievable by planar technologies, reducing the footprint of interconnected systems and enabling higher density of interconnects. In this work, the role of the voxel trajectory in the outcome of TPP fabrication is systematically studied, opening the way to the fabrication of mechanically challenging free-standing 3D polymer waveguides in Ormocore (n ≈ 1.5), achieving lengths of up to 900 µm and heights ranging from 30 to 80 µm. The reported waveguides present optical losses of 3.71 ± 0.27 dB mm−1 at λ = 830 nm. Moreover, the 3D waveguides are capable of being stacked in the normal direction to the substrate without intersecting, and to be combined together to build 3D optical splitters capable of routing light from a single input to multiple outputs (up to four), features that are useful in neural network implementations. Finally, in this work, the TPP process is combined with semiconductor photonics technology, by aligning and fabricating 3D waveguides on nanostructured GaAs semiconductor based photonic dies, with the aim of constructing a proof of concept system consisting of two optically interconnected micro-LEDs that can serve as a building block for future integrated photonic neuromorphic systems. |
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| Autores principais: | Andrishak, Artur |
| Assunto: | Two-photon polymerization (TPP) 3D polymer waveguides Photonic wire-bonding Optical splitters 3D printing Ormocore Neuromorphic computation Polimerização de dois fotões (TPP) Guias de ondas 3D de polímero Interconexão fotónica Divisores óticos Impressão 3D Computação neuromórfica Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Eletrotécnica, Eletrónica e Informática |
| Ano: | 2023 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade do Minho |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho |
| Resumo: | Optical waveguides are promising candidates for next-generation integrated systems that feature parallel interconnects such as neuromorphic photonic computational hardware, an important emerging technology in the field of artificial intelligence. However, parallel waveguide systems fabricated via traditional two-dimensional lithography, are bound by unfavorable scaling and, consequently, are strongly limited in size. Two-photon polymerization (TPP), as a three-dimensional lithography technique, enables the microfabrication of complex 3D polymer structures, allowing superpositions not achievable by planar technologies, reducing the footprint of interconnected systems and enabling higher density of interconnects. In this work, the role of the voxel trajectory in the outcome of TPP fabrication is systematically studied, opening the way to the fabrication of mechanically challenging free-standing 3D polymer waveguides in Ormocore (n ≈ 1.5), achieving lengths of up to 900 µm and heights ranging from 30 to 80 µm. The reported waveguides present optical losses of 3.71 ± 0.27 dB mm−1 at λ = 830 nm. Moreover, the 3D waveguides are capable of being stacked in the normal direction to the substrate without intersecting, and to be combined together to build 3D optical splitters capable of routing light from a single input to multiple outputs (up to four), features that are useful in neural network implementations. Finally, in this work, the TPP process is combined with semiconductor photonics technology, by aligning and fabricating 3D waveguides on nanostructured GaAs semiconductor based photonic dies, with the aim of constructing a proof of concept system consisting of two optically interconnected micro-LEDs that can serve as a building block for future integrated photonic neuromorphic systems. |
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