All-Optical Nonlinear Activations Using Saturable Absorbers on a Generic InP Platform for Photonic Neural Networks
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: We experimentally demonstrate all-optical nonlinear activation functions using standalone saturable absorbers, as well as saturable absorbers integrated into microring resonators and Mach-Zehnder interferometer structures on a monolithic InP platform. These configurations enable programmable nonlinear responses and support both passive and active operation modes. The measured activation characteristics exhibit softplus- and ReLU-like behaviors, suitable for neuromorphic computing. When incorporated into a convolutional neural network for MNIST digit classification, the system achieves over 97% accuracy, highlighting the potential of SA-based photonic components for compact, low-power, and scalable optical neural networks.
Authors: Rajib Ratan Ghosh, Lukas Puts, Julian Konig, Weiming Yao
Institution: Eindhoven University of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Artificial Intelligence
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7131632014