Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing

We report a multi-modal spiking neuron that allows optical and electronic input and control, and wavelength-multiplexing operation, for use in novel high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing functionalities. The photonic-electronic neuron is built with a micro-scale, nanostructure resonant tunne...

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Main Authors: Weikang Zhang, Matěj Hejda, Qusay Raghib Ali Al-Taai, Dafydd Owen-Newns, Bruno Romeira, José M L Figueiredo, Joshua Robertson, Edward Wasige, Antonio Hurtado
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2024-01-01
Series:Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4386/ad8df8
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author Weikang Zhang
Matěj Hejda
Qusay Raghib Ali Al-Taai
Dafydd Owen-Newns
Bruno Romeira
José M L Figueiredo
Joshua Robertson
Edward Wasige
Antonio Hurtado
author_facet Weikang Zhang
Matěj Hejda
Qusay Raghib Ali Al-Taai
Dafydd Owen-Newns
Bruno Romeira
José M L Figueiredo
Joshua Robertson
Edward Wasige
Antonio Hurtado
author_sort Weikang Zhang
collection DOAJ
description We report a multi-modal spiking neuron that allows optical and electronic input and control, and wavelength-multiplexing operation, for use in novel high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing functionalities. The photonic-electronic neuron is built with a micro-scale, nanostructure resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) with photodetection (PD) capability. Leveraging the advantageous intrinsic properties of this RTD-PD system, namely highly nonlinear characteristics, photo-sensitivity, light-induced I – V curve shift, and the ability to deliver excitable responses under electrical and optical inputs, we successfully achieve flexible neuromorphic spike activation and inhibition regimes through photonic-electrical control. We also demonstrate the ability of this RTD-PD spiking sensing-processing neuron to operate under the simultaneous arrival of multiple wavelength-multiplexed optical signals, due to its large PD spectral window (covering the 1310 and 1550 nm telecom wavelength bands). Our results highlight the potential of RTD photonic-electronic neurons to reproduce multiple key excitatory and inhibitory spiking regimes, at high speed (10 s of ns-rate spiking responses, with faster sub-ns regimes theoretically predicted) and low energy (requiring only ∼10 mV and ∼150 µ W, electrical and optical input amplitudes, respectively), similar in nature to those commonly found in the biological neurons of the visual system and the brain. This work offers a highly promising approach for the realisation of high-speed, energy-efficient photonic-electronic spiking neurons and spiking neural networks, enabling multi-modal and multi-wavelength operation for sensing and information processing tasks, whilst also yielding enhanced system capacity, performance and parallelism. This work therefore paves the way for innovative high-speed, photonic-electronic, and spike-based neuromorphic sensing and computing systems and artificial intelligence hardware.
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spelling doaj-art-4f126e41e01042a8a6af12fd1d3c7ad42024-11-26T10:36:58ZengIOP PublishingNeuromorphic Computing and Engineering2634-43862024-01-014404400610.1088/2634-4386/ad8df8Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computingWeikang Zhang0Matěj Hejda1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4493-9426Qusay Raghib Ali Al-Taai2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5741-0527Dafydd Owen-Newns3Bruno Romeira4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1485-6665José M L Figueiredo5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5668-7073Joshua Robertson6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6316-5265Edward Wasige7Antonio Hurtado8Institute of Photonics, SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, United KingdomInstitute of Photonics, SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, United KingdomHigh Frequency Electronics Group, University of Glasgow , Glasgow, United KingdomInstitute of Photonics, SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, United KingdomInternational Iberian Nanotechnology Lab., Ultrafast Bio- and Nanophotonics Group , Braga, PortugalCentra-Ciências and Department de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa , Lisboa, PortugalInstitute of Photonics, SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, United KingdomHigh Frequency Electronics Group, University of Glasgow , Glasgow, United KingdomInstitute of Photonics, SUPA Department of Physics, University of Strathclyde , Glasgow, United KingdomWe report a multi-modal spiking neuron that allows optical and electronic input and control, and wavelength-multiplexing operation, for use in novel high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing functionalities. The photonic-electronic neuron is built with a micro-scale, nanostructure resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) with photodetection (PD) capability. Leveraging the advantageous intrinsic properties of this RTD-PD system, namely highly nonlinear characteristics, photo-sensitivity, light-induced I – V curve shift, and the ability to deliver excitable responses under electrical and optical inputs, we successfully achieve flexible neuromorphic spike activation and inhibition regimes through photonic-electrical control. We also demonstrate the ability of this RTD-PD spiking sensing-processing neuron to operate under the simultaneous arrival of multiple wavelength-multiplexed optical signals, due to its large PD spectral window (covering the 1310 and 1550 nm telecom wavelength bands). Our results highlight the potential of RTD photonic-electronic neurons to reproduce multiple key excitatory and inhibitory spiking regimes, at high speed (10 s of ns-rate spiking responses, with faster sub-ns regimes theoretically predicted) and low energy (requiring only ∼10 mV and ∼150 µ W, electrical and optical input amplitudes, respectively), similar in nature to those commonly found in the biological neurons of the visual system and the brain. This work offers a highly promising approach for the realisation of high-speed, energy-efficient photonic-electronic spiking neurons and spiking neural networks, enabling multi-modal and multi-wavelength operation for sensing and information processing tasks, whilst also yielding enhanced system capacity, performance and parallelism. This work therefore paves the way for innovative high-speed, photonic-electronic, and spike-based neuromorphic sensing and computing systems and artificial intelligence hardware.https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4386/ad8df8resonant tunnelling diode-photodiodeneuromorphic photonicsspiking neural networks
spellingShingle Weikang Zhang
Matěj Hejda
Qusay Raghib Ali Al-Taai
Dafydd Owen-Newns
Bruno Romeira
José M L Figueiredo
Joshua Robertson
Edward Wasige
Antonio Hurtado
Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
Neuromorphic Computing and Engineering
resonant tunnelling diode-photodiode
neuromorphic photonics
spiking neural networks
title Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
title_full Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
title_fullStr Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
title_full_unstemmed Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
title_short Photonic-electronic spiking neuron with multi-modal and multi-wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high-speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
title_sort photonic electronic spiking neuron with multi modal and multi wavelength excitatory and inhibitory operation for high speed neuromorphic sensing and computing
topic resonant tunnelling diode-photodiode
neuromorphic photonics
spiking neural networks
url https://doi.org/10.1088/2634-4386/ad8df8
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