ABSTRACT

The field of optical signal processing has had a long and checkered history. Optical logic devices, such as the self-electro-optic-effect device, were investigated with the goal of making self-contained, optical computing systems. This chapter discusses many of the fundamental phenomena involved in the operation of the hybrid optoelectronic devices and their physical potential. It compares a projected processing system implemented in a currently available photonic integrated circuit technology with electronic neural networks that are currently being developed in the neuromorphic hardware community. The neuromorphic computing community has been making vigorous efforts toward large-scale spiking neuromorphic hardware. Address-event representation is an asynchronous communication protocol suitable for delivering sparse events (or spikes) between neuromorphic circuits. Modern neuromorphic hardware utilizes digital switching to perform various forms of temporal multiplexing. The chapter considers energy dissipation both electrically and optically, before making comparisons with current hardware platforms built in electronics by the neuromorphic hardware community.