Photonic chips have changed data-intensive technologies. These laser-powered devices send and analyze information at the speed of light, making them a viable answer for artificial intelligence’s data-hungry applications, whether used alone or in conjunction with conventional electrical circuits. A research team has developed a photonic device for AI applications that offers customizable on-chip information processing without lithography. This device combines the speed of photonics with higher accuracy and flexibility.
This gadget consists of spatially distributed optical gain and loss to achieve unmatched light control. Lasers shine light directly onto a semiconductor wafer without requiring predetermined lithographic routes.
Electronic devices built on silicon have changed the computational environment. However, they have clear drawbacks: they process signals slowly, process data serially rather than in parallel, and can only be made very small. One of the most intriguing possibilities is photonics since it can address all these issues.
However, the complex fabrication process used to make photonic chips for machine learning applications presents challenges because lithographic patterning is fixed, limited in reprogrammability, expensive, prone to error, and susceptible to damage. Researchers are developing a new paradigm by eliminating the necessity for lithography. Due to removing all restrictions imposed by specified features, the chip overcomes these challenges and offers greater precision and ultimate reconfigurability.
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