Circuit designs for superconducting optoelectronic loop neurons

Published

October 12, 2018

Author(s)

Jeffrey M. Shainline, Adam N. McCaughan, Jeffrey T. Chiles, Richard P. Mirin, Sae Woo Nam, Sonia M. Buckley

Abstract

We present designs of superconducting optoelectronic neurons based on superconducting single- photon detectors, Josephson junctions, semiconductor light sources, and multi-planar dielectric waveguides. The neurons send few-photon signals to synaptic connections, and these signals communicate neuronal firing events as well as update synaptic weights. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity is implemented with a single photon triggering each step of the process. Circuits combining single-photon detectors with Josephson junctions achieve complex synaptic and neuronal functions with extreme energy efficiency. Microscale semiconductor light sources and networks of dielectric waveguides enable connectivity to thousands of synaptic connections, and the use of light for communication enables synchronization of neuronal pools of area limited only by the light cone.

Citation

Journal of Applied Physics

Volume

124

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5038031

Local Download

Keywords

neural computing, superconductors, integrated photonics, cognition

Citation

Shainline, J. , McCaughan, A. , Chiles, J. , Mirin, R. , Nam, S. and Buckley, S. (2018), Circuit designs for superconducting optoelectronic loop neurons, Journal of Applied Physics, [online], https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5038031 (Accessed October 9, 2024)