Generalized modeling approach for waveguide meshes enables reliable auto-configuration of complex applications

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Computational Science

Background:

• Waveguide meshes are promising for optical computing but face limitations in existing modeling approaches.
• Current methods often restrict functionality to optical routing or make unrealistic assumptions, hindering practical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reliable and general modeling approach for waveguide meshes.
• To overcome limitations of existing methods by accurately incorporating physical effects and enabling high-precision configuration.

Main Methods:

• Accelerated modeling of the tunable basic unit (TBU) to quadratic time.
• Assembling reusable TBU models for arbitrary mesh geometries.
• Incorporating device dispersion, inter-component reflections, and losses into the model.
• Integrating optimization algorithms with tailored error functions for automatic configuration.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated high-precision configuration for diverse applications including optical routing, phase control, unitary matrices, complex filtering, and wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM).
• The proposed model shows superior generalization capability and reliability compared to existing techniques.
• Elimination of parasitic circuits and phase fluctuations achieved through accurate modeling.

Conclusions:

• The developed modeling approach significantly enhances the reliability and applicability of waveguide meshes for optical computing.
• This method unlocks the broader potential of waveguide meshes by enabling accurate configuration of complex functionalities.
• Future integration with adjoint gradient methods is expected to further improve automatic configuration efficiency.