Photonic processing systems and methods
AssigneeLightmatter, Inc.
InventorsDarius Bunandar, Nicholas C. Harris, Carl Ramey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Aspects relate to a photonic processing system, a photonic processor, and a method of performing matrix-vector multiplication. An optical encoder may encode an input vector into a first plurality of optical signals. A photonic processor may receive the first plurality of optical signals; perform a plurality of operations on the first plurality of optical signals, the plurality of operations implementing a matrix multiplication of the input vector by a matrix; and output a second plurality of optical signals representing an output vector. An optical receiver may detect the second plurality of optical signals and output an electrical digital representation of the output vector.
Claims21
(canceled)
A photonic system comprising:
- a plurality of waveguides, each of the plurality of waveguides configured to carry a respective input optical signal;
- a plurality of encoders comprising first optical modulators configured to impart a plurality of input numeric values onto the plurality of input optical signals to output first modulated optical signals;
- a plurality of sets of controllable optical elements, the controllable optical elements in each set comprising inputs coupled to one or more outputs of the plurality of encoders and a plurality of second optical modulators configured to impart a plurality of weight values onto the first modulated optical signals received from the encoders to output second modulated optical signals;
- and
- a plurality of optical combiners each associated with at least one of the sets of controllable optical elements and configured to coherently combine the second modulated optical signals associated with the set into an optical output signal.
A method for performing matrix multiplication using a photonic system, the method comprising:
- carrying a plurality of input optical signals using respective waveguides;
- imparting a plurality of input numeric values onto the plurality of input optical signals to output first modulated optical signals using a plurality of encoders comprising first optical modulators;
- imparting a plurality of weight values onto the first modulated optical signals received from the encoders to output second modulated optical signals using a plurality of sets of controllable optical elements, the controllable optical elements in each set comprising inputs coupled to one or more outputs of the plurality of encoders and a plurality of second optical modulators;
- and
- coherently combining the second modulated optical signals associated with the set into an optical output signal using a plurality of optical combiners each associated with at least one of the sets of controllable optical elements.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.