Abstract

An optical neuron and a high density dynamic optical interconnect are two of the critical elements in the realization of an optical neural net computer. The key to both elements is an optical nonlinear material with a sufficiently large nonlinearity at reasonable optical intensities which can be used at wavelengths compatible to integration with semiconductor sources and detectors. The field shielding nonlinearity in semiconductors such as CdTe is a charge transfer effect wherein an optical beam creates photocharge which then alters the electric field pattern in the material¹. The change in electric field through the electrooptic effect can then be used to create a dynamic optical interconnect or a nonlinear neuron. In semiconductors this effect can have a formation time on the order of microseconds, has a relatively low required intensity on the order of tens of microwatts per cm², and can be used in the infrared. CdTe is a particularly promising material since its figure of merit, n³r/ε, which is a measure of the index change per absorbed photon, is relatively large².

© 1989 Optical Society of America