ChipAI Neuromorphic System Simulator
March 2, 2023
In the framework of the ChipAI project, a collection of three apps that simulate the dynamics of neuromorphic nanophotonic devices was developed. The app is intended for users interested in simulating the generation and transmission of excitable optical pulses in artificial nano-optoelectronic spiking neurons. The apps are available on the ChipAI project website and are to be used by other researchers/stakeholders for them to have an understanding of how optical pulses (spikes) are generated in these systems, and how these are affected by the systems’ parameters and hardware specifications.
The app contributes to disseminating the project’s research concepts and outputs in a practical, interactive way, as well as serving as a tool for other scientists to use in their own research.
The simulator is based on the physical model of the hardware, which consists of nanoscale resonant tunnelling diode (RTD) elements coupled to either nanolaser diodes (LD) and nanophotodetector (PD) components forming respectively spiking transmitter (TX) and receiver (RX) modules.
ChipAI project laid the foundations of the new field of neuromorphic optical computing and enabled new non-AI functional applications in biosensing, imaging and many other fields where masses of cheap miniaturized pulsed sources and detectors are needed.