Waveguide-Integrated Plasmonic Photodetectors and Activation Function Units With Phase Change Materials

With a rapidly growing amount of data generated and processed, a search for more efficient components and architectures such as neuromorphic computing that can perform increasingly complex operations in more efficient way continue. Here we show that thin films of chalcogenide phase change materials (PCMs) (Semiconductors) can serve as building blocks for novel type of plasmonic photodetectors and activation function units that operate seamlessly in both electrical and optical domains without the need for repeated electrical-to-optical conversions. Different arrangements and heating configurations are considered to provide a most efficient mechanism for detection and thresholding. Depending on the operation conditions, the same device can operate either as a photodetector or an activation function unit. In consequence it provides flexibility in an on-chip signal processing.