Wideband operation of 3x3 Mach-Zehnder Interferometer mesh for programmable photonic computing

This work demonstrates the wideband performances of a 3-by-3 Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) mesh used as a programmable photonic logic gate. A digital twin of the device is created by fitting experimental data with a comprehensive circuit model that includes thermal effects. This model is used to identify voltage configurations to implement 15 user-defined Boolean functions at 1550nm. These configurations are then tested across a large wavelength range (1524nm – 1568nm), which includes the entire C-band. Most test functions maintain correct operation across this range, with minor exceptions due to output connection issues. The results indicate a strong potential for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) to perform multiple logic operations in parallel, boosting computational capabilities. The digital twin allows rapid testing and prototyping of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), supporting their use in photonic computing and AI hardware.