On‐chip optical spatial‐domain integrator based on Fourier optics and metasurface

Abstract

Abstract Analog optical computing has been an innovation and research interest in last several years, thanks to the ultra‐high speed (potential for real‐time processing), ultra‐low power consumption and capability of parallel processing. Although great efforts have been made recently, no on‐chip optical spatial‐domain integrator has been experimentally demonstrated, to the best of our knowledge. Based on Fourier optics and metasurface, we design and fabricate an on‐chip optical integrator using silicon‐on‐insulator (SOI) platform. The proposed integrator is able to integrate the electric field in spatial domain. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, a representative optical signal is well integrated to the desired distribution. Compared with theoretical expectation, the similarity coefficients of the simulated and experimental results are 83 and 78%, respectively. The proposed scheme has potential of performing more complex and ultra‐high‐speed computing for artificial intelligence.