In the quest for efficient and sustainable technology solutions, innovative approaches to energy management are crucial. Our vision is to harness the parasitic energy (i.e., losses) of photonic integrated components and reuse it to drive the components themselves, enabling their operation with near zero external power requirements. This approach aims to revolutionize integrated photonics by drastically reducing energy consumption and enhancing sustainability.
We propose collecting these energy losses using precisely designed Electro-Optical interfaces (transducers) and directing them to an integrated power management unit (PMU) that can store and release energy on demand back to the system. We plan to explore various types of harvesting interfaces, including electro-optical polymer-plasmonic joints, traditional PN junctions, and advanced approaches such as 2D materials based on graphene, as well as natural energy harvesting methods using synthetic photosystem complexes. These methods are expected to push the frontiers of interoperability between molecular physics, electronics, and integrated photonics.
A key element of our vision is the creation of a photonic integrated neuron that is self-sustaining. This neuron would be part of a spiking machine where the parasitic energy collected and managed by the PMU triggers the system and enables the neuron to spike. This concept has the potential to pave the way for ultra-massive integrated photonic neural networks and neuromorphic solutions, where the size of the networks can scale exponentially without a significant increase in energy requirements.
Horizon Europe (HE)
