A Non-volatile Ferro-photonic Memory Device

Authors

Presenter(s)

Asela Perera

Comments

10:20-10:40, Kennedy Union 311

Files

Description

Commercially existing photonic integrated memory device architectures implemented with MRRs are volatile, implying that once the bias is removed, the stored memory is erased. While the functionality is excellent for optical data switching and optical data modulation applications, the volatility is unsuitable for optical memory applications where the bias needs to be ON at all times to store the data in the MRR implying a significant static power consumption. Such a feature is unsuitable for photonic computing applications in neural networks where training weights need to be stored for a long time without any active power consumption. An energy-efficient non-volatile memory is one of the missing photonic building blocks for optical computing. Micro ring resonators (MRRs) are integral components of silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) that can change amplitude and phase of light. The resonance wavelength of MRRs can be shifted by changing the refractive index of MRR material. A hybrid ferroelectric material needs to be integrated with silicon to store the shift and hence the data, when the actuating voltage is removed. Recently, foundry compatible hafnium-zirconium-oxide (Hf0.5Zr0.5O2, HZO) has been demonstrated as a suitable ferroelectric in memristor applications in electronics. In this work, we present an initial prototype of a non-volatile high-speed ferroelectric optical memory device with HZO integrated on MRRs.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Graduate Research

Primary Advisor

Swapnajit Chakravarty

Primary Advisor's Department

Electro-Optics and Photonics

Keywords

Stander Symposium, School of Engineering

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Scholarship; Scholarship

Recommended Citation

"A Non-volatile Ferro-photonic Memory Device" (2025). Stander Symposium Projects. 4075.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/4075