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Abstract The incorporation of high‐performance optoelectronic devices into photonic neuromorphic processors can substantially accelerate computationally intensive matrix multiplication operations in machine learning (ML) algorithms. However, the conventional designs of individual devices and system are largely disconnected, and the system optimization is limited to the manual exploration of a small design space. Here, a device‐system end‐to‐end design methodology is reported to optimize a free‐space optical general matrix multiplication (GEMM) hardware accelerator by engineering a spatially reconfigurable array made from chalcogenide phase change materials. With a highly parallelized integrated hardware emulator with experimental information, the design of unit device to directly optimize GEMM calculation accuracy is achieved by exploring a large parameter space through reinforcement learning algorithms, including deep Q‐learning neural network, Bayesian optimization, and their cascaded approach. The algorithm‐generated physical quantities show a clear correlation between system performance metrics and device specifications. Furthermore, physics‐aware training approaches are employed to deploy optimized hardware to the tasks of image classification, materials discovery, and a closed‐loop design of optical ML accelerators. The demonstrated framework offers insights into the end‐to‐end and co‐design of optoelectronic devices and systems with reduced human supervision and domain knowledge barriers.
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This content will become publicly available on July 3, 2026
Machine-learning-assisted photonic device development: a multiscale approach from theory to characterization
Abstract Photonic device development (PDD) has achieved remarkable success in designing and implementing new devices for controlling light across various wavelengths, scales, and applications, including telecommunications, imaging, sensing, and quantum information processing. PDD is an iterative, five-step process that consists of: (i) deriving device behavior from design parameters, (ii) simulating device performance, (iii) finding the optimal candidate designs from simulations, (iv) fabricating the optimal device, and (v) measuring device performance. Classically, all these steps involve Bayesian optimization, material science, control theory, and direct physics-driven numerical methods. However, many of these techniques are computationally intractable, monetarily costly, or difficult to implement at scale. In addition, PDD suffers from large optimization landscapes, uncertainties in structural or optical characterization, and difficulties in implementing robust fabrication processes. However, the advent of machine learning over the past decade has provided novel, data-driven strategies for tackling these challenges, including surrogate estimators for speeding up computations, generative modeling for noisy measurement modeling and data augmentation, reinforcement learning for fabrication, and active learning for experimental physical discovery. In this review, we present a comprehensive perspective on these methods to enable machine-learning-assisted PDD (ML-PDD) for efficient design optimization with powerful generative models, fast simulation and characterization modeling under noisy measurements, and reinforcement learning for fabrication. This review will provide researchers from diverse backgrounds with valuable insights into this emerging topic, fostering interdisciplinary efforts to accelerate the development of complex photonic devices and systems.
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- PAR ID:
- 10621684
- Publisher / Repository:
- De Gruyter Brill
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Nanophotonics
- ISSN:
- 2192-8606
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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