Reconfigurable photonic integrated computing chip based on quadrilateral MZI topology network

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) play an important role in transporting and processing analog information. Reconfigurable optical computing chip can meet the needs of implementing miniaturized and multi-functional signal processors which has become a research hotspot in recent years. Here, we designed and fabricated a reconfigurable photonic integrated computing chip based on a quadrilateral MZI topology network. Several analog signal processing functions including temporal differentiation, integration and Hilbert transformation are experimental demonstrated with a processing bandwidth of 40 GHz. By reconfiguring optical path and changing the spectral ratio of the MZI structure in the network, the functions can be switched and the operation order can be tuned. The quadrilateral network is universal and can be extended to a larger network structure in the future.