A new method for storing weights in analog neural hardware

An optoelectronic method for nonvolatile storage of analog weights in artificial network hardware is proposed. A pulse of light of selected wavelength is used to store analog information by forcing electrons in a suitably engineered medium into stable energy levels. The information is retrieved by exposing the medium to light of a second wavelength which drops the stored electrons back into their initial energy levels, creating a proportionate number of photons which can be detected using a photodiode. This is suggested as a technique, called quantum storage, which can be used to represent analog weights in neural hardware