A rapid prototyping framework for nano-photonic accelerators

A rapid-prototyping framework for nano-photonic accelerators embedded in digital multiprocessor systems is highly desired. Nano-photonic technologies advance at a fast pace. They provide a promising technological substrate for implementing on-chip optical computing. Currently, numerous competing physical implementations and architectural strategies are under active investigation; however, the functionality, performance, and error characteristics of these technologies differ substantially from those of standard CMOS technologies, making system exploration hard. This work presents a technology-agnostic rapid prototyping framework for nano-photonic accelerators focusing on optical analog processing and digital optical gates. It allows to explore the implementation-space of optical accelerators and to analyse the influence of optical effects on the overall system at an early stage.