Supervised Learning of soliton X-junctions in Lithium Niobate films On Insulator

In this Letter, the first implementation, to our knowledge, of X-junctions between photorefractive soliton waveguides in lithium niobate-on-insulator (LNOI) films is reported. The experiments were performed on 8 mu m thick films of congru-ent undoped LiNbO3. Compared with bulk crystals, the use of films reduces the soliton formation time, allows more con-trol over the interaction between the injected soliton beams, and opens a route to integration with silicon optoelectronics functions. The created X-junction structures show effective supervised learning, directing the signals propagated inside the soliton waveguides into the output channels highlighted by the control assigned by the external supervisor. Thus, the obtained X-junctions have behaviors analogous to biological neurons.(c) 2022 Optica Publishing Group