An Image Processing Algorithm to Optimize the Output Configuration of a Photonic Integrated Circuit

The interest in silicon photonics as a quantum enabling technology is rapidly growing, and Photonic Integrated Chips (PICs) have been proven to be a robust and viable solution in such research fields. As this technology applied to the quantum world is relatively young, some areas of interest remain uninspected, especially the control and output optimization. In this work, we propose an image processing tool to control and optimize a PIC based solely on images captured by a camera and without invasive output detectors. We tested this architecture on a Silicon Oxynitride (SiON) PIC where several Mach-Zehnder interferometers can be voltage driven by Titanium-Titanium Nitride (TiTiN) thermistors. By comparing the results of the image processing algorithm with those retrieved by silicon photodetectors on the same chip, we have proven that our approach can match or even outperform the traditional approach of sensing outputs with silicon photodetectors.