Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Excitonic Hamiltonians for Calculating Optical Absorption Spectra and Optoelectronic Properties of Molecular Aggregates and Solids
Published on: May 27, 2020
Control of exciton fluxes in an excitonic integrated circuit
Alex A High1, Ekaterina E Novitskaya, Leonid V Butov
1Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0319, USA.
Abstract:
Efficient signal communication uses photons. Signal processing, however, uses an optically inactive medium, electrons. Therefore, an interconnection between electronic signal processing and optical communication is required at the integrated circuit level. We demonstrated control of exciton fluxes in an excitonic integrated circuit. The circuit consists of three exciton optoelectronic transistors and performs operations with exciton fluxes, such as directional switching and merging. Photons transform into excitons at the circuit input, and the excitons transform into photons at the circuit output. The exciton flux from the input to the output is controlled by a pattern of the electrode voltages. The direct coupling of photons, used in communication, to excitons, used as the device-operation medium, may lead to the development of efficient exciton-based optoelectronic devices.
Related Concept Videos
MOSFET: Enhancement Mode
In their basic form, enhancement-mode MOSFETs are typically non-conductive when the gate-source voltage (Vgs) is zero. This default 'off' state means no current...
Biasing of P-N Junction
In equilibrium, no external voltage is applied across the p-n junction. The depletion region is formed at the junction interface due to the diffusion of carriers, which leaves behind charged dopants, acceptors on the p-side, and donors on the n-side. These immobile charges create an electric field that prevents further diffusion of carriers. The related energy band...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Biasing of FET
In an N-channel JFET, the structure consists of N-type material forming the channel on a P-type substrate, with the gate...
Carrier Generation and Recombination
This process is given by the generation rate G and is efficient due to the conservation of momentum between the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum.
Indirect generation involves an...
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...

