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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
07:39
Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
A silicon-based electrical source of surface plasmon polaritons.
Nature Materials
|December 8, 2009
Summary
Researchers developed a silicon-based electrical source for surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). This breakthrough integrates plasmonics with CMOS technology, overcoming size mismatches in microelectronics and photonics.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Plasmonics
- Microelectronics and Semiconductor Technology
Background:
- The integration of photonics with complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics faces challenges due to significant size mismatches between microelectronic and micro-optical components.
- Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) offer a potential solution by enabling light confinement and control at sub-100 nm scales at metal/dielectric interfaces.
Discussion:
- While passive plasmonic devices are established, active plasmonic devices, particularly electrical sources of SPPs, are crucial for practical applications.
- Previous demonstrations of electrical SPP sources utilized organic semiconductors, limiting compatibility with established silicon-based microelectronic fabrication processes.
Key Insights:
- This study demonstrates a silicon-based electrical source for SPPs, fabricated using low-temperature microtechnology processes.
- The developed fabrication methods are compatible with back-end CMOS technology, paving the way for integrated silicon plasmonics.
Outlook:
- This work advances the field of silicon plasmonics, enabling the development of novel devices for optical communication and sensing.
- Further integration of electrical SPP sources with CMOS technology could lead to highly efficient and compact photonic integrated circuits.
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