製造に適した、すべて光で動作するプラズモニック強化型集積相変化フォトニックメモリデバイス

The potential for realizing fast, energy-efficient integrated photonic memory and computing devices developed from the nanoscale light-squeezing and electric-field enhancing capability of plasmonic resonant structures and the intrinsic tuneability of chalcogenide phase-change materials is explored. We concentrate on designs that should be readily manufacturable, comprising a plasmonic dimer-bar nanoantenna deposited on top of a phase-change cell, itself deposited on top of an integrated photonic waveguide. Device optical properties and switching behavior are determined by a combination of finite-element thermo-optic and bespoke phase-change computational models. The results show that suitably designed devices can achieve switching energies in the tens of pico-Joule range and switching speeds in the tens of nanosecond range, a very considerable improvement over conventional designs, and showing a good trade-off between the device performance and fabrication complexity.