Silicon-Based Optoelectronics Enhanced by Hybrid Plasmon Polaritons: Bridging Dielectric Photonics and Nanoplasmonics

Abstract

Silicon-based optoelectronics large-scale integrated circuits have been of interest to the world in recent decades due to the need for higher complexity, larger link capacity, and lower cost. Surface plasmons are electromagnetic waves that propagate along the interface between a conductor and a dielectric, which can be confined several orders smaller than the wavelength in a vacuum and offers the potential for minimizing photonic circuits to the nanoscale. However, plasmonic waveguides are usually accompanied by substantial propagation loss because metals always exhibit significant resistive heating losses when interacting with light. Therefore, it is better to couple silicon-based optoelectronics and plasmonics and bridge the gap between micro-photonics and nanodevices, especially some nano-electronic devices. In this review, we discuss methods to enhance silicon-based optoelectronics by hybrid plasmon polaritons and summarize some recently reported designs. It is believed that by utilizing the strong light confinement of plasmonics, we can overcome the conventional diffraction limit of light and further improve the integration of optoelectronic circuits.