Towards Deep Integration of Electronics and Photonics

Abstract

A combination of computational power provided by modern MOSFET-based devices with light assisted wideband communication at the nanoscale can bring electronic technologies to the next level. Obvious obstacles include a size mismatch between electronic and photonic components as well as a weak light–matter interaction typical for existing devices. Polariton modes can be used to overcome these difficulties at the fundamental level. Here, we review applications of such modes, related to the design and fabrication of electro–optical circuits. The emphasis is made on surface plasmon-polaritons which have already demonstrated their value in many fields of technology. Other possible quasiparticles as well as their hybridization with plasmons are discussed. A quasiparticle-based paradigm in electronics, developed at the microscopic level, can be used in future molecular electronics and quantum computing.