Image: Nathaniel Kinsey/Virginia Commonwealth University
Photonics could be revolutionized through the field of
plasmonics. Due to this, an international team of researchers from Perdue
University, ETH Zürich, the University of Washington, and Virginia Commonwealth
University have all collaborated to further the development of practical
plasmonic circuits.
When light hits a metal surface, it produces waves of
electrons (surface plasmons) which may be exploited; Plasmonics is the study
and application of these waves. Since plasmon waves are much shorter than
light waves, advancements in this technology could help transform integrated
circuits.
The property of “loss” has been one major concern in the
industry as it what allows surface plasmons to absorb light used within
plasmonic circuits. However, this team of researchers have created a switch
using a ring modulator to prevent photons from interfering with surface
plasmons. Alexandra Boltasseva from Purdue University, a co-author of the
research, explains, “We show that by clever engineering, these losses can be
bypassed, or even used to our advantage.”
Read more about this fascinating discovery at: https://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/optoelectronics/plasmonics-takes-a-step-closer-to-realworld-applications
Read the article at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0031-4
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