CMOS-Compatible Plasmon Propagation and Detection in Vertical Si and Ge p-i-n Diodes

Present day interconnect technology is facing increasing power dissipation and latency problems as metallic interconnects are scaled down. Metallic interconnects have been predicted to be the limiting factor in increasing overall performance in about ten years. While photonic interconnects could potentially constitute an alternative for off-chip interconnects, the diffraction limit precludes their use for interconnects with dimensions less than λ/2, with λ being the wavelength of light. Optical interconnects that are based on plasmonic rather than photonic transmission lines could provide interconnect functionality far into the nanometer regime.