Plasmonic and electronic device integrated circuits and their characteristics

This paper presents a type of plasmonic circuit that is monolithically integrated with electronic devices on a silicon substrate and discusses the concept behind this circuit. Surface plasmon waveguides and detectors are integrated with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) on the substrate. In the circuits, surface plasmon signals are generated by light at a wavelength at which silicon is transparent, and propagate along the waveguide before being converted into electrical signals by the detector. These electrical signals drive the MOSFETs during both dc and ac operation. The measured performances of these devices indicate that the surface plasmons propagate on the metal surface at the speed of light and drive the electronic devices without any absorption in silicon.