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Nonlinear nanocircuitry based on quantum tunneling effects

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2015

Pai-Yen Chen ,
Khai Q. Le  and
Andrea Alù
Pai-Yen Chen*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
Khai Q. Le
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Minnesota 55812, USA Faculty of Science and Technology, Hoa Sen University, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Andrea Alù*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Pai-Yen Chen atpychen@wayne.eduand Andrea Alù atalu@mail.utexas.edu
Address all correspondence to Pai-Yen Chen atpychen@wayne.eduand Andrea Alù atalu@mail.utexas.edu
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Abstract

Metatronics, or metamaterial-inspired optical nanocircuitry, has provided a powerful toolset to tailor and implement modular quasi-static circuit functionalities in the optical regime. So far, these concepts have been mostly limited to linear operations, while many of the relevant operations in integrated circuits require nonlinear responses. In this work, we introduce nonlinear infrared nanocircuit elements exploiting large quantum conductance driven by photon-assisted tunneling and enhanced by hybrid plasmonic nanojunctions. Based on these concepts, we present infrared lumped nanocircuit mixers and switches for second-harmonic generation, and wide-spectrum self-amplitude modulators based on nanorods.

Type
Plasmonics, Photonics, and Metamaterials Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , December 2015 , pp. 565 - 571
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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