An ultrafast nanoplasmonic InGaAs amplifier

The future of nanoplasmonic interconnects for next-generation computing platforms is dependent on the development of active devices for compensating the high losses from the metallic waveguides. We present and investigate the gain characteristics of an electrically pumped nanoplasmonic In0.485Ga0.515As amplifier design for the telecommunications wavelength of 1.55 μm through 3D finite difference time domain simulations. The device is shown to be capable, when coupled to a nanoplasmonic interconnect network, of restoring signal amplitude after more than a hundred micrometers of propagation. Up to 500 GHz pulse repetition rates are maintained without significant pulse distortion, offering the possibility of incorporating ultrahigh bandwidth nanoplasmonic interconnects into hybrid optical–electrical circuits. (paper)