Energy-per-bit and noise limits in plasmonic intergrated photodetectors

Pierre Wahl; Takuo Tanemura; Christof Debaes; Nathalie Vermeulen; Jürgen Van Erps; David A. B. Miller; Hugo Thienpont

doi:10.1117/12.2017841

7 May 2013 Energy-per-bit and noise limits in plasmonic intergrated photodetectors

Pierre Wahl, Takuo Tanemura, Christof Debaes, Nathalie Vermeulen, Jürgen Van Erps, David A. B. Miller, Hugo Thienpont

Proceedings Volume 8781, Integrated Optics: Physics and Simulations; 87810R (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017841
Event: SPIE Optics + Optoelectronics, 2013, Prague, Czech Republic

Abstract

The energy consumption per transmitted bit is becoming a crucial figure of merit for communication channels. In this paper, we study the design trade-offs in photodetectors, utilizing the energy per bit as a benchmark. We propose a generic model for a photodetector that takes optical and electrical properties into account. Using our formalism, we show how the parasitic capacitance of photodetectors can drastically alter the parameter values that lead to the optimal design. Given certain energy-per-bit and bandwidth requirements, is it possible that a photodetector optimized for the energy per bit would be noise limited? We identify different noise sources and model them in the simplest useful approximation in order to calculate this noise limit. Finally, we apply our theory to a practical case study for an integrated plasmonic photodetector, showing that energies per bit below 100 attojoules are feasible despite metallic losses and within noise limitations without the introduction of an optical cavity or voltage amplifying receiver circuits.

Citation Download Citation

Pierre Wahl, Takuo Tanemura, Christof Debaes, Nathalie Vermeulen, Jürgen Van Erps, David A. B. Miller, and Hugo Thienpont "Energy-per-bit and noise limits in plasmonic intergrated photodetectors", Proc. SPIE 8781, Integrated Optics: Physics and Simulations, 87810R (7 May 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2017841

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