Overcoming Silicon Limitations Short Review: How Geometrical Innovation Can Revolutionize Nanophotonics and Nanoelectronics

Traditional CMOS and FinFET shrinking techniques have begun to reach the physical limits of available materials, and a revolution in silicon photonics communication is necessary to continue to meet the ever-growing demands on microprocessors. Although on-chip optical communication presents a promising direction for circumventing the scaling bottleneck, silicon-based solutions are constrained by several factors, such as the element’s indirect energy band gap, limited absorption spectrum, native oxide, and more. However, the employment of innovative design geometries has enabled the development of a series of silicon nanophotonic and nanoelectronic devices that both overcome these limitations as well as improve on existing physical phenomena. Presented in this short review are a few working examples of these Si nano-devices, which are part of a larger family of components being developed for optical communication and advanced sensing applications.