Benchmarking System-Level Performance of Passive and Active Plasmonic Components: Integrated Circuit Approach

Using criteria of bandwidth and energy consumption for signal guiding and processing, system-level figures of merit (FOMs) for both passive and active plasmonic circuit components are introduced, benchmarking their performance for the realization of high-bandwidth optical data communication on a chip. The FOM for passive plasmonic interconnects has been derived in terms of the system-level performance of the plasmonic circuitry, emphasising the bandwidth and power dissipation densities. These parameters are linked to the local waveguide characteristics, such as the mode propagation length, bend radius, and mode size. The FOM enables a comparison of the main types of plasmonic waveguides and can serve as a benchmark for future designs of photonic integrated circuits. A FOM for active photonic or plasmonic electro-optical, thermo-optical, and all-optical modulators is also derived to reflect the same benchmarking principles. A particular emphasis is made on establishing a practically oriented benchmark where the integral performance of the circuit, not the size or energy consumption of individual components, plays the defining role.