Attojoule optoelectronics — Requirements and prospects for low energy devices

Using optics to save energy in information processing and communications will be increasingly important for continued scaling No other physical technology arguably has comparable potential for reducing communication energy and energy reduction is essential There are orders of magnitude of headroom for reducing the energy of optoelectronic systems through ➢ tight integration of optoelectronic devices, nanoscale optics, and electronics ➢ system redesign for minimum total energy per bit ➢ attojoule optoelectronic devices on micron and submicron scales Emerging possibilities for “zero dissipation” self-configuring optical processors could save additional energy in sensing, processing and communications.