Dr. Manuel De Los Santos has worked for more than a decade to build the alternative power of plasmons into a new way of computing. These charge perturbations hold promise to transform the logic device arena. His adventure started all the way back in 2009. That’s when he first imagined plasmon computing—while watching a wave of miniaturization in CMOS logic. 2024 was a great year for him and his collaborators – they made an unprecedented breakthrough. By developing a Y-junction device that can steer plasmons, they have opened a new chapter in computing technology.
This groundbreaking device is so small that it is only five square microns. It shows the potential of plasmons to improve computing performance and to break the roadblocks imposed by today’s logic devices. De Los Santos is convinced that the traditional computing approach has hit a wall as far as energy dissipation and irreversibility are concerned. His work seeks to leverage current fabrication processes used in the semiconductor industry to develop a more efficient computing paradigm.
The Genesis of Plasmon Computing
De Los Santos first cultivated his ideas about plasmon computing around 2009. This passion came from his perceptive discussions of the changing world of CMOS logic. At the heart of Rajan’s work are critical questions about achieving enhanced logic device performance while still leveraging traditional fabrication processes.
“I began to think, ‘How can we solve this problem of improving the performance of logic devices while using the same fabrication techniques employed for CMOS—that is, while exploiting the current infrastructure?’” – Dr. Manuel De Los Santos
His questions took him to suggest exploiting plasmons as a basis for computation, an idea he formally introduced in 2010. Ever since, he has never stopped fighting for this idea. His dogged determination eventually paid off in the recent experimental realization of a partial device that demonstrated the coupling between two plasmons.
The Y-Junction Device and Its Implications
The significant accomplishment of the Y-junction device, conceived by De Los Santos and his team, marks an exciting step forward in plasmonic computing. This little but mighty device uses one plasmon to control another. This sharply focuses the trajectory of a propagating plasmon into one end of the junction. Perhaps the coolest plasmons trick leads to a doubling of voltage on that leg, demonstrating the awesome power of plasmons.
“You pattern long, thin wires in a configuration in the shape of the letter Y,” De Los Santos explained regarding the construction of the device.
The ability to steer plasmons using a control plasmon opens up new possibilities for logic devices that traditionally lose energy due to irreversible processes. De Los Santos’ method takes advantage of this phenomenon to address energy dissipation problems. If successful, this could change traditional computing approaches that have failed on these challenges for decades.
The implications of this advancement are profound. De Los Santos claims that existing paradigms of computing are “doomed” as they bleed energy and fail efficiently. His innovations might lead to the development of next-generation logic devices providing more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly logic solutions.
Future Directions in Plasmon Computing
Beyond this initial device, De Los Santos is interested in showing and printing a full-scale device that utilizes two control plasmons. This first step is important for confirming what he did and for determining the best ways to explore his approach’s potential applications.
He admits the knowledge needed to best understand and utilize these devices typically lives among different disciplines walls.
“The knowledge base to understand the device rarely exists in a single head,” he noted, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in advancing this innovative technology.
De Los Santos noted that to excite a plasmon it doesn’t take a lot of energy—only attojoules or so are needed. This all just underscores the incredible efficiency potential of his approach.
“Going back to the analogy of throwing a pebble on the pond: It takes very, very low energy to create this kind of disturbance,” he said.
The hurdles to making the leap from semiconductor-based logic devices to their plasmonic counterparts are considerable. De Los Santos remains hopeful about moving past these obstacles. He makes the point that the technology can work beyond the flow paradigms of today’s short-sighted, cash strapped cities.
