The PLASMOfab project: A generic CMOS-compatible platform for co-integrated plasmonics/photonics/electronics PICs towards volume manufacturing of low energy, small size and high performance photonic devices

Over the last decade, silicon photonics have attracted momentous efforts as the means to address constantly increasing market demands in low-cost photonic integrated circuits (PIC). Silicon photonics meet most fabrication requirements of standard CMOS process lines [1] encompassing the photonics-electronics consolidation vision. Despite this remarkable progress, further miniaturization of PICs for common integration with electronics and for increasing PIC functional density, is bounded by the inherent diffraction limit of light imposed by optical waveguides. Instead, Surface Plasmon Polariton (SPP) waveguides can guide light at subwavelength scales at the metal surface [2] providing unique light-matter interaction properties that may be exploited in sensing [3] or in ultra-high speed data communications, [4]. In parallel, plasmonics may exploit their metallic nature to naturally integrate with electronics in high-performance ASPICs.