This gear converts information originally available in electrical form into optical signals.
In fact, the modulator is significantly smaller than the wavelength of light used in the system.
In telecommunications, optical signals are transmitted using laser light with a wavelength of 1.55 micrometers.
Normally, an optical unit cannot be smaller than the wavelength it should process.
This makes it a switch as it flips and the state changes from on to off or vice versa.
These electrons can pass through the single atom gap before being reconverted on the other side.
By reconfiguring the design of the modulator, the light is effectively squashed to squeeze through the gap.
This allows us to create a digital switch, as with a transistor.
We have been looking for a solution like this for a long time, summarizes Leuthold.
The ETH researchers want to fine-tune it for frequencies in the gigahertz to terahertz range.
At present, fabrication is only successful in one out of every six attempts.
to get to continue his research into the nanomodulator, Leuthold has strengthened his team.
However, he points out that greater resources would be required to develop a commercially available solution.
The results of this research were recently published in the journalNano Letters.
source: www.techworm.net
