Switzerland has developed a successful all-metal miniature photoelectric signal converter

[China Instrument Network Instrument Development] According to the Swiss Federal University of Zurich, the University of Information and Electronic Technology Research Institute successfully developed the world's first all-metal miniature photoelectric signal converter. The transmission distance of the optical signal in the metal can only reach 100 microns at the highest. At present, the photoelectric conversion unit in the microelectronic device needs to use the glass material. The results of the Swiss Federal University of Zurich in Zurich broke through the consensus of the industry and is an important innovation in this field. It has been published in the journal Science.

This all-metal miniature optoelectronic signal converter is fabricated on the surface of the gold thin film material using etching techniques, measuring only 3x36 microns. At the input of the converter, the metal surface produces a "plasma oscillation" under the effect of a steady beam of light from the fiber. This "plasma oscillation" state undergoes a corresponding change under the influence of an electrical signal, the so-called "modulation", in the At the output of the converter, the "plasma oscillation" after modulation is converted into an optical signal, thereby converting the electrical signal and the optical signal. Compared to the photoelectric signal converters in current microelectronic devices, this all-metal miniature photoelectric signal converter has a much smaller volume (according to introduction is the world's smallest photoelectric signal converter), and the signal transmission rate increases (signal transmission in experiments. The rate reached 116G/S).

According to the research team, the metal materials used can not only be limited to precious metals, but can also be realized using ordinary metal materials such as copper, so the manufacturing process is simple and the cost is significantly reduced. The new miniature optoelectronic signal converter has a wide range of application prospects, and the scientific research team has cooperated with the industry to develop products.

(Original title: Switzerland developed a fully metal miniature photoelectric signal converter)