Surface plasmon waves in nanoelectronic circuits

Plasma dynamics in nanoscale metal-dielectric structures is reviewed, and circuit models for potential plasma wave natiodevices and circuits are developed. Circuit representations for surface-plasmon waveguides, nanoantennas, and for surface plasmon generators based on attenuated total reflection (ATR), are presented. In metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures tunnelling also excites surface plasmon waves, and the equivalent circuit introduced in this paper helps the design of circuits exploiting surface plasmon waves. These nanoelectronic circuits might have an impact on the future of terahertz and infrared electronics. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.