Electromagnetic propagation in nanostructures

Future integrated circuit technology will feature a fusion of optical and optoelectronic components with traditional electronic devices. Information can be rapidly transmitted as light in dielectric waveguides, photonic crystal guides and metallic nanoarrays. This paper presents a description of electromagnetic propagation in semiconductor and metallic nanostructures. Diffraction effects will dominate the propagation of light when the dimension of the cavity or device approaches its wavelength. The plasmonic effect circumvents this problem by propagating the light wave through highly localized conduction electrons in a noble metal [1].