Emerging technologies proposal - Essay Example

An interesting consequence of this is that materials with a negative refractive index have been constructed that can focus light much more finely than conventional lenses and can also be used for energy harvesting (Ball, 2007). The study and construction of metamaterials has given a new direction to the field of Plasmonics, the study of Plasmons. These are small waves of electron density that are produced by using light. Using Plasmons, optical signals can be squeezed into very small wires. The induction of plasmons in metamaterials can induce extraordinary optical and magnetic properties in them.

Together, these two developments can be used to envisage higher capacity optical data storage and telecom systems that are ultrafast, compact and highly integrated (Atwater, 2007). The Technology Review, the publication from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has identified Metamaterials as one of the top ten emerging technologies in a special review. They offer significant size reduction in optical data storage and computation. When combined with plasmonics, they demonstrate electromagnetic properties that are impossible to achieve with conventional materials.

Thus, they can be effective circuit elements of very small size but increased complexity and performance. They can also enable the Radio Frequency (RF) signals to be shaped and controlled in a completely novel way. This will miniaturize the devices and processors for computers, help the information processing be faster. Eventually, this technology could change the future of telecommunications and data storage. I am interested in the application of plasmonic metamaterials to computer chips in the IT industry.

Miniscule plasmonic devices with arrays of metamaterial stripes and gaps can be produced to act as computer chips. The arrangement of these arrays acts as a plasmonic circuit that can convey much more data at a significantly higher rate than conventional