US Patent 7474811 - Nanowire array photonics

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7474811.html

This patent from Hewlett Packard teaches a nanowire array useful to the integration between optical and electronic devices. Claim 1 reads:

1. A photonic apparatus comprising:

a low-index optical waveguide having a confined region; and

a plurality of nanowires, the nanowires being distributed within the confined region, wherein the plurality of nanowires is distributed to collectively one or more of produce, enhance, modulate and detect an optical field, the low-index optical waveguide confining the optical field in the confined region.