Variable metamaterial apparatus

• US 20070188385A1
• Filed: 02/16/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick, Tegreene, Clarence, Myhrvold, Nathan, Wood, Lowell
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/700.MS
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/30 Metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/002 said selective devices being reconfigurable or tunable, e.g. using switches or diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/0086 said selective devices having materials with a synthesized negative refractive index, e.g. metamaterials or left-handed materials

Abstract

Artificial materials, such as metamaterials, include adjustable properties. In some approaches the properties are adjustable according to active feedback of interaction with electromagnetic waves.

Claims

1. An apparatus for interacting with electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

a plurality of elements each of the elements having a respective individual response, the plurality of elements being arranged in a pattern corresponding to a selected group response to the electromagnetic radiation that is a function of the individual responses;

wherein one or more of the individual responses of the elements are variable in response to an external input.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the individual responses include resonant frequencies.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the resonant frequencies of selected ones of the elements are variable in response to the external input.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the external input is an electric field.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the element is responsive to the external input to deform.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the element includes an effective permittivity that varies responsive to the external input.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the element includes an effective permeability that varies responsive to the external input.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the element includes an effective permittivity that varies responsive to the external input.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected group response to the electromagnetic radiation is a waveshaping response.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the waveshaping response is a focusing.

19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the waveshaping response corresponds to a focal length and wherein the individual responses are sufficiently variable to change the waveshaping response to a different waveshaping response corresponding to a different focal length.

23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the external input is an electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the individual responses include characteristic frequencies and the electromagnetic wave is at a frequency different from the characteristic frequencies.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the characteristic frequencies are resonant frequencies and the electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation is at a frequency different from the resonant frequencies.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the individual responses include characteristic frequencies and the electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation is at the characteristic frequencies.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the characteristic frequencies are resonant frequencies and the electromagnetic wave is at a frequency different from the resonant frequencies.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the group response corresponds to a selected orientation relative to the electromagnetic radiation and the one or more of the individual responses of the elements that are variable in response to an external input are responsive to the electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation at an orientation different from the selected orientation.

29. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the one or more of the individual responses of the elements are variable in response to an electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation and wherein responses of the selected ones of the elements that are variable in response to the external input are saturable by electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the one or more of the individual responses of the elements are variable in response to an electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation and wherein responses of the selected ones of the elements that are variable in response to the external input include characteristic frequencies responsive to the electromagnetic wave different from the electromagnetic radiation

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52. An adjustable artificial medium, comprising:

an arrangement of electromagnetically responsive structures, arranged in a pattern that produces a non-unity effective permittivity and/or permeability at a characteristic frequency, each of the electromagnetically responsive structures having electromagnetic properties that are variable responsive to respective control signals; and

control circuitry coupled to each of the electromagnetically responsive structures and operable to produce the control signals.

53. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein coupling between the control circuitry and the respective electromagnetically responsive structures is evanescent.

54. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the characteristic frequency corresponds to one or more infrared wavelengths.

55. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 54 wherein coupling between the control circuitry and the respective electromagnetically responsive structures is evanescent.

56. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the control circuitry includes a processor.

57. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 56, wherein the control circuitry further includes comparing circuitry responsive to an indication of a response of the artificial medium to provide the control signals.

58. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52 further including respective detectors coupled to each of the electromagnetically responsive structures, each of the detectors being coupled to the control circuitry.

59. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 58 wherein each of the respective detectors includes an optically responsive medium.

60. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 59 wherein the optically responsive media include electrooptic media positioned for electromagnetic field coupling to the electromagnetically responsive structures.

61. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 58 wherein each of the respective detectors includes one or more components positioned to detect and electric field potential corresponding to the electromagnetic properties of the electromagnetically responsive structures.

62. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures include signal amplifiers.

63. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the signal amplifiers include MMICs.

64. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures include optical amplifiers.

68. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures are physically deformable in a manner that changes their electromagnetic properties.

69. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures are physically deformable in response to an electromagnetic field.

70. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures include piezoelectric materials.

71. The adjustable artificial medium of claim 52, wherein the respective electromagnetically responsive structures include MEMS components.

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92. An apparatus for interacting with electromagnetic radiation, comprising:

a plurality of elements each of the elements having a respective individual response, the plurality of elements being arranged in a pattern corresponding to a selected group response to the electromagnetic radiation that is a function of interactions between selected ones of the elements and one or more other ones of the elements;

wherein interactions between selected ones of the elements and one or more other ones of the elements are variable in response to an external input.

93. The apparatus of claim 92 wherein interactions between the selected ones of the elements and one or more other ones of the elements are a function of plasma frequencies of the elements.

94. The apparatus of claim 93 further including a coupling control apparatus coupled to the one or more elements and operable to vary the plasma frequencies of the one or more elements.

95. The apparatus of claim 94 wherein the coupling control apparatus includes a material having a permittivity and/or a permeability that is variable responsive to selected input.

96. The apparatus of claim 95 wherein the coupling control apparatus includes electrical circuitry responsive to the control signal to provide the selected input to the material having a permittivity and/or a permeability that is variable responsive to the selected input.

97. The apparatus of claim 92 including a coupling control apparatus operatively interposed between two or more of the elements, wherein the coupling control apparatus includes a physical material having non-unity electromagnetic properties positioned relative to at least one of the electromagnetically responsive structures.

98. The apparatus of claim 97 wherein the coupling control apparatus includes a repositioning mechanism coupled to the physical material having non-unity electromagnetic properties and responsive to the control signal to change a position of the physical material having non-unity electromagnetic properties relative to at least one of the electromagnetically responsive structures.

99. The apparatus of claim 98 wherein the coupling control apparatus includes a repositioning mechanism coupled to the physical material having non-unity electromagnetic properties and responsive to the control signal to change an orientation position of the physical material having non-unity electromagnetic properties relative to at least one of the electromagnetically responsive structures.