Layered electromagnetically responsive assembly

• US 20080112663A1
• Filed: 03/22/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Hillis, W. Daniel, Hyde, Roderick A., Wood, Lowell L.
• Application Number:
  US11/386,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20080112663A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/00 Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01716 Optically controlled superlattice or quantum well devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/01791 Quantum boxes or quantum dots
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/35 Non-linear optics
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3515 All-optical modulation, gating, switching, e.g. control of a light beam by another light beam G02F1/353, G02F1/37, G02F1/39 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/3517 using an interferometer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/30 Metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/32 Photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/15 involving resonance effects, e.g. resonantly enhanced interaction

Abstract

An electromagnetically responsive element includes sets of arrangements of self-resonant bodies, such as atoms or quantum dots that form an effective dielectric constant, typically at or near a resonance.

Claims

1. A method of controlling electromagnetic energy, comprising:

positioning a first set of self resonant bodies in a first intercept location, the first set of self resonant bodies having a first response characteristic relative to an interaction location;

positioning a second set of self resonant bodies in a second intercept location, the second set of self resonant bodies having a second response characteristic relative to the interaction location;

positioning a third set of self resonant bodies in a third intercept location, the third set of self resonant bodies having a third response characteristic relative to the interaction location; and

interacting with the electromagnetic energy at the interaction location.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first response characteristic includes a first center frequency.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second response characteristic includes a second center frequency.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second center frequency is different from the first center frequency.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second center frequency is different from the third center frequency.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the third center frequency is different from the first center frequency.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein interacting with the electromagnetic energy includes converting the electromagnetic energy from free space energy to guided energy.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein interacting with the electromagnetic energy includes detecting the electromagnetic energy with a photodetector.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first, second or third characteristics define a focal location substantially co-located with at least a portion of the interaction location.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of self resonant bodies is substantially within a common first plane.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the second set of self resonant bodies is substantially within a common second plane.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the third set of self resonant bodies is substantially within a common third plane.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second planes are at least partially co-planar.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the first, second, and third planes are at least partially co-planar.

15. A structure for interacting with electromagnetic energy, comprising:

a first layer including an arrangement of resonators each having a first principal resonant frequency, the first layer having a first response to the electromagnetic energy;

a second layer including an arrangement of resonators each having a second principal resonant frequency different from the first principal resonant frequency, the second layer having a second response to the electromagnetic energy; and

a third layer including an arrangement of resonators each having a third principal resonant frequency different from the first principal resonant frequency and the second principal resonant frequency, the third layer having a third response to the electromagnetic energy;

wherein the first, second and third layers are relatively positioned to define a composite response to the electromagnetic energy that is a function of the first, second and third responses.

16. The structure of claim 15 wherein the first, second and third layers are at least partially coplanar.

17. The structure of claim 15 wherein the first, second and third layers are substantially coplanar.

18. The structure of claim 15 wherein the first, second and third layers are aligned along a common axis.

19. The structure of claim 18 wherein the first, second and third layers define a stacked arrangement.

20. The structure of claim 19 wherein the first, second, and third layers are spatially discrete layers.

21. The structure of claim 15 wherein the relative positioning is selected such that the composite response defines a common field of view for electromagnetic energy at the first, second and third principal resonant frequencies.

22. The structure of claim 15 wherein the resonators in the first layer have a bandwidth substantially centered around the first principal resonant frequency, the resonators in the second layer have a bandwidth substantially centered around the second principal resonant frequency, and the resonators in the third layer have a bandwidth substantially centered around the third principal resonant frequency.

23. The structure of claim 22 wherein the bandwidth substantially centered around the first principal resonant frequency, the bandwidth substantially centered around the second principal resonant frequency, and the resonators bandwidth substantially centered around the third principal resonant frequency are substantially non-overlapping.

24. The structure of claim 22 wherein the bandwidth substantially centered around the first principal resonant frequency, the bandwidth substantially centered around the second principal resonant frequency, and the bandwidth substantially centered around the third principal resonant frequency are at least partially overlapping.

25. The structure of claim 24 wherein the bandwidth substantially centered around the first principal resonant frequency, the bandwidth substantially centered around the second principal resonant frequency, and the bandwidth substantially centered around the third principal resonant frequency define a substantially contiguous composite bandwidth.

26. The structure of claim 25 further including a fourth layer including an arrangement of resonators each having a fourth principal resonant frequency different from the first principal resonant frequency, the second principal resonant frequency, and the third resonant frequency.

27. The structure of claim 26 wherein the fourth layer is positioned relative to the first, second and third layers to define a composite response to the electromagnetic energy that is a function of the first, second, third and fourth responses.

28. The structure of claim 27 wherein the fourth layer is spatially separate from the first, second, and third layers.

29. The structure of claim 15 wherein at least one of the first, second or third principal frequencies is an optical frequency.