Emitting and focusing apparatus, methods, and systems

• US 20090299683A1
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Weaver, Thomas A., Smith, David R., Pendry, John Brian, Tegreene, Clarence T., Jung, Edward K.Y., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. JR., Hyde, Roderick A., Schurig, David, Bowers, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,736,982 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/00 Simple or compound lenses

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems provide emitting, field-adjusting, and focusing of electromagnetic energy. In some approaches the field-adjusting includes providing an extended depth of field greater than a nominal depth of field. In some approaches the field-adjusting includes field-adjusting with a transformation medium, where the transformation medium may include an artificially-structured material such as a metamaterial.

Claims

1-174. -174. (canceled)

175. A method, comprising:

identifying a nominal field region for a focusing structure, the nominal field region having a nominal axial dimension; and

determining electromagnetic parameters for a spatial region containing the nominal field region, the electromagnetic parameters providing an actual field region having an actual axial dimension greater than the nominal axial dimension;

where the electromagnetic parameters include;

axial electromagnetic parameters; and

transverse electromagnetic parameters that inversely correspond to the axial electromagnetic parameters.

189. The method of claim 175, wherein the determining of the electromagnetic parameters includes:

for electromagnetic waves at a first frequency, determining a first subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a first actual field subregion within the actual field region, the first actual field subregion having a first actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension; and

for electromagnetic waves at a second frequency, determining a second subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a second actual field subregion within the actual focusing region, the second actual field subregion having a second actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension.

192. The method of claim 175, wherein the identifying includes:

for electromagnetic waves at a first frequency, identifying a first nominal field subregion within the nominal field region for the focusing structure, the first nominal field subregion having a first nominal axial subdimension; and

for electromagnetic waves at a second frequency, identifying a second nominal field subregion within the nominal field region for the focusing structure, the second nominal field subregion having a second nominal axial subdimension.

202. The method of claim 175, further comprising:

selecting one or more positions of one or more electromagnetic emitters within the spatial region.

205. The method of claim 202, wherein the one or more positions of the one or more electromagnetic emitters is a plurality of positions for a plurality of electromagnetic emitters.

206. The method of claim 205, wherein the plurality of electromagnetic emitters composes an emitter phased array.

207. The method of claim 205, wherein the plurality of positions is an axially distributed plurality of positions.

212. The method of claim 175, wherein the electromagnetic parameters define a spatially-varying index of refraction within the spatial region.

214. The method of claim 175, wherein the electromagnetic parameters define an index of refraction having an absolute value less than one within at least a portion of the spatial region.

215. The method of claim 175, wherein the focusing structure defines an axial direction, and the axial electromagnetic parameters correspond to the axial direction.

216. The method of claim 215, wherein the axial direction corresponds to an optical axis of the focusing structure.

217. The method of claim 215, wherein the axial direction corresponds to the nominal axial dimension.

227. The method of claim 215, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters correspond to a transverse direction, the transverse direction being substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

230. The method of claim 175, wherein the axial electromagnetic parameters include an axial permittivity.

231. The method of claim 230, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permittivity that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permittivity.

232. The method of claim 230, wherein the axial electromagnetic parameters include an axial permeability.

233. The method of claim 232, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permeability that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permeability.

234. The method of claim 232, wherein the axial permittivity is substantially equal to the axial permeability.

235. The method of claim 234, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permeability that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permeability.

236. The method of claim 175, wherein the focusing structure and the spatial region have a physical separation.

237. The method of claim 236, wherein the physical separation defines an intermediate region between the focusing structure and the spatial region, the spatial region includes an output surface region substantially adjoining the intermediate region, and the intermediate region is substantially nonreflective of electromagnetic energy incident upon the intermediate region from the output surface region.

238. The method of claim 237, wherein the output surface region is substantially impedance-matched to the intermediate region.

239. The method of claim 238, wherein a wave impedance of the intermediate region is substantially equal to a wave impedance of the output surface region.

240. The method of claim 239, wherein the intermediate region defines a first permittivity and a first permeability, the output surface region defines a second permittivity and a second permeability, and a ratio of the second permittivity to the first permittivity is substantially equal to a ratio of the second permeability to the first permeability.

242. The method of claim 240, wherein the first permittivity is substantially nonunity.

244. The method of claim 240, wherein the first permeability is substantially nonunity.

245. The method of claim 240, wherein the output surface region defines a surface normal direction and a surface parallel direction, the second permittivity includes a surface normal permittivity corresponding to the surface normal direction and a surface parallel permittivity corresponding to the surface parallel direction, and a ratio of the surface normal permittivity to the first permittivity is substantially a multiplicative inverse of a ratio of the surface parallel permittivity to the first permittivity.

246. The method of claim 245, wherein the second permeability includes a surface normal permeability corresponding to the surface normal direction and a surface parallel permeability corresponding to the surface parallel direction, and a ratio of the surface normal permeability to the first permeability is substantially a multiplicative inverse of a ratio of the surface parallel permeability to the first permeability.

247. The method of claim 175, wherein the spatial region is immediately adjacent to the focusing structure.

248. The method of claim 247, wherein the focusing structure includes an input surface region and the spatial region includes an output surface region substantially adjoining the input surface region, the input surface region being substantially nonreflective of electromagnetic energy incident upon the input surface region from the output surface region.

249. The method of claim 248, wherein the input surface region is substantially impedance-matched to the output surface region.

250. The method of claim 249, wherein a wave impedance of the output surface region is substantially equal to a wave impedance of the input surface region.

251. The method of claim 250, wherein the input surface region defines a first permittivity and a first permeability, the output surface region defines a second permittivity and a second permeability, and a ratio of the second permittivity to the first permittivity is substantially equal to a ratio of the second permeability to the first permeability.

252. The method of claim 251, wherein the output surface region defines a surface normal direction and a surface parallel direction, the second permittivity includes a surface normal permittivity corresponding to the surface normal direction and a surface parallel permittivity corresponding to the surface parallel direction, and a ratio of the surface normal permittivity to the first permittivity is substantially a multiplicative inverse of a ratio of the surface parallel permittivity to the first permittivity.

253. The method of claim 252, wherein the second permeability includes a surface normal permeability corresponding to the surface normal direction and a surface parallel permeability corresponding to the surface parallel direction, and a ratio of the surface normal permeability to the first permeability is substantially a multiplicative inverse of a ratio of the surface parallel permeability to the first permeability.

254. The method of claim 175, wherein the electromagnetic parameters correspond to an effective coordinate transformation that maps the actual field region to the nominal field region.

255. The method of claim 254, wherein the effective coordinate transformation is a spatial dilation along a direction corresponding to the nominal axial dimension.

257. The method of claim 255, wherein the spatial dilation is a non-uniform spatial dilation.

258. The method of claim 175, further comprising:

configuring an artificially-structured material having an effective electromagnetic response that corresponds to the electromagnetic parameters in the spatial region.

259. The method of claim 258, wherein the artificially-structured material includes a photonic crystal.

260. The method of claim 258, wherein the artificially-structured material includes a metamaterial.

261. The method of claim 258, wherein the configuring includes:

determining an arrangement of a plurality of electromagnetically responsive elements having a plurality of individual responses, the plurality of individual responses composing the effective electromagnetic response.

262. The method of claim 261, wherein the plurality of individual responses includes a plurality of individual frequency responses.

263. The method of claim 262, wherein the plurality of individual frequency responses is a plurality of individual frequency bandwidth responses corresponding to a plurality of individual bandwidths.

264. The method of claim 263, wherein the plurality of electromagnetically responsive elements is a plurality of electromagnetically responsive resonators corresponding to a plurality of resonant frequencies, and each of the individual bandwidths is substantially centered around a corresponding one of the resonant frequencies.

266. The method of claim 263, wherein the individual bandwidths are at least partially overlapping.

268. The method of claim 263, wherein the individual bandwidths define a substantially contiguous composite bandwidth.

269. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include discrete circuit elements.

275. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include integrated circuit elements.

277. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include metallic structures.

278. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include LC resonators.

279. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include plasmonic resonators.

280. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include nanostructures.

284. The method of claim 261, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include split-ring resonators.

286. The method of claim 258, wherein the configuring includes:

configuring at least one electromagnetically-responsive structure to arrange a plurality of distributed electromagnetic responses, the plurality of distributed electromagnetic responses composing the effective electromagnetic response.

289. The method of claim 286, wherein the distributed electromagnetic responses include distributed inductive-capacitive responses.

290. The method of claim 286, wherein the at least one electromagnetically-responsive structure includes transmission lines.

176-188. -188. (canceled)

190. (canceled)

191. (canceled)

193-200. -200. (canceled)

201. (canceled)

203. (canceled)

204. (canceled)

208. (canceled)

209. (canceled)

210. (canceled)

211. (canceled)

213. (canceled)

218-225. -225. (canceled)

226. (canceled)

228. (canceled)

229. (canceled)

241. (canceled)

243. (canceled)

256. (canceled)

265. (canceled)

267. (canceled)

270. (canceled)

271. (canceled)

272. (canceled)

273. (canceled)

274. (canceled)

276. (canceled)

281. (canceled)

282. (canceled)

283. (canceled)

285. (canceled)

287. (canceled)

288. (canceled)

291. (canceled)

292. (canceled)

293. (canceled)