Emitting and negatively-refractive focusing apparatus, methods, and systems

• US 20100277808A1
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Published: 11/04/2010
• 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 8,638,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/642
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/007 made of negative effective refractive index materials
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/40 Optical focusing aids

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems provide emitting and negatively-refractive focusing of electromagnetic energy. In some approaches the negatively-refractive focusing includes negatively-refractive focusing from an interior field region with an axial magnification substantially greaters than one. In some approaches the negatively-refractive focusing includes negatively-refractive focusing with a transformation medium, where the transformation medium may include an artificially-structured material such as a metamaterial.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic apparatus, comprising:

a negatively-refractive focusing structure disposed to transmit electromagnetic energy from an interior field region with an axial magnification substantially greater than one.

21. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one electromagnetic emitter positioned within the interior field region.

29. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the negatively-refractive focusing structure is disposed to transmit electromagnetic energy to an exterior focusing region.

30. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 29, wherein the axial magnification corresponds to a ratio of an axial extent of the exterior focusing region to an axial extent of the interior field region.

38. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the negatively-refractive focusing structure is characterized by electromagnetic parameters that include:

axial electromagnetic parameters; and

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

40. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 38, wherein the electromagnetic parameters define a negative index of refraction within at least a portion of the interior field region.

42. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 38, wherein the electromagnetic parameters define an index of refraction less than minus one within at least a portion of the interior field region.

43. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 38, wherein the negatively-refractive focusing structure defines an axial direction, and the axial electromagnetic parameters correspond to the axial direction.

48. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 43, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters correspond to a transverse direction, the transverse direction being substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

51. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 38, wherein the axial electromagnetic parameters include an axial permittivity.

52. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 51, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permittivity that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permittivity.

54. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 52, wherein the axial permittivity is less than zero and greater than minus one.

55. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 51, wherein the axial electromagnetic parameters include an axial permeability.

56. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 55, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permeability that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permeability.

58. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 56, wherein the axial permeability is less than zero and greater than minus one.

59. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 55, wherein the axial permittivity is substantially equal to the axial permeability.

60. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 59, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include a transverse permeability that is substantially a multiplicative inverse of the axial permeability.

62. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 60, wherein the axial permeability is less than zero and greater than minus one.

63. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the negatively-refractive focusing structure includes an output surface region substantially adjoining an adjacent region, the adjacent region being exterior to the negatively-refractive focusing structure, and the adjacent region is substantially nonreflective of electromagnetic energy incident upon the adjacent region from the output surface region.

65. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 63, wherein a wave impedance of the adjacent region is substantially equal to a wave impedance of the output surface region.

66. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 65, wherein the adjacent 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.

71. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 66, wherein the second permittivity is less than zero.

72. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 66, wherein the second permeability is less than zero.

73. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 72, wherein the second permittivity is less than zero.

74. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 66, 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.

76. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 74, wherein the ratio of the surface normal permittivity to the first permittivity is less than zero and greater than minus one.

77. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 74, 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.

79. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 77, wherein the ratio of the surface normal permittivity to the first permittivity is less than zero and greater than minus one.

80. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the negatively-refractive focusing structure includes an artificially-structured material having an effective electromagnetic response that corresponds to the electromagnetic parameters.

81. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 80, wherein the interior field region is at least partially inside the artificially-structured material.

82. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 81, wherein the interior field region is completely inside the artificially-structured material.

83. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 80, wherein the artificially-structured material includes a photonic crystal.

87. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 80, wherein the artificially-structured material includes a metamaterial.

88. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 87, wherein the metamaterial includes at least one electromagnetically-responsive structure having a plurality of distributed electromagnetic responses, the plurality of distributed electromagnetic responses composing the effective electromagnetic response.

89. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 88, wherein the distributed electromagnetic responses include distributed inductive responses.

90. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 88, wherein the distributed electromagnetic responses include distributed capacitive responses.

91. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 88, wherein the distributed electromagnetic responses include distributed inductive-capacitive responses.

92. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 88, wherein the at least one electromagnetically-responsive structure includes transmission lines.

96. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 87, wherein the metamaterial includes a plurality of electromagnetically responsive elements disposed at a plurality of spatial locations and having a plurality of individual responses, the plurality of individual responses composing the effective electromagnetic response.

104. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include discrete circuit elements.

105. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 104, wherein the discrete circuit elements include inductors.

106. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 104, wherein the discrete circuit elements include capacitors.

107. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 104, wherein the discrete circuit elements include semiconductor devices.

108. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 107, wherein the semiconductor devices include diodes.

109. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 107, wherein the semiconductor devices include transistors.

110. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include integrated circuit elements.

111. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include printed circuit elements.

112. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include metallic structures.

113. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include LC resonators.

114. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include plasmonic resonators.

115. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include nanostructures.

116. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 115, wherein the nanostructures include nanorods.

117. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 116, wherein the nanorods are paired nanorods.

118. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 116, wherein the nanorods are interconnected to compose a fishnet structure.

119. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include split-ring resonators.

120. The electromagnetic apparatus of claim 96, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include subwavelength elements having spatial extents substantially less than a free space wavelength corresponding to a frequency of the input electromagnetic energy.

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