Device integrated antenna for use in resonant and non-resonant modes and method

• US 6,664,562 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado System)
• Original Assignee: The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado System)
• Inventors: Moddel, Garret, Eliasson, Blake J., Weiss, Manoja D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, TU TU V
• Application Number:
  US10/265,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20030128919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 437 Days
• Field of Search: 257/21, 257/25, 343/741, 343/793
• US Class Current: 257/21
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/035236 Superlattices; Multiple quantum well structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/06 characterised by potential barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/101 Devices sensitive to infrared, visible or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 70/00 Solid-state devices having no potential barriers, and specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10N79/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

An assembly includes a device for receiving at least one input to produce an output. An antenna arrangement supports the device to transfer the input to the device and further to transfer the output from the device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current. The antenna includes a peripheral configuration which confines high frequency current to at least one dominant path to oscillate in the dominant path and the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement. At least one port is positioned sufficiently away from the dominant path to isolate the lower frequency signal from surface current in the dominant path. The assembly is usable in modulation, emitting, mixing and detection modes and may include a resonant or non-resonant configuration.

Claims

1. An assembly, comprising:

a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

an antenna arrangement for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the dominant path and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, positioned sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current in said dominant path.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said antenna arrangement includes at least a first reflector segment at one side of said device and at least a second reflector segment on an opposite side of said device such that the first and second reflector segments serve to define opposing ends of said dominant path.

3. The assembly of claim 2 wherein said port is positioned spaced-apart from said first and second reflector segments to substantially reduce leakage of said high frequency current into the port.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said antenna arrangement includes a first antenna portion and a second antenna portion defining first and second electrically conductive surfaces, respectively, and which electrically conductive surfaces are at least generally planar for conducting said high frequency current such that the first and second antenna portions cooperatively provide an overall outline of the antenna arrangement and the first and second electrically conductive surfaces each include first and second confronting portions thereof which are arranged in a confronting relationship and said device is positioned between said first and second confronting portions.

5. The assembly of claim 4 wherein said first and second electrically conductive surfaces define said overall outline at least generally shaped as a bowtie.

6. The assembly of claim 4 wherein each of the first and second antenna portions each includes an outer end, farthest from said device and having an outer end width and each of the first and second antenna portions further includes a length extending from said outer end to an inner end proximate to said first and second confronting portions such that each of the first and second antenna portions includes a first side margin and a second side margin each extending from the outer end to the inner end and cooperating with the outer end width to define a first dominant path extending from the outer end of the first antenna portion to the outer end of the second antenna portion adjacent to the first side margin of each of the first and second antenna portions and extending through said device, and defining a second dominant path extending from the outer end of the first antenna portion to the outer end of the second antenna portion adjacent to the second side margin of each of the first and second antenna portions and extending through said device.

7. The assembly of claim 6 wherein each of the first and second antenna portions includes a generally triangular outline.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein the generally triangular outline of each of the first and second antenna portions cooperates to define the overall outline of the antenna arrangement, at least generally, as a bowtie shape.

9. The assembly of claim 6 wherein said inner end of each of the first and second antenna portions includes an inner end width which is less than the outer end width of each of the first and second antenna portions.

10. The assembly of claim 6 wherein a first port is positioned on the outer end width of said first antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths.

11. The assembly of claim 10 wherein the first port is, at least approximately, centered between the first and second dominant paths.

12. The assembly of claim 10 wherein a second port is positioned on the outer end width of said second antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths.

13. The assembly of claim 12 wherein the second port is, at least approximately, centered between the first and second dominant paths.

14. The assembly of claim 6 wherein a first port is positioned on the outer end width of said first antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths and a second port is positioned on the outer end width of said second antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths and said lower frequency signal is present across the first and second ports.

15. The assembly of claim 6 wherein the outer end width of each of the first and second antenna portions is configured for reflecting said surface current in said first and second dominant paths and for passing the lower frequency signal for each of the first and second ports, respectively.

16. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said high frequency current is produced responsive to an incident electromagnetic radiation that is incident upon the antenna arrangement at a given frequency and said device is configured for emitting said lower frequency signal into the antenna arrangement responsive to the incident electromagnetic radiation.

17. The assembly of claim 16 wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is modulated and said lower frequency signal is a demodulated signal.

18. The assembly of claim 16 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode and a microbolometer.

19. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said device as said input and an incident electromagnetic radiation is incident on said antenna as an additional input in a way which generates said high frequency current such that the high frequency current travels through said device and the device modulates the high frequency current passing therethrough and back into the antenna arrangement to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

20. The assembly of claim 19 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

21. The assembly of claim 1 wherein said device is an emitter and wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said emitter as said input in a way which causes the emitter to inject said high frequency current into the antenna arrangement to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

22. The assembly of claim 1 wherein an input electromagnetic radiation is incident upon the antenna arrangement having at least a first frequency and a second frequency to produce said high frequency current in the antenna arrangement including the first frequency and the second frequency and said device is a mixer which receives the high frequency current to produce said lower frequency signal as a difference frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency for transfer to the port.

23. An assembly, comprising:

device means for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

antenna means for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna means supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna means includes peripheral configuration means for confining said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna means so that the high frequency current oscillates in the dominant path and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna means; and

port means, as part of said antenna means, positioned sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port means from said high frequency current in said dominant path.

24. In producing an assembly, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a device for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

supporting said device within an antenna arrangement to transfer said input to the device and to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the dominant path and so that the other one of the input and output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

positioning at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current within the dominant path.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the step of configuring said antenna arrangement includes the steps of arranging at least a first reflector segment at one side of said device and arranging at least a second reflector segment on an opposite side of said device such that the first and second reflector segments serve to define opposing ends of said dominant path.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the step of positioning said port includes the step of locating the port spaced-apart from said first and second reflector segments to substantially reduce leakage of said surface current into the port.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein said antenna arrangement is configured to include a first antenna portion and a second antenna portion defining first and second electrically conductive surfaces, respectively, and which electrically conductive surfaces are at least generally planar for receiving said electromagnetic radiation such that the first and second antenna portions cooperatively provide an overall outline of the antenna arrangement and arranging the first and second electrically conductive surfaces to include first and second confronting portions thereof in a confronting relationship and the step of locating said device includes the step of positioning the device between said first and second confronting portions.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said first and second electrically conductive surfaces are formed to define said overall outline at least generally shaped as a bowtie.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein each of the first and second antenna portions is configured to include an outer end, farthest from said device and having an outer end width and each of the first and second antenna portions is further configured having a length extending from said outer end to an inner end proximate to said first and second confronting portions such that each of the first and second antenna portions includes a first side margin and a second side margin each extending from the outer end to the inner end and cooperating with the outer end width to define a first dominant path extending from the outer end of the first antenna portion to the outer end of the second antenna portion adjacent to the first side margin of each of the first and second antenna portions and extending through said device, and defining a second dominant path extending from the outer end of the first antenna portion to the outer end of the second antenna portion adjacent to the second side margin of each of the first and second antenna portions and extending through said device.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein each of the first and second antenna portions is formed to include a generally triangular outline.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the generally triangular outline of each of the first and second antenna portions cooperates to define the overall outline of the antenna arrangement, at least generally, as a bowtie shape.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein said inner end of each of the first and second antenna portions is configured to include an inner end width which is less than the outer end width of each of the first and second antenna portions.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein a first port is positioned on the outer end width of said first antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the first port is, at least approximately, centered between the first and second dominant paths.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said positioning step includes the step of positioning a second port on the outer end width of said second antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the second port is, at least approximately, centered between the first and second dominant paths.

37. The method of claim 29 wherein said positioning step includes the steps of locating a first port on the outer end width of said first antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths and locating a second port on the outer end width of said second antenna portion between the first and second dominant paths and said method further includes the step of taking said output across the first and second ports.

38. The method of claim 29 wherein the outer end width of each of the first and second antenna portions is configured for reflecting said surface currents in said first and second dominant paths and for passing the output emitted by said device to each of the first and second ports, respectively.

39. The method of claim 24 wherein said electromagnetic radiation is received at a given frequency and including the step of using said device to emit said output at a different frequency responsive to said given frequency.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein said different frequency is sufficiently lower than said given frequency so as to be present throughout said antenna arrangement.

41. The method of claim 24 wherein said high frequency current is produced responsive to an incident electromagnetic radiation that is incident upon the antenna arrangement as an additional input at a given frequency and said device is configured for emitting said lower frequency signal into the antenna arrangement responsive to the incident electromagnetic radiation.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is modulated and said lower frequency signal is a demodulated signal.

43. The method of claim 41 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

44. The method of claim 24 wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said device as said input and an incident electromagnetic radiation is incident on said antenna as an additional input in a way which generates said high frequency current such that the high frequency current travels through said device and the device modulates the high frequency current passing therethrough and back into said to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

45. The method of claim 44 including the step of selecting said device as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

46. The method of claim 24 wherein said device is an emitter and wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said emitter as said input in a way which causes the emitter to inject said high frequency current into the antenna arrangement to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

47. The method of claim 24 wherein an input electromagnetic radiation is incident upon the antenna arrangement having at least a first frequency and a second frequency to produce said high frequency current in the antenna arrangement including the first frequency and the second frequency and said device is a mixer which receives the high frequency current to produce said lower frequency signal as a difference frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency for transfer to the port.

48. An assembly, comprising:

a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

an antenna arrangement for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement and the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, at a location selected such that the high frequency current travels past the port in at least one direction that is away from said device, and which port is positioned sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current in said dominant path.

49. In producing an assembly, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a device for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

configuring an antenna arrangement for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement and the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

arranging at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, at a location selected such that the high frequency current travels past the port in at least one direction that is away from said device, and which port is positioned sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current in said dominant path.

50. An assembly, comprising:

a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

an antenna arrangement for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one resonant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the resonant path between a pair of opposing first and second reflector configurations that are formed as part of the peripheral outline and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, positioned sufficiently away from each one of said first and second reflector configurations so as to sustain reflection of said surface current in said resonant path while conducting said lower frequency signal.

51. The assembly of claim 50 wherein said antenna arrangement includes the first reflector configuration to one side of said device and the second reflector configuration on an opposite side of said device such that the device is between the pair of reflector configurations and in said resonant path.

52. The assembly of claim 50 including a first and a second electrically conductive surface which are at least generally planar and form opposing first and second bow arms, respectively, to cooperatively define said peripheral outline at least generally shaped as a bowtie and each of said bow arms includes an outermost edge, farthest from said device, serving in part as one of said pair of reflector configurations.

53. The assembly of claim 52 wherein each outermost edge includes a width and said output is taken from at least one said outermost edge using less than said width.

54. The assembly of claim 53 wherein each said outermost edge defines said reflector configuration as a first and a second reflecting end segment thereof and said port is positioned on at least one of said outermost edges between the first and second reflecting end segments.

55. The assembly of claim 54 wherein said outermost edge includes an inset configuration such that the port is inset toward said device with respect to a straight line defined between said first and second end segments.

56. The assembly of claim 54 wherein said port is located at least approximately midway between said first and second reflecting end segments.

57. The assembly of claim 53 wherein each of the first and second bow arms includes a length extending from said outermost edge to an inner end, proximate to said device, such that each of the first and second bow arms includes a first side margin and an opposing, second side margin, each side margin extending from the outermost edge of one of the bow arms to its inner end and said first and second bow arms cooperate to define a first resonant path extending from the outermost edge of the first bow arm to the outermost edge of the second bow arm adjacent to the first side margin of each of the first and second bow arms and extending through said device, and defining an opposing, second resonant path extending from the outermost edge of the first bow arm to the outermost edge of the second bow arm adjacent to the second side margin of each of the first and second bow arms and extending through said device.

58. The assembly of claim 57 wherein the first and second electrically conductive surfaces each include first and second confronting portions thereof which are arranged in a confronting relationship and said device is positioned between said first and second confronting portions.

59. The assembly of claim 58 wherein each said outermost edge defines said reflector configuration as a first and a second reflecting end segment thereof and a first port is positioned on a first one of said outermost edges of a first one of the bow arms between its first and second end segments.

60. The assembly of claim 59 wherein a second port is positioned on a second one of said outermost edges of a second one of the bow arms between its first and second end segments.

61. The assembly of claim 50 wherein said high frequency current is produced responsive to an electromagnetic radiation that is incident upon the antenna arrangement as an additional input at a given frequency and said device is configured for emitting said lower frequency signal into the antenna arrangement at a different frequency responsive to the incident electromagnetic radiation.

62. The assembly of claim 57 wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is modulated and said lower frequency signal is a demodulated signal.

63. The assembly of claim 61 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

64. The assembly of claim 50 wherein said port serves as a input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said device as said input and an incident electromagnetic radiation is incident on said antenna as an additional input in a way which generates said high frequency current such that the high frequency current travels through said device and the device modulates the high frequency current passing therethrough and back into the antenna arrangement to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

65. The assembly of claim 64 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

66. The assembly of claim 50 wherein said device is an emitter and wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said emitter as said input in a way which causes the emitter to inject said high frequency current into the antenna arrangement to cause electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

67. The assembly of claim 50 wherein an input electromagnetic radiation is incident upon the antenna arrangement having at least a first frequency and a second frequency to produce said high frequency current in the antenna arrangement including the first frequency and the second frequency and said device is a mixer which receives the high frequency current to produce said lower frequency signal as a difference frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency for transfer to the port.

68. In producing an assembly, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

configuring an antenna arrangement for supporting said device to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said antenna arrangement includes a peripheral configuration which confines said high frequency current to at least one resonant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the resonant path between a pair of opposing first and second reflector configurations that are formed as part of the peripheral outline and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

positioning at least one port, within said antenna arrangement, sufficiently away from each one of said first and second reflector configurations so as to sustain reflection of said surface current in said resonant path while conducting said lower frequency signal.

69. The method of claim 68 including the step of arranging the first reflector configurations to one side of said device and the other one of said second reflector configurations on an opposite side of said device such that the device is between the pair of reflector configurations along said resonant path.

70. The method of claim 68 wherein said antenna is arranged to include a first and a second electrically conductive surface which are at least generally planar and form opposing first and second bow arms, respectively, to cooperatively define said peripheral outline at least generally shaped as a bowtie and each of said bow arms includes an outermost edge, farthest from said device, serving in part as one of said pair of reflector configurations.

71. The method of claim 70 wherein each outermost edge is configured including a width and said method includes the step of taking said output from at least one said outermost edge using less than said width.

72. The method of claim 71 including the steps of configuring each said outermost edge to define said reflector configuration as a first and a second reflecting end segment thereof and positioning the port on at least one of said outermost edges between the first and second reflecting end segments.

73. The method of claim 72 wherein said outermost edge is further configured including an inset configuration such that the port is inset toward said device with respect to a straight line defined between said first and second end segments.

74. The method of claim 72 including the step of locating said port at least approximately midway between said first and second reflecting end segments.

75. The method of claim 71 wherein each of the first and second bow arms is arranged to include a length extending from said outermost edge to an inner end, proximate to said device, such that each of the first and second bow arms includes a first side margin and an opposing, second side margin, each side margin extending from the outermost edge of one of the bow arms to its inner end and said first and second bow arms cooperate to define a first resonant path extending from the outermost edge of the first bow arm to the outermost edge of the second bow arm adjacent to the first side margin of each of the first and second bow arms and extending through said device, and defining an opposing, second resonant path extending from the outermost edge of the first bow arm to the outermost edge of the second bow arm adjacent to the second side margin of each of the first and second bow arms and extending through said device.

76. The method of claim 75 including the steps of configuring the first and second electrically conductive surfaces to each include first and second confronting portions thereof which are arranged in a confronting relationship and positioning said device between said first and second confronting portions.

77. The method of claim 76 wherein each said outermost edge is formed to define said reflector configuration as a first and a second reflecting end segment thereof and positioning a first port on a first one of said outermost edges of a first one of the bow arms between the first and second end segments.

78. The method of claim 77 including the step of further positioning a second port on a second one of said outermost edges of a second one of the bow arms between its first and second end segments.

79. The method of claim 68 wherein said high frequency current is produced responsive to an incident electromagnetic radiation that is incident upon the antenna arrangement as an additional input at a given frequency and said device is configured for emitting said lower frequency signal into the antenna arrangement responsive to the incident electromagnetic radiation.

80. The method of claim 73 wherein the incident electromagnetic radiation is modulated and said lower frequency signal is a demodulated signal.

81. The method of claim 79 wherein said device is selected as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

82. The method of claim 68 wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said device as said input and an incident electromagnetic radiation is incident on said antenna as an additional input in a way which generates said high frequency current such that the high frequency current travels through said device and the device modulates the high frequency current passing therethrough and back into the antenna arrangement to cause a modulated electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

83. The method of claim 82 including the step of selecting said device as one of a MIM diode, a MIIM diode, a Schottky diode, a Josephson junction, and a microbolometer.

84. The method of claim 68 wherein said device is an emitter and wherein said port serves as an input port which receives the lower frequency signal for transfer to said emitter as said input in a way which causes the emitter to inject said high frequency current into the antenna arrangement to cause electromagnetic radiation to be radiated from the antenna arrangement.

85. The method of claim 68 wherein an input electromagnetic radiation is incident upon the antenna arrangement having at least a first frequency and a second frequency to produce said high frequency current in the antenna arrangement including the first frequency and the second frequency and said device is a mixer which receives the high frequency current to produce said lower frequency signal as a difference frequency between the first frequency and the second frequency for transfer to the port.

86. An assembly, comprising:

a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

an antenna arrangement including a bowtie peripheral configuration defining a bowtie intersection for supporting said device at the bowtie intersection to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said bowtie peripheral configuration confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the dominant path traveling through said bowtie intersection and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

at least one port, within the antenna arrangement, positioned spaced apart from said bowtie intersection and sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current in said dominant path.

87. In producing an assembly, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a device configured for receiving at least one input to produce an output responsive thereto;

configuring an antenna arrangement to include a bowtie peripheral configuration defining a bowtie intersection for supporting said device at the bowtie intersection to transfer said input to the device and further to transfer said output from said device such that the antenna arrangement supports a selected one of the input and the output as a high frequency current and said bowtie peripheral configuration confines said high frequency current to at least one dominant path within the antenna arrangement so that the high frequency current oscillates in the dominant path traveling through said bowtie intersection and so that the other one of the input and the output is a lower frequency signal that is present at least generally throughout the antenna arrangement; and

positioning at least one port, within the antenna arrangement, spaced apart from said bowtie intersection and sufficiently away from said dominant path so as to isolate the lower frequency signal at the port from said high frequency current in said dominant path.