Surface plasmon devices

• US 7,418,179 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2007
• Issued: 08/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Estes, Michael J., Moddel, Garret
• Primary Examiner(s): Pak; Sung H
• Application Number:
  US11/621,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070116420A1
• Time in Patent Office: 594 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 385/130
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/10 of the optical waveguide type G02B6/02, G02B6/24 take precedence; devices or arrangements for the control of light by electric, magnetic, electro-magnetic or acoustic means G02F1/00; transferring the modulation of modulated light G02F2/00; optical logic elements G02F3/00; optical analogue/digital converters G02F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12 of the integrated circuit kind electric integrated circuits H01L27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1226 involving surface plasmon interaction

Abstract

A device including an input port configured to receive an input signal is described. The device also includes an output port and a structure, which structure includes a tunneling junction connected with the input port and the output port. The tunneling junction is configured in a way (i) which provides electrons in a particular energy state within the structure, (ii) which produces surface plasmons in response to the input signal, (iii) which causes the structure to act as a waveguide for directing at least a portion of the surface plasmons along a predetermined path toward the output port such that the surface plasmons so directed interact with the electrons in a particular way, and (iv) which produces at the output port an output signal resulting from the particular interaction between the electrons and the surface plasmons.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an arrangement of ports including at least one electromagnetic port that is configured as an output for an electromagnetic radiation and at least one electrical port that is configured as an input for transferring an electrical signal; and

a structure including an elongated tunneling junction in communication with said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction being configured to support a traveling electromagnetic wave along a length of said tunneling junction that provides a transfer function between at least two ports in said arrangement of ports such that said electrical port, serves as said input to receive said electrical signal which causes the tunneling junction to generate said traveling electromagnetic wave responsive thereto and to provide said electromagnetic radiation at the electromagnetic port responsive to the traveling wave such that the electromagnetic port serves as said output for the electromagnetic radiation.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured for providing said transfer function as a nonlinear function.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured to establish a predetermined path between said arrangement of ports and along which the traveling electromagnetic wave is established.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic port is an antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic radiation over a desired range of frequencies.

5. A device comprising:

an arrangement of ports including a first electromagnetic port that receives an electromagnetic radiation and an electrical port that serves as an input and is configured to receive an electrical signal; and

a structure including an elongated tunneling junction in communication with said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction being configured to support a traveling electromagnetic wave along a length of said tunneling junction that provides a transfer function between at least two ports in said arrangement of ports, and the tunneling junction produces said traveling wave responsive to the electromagnetic radiation and the electrical signal and said device includes a second electromagnetic port that is in communication with said tunneling junction to further cause said traveling wave to produce an electromagnetic output signal at said second electromagnetic port such that the electromagnetic output signal includes the electromagnetic radiation modulated by the electrical signal based on said transfer function.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the first electromagnetic port and the second electromagnetic port are a first antenna and a second antenna, respectively, and said first antenna is configured for receiving the electromagnetic radiation over a first desired range of frequencies and the second antenna is configured for transmitting the electromagnetic output signal.

9. The device of claim 5 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured for providing said transfer function as a nonlinear function.

10. The device of claim 5 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured to establish a predetermined path between said arrangement of ports and along which the traveling electromagnetic wave is established.

7. A device comprising:

an arrangement of ports including at least one electromagnetic port that is configured for transferring an electromagnetic output radiation and at least one electrical port that is configured for transferring an electrical signal; and

a structure including an elongated tunneling junction in communication with said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction being configured to support a traveling electromagnetic wave along a length of said tunneling junction that provides a transfer function between at least two ports in said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction having first and second opposing ends that are separated by a length therebetween to form a gain region that amplifies a traveling wave along said length, responsive to an input current source at said electrical port,

wherein one of said first and second opposing ends is configured to reflect said traveling wave back along the length of said tunneling junction while the other one of the first and second opposing major ends is partially transmissive to reflect one portion of the traveling wave back along the length of the tunneling junction and to transmit another portion of the traveling wave out of the gain region and an output port, serving as said electromagnetic port, in communication with the other one of the first and second opposing ends for receiving the transmitted portion of the traveling wave and emitting the transmitted portion out of the device.

11. The device of claim 7 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured for providing said transfer function as a nonlinear function.

12. The device of claim 7 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured to establish a predetermined path between said arrangement of ports and along which the traveling electromagnetic wave is established.

13. The device of claim 7 wherein said output port is an antenna for the transmitting of the transmitted portion of electromagnetic radiation over a desired range of frequencies.

8. A device comprising:

an arrangement of ports including at least one electromagnetic port that is configured for transferring an electromagnetic output radiation and at least one electrical port that is configured for transferring an electrical signal;

a structure including an elongated tunneling junction in communication with said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction being configured to support a traveling electromagnetic wave along a length of said tunneling junction that provides a transfer function between at least two ports in said arrangement of ports, said tunneling junction having first and second opposing ends that are separated by a length therebetween to form a gain region that amplifies a traveling wave along said length, responsive to an input current source at said electrical port, and

an input electromagnetic port, as one part of said arrangement of ports, that causes an electromagnetic wave to enter the first opposing end of the tunneling junction to initially produce the traveling electromagnetic wave along the length of the tunneling junction such that the gain region amplifies the traveling electromagnetic wave along said length, responsive to the input current source, to produce an amplified traveling wave at the second opposing end of the tunneling junction and an output electromagnetic port, as another part of said arrangement of ports, in communication with the second opposing end for receiving the amplified traveling wave and emitting the amplified traveling wave from the device.

14. The device of claim 8 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured for providing said transfer function as a nonlinear function.

15. The device of claim 8 wherein said elongated tunneling junction is configured to establish a predetermined path between said arrangement of ports and along which the traveling electromagnetic wave is established.

16. The device of claim 8 wherein said output electromagnetic port is an antenna for the emitting of the amplified traveling wave from the device over a desired range of frequencies.

17. The device of claim 8 wherein said input electromagnetic port is an antenna for receiving the electromagnetic wave at the first opposing end of the tunneling junction.