Superlens and a method for making the same

• US 7,643,719 B1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Issued: 01/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seng-Tiong Ho
• Original Assignee: Phosistor Technologies
• Inventors: Zhou, Yan, Ho, Seng-Tiong
• Primary Examiner(s): Font; Frank G
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIEM, DINH D
• Application Number:
  US10/708,536
• Time in Patent Office: 2,127 Days
• Field of Search: 359/653
• US Class Current: 385/131
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/0087 with index gradient
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/124 Geodesic lenses or integrated gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/14 Mode converters

Abstract

A superlens for controlling the size and the phase of an electromagnetic beam that passes through it, and a method for independently controlling the horizontal and vertical focusing of the electromagnetic beam using the superlens is provided. The superlens comprises a vertically GRIN multi-layer structure with one or more horizontally curved sidewalls. The vertical focusing is controlled by varying the longitudinal thickness of the multi-layer structure. The horizontal focusing is controlled by varying the profile and the radius of curvature of the horizontally curved sidewalls. Varying the thickness and radius of curvature is done by etching. Also provided is a method for making the superlens.

Claims

1. An apparatus suitable for controlling the size and the phase of an electromagnetic beam, the apparatus comprising:

a. a substrate; and

b. a vertically Graded Refractive index (vGRIN) multilayer structure deposited on the substrate, the multilayer structure including a vGRIN film and a curved input sidewall and a curved output sidewall, the input sidewall being a sidewall on which the electromagnetic beam is incident on the apparatus, the output sidewall being a sidewall through which the electromagnetic beam leaves the apparatus, wherein the apparatus is used to independently control a vertical focusing and a horizontal focusing of the electromagnetic beam, wherein the vGRIN film has a refractive index distribution n(y), where y is a vertical direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the electromagnetic beam.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the curved input sidewall and the curved output sidewall are fabricated by photolithography and etching with an etching mask comprising:

a. at least one of a metal layer and a polysilicon layer deposited on the vGRIN film; and

b. a photoresist layer spin-coated on the at least one of the metal and the polysilicon layer.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises at least one of a Si, GaAs, InP, AlN, LiNbO₃ and quartz composition.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a glass.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, further comprising a waveguide operatively coupled to the apparatus, wherein a connection between the apparatus and the waveguide is established using photolithography.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the apparatus is fabricated in an array form for multi-channel light coupling into or out of a multi-port photonic chip.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the vertical focusing is controlled by varying a thickness of the vGRIN multilayer structure.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the horizontal focusing is controlled by varying at least one of a radius of curvature of a surface of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of a surface of the curved output sidewall.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein the thickness of the vGRIN multilayer structure is varied by etching.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a radius of curvature of a surface of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of a surface of the curved output sidewall are varied by etching.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic beam leaving the apparatus is a divergent beam when a thickness of the vGRIN multilayer structure is in a range ((2n−

1)×

f/4) and (n×

f/2), where f is a pitch of the vGRIN film and n is a natural number.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic beam leaving the apparatus is a convergent beam when a thickness of the vGRIN multilayer structure is in the range and (n×

f/2) and ((2n+1)×

f/4), where f is a pitch of the vGRIN film and n is a natural number.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein a surface of the curved input sidewall and a surface of the curved output sidewall comprise one of a spherical shape, aspherical shape, cylindrical shape and toric shape.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the surface of the curved input sidewall and the surface of the curved output sidewall have same radii of curvature.

15. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein the surface of the curved input sidewall and the surface of the curved output sidewall have different radii of curvature.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein a radius of curvature of the surface of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of the curved output sidewall are positive.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein a radius of curvature of the surface of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of the surface of the curved output sidewall of the input sidewall have same signs.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein a radius of curvature of the surface of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of the surface of the curved output sidewall of the input sidewall have different signs.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a surface of the curved input sidewall and a surface of the curved output sidewall have arbitrary curved shapes.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a vertical refractive index profile of the vGRIN film comprises an arbitrary refractive index variation.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the curved input sidewall and the curved output sidewall comprises an anti-reflection coating.

22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21 wherein the antireflection coating is designed on a basis of at least one of a central refractive index, an average refractive index, and an optimum equivalent index that leads to a maximum electromagnetic wave transmission.

23. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the curved input sidewall and the curved output sidewall comprise a three-dimensional curved surface such that a radius of curvature of the curved input sidewall and a radius of curvature of the curved output sidewall diminish with a departure from a vertical central region of the vGRIN film.

24. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the refractive index distribution n(y) is a standard distribution.

25. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the refractive index distribution n(y) is parabolic.

26. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic beam leaving the apparatus has at least one of a circular spot size and an elliptical spot size.

27. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a wavelength of the electromagnetic wave is in the visible range.

28. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a wavelength of the electromagnetic wave is in the Radio Frequency (RF) range or in the TeraHertz range.

29. The apparatus as recited in claim 18 wherein the radius of the curvature of the surface of the curved input sidewall is positive and the radius of curvature of the surface of the curved output sidewall is negative.