High-Q resonators assembly

• US 8,369,659 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hillis, W. Daniel, Hyde, Roderick A., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy, Brian M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ANDERSON, GUY G
• Application Number:
  US12/286,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20090046976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,590 Days
• Field of Search: 385 1- 10, 385/14, 372/94, 372/97, 372/98
• US Class Current: 385/8
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/00 Optical elements characterised by the material of which they are made; Optical coatings for optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/12007 forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer

Abstract

An electromagnetically responsive element includes sets of arrangements of self-resonant bodies, such as atoms or quantum dots that form an effective dielectric constant, typically at or near a resonance.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the effective index of refraction of an array of coupled closed-loop resonators for incident electromagnetic energy at a selected frequency, each closed-loop resonator having a time-dependent resonance at a resonance line center frequency ω

_c substantially at the selected frequency and having a respective set of electromagnetic parameters, and a Q-factor, the method comprising;

modifying the closed-loop resonators'"'"' resonances in response to an input signal, thereby changing the effective index of refraction of the array of coupled closed-loop-resonators.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the closed-loop resonators'"'"' resonances comprises at least one of tuning/detuning resonance line center frequency ω

_c, changing a resonance Q-factor, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, tuning the closed-loop resonators'"'"' resonances so that the resonances are substantially at the same line center frequency ω

_c at a particular time t.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising, tuning the closed-loop resonators so that at a particular time t their resonances substantially overlap over a range of frequencies R.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising, tuning/detuning the resonators in a time-dependent manner so that the array of coupled closed-loop resonators modulates the incident electromagnetic energy according to an input signal.