Focusing and sensing apparatus, methods, and systems

• US 8,773,777 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• 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: Bowers, Jeffrey A., Hyde, Roderick A., Jung, Edward K. Y., Pendry, John Brian, Schurig, David, Smith, David R., Tegreene, Clarence T., Weaver, Thomas A., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J
• Application Number:
  US12/657,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 359/724, 359/642, 359/721
• US Class Current: 359/721
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/40 Optical focusing aids

Abstract

Apparatus, methods, and systems provide focusing, focus-adjusting, and sensing. In some approaches the focus-adjusting includes providing an extended depth of focus greater than a nominal depth of focus. In some approaches the focus-adjusting includes focus-adjusting with a transformation medium, where the transformation medium may include an artificially-structured material such as a metamaterial.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying a nominal focusing region for a focusing structure, the nominal focusing region having a nominal axial dimension; and

determining electromagnetic parameters for a spatial region containing the nominal focusing region, the electromagnetic parameters providing an actual focusing region having an actual axial dimension greater than the nominal axial dimension;

where the electromagnetic parameters include;

axial electromagnetic parameters; and

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

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the actual focusing region is an actual focusing region for polarized electromagnetic waves.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the actual focusing region for polarized electromagnetic waves is an actual focusing region for TE-polarized electromagnetic waves.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the actual focusing region for polarized electromagnetic waves is an actual focusing region for TM-polarized electromagnetic waves.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the actual focusing region is an actual focusing region for electromagnetic waves at a first frequency.

6. The method of claim 5, where the first frequency is an optical frequency.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optical frequency corresponds to a visible wavelength.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the optical frequency corresponds to an infrared wavelength.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is a radio frequency.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the radio frequency is a microwave frequency.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is a millimeter-wave frequency.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein the first frequency is a submillimeter-wave frequency.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the electromagnetic parameters includes:

for electromagnetic waves at a first frequency, determining a first subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a first actual focusing subregion within the actual focusing region, the first actual focusing subregion having a first actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension; and

for electromagnetic waves at a second frequency, determining a second subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a second actual focusing subregion within the actual focusing region, the second actual focusing subregion having a second actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second actual axial subdimension is different than the first actual axial subdimension.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second actual axial subdimension is substantially equal to the first actual axial subdimension.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying includes:

for electromagnetic waves at a first frequency, identifying a first nominal focusing subregion within the nominal focusing region for the focusing structure, the first nominal focusing subregion having a first nominal axial subdimension; and

for electromagnetic waves at a second frequency, identifying a second nominal focusing subregion within the nominal focusing region for the focusing structure, the second nominal focusing subregion having a second nominal axial subdimension.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the determining of the electromagnetic parameters includes:

for the electromagnetic waves at the first frequency, determining a first subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a first actual focusing subregion within the actual focusing region, the first actual focusing subregion having a first actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension; and

for the electromagnetic waves at the second frequency, determining a second subset of the electromagnetic parameters providing a second actual focusing subregion within the actual focusing region, the second actual focusing subregion having a second actual axial subdimension greater than the nominal axial dimension.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the second nominal axial subdimension is different than the first nominal axial subdimension.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second actual axial subdimension is substantially equal to the first actual axial subdimension.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the second nominal axial subdimension is substantially equal to the first nominal axial subdimension.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure includes a refractive structure.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure includes a reflective structure.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure includes a diffractive structure.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure includes at least a portion of an antenna.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure includes at least a portion of a waveguide.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic parameters define a negative index of refraction within at least a portion of the spatial region.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure defines an axial direction, and the axial electromagnetic parameters correspond to the axial direction.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the axial direction corresponds to an optical axis of the focusing structure.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the axial direction corresponds to the nominal axial dimension.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the nominal focusing region is a first substantially planar slab and the nominal axial dimension is a thickness of the first substantially planar slab.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the actual focusing region is a second substantially planar slab substantially parallel to the first substantially planar slab, and the actual axial dimension is a thickness of the second substantially planar slab.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the second substantially planar slab encloses the first substantially planar slab.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the nominal focusing region is at least a portion of a first curved slab and the nominal axial dimension is a thickness of the first curved slab.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the actual focusing region is at least a portion of a second curved slab, the first and second curved slabs having a substantially similar curvature, and the actual axial dimension is a thickness of the second curved slab.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the second curved slab encloses the first curved slab.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the first curved slab is a substantially cylindrical shell and the nominal axial dimension is a radial dimension of the substantially cylindrical shell.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the first curved slab is a substantially spherical shell and the nominal axial dimension is a radial dimension of the substantially spherical shell.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the first curved slab is a substantially ellipsoidal shell.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters correspond to a transverse direction, the transverse direction being substantially perpendicular to the axial direction.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the transverse electromagnetic parameters include first transverse electromagnetic parameters corresponding to a first transverse direction and second transverse electromagnetic parameters corresponding to a second transverse direction, and further wherein the first transverse direction, the second transverse direction, and the axial direction are substantially mutually perpendicular.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the first transverse electromagnetic parameters are substantially equal to the second transverse electromagnetic parameters.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the focusing structure and the spatial region have a physical separation.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the physical separation defines an intermediate region between the focusing structure and the spatial region, and wherein the spatial region includes an input surface region that is substantially nonreflective of electromagnetic energy incident upon the input surface region from the intermediate region.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the spatial region is immediately adjacent to the focusing structure.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic parameters correspond to an effective coordinate transformation that maps the actual focusing region to the nominal focusing region.

46. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring an artificially-structured material having an effective electromagnetic response that corresponds to the electromagnetic parameters in the spatial region.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the artificially-structured material includes a photonic crystal.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the configuring includes:

determining an arrangement of a plurality of electromagnetically responsive elements having a plurality of individual responses, the plurality of individual responses composing the effective electromagnetic response.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the electromagnetically responsive elements include printed circuit elements.

50. The method of claim 48, 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.