META DEVICE

• US 20170168324A1
• Filed: 11/30/2016
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Sunil, SHIN, Changgyun, LEE, Duhyun, KIM, Jungwoo
• Granted Patent: US 10,274,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/002 made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/0009 Materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/015 based on semiconductor elements having potential barriers, e.g. having a PN or PIN junction G02F1/03 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/29 for the control of the position or the direction of light beams, i.e. deflection
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/30 Metamaterials
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/24 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only semiconductor materials not provided for in groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22 including organic materials H10K99/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate

Abstract

A meta device includes a plurality of meta structures that spaced apart from each other and reflect at least a portion of incident light, a plurality of electrodes that are spaced apart from each other, and a controller configured to control a phase shift of reflected light using a voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes.

Claims

1. A meta device comprising:

a plurality of electrodes that are respectively spaced apart from each other;

an insulating layer covering the plurality of electrodes;

a meta material comprising a plurality of meta structures that are respectively spaced apart from each other; and

an active layer that is disposed between the insulating layer and the meta material and has a charge density which varies according to an electric signal applied thereto.

2. The meta device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of meta structures overlaps one of the plurality of electrodes.

3. The meta device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of electrodes overlaps at least two of the plurality of meta structures.

4. The meta device of claim 1, wherein regions between adjacent ones of the plurality of electrodes are filled by the insulating layer.

5. The meta device of claim 1, wherein a charge density of a region of the active layer, corresponding to a location of one of the plurality of electrodes, changes upon application of an electrical signal to the one of the plurality of electrodes.

6. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the active layer is grounded.

7. The meta device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes is electrically isolated from each other of the plurality of electrodes.

8. The meta device of claim 1 wherein at least two of the plurality of electrodes are electrically isolated from each other.

9. The meta device of claim 1, wherein two adjacent electrodes, of the plurality of electrodes, are electrically isolated from each other.

10. The meta device of claim 1, wherein a voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes causes light reflected from the meta device to be steered to a predetermined point.

11. The meta device of claim 10, wherein the predetermined point to which the reflected light is steered varies according to the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes.

12. The meta device of claim 1, further comprising a circuit substrate configured to apply a voltage to the plurality of electrodes.

13. The meta device of claim 12, wherein the circuit substrate contacts the plurality of electrodes.

14. The meta device of claim 1, wherein a size of an interval of a spacing of the plurality of electrodes is less than a size of an interval of a spacing of the plurality of meta structures.

15. The meta device of claim 1, wherein a change in the charge density of the active layer induces a phase shift of light reflected by the meta device.

16. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer is a first insulating layer, and the meta device further comprises a second insulating layer between the active layer and the meta material.

17. The meta device of claim 16, wherein the second insulating layer comprises at least one of a metallic compound and a silicon compound.

18. The meta device of claim 16, wherein the second insulating layer comprises at least one of Al₂O₃, HfO, ZrO, HfSiO, SiOx, SiNx, and SiON.

19. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the active layer comprises at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), gallium zinc oxide (GZO), and gallium indium zinc oxide (GIZO).

20. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer comprises at least one of a metallic compound and a silicon compound.

21. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the insulating layer comprises at least one of Al₂O₃, HfO, ZrO, HfSiO, SiOx, SiNx, and SiON.

22. The meta device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of electrodes has a shape and a size identical to a shape and a size of each other of the plurality of electrodes.

23. The meta device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrodes are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally.

24. The meta device of claim 1, wherein a length of each of the plurality of meta structures is less than an operating wavelength.

25. A meta device comprising:

a plurality of meta structures that are respectively spaced apart from each other and are configured such that at least a portion of light incident on the plurality of meta structures is reflected therefrom; and

a controller comprising a plurality of electrodes that are respectively spaced apart from each other and are configured to control a phase shift of light reflected from the plurality of meta structures based on a voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes.

26. The meta device of claim 25, wherein the plurality of electrodes are spaced apart from the plurality of meta structures, and each of the plurality of electrodes overlaps with at least one of the plurality of meta structures.

27. The meta device of claim 26, wherein at least one of the plurality of electrodes overlaps at least two of the plurality of meta structures.

28. The meta device of claim 26, wherein the controller further comprises:

an insulating layer covering the plurality of electrodes; and

an active layer that is disposed on the insulating layer and has a charge density which varies according to an electric signal applied thereto.

29. The meta device of claim 28, wherein the insulating layer is a first insulating layer and the controller further comprises a second insulating layer disposed between the active layer and the plurality of meta structures.

30. A method of steering light comprising:

providing a meta device comprising a plurality of electrodes, an insulating layer covering the plurality of electrodes, a plurality of meta structures, and an active layer disposed between the insulating layer and the plurality of meta structures;

making light incident on the plurality of meta structures;

applying a voltage of a first magnitude to the active layer, and applying a voltage of a second magnitude, different from the first magnitude, to the plurality of electrodes, thereby changing a charge density of the active layer; and

reflecting the light from the plurality of meta structures.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the applying the voltage of the first magnitude to the active layer comprises grounding the active layer.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the applying a voltage of a second magnitude to the plurality of electrodes comprising independently applying a voltage to each of the plurality of electrodes.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the reflecting the light from the plurality of meta structures comprises steering the light to a predetermined point.

34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising controlling a location of the predetermined point by changing the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes.