Systems and methods for transmitting electromagnetic energy in a photonic device

• US 7,072,555 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Vitebskiy, Ilya, Figotin, Aleksandr
• Primary Examiner(s): PAK, SUNG H
• Application Number:
  US10/839,117
• Time in Patent Office: 792 Days
• Field of Search: 385/31, 385129-132, 359/237
• US Class Current: 385/129
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1225 comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that allow transmission of an electromagnetic wave in and through a periodic multilayered photonic device. The photonic device preferably is a periodic stack of plane-parallel layers with at least one them displaying dielectric anisotropy with a principle anisotropic axis forming an oblique angle with the normal to the layers. The wave obliquely incident on the surface of the device can be almost completely converted into an axially frozen mode characterized by a significantly increased amplitude, decreased group velocity normal to the incident surface and increased energy flux substantially tangential to the incident surface. The photonic device can be used in numerous applications over a wide range of frequencies up to and including the ultraviolet spectrum. The photonic device can be further configured with a deflection device which substantially increases the operational frequency range of the photonic device.

Claims

1. A photonic device, comprising:

a body having a front surface and a plurality of periodic segments physically coupled together along a first direction normal to the surface, the body being receptive to an electromagnetic wave incident at a second direction oblique to the first direction and having a first frequency, each segment comprising;

a first anisotropic dielectric layer having an anisotropic axis at an angle oblique to the first direction; and

a second layer;

wherein each segment is configured such that the received wave is transmittable within the body in an axially frozen mode.

2. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein the wave transmittable in the axially frozen mode has a reduced group velocity in the first direction, an increased energy flux in a direction tangential to the first direction and an increased amplitude.

3. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein the body is configured to receive a plurality of electromagnetic waves, each wave having a different frequency within a predetermined frequency range, and wherein the body is configured to convert each of the waves to the axially frozen mode when each wave is incident on the front surface in an oblique direction corresponding to the frequency of that wave.

4. The photonic device of claim 3, wherein the range of frequencies includes frequencies greater than 100 Gigahertz.

5. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein each layer of each segment is substantially lossless and/or substantially transparent to electromagnetic waves at the desired frequency range.

6. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein the second layer is an isotropic layer.

7. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein the second layer is an anisotropic layer.

8. The photonic device of claim 7, further comprising three or more layers in each segment, each segment being configured such that the received wave is transmittable within the body in an axially frozen mode.

9. The photonic device of claim 8, wherein the third layer is an isotropic layer.

10. The photonic device of claim 2, wherein the group velocity in the first direction is reduced by a factor up to and including three orders of magnitude.

11. The photonic device of claim 2, wherein the tangential energy flux is increased by a factor up to and including three orders of magnitude.

12. The photonic device of claim 1, wherein substantially the entire electromagnetic wave incident upon the surface is transmittable within the device in an axially frozen mode.

13. The photonic device of claim 3, further comprising a deflection device adjacent to the front surface and configured to deflect the incident electromagnetic wave at an angle based on the frequency of the wave.

14. The photonic device of claim 13, wherein the deflection device is oriented to allow for the incident electromagnetic wave to be deflected in the second direction.

15. The photonic device of claim 13, wherein the deflection device is configured to deflect a plurality of spectral components of the incident wave at different angles based on the respective frequencies of the spectral components.

16. The photonic device of claim 15, wherein the deflection device is oriented to deflect the plurality of spectral components such that they are incident on the front surface in different oblique directions, wherein each incident direction allows for the respective spectral component to be transmitted through the device in the axially frozen mode.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the orientation of the deflection device is adjustable.

18. The device of claim 2, wherein the device is configured such that the received wave is transmitted within the device in a full frozen mode, wherein the wave transmitted in the full frozen mode is transmitted in the axially frozen mode and has a reduced group velocity in the tangential direction.

19. The photonic device of claim 2, wherein the length of each segment in the first direction is the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

20. The photonic device of claim 19, wherein the axial length is at least ten periods.

21. The photonic device of claim 20, wherein the axial length is between ten and fifty periods.

22. The photonic device of claim 19, wherein the dimension of the cross section of the body is at least five wavelengths at a frequency of operation.

23. The photonic device of claim 7, wherein the second layer is composed of the same anisotropic material as the first layer and has a thickness along the first direction different from that of the first layer.

24. The photonic device of claim 7, wherein the second layer is composed of the same anisotropic material as the first layer and is oriented relative to the first layer such that the respective anisotropic axes of the first and the second layers are not coplanar with the first direction.

25. The photonic device of claim 7, wherein the second layer is composed of the same anisotropic material as the first layer and is oriented relative to the first layer such that the respective anisotropic axes make different angles with respect to the first direction.

26. A photonic device, comprising:

a body having a front surface and a plurality of segments physically coupled together forming a two dimensional periodic structure, the body being receptive to an electromagnetic wave having a first frequency, wherein the wave is incident on the front surface in a first direction normal to the front surface;

wherein each segment comprises at least two components each of which is substantially lossless over a frequency range including the first frequency, at least one of the components being an anisotropic dielectric layer and having an anisotropic axis oblique to the first direction, and wherein each segment is configured such that the received wave is transmittable within the body in an axially frozen mode.

27. The photonic device of claim 26, wherein the plurality of segments are coupled together forming a three dimensional structure.

28. The photonic device of claim 26, wherein the wave transmittable in the axially frozen mode has a reduced group velocity in the first direction, an increased energy flux in a direction tangential to the first direction and an increased amplitude.