Light modulating device and electronic apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11070775-B2
Application number	US-201816102939-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2018
Priority date	Sep 5, 2017
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A light modulating device includes a metal layer, a variable resistance material layer above the metal layer and having a plurality of resistance states depending on a voltage applied thereto, and a meta surface layer above the variable resistance material layer and including a nano structure comprising a conductive material and having a sub-wavelength dimension.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A light modulating device comprising:
a metal layer;
a variable resistance material layer above the metal layer, wherein a resistance of the variable resistance material layer varies depending on a voltage applied thereto;
a meta surface layer above the variable resistance material layer, the meta surface layer comprising a plurality of conductive nano-antennas having a sub-wavelength dimension; and
a signal controller configured to apply the voltage between the metal layer and the meta surface layer comprising the plurality of conductive nano-antennas,
wherein the variable resistance material layer comprises a material that forms a number of conductive nano-filaments in the variable resistance material layer, which varies according to the voltage applied to the variable resistance material layer.

2. The light modulating device of claim 1 , wherein the variable resistance material layer directly contacts the metal layer.

3. The light modulating device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of conductive nano-antennas directly contact the variable resistance material layer.

4. A light detection and ranging (LiDAR) apparatus comprising:
a light source;
the light modulating device of claim 1 , configured to steer light from the light source toward an object; and
a sensor configured to receive light reflected from the object.

5. The light modulating device of claim 1 , wherein the material of the variable resistance material layer comprises MO x , where M is Ni, Ta, Ni, Hf, Fe, W, Mn, or Co and x is real number.

6. The light modulating device of claim 5 , wherein a low resistance region comprising M and a high resistance region comprising MO x are formed in the variable resistance material layer by a voltage applied thereto.

7. The light modulating device of claim 6 , wherein the signal controller is further configured to adjust the voltage that is applied between the metal layer and the meta surface layer to increase an area of the low resistance region comprising M and to decrease an area of the high resistance region comprising MO x , in the variable resistance material layer.

8. The light modulating device of claim 1 , wherein the metal layer comprises a plurality of metal lines which extend, lengthwise, in a first direction and are repeatedly arranged and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

9. The light modulating device of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of conductive nano-antennas are two-dimensionally arranged in the first direction and the second direction, and
wherein the conductive nano-antennas adjacent to each other in the second direction, from among the plurality of conductive nano-antennas, are connected to each other and are repeatedly arranged and spaced apart from each other in the first direction, to form a plurality of conductive nano-antenna lines.

10. The light modulating device of claim 9 , wherein the variable resistance material layer is partitioned into a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged and spaced apart from each other in the first direction and the second direction, and
wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged at positions at which the plurality of metal lines and the plurality of conductive nano-antenna lines intersect with each other.

11. The light modulating device of claim 10 , further comprising:
a first signal controller configured to control an electrical signal applied to each of the plurality of metal lines; and
a second signal controller configured to control an electrical signal applied to each of the plurality of conductive nano-antenna lines.

12. The light modulating device of claim 1 , wherein the meta surface layer comprises:
a conductive material layer; and
a plurality of dielectric nano-antennas above the conductive material layer and having a sub-wavelength dimension.

13. The light modulating device of claim 12 , wherein the conductive material layer directly contacts the variable resistance material layer.

14. The light modulating device of claim 12 , wherein the metal layer comprises a plurality of metal lines that extend, lengthwise, in a first direction and are repeatedly arranged and spaced apart from each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction.

15. The light modulating device of claim 14 , wherein the conductive material layer comprises a plurality of conductive lines that extend, lengthwise, in the second direction and are repeatedly arranged and spaced apart from each other in the first direction.

16. The light modulating device of claim 15 , wherein the variable resistance material layer is partitioned into a plurality of pixels two-dimensionally arranged and spaced apart from each other in the first direction and the second direction, and
wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged at positions at which the plurality of metal lines and the plurality of conductive lines intersect with each other.

17. The light modulating device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a first signal controller configured to control an electrical signal applied to each of the plurality of metal lines; and
a second signal controller configured to control an electrical signal applied to each of the plurality of conductive lines.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Changbum
• Park Junghyun
• Choi Byounglyong

Classifications

• G02F2202/36

  Micro- or nanomaterials · CPC title

• G02F2202/30

  Metamaterials · CPC title

• G02F1/0102 Primary

  Constructional details, not otherwise provided for in this subclass · CPC title

• G02F1/292 Primary

  by controlled diffraction or phased-array beam steering (controlled diffraction for optical switching G02F1/31) · CPC title

• G02F1/01 Primary

  for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour  (G02F1/29, G02F1/35 take precedence) · CPC title