Devices with Semiconductor Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016274301-A1
Application number	US-201615075580-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 21, 2016
Priority date	Mar 20, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hyperbolic metamaterial assembly comprising alternating one or more first layers and one or more second layers forming a hyperbolic metamaterial, the one or more first layers comprising an intrinsic or non-degenerate extrinsic semiconductor and the one or more second layers comprising a two-dimensional electron or hole gas, wherein one of in-plane or out-of-plane permittivity of the hyperbolic metamaterial assembly is negative and the other is positive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A hyperbolic metamaterial assembly comprising alternating one or more first layers and one or more second layers forming a hyperbolic metamaterial, the one or more first layers comprising an intrinsic or non-degenerate extrinsic semiconductor and the one or more second layers comprising a two-dimensional electron or hole gas,
wherein one of in-plane or out-of-plane permittivity of the hyperbolic metamaterial assembly is negative and the other is positive.

2 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , wherein the one or more first layers comprise alternating layers of 3 nm AlN and 20 nm GaN, and
wherein the one or more second layers are formed in potential wells at an interface between the alternating layers of AlN and GaN.

3 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional electron or hole gas is formed by polarization fields at a III-nitride heterointerface.

4 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 3 , wherein the heterointerface is an AlN/GaN interface.

5 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional electron or hole gas is formed by bandgap engineering fields at a semiconductor heterointerface.

6 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 5 , wherein the heterointerface is an AlN/GaN interface.

7 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 5 , wherein the heterointerface is an AlGaAs/GaAs interface.

8 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a semiconductor light emitter,
wherein the hyperbolic metamaterial is configured to guide electromagnetic waves that are emitted by the light emitter away from said light emitter toward a photodetector.

9 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a semiconductor light emitter,
wherein the hyperbolic metamaterial is configured to reflect light emitted by the light emitter out of the assembly, thereby enhancing light recycling.

10 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a semiconductor light emitter positioned between the hyperbolic metamaterial and a reflector,
wherein the hyperbolic metamaterial and the reflector are configured to reflect light emitted by the light emitter toward each other, thereby enhancing the Q-factor of the cavity formed therebetween.

11 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a semiconductor light emitter with an active region built within the hyperbolic metamaterial and configured to produce strong light-matter coupling.

12 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a semiconductor light emitter with an active region built on or within the hyperbolic metamaterial and configured to produce amplified spontaneous emission or thresholdless lasing.

13 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a light detector evanescently coupled to the hyperbolic metamaterial.

14 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to apply a voltage bias to the hyperbolic metamaterial, thereby modulating the carrier concentration therein.

15 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 14 , further comprising a light emitter, and
wherein the hyperbolic metamaterial is configured as an optical waveguide with respect to light emitted from the light emitter, and wherein the controller is configured to modulate the optical properties of the hyperbolic metamaterial.

16 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a light emitter and a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to modulate light emitted from the light emitter, encoding information in the modulated light.

17 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 16 , wherein the modulated light emitted from the light emitter has a modulation frequency higher than 100 Hz, thereby being unperceivable by a human eye.

18 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 17 , further comprising a light bulb housing having an electrical interface, thereby configuring the hyperbolic metamaterial assembly for use in a light socket.

19 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 17 , further comprising a display screen backlit by the light emitter.

20 . The hyperbolic metamaterial assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a transistor built on or in the hyperbolic metamaterial, and
wherein the hyperbolic metamaterial is configured to dissipate heat produced by the transistor.

Assignees

• Us Gov Sec Navy

Inventors

• Mastro Michael A

Classifications

• G02B6/1225 Primary

  comprising photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices · CPC title

• G02F1/01708

  in an optical wavequide structure · CPC title

• G02F2202/30

  Metamaterials · CPC title

• G02B6/12004

  Combinations of two or more optical elements · CPC title

• G02B1/002

  made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials · CPC title