Active manipulation of electromagnetic wave propagation in metamaterials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9459375-B2
Application number	US-201113883442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2011
Priority date	Nov 5, 2010
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for controlling propagation of an electromagnetic wave includes a metamaterial having an array of cells, each cell containing a metallic structure having a resonant frequency; a plurality of devices integrated in the metamaterial, each of said devices being in electrical communication with a metallic structure in a cell in the array of cells; and a controller for electrically activating each of said plurality of devices to cause said resonant frequency to change, thereby causing at least one of a permeability and permittivity of the metamaterial to change.

First claim

Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what we claim as new and secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for controlling propagation of an electromagnetic wave, said apparatus comprising: a metamaterial having an array of cells, each cell containing a metallic structure having a resonant frequency; a plurality of devices integrated in the metamaterial, each of said devices being in electrical communication with a metallic structure in a cell in the array of cells; and a controller for electrically activating each of said plurality of devices to cause said resonant frequency to change, thereby causing at least one of a permeability and permittivity of the metamaterial to change.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises a plurality of transistors.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of transistors comprises at least one pHEMT.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of devices comprises a diode.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause at least one electromagnetic parameter of the metamaterial to assume a negative value.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to modify an imaginary part of at least one electromagnetic parameter of the metamaterial.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to modify a real part of at least one electromagnetic parameter of the metamaterial.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause said resonant frequency to sweep across a range of values.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to dynamically vary a transmission coefficient of the metamaterial.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause modulation of a signal.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to cause amplitude modulation of a signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to cause frequency modulation of a signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to cause phase modulation of a signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to modulate a signal by frequency-shift keying.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the metallic structures have a dimension that is within the terahertz range of wavelengths as measured in the metamaterial.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a terahertz source configured to illuminate said metamaterial.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a terahertz detector configured to receive terahertz waves that have passed through said metamaterial.

18. A method for manipulating an electromagnetic wave passing through a metamaterial having an array of cells, each of which contains a metallic structure having a resonant frequency and a plurality of devices integrated therein, each of said devices being in electrical communication with a metallic structure in one of said cells, said method comprising: causing an electromagnetic wave to propagate in said metamaterial; and each of a plurality of locations in the metamaterial, dynamically changing at least one of a permittivity and a permeability of the metamaterial by electrically activating each of said devices, thereby changing a resonant frequency of a corresponding metallic structure.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein changing at least one of the permittivity and permeability comprises dynamically changing a resonant frequency of a metallic structure embedded within the metamaterial.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein dynamically changing comprises dynamically tuning a resonant frequency of an LC circuit equivalent to a metallic structure embedded within the metamaterial.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein dynamically changing comprises applying a gate current to a plurality of transistors, each of which is connected to a metallic structure within the metamaterial.

22. The method of claim 18 , wherein causing an electromagnetic wave to propagate comprises causing a terahertz wave to propagate in said metamaterial.

23. The method of claim 18 , wherein dynamically changing comprises causing one of said permittivity and permeability to become negative, thereby attenuating said electromagnetic wave.

Assignees

• Sonkusale Sameer
• Padilla Willie John
• Rout Saroj
• Univ Tufts
• Trustees Boston College

Inventors

• Sonkusale Sameer
• Padilla Willie John
• Rout Saroj

Classifications

• H01P7/088

  Tunable resonators · CPC title

• H01P7/082 Primary

  Microstripline resonators (H01P7/088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B1/002 Primary

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

• G01N21/3581

  using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation · CPC title