Patent Application
20090230332
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright or mask work protection. The copyright or mask work owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright or mask work rights whatsoever.
This relates to couplers for electromagnetic energy, in particular couplers of energy from an electron beam into a Plasmon-enabled device.
Electromagnetic radiation is produced by the motion of electrically charged particles. Oscillating electrons produce electromagnetic radiation commensurate in frequency with the frequency of the oscillations. Electromagnetic radiation is essentially energy transmitted through space or through a material medium in the form of electromagnetic waves. The term can also refer to the emission and propagation of such energy. Whenever an electric charge oscillates or is accelerated, a disturbance characterized by the existence of electric and magnetic fields propagates outward from it. This disturbance is called an electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic radiation falls into categories of wave types depending upon their frequency, and the frequency range of such waves is tremendous, as is shown by the electromagnetic spectrum in the following chart (which categorizes waves into types depending upon their frequency):
The ability to generate (or detect) electromagnetic radiation of a particular type (e.g., radio, microwave, etc.) depends upon the ability to create a structure suitable for electron oscillation or excitation at the frequency desired. Electromagnetic radiation at radio frequencies, for example, is relatively easy to generate using relatively large or even somewhat small structures.
There are many traditional ways to produce high-frequency radiation in ranges at and above the visible spectrum, for example, up to high hundreds of Terahertz. There are also many traditional and anticipated applications that use such high frequency radiation. As frequencies increase, however, the kinds of structures needed to create the electromagnetic radiation at a desired frequency become generally smaller and harder to manufacture. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/243,476 (commonly owned) described ultra-small-scale devices that obtain multiple different frequencies of radiation from the same operative layer.
Resonant structures have been the basis for much of the presently known high frequency electronics. Devices like klystrons and magnetrons had electronics that moved frequencies of emission up to the megahertz range by the 1930s and 1940s. By around 1960, people were trying to reduce the size of resonant structures to get even higher frequencies, but had limited success because the Q of the devices went down due to the resistivity of the walls of the resonant structures. At about the same time, Smith and Purcell saw the first signs that free electrons could cause the emission of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range by running an electron beam past a diffraction grating. Since then, there has been much speculation as to what the physical basis for the Smith-Purcell radiation really is.
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/243,476 showed that some of the Plasmon theory of resonant structures applied to certain nano-structures. It was assumed that at high enough frequencies, Plasmons would conduct the energy as opposed to the bulk transport of electrons in the material, so the electrical resistance would decrease to the point where resonance could effectively occur again, and make the devices efficient enough to be commercially viable.
Those resonant structures were put to use in a Plasmon coupler described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,099 (commonly owned). A Plasmon is the quasi-particle resulting from the quantization of plasma oscillations. Scanning near-field microscopes that put a Plasmon on a wire are known. The possibility of getting data encoded onto Plasmons has been discussed. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,099 described an improved structure that could couple high-speed signals with the advantages of an optical system and yet employ the metal structures commonly used on microcircuits. In an example of such a structure, Plasmons were stimulated to carry a signal to a first portion of the structure. The Plasmons were coupled to a second portion of the structure carrying the signal and then the signal was coupled off the structure.
Generally, a structure and method for coupling a high-speed signal on a device, carrying the signal through the device using Plasmons, and then coupling the signal from the device was described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,099. Energy was modulated by the signal coupled to a source. At least a portion of the energy was typically coupled to a first portion of the device. Plasmons having fields were stimulated on the first portion as a function of the modulated energy. The energy from the source included a charged particle beam or an electromagnetic wave. The electromagnetic wave had a frequency range from about 0.1 terahertz (THz) (3000 microns) to about 7 petahertz (PHz) (0.4 nanometers), referred to as the terahertz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Plasmons having fields, modulated to carry the signal, were coupled to a second portion of the device. In one embodiment, an electromagnetic wave carrying the signal was generated on the second portion and coupled from the device. In another embodiment, a charged particle beam was directed to travel past or through intensified fields on the second portion. The charged particle beam was then modulated by the intensified fields and coupled the signal off the device.
Transmitting structure 103 and receiving structure 104 are formed on the substrate, but can also be formed on transmission line 102. The transmission line 102 generally is made out of a portion of the microcircuit conducting layer between and adjacent to transmitting structure 103 and the receiving structure 104. The transmission line 102 couples Plasmons 108 and the fields associated with the Plasmons 108 between the transmitting structure 103 and receiving structure 104. In another embodiment (not shown), the transmission line connects between cavities formed within a microcircuit to couple Plasmons between various structures.
The transmission line 102 can be made, e.g., using materials such as a strip of metal or metallization. Generally, the better the electrical conductivity of the material making up the transmission line 102, the stronger the transmission line 102 will conduct the Plasmons 108. Typically, the transmission line 102 is made using materials such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al). Those skilled in the art will realize and understand, upon reading this description, that other and/or different metals may be used. In another embodiment (not shown), the transmission line 102 includes a metal cladding or plating. Other materials may be used for applications in different carrier frequency regimes. Further, the performance of the transmission line 102 can be enhanced by using materials having a low percentage of impurities and a low frequency of grain boundaries.
The transmitting structure 103, as shown in
The Plasmons 108 can include bulk Plasmons and surface Plasmons. Plasmons, generally and particularly surface Plasmons, are plasma oscillations or charge density waves confined to a surface of a metal. A strong interaction with Plasmons can include using metals having a plasma frequency covering at least a portion of the optical and/or terahertz spectrum, depending on the application frequency. The plasma frequency is dependent upon the type of material used. For example, the plasma frequency of silver includes a range from the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum to the infrared. Hence, there is a strong interaction between silver and an electromagnetic wave between the visible and infrared portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. In general, the selection of the material depends on the required operating frequency of the device 100. For the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, the surface of the transmitting structure 103 can preferably be made using materials such as gold, silver, copper, aluminum and the like. A structure made including at least these materials and having an appropriate size and shape can resonant for a given frequency or range of frequencies. This is referred to as Plasmon resonance.
As shown in
As shown in
For the purposes of this description, the charged particle source 109 can include an electron gun, and the charged particle beam is sometimes referred to as an electron or particle beam 107.
The input signal 105A containing data can be coupled to the source 109 and encoded or modulated onto the particle beam 107. The method for modulating the charged particle beam 107 includes pulsing the particle beam 107 on and off. Further, the charged particle beam 107 can be modulated using techniques such as velocity and angular modulation. Velocity and angular modulation are described in related patent application Ser. No. 11/238,991, filed Sep. 30, 2005, entitled “Light Emitting Free Electron Micro-resonant Structure” and No. 11/243,476, filed Oct. 5, 2005, entitled “Structure and Method for Coupling Energy From an Electromagnetic Wave.” The method of modulating the charged particle beam 107 is not limiting.
Once modulated, the charged particle beam 107 can be directed along a path between dielectric layers of a microcircuit and adjacent to the cavity C1 of the transmitting structure 103. The path can be generally straight, but is not required to be so. The cavity C1 of the transmitting structure 103 is preferably evacuated to a vacuum having a permittivity of about one. Fields are generated from the particle beam 107 and comprise energy in the form of electromagnetic, electric and/or magnetic fields. At least a portion of the energy 106A is coupled across the cavity C1 of the receiving structure 103 and received on the surface adjacent to the cavity. This provides a medium change for the coupled fields, because the permittivity or dielectric transitions from the cavity of the transmitting structure 103 (e.g., a vacuum) to the surface, which is metal. The gap across the cavity C1 can be sized to optimize the coupling of energy from the fields to the surface inside the cavity. The fields are modulated in accordance with the input signal 105A encoded onto the particle beam 107. The interaction between the fields and the surface, or free-electrons on the surface of the transmitting structure 103, causes a stimulation of the Plasmons 108. This stimulation of the Plasmons 108 is a function of the modulation of the fields and can include a resonant mode. The Plasmons 108 are stimulated and modulated as a function of the input signal 105A.
The three arrows that are used in the drawings to represent Plasmons 108 also indicate the general direction of travel of the Plasmons 108. The energy distribution of Plasmons 108 can be depicted as sinusoidal wave patterns, but the energy distribution of the Plasmons 108 is not limited to a particular function. Even though the Plasmons 108 are shown at particular locations in the drawings, those skilled in the art will realize and understand, upon reading this description, that the Plasmons 108 generally can occur throughout the transmitting structure 103, the transmission line 102 and the receiving structure 104, and their specific locations are not limiting.
Modulated fields are generated upon the modulated stimulation of the Plasmons 108. The depiction of the Plasmons is not intended to be limiting in any way, e.g., such as to the location and the like.
Still referring to
The cavity C2 of the receiving structure 104 can be sized to the resonant wavelength, sub-wavelength and multiple wavelengths of the energy. The fields can be intensified by using features on the receiving structure 104 such as the cavity. A portion of the fields are coupled across the cavity of the receiving structure 104 and are intensified and is referred to as portion fields. This can result in accelerating charges on the surface adjacent to the cavity. Further, the portion fields include a time-varying electric field component across the cavity. Thus, similar to an antenna, a modulated electromagnetic wave is generated and emitted from the cavity C2. Hence, the portion fields 106B modulate energy or the electromagnetic wave and couple the output signal 105B off the device 100. Further, by sizing the receiving structure 104 and the cavity of the receiving structure 104 to resonate at a particular wavelength, the frequency of the modulated electromagnetic wave carrying the signal 105B can be established.
A channel can be formed through a wall of a cavity of a microcircuit to couple the electromagnetic wave carrying the output signal 105B from the device 100. For example, the channel can be made using a dielectric material having a greater index of refraction than the material of dielectric layer. Hence, the output signal 105B is coupled from the structure or device 100.
The transmitting structure 103 and receiving structure 104 including their respective cavities C1 and C2 are in a category of devices referred to herein as “ultra-small resonant structures.”
As used herein, an ultra-small resonant structure can be any structure with a physical dimension less than the wavelength of microwave radiation, which (1) emits radiation (in the case of a transmitter) at a microwave frequency or higher when operationally coupled to a charge particle source or (2) resonates (in the case of a detector/receiver) in the presence of electromagnetic radiation at microwave frequencies or higher.
Methods of making the above-described device for detecting an electromagnetic wave as can be employed herein may use the techniques included under U.S. application Ser. No. 10/917,571, filed on Aug. 13, 2004, entitled “Patterning Thin Metal Film by Dry Reactive Ion Etching” and/or U.S. application Ser. No. 11/203,407, filed Aug. 15, 2005, entitled “Method of Patterning Ultra-Small Structures,” each of which is commonly owned at the time of filing, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other manufacturing techniques may also be used.
The related applications described a number of different inventions involving these novel ultra-small resonant structures and methods of making and utilizing them. In essence, the ultra-small resonant structures emitted electromagnetic radiation at frequencies (including but not limited to visible light frequencies) not previously obtainable with characteristic structures nor by the traditional operational principles. In some of those applications of these ultra-small resonant structures, resonance was electron beam-induced. In such embodiments, the electron beam passed proximate to an ultra-small resonant structure—sometimes a resonant cavity—causing the resonant structure to emit electromagnetic radiation; or in the reverse, incident electromagnetic radiation proximate the resonant structure caused physical effects on the proximate electron beam.
Thus, the resonant structures in some embodiments depended upon a coupled, proximate electron (or other charged particle) beam. The charge density and velocity of that electron beam could have some effects on the response returned by the resonant structure. For example, in some cases, the properties of the electron beam could affect the intensity of electromagnetic radiation. In other cases, it could affect the frequency of the emission.
As a general matter, electron beam accelerators were not new, but they were new in the context of the affect that beam acceleration had on the novel ultra-small resonant structures. By controlling the electron beam velocity, valuable characteristics of the ultra-small resonant structures were accommodated.
Also, the related cases described how the ultra-small resonant structures could be accommodated on integrated chips. One unfortunate side effect of such a placement was the location of a relatively high-powered cathode on or near the integrated chip. For example, in some instances, a power source of 100s or 1000s eV will produce desirable resonance effects on the chip (such applications may—but need not—include intra-chip communications, inter-chip communications, visible light emission, other frequency emission, electromagnetic resonance detection, display operation, etc.) Putting such a power source on-chip was disadvantageous from the standpoint of its potential affect on the other chip components although it is highly advantageous for operation of the ultra-small resonant structures.
U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,294 (commonly owned) described a system that allowed the electrons to gain the benefit usually derived from high-powered electron sources, without actually placing a high-powered electron source on-chip.
The ultra-small resonant structures had one or more physical dimensions that were smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation emitted (in the case of
In the transmitter 10, if an electron acceleration level normally developed under a 4000 eV power source (a number chosen solely for illustration, and could be any energy level whatsoever desired) was desired, the respective anodes connected to the Power Switch 17 at Positions A-H were each given a potential relative to the cathode of 1/n times the desired power level, where n was the number of anodes in the series. Any number of anodes could have been used. In the case of
The Power switch 13 then required only a 500V potential relative to ground because each anode only required 500V, which was an advantageously lower potential on the chip than 4000V.
In the system without multiple anodes, the 500V potential on a single anode would not accelerate the electron beam 11 at nearly the same level as provided by the 4000V source. But, the system of
After passing Position H in the transmitter 10 of
The anodes in transmitter 10 were thus turned ON and OFF as the electron beam reached the respective anodes. One way (although not the only way) that the system could know when the electron beam was approaching the respective anodes was to provide controller 16 to sense when an induced current appears on the respective anode caused by the approaching electron beam.
After the electron beam had accelerated to each sequential anode 10, the accelerated electron beam 11 can then pass the resonant structures 12, causing them to emit the electromagnetic radiation encoded by the data encoder 14. The resonant structures 12/24 were shown generically and on only one side, but they could have been any of the ultra-small resonant structure forms and could have been on both sides of the electron beam. Collector 18 can receive the electron beam and either use the power associated with it for on-chip power or take it to ground.
The Receiver 20 in
To excite most Plasmon-enabled devices it is efficient to use an electron beam that is traveling at a high speed, most easily done by accelerating through a high voltage potential, as described above with respect to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,294. However, in such cases, not much of the energy from the electron beam is actually transferred to the Plasmon-enabled device. Further, the electron beam must be terminated at a collection point and thus its energy must there either be lost or recovered. The use of a depressed anode solves this problem as little electric current flows though the high voltage anode.
The following description, given with respect to the attached drawings, may be better understood with reference to the non-limiting examples of the drawings wherein like reference numbers designate like elements.
The ultimate goal of an ultra-small resonant structure system is to induce electromagnetic radiation at a frequency in excess of the microwave frequency (in the case of a transmitter such as transmitter 10) or provide an observable beam change in the present of electromagnetic radiation (in the case of a receiver such as receiver 20). This is done by coupling the energy from an electron beam into the ultra-small resonant structure while the beam passes proximate to the structure without touching the structure. The energy of the electron beam is ideally (though not practically) delivered entirely into the resonance activity of the ultra-small resonance structure and is spent. In reality, the electron beam is highly powered and remains so even after its usefulness to the energy coupling operation with the ultra-small resonance structure is completed. The energy from the still highly-powered electron beam is either lost after it passes the ultra-small resonance structure or is collected.
In
The electron beam of
Of course, the present inventions can be applied to Plasmon-enabled devices 301 other than ultra-small resonant structures, as described in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,099 and
In the present embodiment, a depressed anode 302 is arranged so the electron beam 303 passes through/by the depressed anode 302 before reaching the anode 305. In the example of
Depressed anodes are known for use in high powered microwave tubes for collection of energy from an electron beam. One author suggests that the original thought for depressed anodes may have originated with Oskar Heil as early as 1935. Historical German Contributions to Physicas and Applications of Electromagnetic Oscillations and Waves, Manfred Thumm, part 10. The basic idea behind a depressed anode is to depress the voltage from a linear electron beam to a lower voltage without causing the electron beam to lose its attraction to the destination anode. The depression occurs by passing the electron beam 303 past a high negative voltage which reduces the beam energy prior to reaching the destination cathode 305. Ordinarily, the potential energy in the beam 303 that is not coupled to the Plasmon-enabled devices 301 to produce the greater-than-microwave-frequency electromagnetic radiation is converted to heat at the destination anode 305 and lost. With a depressed anode 302 intervening, some of the beam energy that is not coupled to the Plasmon-enable devices can be recaptured before the remainder of the energy is lost to the destination anode 305. Electric circuitry to collect the energy recovered by the depressed anode 302 is normally employed though not shown in
The use of the depressed anode in
While certain configurations of structures have been illustrated for the purposes of presenting the basic structures of the present invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other variations are possible which would still fall within the scope of the appended claims. While the inventions have been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/960,694, filed Oct. 10, 2007, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. As introductory information, the following related applications are incorporated herein by reference: 1. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,099 filed May 5, 2006 entitled “Surface Plasmon Signal Transmission”;2. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,084 filed May 5, 2006 entitled “Detecting Plasmons Using a Metallurgical Junction”;3. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/411,130 filed Apr. 26, 2006 entitled “Charged Particle Acceleration Apparatus and Method”;4. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/418,294 filed May 5, 2006 entitled “Electron Accelerator for Ultra-Small Resonant Structures”;5. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/243,476 filed Oct. 5, 2005 entitled “Structures and Methods for Coupling Energy from an Electromagnetic Wave,” which is now U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,426 issued Aug. 7, 2007;6. U.S. application Ser. No. 11/203,407 filed Aug. 15, 2007 entitled “Method of Patterning Ultra-Small Structures”;7. U.S. application Ser. No. 10/917,511 filed Aug. 13, 2004 entitled “Patterning Thin Metal Films by Dry Ion Etching,” which is now abandoned.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60960694 | Oct 2007 | US |
