California Institute of Technology

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Imogen Pryce

Harry A Atwater

Ryan Morrow Briggs

Vladan Jankovic

Luke Sweatlock

Yousif Kelaita

Kenneth Diest

Koray Aydin

James Ma

A tunable metamaterial structure, comprises a flexible substrate capable of being strained, a metamaterial pattern on a surface of the flexible substrate, and a metal layer on the metamaterial pattern. The flexible substrate of the tunable metamaterial structure is a strained and relaxed substrate which has been strained to a degree sufficient to register a resonant response upon relaxation that is shifted relative to the resonant response of the flexible substrate prior to being strained. The application of strain to the flexible substrate of the metamaterial structure enables tuning of the resonant frequency.

Tunable compliant optical metamaterial structures

Systems and methods are provided for modulating light of a wavelength of interest. The modulator assembly includes a plasmonic layer that supports surface plasmon polaritons at the wavelength of interest and a layer of solid-state phase change material having a first phase in which it is substantially transparent to light of the wavelength of interest and a second phase in which it is substantially opaque to light of the wavelength of interest. A control mechanism is configured to alter the phase of the solid-state phase change material between the first phase and the second phase. Each of the plasmonic layer and the layer of solid-state phase change material are configured as to provide a plasmonic mode of transmission for light of the wavelength of interest.

Plasmonic modulator incorporating a solid-state phase change material

Growing community of inventors

Santa Monica, CA, United States of America

Imogen Pryce