Millimeter wave beam deflector
US5360973A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 17, 1992 |
| Grant date | Nov 1, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 17, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01Q19/065
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A non-mechanical beam deflector forms and scans a beam of millimeter wave (MMW) radiation at a rapid rate. The beam deflector includes a semiconductor body in which a spatially varying density of charge carriers is selectively injected. The injected charge carriers--electrons and/or holes--alter the dielectric constant of the semiconductor body locally and thereby attenuate and reflect incident MMW radiation. The portions of the semiconductor body that do not have carriers injected therein allow the incident MMW radiation to be transmitted. The semiconductor body, modified with a spatially varying density of charge carriers, diffracts the radiation which passes through it into a beam. The beam may be scanned across space through selective control of the injected charge carriers. The diffractive conditions can be rapidly re-configured. The spatially varying density of charge carriers may be induced optically into the semiconductor body, or directly injected using opposing p- and n-type contacts forming a p-n junction. A dynamically variable Fresnel zone plate (FZP) represents one application of the invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.