Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for modulation of guided plasmons

US6178275A · kind A · utility

19Cited by
16References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 19, 2000
Grant dateJan 23, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 19, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH10D62/824
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the generation, manipulation and detection of plasmon, and/or solitons, both linear and non linear, in semi-conductor heterostructures. The apparatus includes a galium arsonide substrate, a two-dimensional electron gas well (2-DEG) (160) form thereon and a thin layer of Aluminum galium arsonide (AlGaAs) placed thereover. Launcher (130) and receiver lines (132, 134, 136) are formed on the AlGaAs layer. Each of the launcher (130) and receiver lines (132, 134, 136) includes coplanar waveguides which preferably consist of two to three metal lines. One line is interconnected with a photoconductive switch (120) and can be pulsed. The other line or lines are grounded. Pulsing the line forms an electric field which can be detected. Between the launcher and (130) and the receiver (140), the plasmon can be modulated by one or more additional gates line extending over the 2-DEG.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.