# US 10,481,307 B2 · Optical antenna > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,481,307 B2 - Document ID: US10481307B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/302,476 - Filed: 2015-04-09 - Published: 2017-01-26 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2014-04-09 - Assignees: Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Applicants: Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Inventors: Arseniy Kuznetsov; Yuan Hsing Fu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10481307B2 ## CPC - G02B 5/008: {Surface plasmon devices (diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553)} - G02B 1/002: {made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials} - G02B 1/005: {made of photonic crystals or photonic band gap materials (photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in integrated optics G02B6/1225; photonic band-gap structures or photonic lattices in optical fibres G02B6/02295)} - B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES ## Abstract According to embodiments of the present invention, an optical antenna is provided. The optical antenna includes at least one first particle, and at least one second particle having a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the at least one first particle, wherein the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle are arranged along a plane, and wherein the at least one first particle is configured to enhance an optical emission of at least one light source providing an optical signal to the optical antenna and the at least one second particle is configured to direct the optical signal in a direction at least substantially perpendicular to the plane. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An optical antenna comprising: at least one first particle; at least one second particle having a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the at least one first particle; and at least one light source interposed between the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle, the at least one light source configured to provide the optical signal; wherein the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle are arranged along a plane, and wherein the at least one first particle is configured to enhance an optical emission of the at least one light source providing an optical signal to the optical antenna and the at least one second particle is configured to direct the optical signal in the form of an inverted cone perpendicular to the plane. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle is made of a material having a refractive index of at least two. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material is a dielectric material or a semiconductor material. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle comprises a nanoparticle. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 2, wherein the material is silicon. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 4, wherein the nanoparticle of the at least one first particle is made of silicon, has a cylindrical shape, and has a height of about 150 nm±50 nm and a diameter of about 120 nm±40 nm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 4, wherein the nanoparticle of the at least one second particle is made of silicon, has a cylindrical shape, has a height of about 150 nm±50 nm and a diameter of about 160 nm±40 nm. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle are arranged in contact with each other. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle are arranged spaced apart from each other. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 9, wherein a side-to-side separation of the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle is in a range of between about 10 nm and about 100 nm. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of second particles arranged along the plane and at least substantially surrounding the at least one first particle, wherein each second particle has a diameter that is larger than the diameter of the at least one first particle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of first particles; and a plurality of second particles at least substantially surrounding the plurality of first particles, the plurality of first particles and the plurality of second particles being arranged along the plane, wherein each second particle has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of each first particle. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of first particles; and a plurality of second particles arranged interposed among the plurality of first particles, the plurality of first particles and the plurality of second particles being arranged along the plane, wherein each second particle has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of each first particle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of first particles and a plurality of second particles arranged alternately along the plane, wherein each second particle has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of each first particle. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one light source comprises at least one of a fluorophore, a quantum dot or a dye. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of light sources configured to provide the optical signal. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate on which the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle are formed. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optical emission of the at least one light source comprises an emission rate of the at least one light source or an intensity of the optical emission of the at least one light source. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The optical antenna as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the at least one first particle and the at least one second particle comprises a cylindrical particle, a cuboidal particle, a prismatic particle, or a spherical particle.