# US 12,181,736 B2 · Nanostructures for optical devices

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- Number: US 12,181,736 B2
- Document ID: US12181736B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/977,376
- Filed: 2022-10-31
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Granted: 2024-12-31
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-27
- Assignees: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applicants: Applied Materials, Inc.
- Inventors: Tapashree Roy; Wayne McMillan; Rutger Meyer Timmerman Thijssen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12181736B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/0102: {Constructional details, not otherwise provided for in this subclass}
- B82Y 20/00: Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
- G02B 1/002: {made of materials engineered to provide properties not available in nature, e.g. metamaterials}
- G02F 2202/30: Metamaterials
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- B82Y: SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

Embodiments of metasurfaces having nanostructures with desired geometric profiles and configurations are provided in the present disclosure. In one embodiment, a metasurface includes a nanostructure formed on a substrate, wherein the nanostructure is cuboidal or cylindrical in shape. In another embodiment, a metasurface includes a plurality of nanostructures on a substrate, wherein each of the nanostructures has a gap greater than 35 nm spaced apart from each other. In yet another embodiment, a metasurface includes a plurality of nanostructures on a substrate, wherein the nanostructures are fabricated from at least one of TiO2, silicon nitride, or amorphous silicon, or GaN or aluminum zinc oxide or any material with refractive index greater than 1.8, and absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001, the substrate is transparent with absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A device, comprising:
an array of nanostructures formed on a substrate, wherein each nanostructure of the array of nanostructures is spaced away from each other with a gap therebetween, wherein the gap is greater than 10 nm, wherein a first length of the gap defined in a first group of nanostructures is greater than a second length of the gap defined in a second group of nanostructures, wherein a first height of the first group of nanostructures corresponds to the first length of the gap and the first height of the first group of nanostructures is greater than a second height of the second group of nanostructures.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a metasurface.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the gap is between about 55 nm to about 100 nm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The device of claim 3, wherein the nanostructures in the array of nanostructures comprises a dielectric material and have a height greater than 600 nm.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The device of claim 4, wherein the dielectric material is at least one of titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, amorphous silicon, crystalline silicon, gallium nitride, and aluminum zinc oxide.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the nanostructures in the array of nanostructures have different lateral dimensions.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the nanostructures in the array of nanostructures have a uniform lateral dimension.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The device of claim 2, wherein the gap is greater than 35 nm.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, further comprising:
an encapsulating layer encapsulating the array of nanostructures.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The device of claim 9, wherein the array of nanostructures has a relative height greater than 900 nm.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the nanostructures of the array of nanostructures have a refractive index greater than 1.8 and an absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the array of the nanostructures provide all possible values of transmission phase between 0 and 2π.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The device of claim 1, wherein the array of the nanostructures provide a value of transmission amplitude close to 1.

### Claim 14

A device, comprising:
an array of nanostructures formed on a substrate, wherein each nanostructure of the array of nanostructures is spaced away from each other with a gap therebetween, wherein the gap is greater than 10 nm, wherein a first length of the gap defined in a first group of nanostructures is greater than a second length of the gap defined in a second group of nanostructures, wherein the first group of the nanostructures has a higher refractive index than the second group of nanostructures.

### Claim 15

A device, comprising:
a plurality of nanostructures on a substrate, wherein each of the nanostructures is spaced from other nanostructures by a gap greater than 10 nm, wherein the gap defined in a first group of nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures is greater than the gap defined in a second group of nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures, the first group of nanostructures having a higher refractive index than the second group of nanostructures.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of nanostructures are cuboidal or cylindrical in shape.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of nanostructures have refractive index greater than 1.8.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of nanostructures are fabricated from at least one of titanium dioxide, silicon nitride, amorphous silicon, crystalline silicon, gallium nitride and aluminum zinc oxide.

### Claim 19

A device, comprising:
a plurality of nanostructures on a substrate, wherein the plurality of nanostructures are fabricated from at least one of TiO2, silicon nitride, amorphous silicon, GaN, aluminum zinc oxide or any material with refractive index greater than 1.8, and an absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001, the substrate is transparent with absorption coefficient smaller than 0.001, and wherein a gap defined in a first group of nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures is greater than the gap defined in a second group of nanostructures of the plurality of nanostructures, the first group of nanostructures having a higher refractive index than the second group of nanostructures.