Coupling energy in a plasmon wave to an electron beam
AssigneeVirgin Islands Microsystems, Inc.
InventorsJonathan Gorrell, Mark Davidson, Michael E. Maines
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for coupling energy in a plasmon wave to an electron beam includes a metal transmission line having a pointed end; a generator mechanism constructed and adapted to generate a beam of charged particles; and a detector microcircuit disposed adjacent to the generator mechanism. The generator mechanism and the detector microcircuit are disposed adjacent the pointed end of the metal transmission line and wherein a beam of charged particles from the generator mechanism to the detector microcircuit electrically couples the plasmon wave traveling along the metal transmission line to the microcircuit.
Claims15
A device for coupling energy in a plasmon wave to an electron beam, the device comprising:
- a transmission line;
- a generator mechanism constructed and adapted to generate a beam of charged particles along a path adjacent to the transmission line;
- and
- a detector microcircuit disposed along said path, at a location after said beam has gone past said line,
- wherein the generator mechanism and the detector microcircuit are disposed adjacent transmission line and wherein a beam of charged particles from the generator mechanism to the detector microcircuit electrically couples the plasmon wave traveling along the transmission line to the microcircuit.
A method comprising:
- generating a beam of charged particles adjacent a metal transmission line;
- and
- detecting changes in said beam of charged particles, wherein said changes are indicative of the presence or absence of a plasmon wave in the metal transmission line.
A device for coupling energy in a plasmon wave to an electron beam, the device comprising:
- a metal transmission line having a pointed end, the metal comprising silver (Ag);
- a generator mechanism constructed and adapted to generate a beam of charged particles, wherein the generator mechanism is selected from the group comprising:
- an ion gun, a thermionic filament, tungsten filament, a cathode, a vacuum triode, a field emission cathode, a planar vacuum triode, an electron-impact ionizer, a laser ionizer, a chemical ionizer, a thermal ionizer, an ion-impact ionizer;
- a detector microcircuit disposed adjacent to the generator mechanism;
- and
- shielding structure disposed to prevent interference with the beam of charged particles by sources of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) other than EMR from the transmission line,
- wherein the generator mechanism and the detector microcircuit are disposed adjacent the pointed end of the transmission line and wherein a beam of charged particles from the generator mechanism to the detector microcircuit electrically couples the plasmon wave traveling along the metal transmission line to the microcircuit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.