"Rainbow" Trapping and Releasing for Surface Waves: An Ultra-Wide Band Slow Light Structure (Technology #: 072808-01)

This technology involves the slowing of light through the use of plasmonic grated structures, known as Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPP), for applications such as on-chip integrated optical circuits, surface or interface technology, data storage, and biosensing . The structure is able to trap light over a large spectral band and at various temperatures. Due to the metallic nature of the material, light signals will be able to be released by changing the temperature of the device.

ADVANTAGES

The structure has the potential to achieve the "trapped rainbow" storage of light. Its features include:

• The ability to operate over a range of different temperatures, and over an ultra-wide spectral band
• Use of SPP, which has the potential to break the size limitation that defraction imposes on conventional photonic structures

APPLICATIONS

• On chip integration of optical circuits
• Data storage
• Bio-sensing

STATUS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

A US provisional patent application has been filed.