Rice researchers confirm operation of nanoantennas and junctions

It is nice when another group confirms your own work even if you are not in the references.  Academics are notoriously blind to patents and many regard patents as unworthy references, but that should not be, since patents are at least as well reviewed as any peer reviewed articles in Science and other journals, and to a stricter standard of novelty, usefulness, and non-obviousness.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/332/6030/702.abstract

Discussed in 2011 how nanoantennas inject a charge into a semiconducting junction which makes them very useful as light detectors, and how they can be tuned to specific wavelengths.

Here's my idea on how to accomplish the above, written and published in the 1997-2001 ranges.

Here are the claims that were awarded to me

1. A method of manufacturing a lightwave electromagnetic antenna device comprising the steps of;

providing a substrate material,

depositing a metal oxide region on said substrate material, said metal oxide region having an electrical length shorter than a light wavelength, and,

growing an elongated linear structure having an electrical length corresponding to a light wavelength upon said metal oxide region.

2. The method of manufacturing a lightwave electromagnetic antenna device as recited in claim 1, wherein said elongated linear structure has a first end and a second end, said first end having an attachment point to said metal oxide region, said second end extending into free space.

3. The method of manufacturing a lightwave electromagnetic antenna device as recited in claim 1, wherein said elongated linear structure is a carbon nanotube.

4. The method of manufacturing a lightwave electromagnetic antenna device as recited in claim 1, wherein said metal oxide region is a nanoparticle.

5. The method of manufacturing a lightwave electromagnetic antenna device as recited in claim 3, wherein said nanoparticle is an iron oxide nanoparticle of less than 100 nanometers in diameter.

6. A method of manufacturing a wavelength of selective light responsive array of conductive linear elements comprising the steps of;

providing a substrate material,

depositing a metal oxide region on said substrate material, said metal oxide region having an electrical length shorter than a light wavelength, and,

growing a first group of conductive linear elements having an electrical length corresponding to a first light wavelength,

growing a second group of conductive linear elements having an electrical length corresponding to a second light wavelength.

7. The method of manufacturing a wavelength selective light responsive array of conductive linear elements as recited in claim 6, wherein said substrate material is provided with an electrical terminal.

8. A method of modifying a light wave comprising the steps of;

providing a substrate material,

depositing a metal oxide region on said substrate material, said metal oxide region having an electrical length shorter than a light wave length, and

growing an elongated linear structure having an electrical length corresponding to a light wavelength upon said metal oxide region,

providing an electrical signal to said substrate material, and

collecting, modifying and emitting energy at a light wavelength at said linear structure and said metal oxide region.

9. The method of modifying a light wave as recited in claim 8, wherein application of a current to said substrate material is effective to modulate said light wave.

10. The method of modifying a light wave as recited in claim 8, wherein application of a current to said substrate is effective to switch said light wave.