Light in place of Electricity !!!!!

A team of researchers from University of Pennsylvania led by Nader Engheta are working on the ways to use light in the place of  electricity. Using nanotechnology they had developed the first physical illustration of lumped optical circuit elements. This development will be a landmark in the emerging field of science and engineering, called METATRONICS. The word ‘meta’ in metatronics means metamaterials. It is a developing research field where nanostructures and patterns are embedded in materials such that they can manipulate waves in different ways.

In the experiment, the researchers build a comb like structure having arrays of silicon nitrate nanorods. In the study they find that the gaps between nanorods and the cross-sections creates a patten in optical wavelength, which imitates the functions of basic circuit components capacitor, inductor and resistor.

The team used optical signal of mid infrared wavelength for illuminating the nanorods. By using spectroscopy they measured the wave when it passed via comb like structure. They repeated the procedure for nine different dimensions and they discovered the change in optical voltage and current by the optical capacitance, inductance, resistance with variations in size.

They explained that the air gap of comb like structure acts a capacitor and the cross-section acts as inductor as well as resistor. Moreover the functions of these optical circuits can be changed without altering the nanorods base material and their dimensions, it can be easily changed by changing the light’s orientation. This enables metatronic circuits to access patterns that are impossible with conventional electronic circuits.

Engheta called metatronic circuit as Stereo-Circuitry because changing the orientation of light metatronics is analogous to rewiring an electrical circuit. Now the team plans to build complex three dimensional structures using nanorod arrays based on their success with fundamental optical components.

Just Wait and See ……….