Patents by Inventor Gregory Kress

Gregory Kress has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240151983
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a device may include a light-emitting diode (LED) to generate optical radiation at an operational wavelength with a divergent emission profile, such as a Lambertian emission profile, relative to a planar face thereof. A metalens may be positioned to modify the divergent emission profile of the optical radiation from the LED to have a modified transmission profile. The metalens may comprise, for example, a substrate and a two-dimensional array of passive pillars that extend from the substrate with a radially symmetric pattern of varying pillar diameters. The pillars may be spaced from one another according to a uniform subwavelength interelement spacing. The diameters of the pillars are selected as a function of the operational wavelength to provide a target phase gradient that modifies the divergent emission profile of the optical radiation from the LED to have the modified transmission profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2024
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Erik Shipton
  • Patent number: 11933940
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for manufacturing high-index, low-absorption materials for use in visible light optical metasurfaces. Methods of manufacturing or forming hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), silicon-rich nitride (SRN), and hydrogenated silicon-rich nitride (SRN:H) are described herein that exhibit high indices of refraction and low extinction coefficients for visible wavelengths of optical radiation. Optical metasurfaces, including optical metalenses and waveguide couplers, are described herein that utilize the a-Si:H, SRN, and/or SRN:H materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Imagia, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Heydar Honarvar Nazari, Arindom Datta, Erik Shipton, Abdoulaye Ndao
  • Publication number: 20240085590
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described herein for manufacturing high-index, low-absorption materials for use in visible light optical metasurfaces. Methods of manufacturing or forming hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H), silicon-rich nitride (SRN), and hydrogenated silicon-rich nitride (SRN:H) are described herein that exhibit high indices of refraction and low extinction coefficients for visible wavelengths of optical radiation. Optical metasurfaces, including optical metalenses and waveguide couplers, are described herein that utilize the a-Si:H, SRN, and/or SRN:H materials.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2023
    Publication date: March 14, 2024
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Heydar Honarvar Nazari, Arindom Datta, Erik Shipton, Abdoulaye Ndao
  • Patent number: 11874476
    Abstract: According to various embodiments, a device may include a light-emitting diode (LED) to generate optical radiation at an operational wavelength with a divergent emission profile, such as a Lambertian emission profile, relative to a planar face thereof. A metalens may be positioned to modify the divergent emission profile of the optical radiation from the LED to have a modified transmission profile. The metalens may comprise, for example, a substrate and a two-dimensional array of passive pillars that extend from the substrate with a radially symmetric pattern of varying pillar diameters. The pillars may be spaced from one another according to a uniform subwavelength interelement spacing. The diameters of the pillars are selected as a function of the operational wavelength to provide a target phase gradient that modifies the divergent emission profile of the optical radiation from the LED to have the modified transmission profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2024
    Assignee: Imagia, Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Erik Shipton
  • Patent number: 11867912
    Abstract: This disclosure provides various examples and methods of manufacturing metasurface couplers, including slanted grating metasurface couplers characterized by a plurality of parallel, elongated angled ridges. In some examples, a transmission-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide. In some examples, a reflection-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating and reflective layer is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Arindom Datta
  • Patent number: 11852833
    Abstract: This disclosure provides various examples and methods of manufacturing metasurface couplers, including slanted grating metasurface couplers characterized by a plurality of parallel, elongated angled ridges. In some examples, a transmission-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide. In some examples, a reflection-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating and reflective layer is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2023
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Arindom Datta
  • Publication number: 20230375841
    Abstract: This disclosure provides various examples and methods of manufacturing metasurface couplers, including slanted grating metasurface couplers characterized by a plurality of parallel, elongated angled ridges. In some examples, a transmission-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide. In some examples, a reflection-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating and reflective layer is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Arindom Datta
  • Publication number: 20230375835
    Abstract: This disclosure provides various examples and methods of manufacturing metasurface couplers, including slanted grating metasurface couplers characterized by a plurality of parallel, elongated angled ridges. In some examples, a transmission-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide. In some examples, a reflection-mode metasurface coupler with a slanted grating and reflective layer is used to couple optical radiation into a waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2023
    Publication date: November 23, 2023
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Arindom Datta
  • Publication number: 20230075868
    Abstract: Various embodiments and configurations of optical imaging systems are described herein that utilize a metalens for narrowband deflection of target frequencies. For example, one embodiment of a multifrequency metalens includes an in-plane spatially multiplexed array of frequency-specific nanopillars or frequency-specific rows/columns of nanopillars that are intermingled with one another. In other embodiments, transmissive metalenses and/or reflective metalenses are tuned to focus color-separated visible light into red, green, and blue (RGB) channels of a digital image sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao, Arindom Datta
  • Publication number: 20210405255
    Abstract: Various embodiments of optical metalens and electronic displays using metalenses are described herein. In some embodiments, a metalens includes an array of passive deflector elements with varying diameters that extend from a substrate with a repeating pattern of deflector element diameters. Interelement on-center spacings of the passive deflector elements may be selected as a function of an operational wavelength of the optical metalens. Each passive deflector element has a height and a width that are each less than a smallest wavelength within the operational bandwidth. An electronic display may include a multi-pixel light-emitting diode (LED) display, such as an RGB LED display. A metalens comprising a plurality of metalens subpixels may deflect the optical radiation from each corresponding LED subpixel at a target deflection angle. Each metalens subpixel may include a two-dimensional array of passive deflector elements in a repeating pattern of deflector element diameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Gregory Kress, Abdoulaye Ndao
  • Publication number: 20190283263
    Abstract: A hand-held device consistent with the present disclosure includes a first member and a second member coupled together by a pivot point such that each member can rotate independently. The first member includes a first handle and the second member includes a second handle on a first region of each member. The area of the second handle is greater than the area of the first handle. The shearing device includes a protrusion on a second region of each member. Each protrusion is disposed at least 65 degrees from the corresponding handle of each member. The protrusion of the first member has a beveled portion above a cutting edge of the first member. During a cutting action, cross-torque force is applied upon the protrusion of the second member by the first member or a cross-torque force is applied upon the protrusion of the first member by the second member.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2016
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Shane Robert Vermette, Gregory Kress, Scott Steber