Sensor

Abstract

There is provided a device arranged to couple electromagnetic radiation into or out of a biological material. The device comprises a first metamaterial comprising: a substrate component having a thickness no greater than a first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation; and a plurality of elements supported by the substrate component, wherein each element has a first dimension no greater than a first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation and at least two of the elements of the plurality of elements are non-identical.

1 . A sensor measurement device, comprising:
 a first antenna configured to generate electromagnetic radiation to penetrate a biological material, the electromagnetic radiation having a first wavelength;   a first anti-reflection device, positioned between the first antenna and the biological material, to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength emitted by the first antenna into the biological material, the first anti-reflection device comprising a first metamaterial comprising:
 a substrate component having a thickness no greater than the first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation; and 
 a plurality of elements supported by the substrate component, wherein the plurality of elements are spaced apart from one another across the substrate component, wherein each element has a first dimension no greater than the first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation and wherein at least two elements of the plurality of elements differ in shape and/or size; and 
   a second antenna configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the biological material, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are arranged such that the biological material is positioned in a radiation path between the first antenna and the second antenna, and wherein the first antenna, the first anti-reflection device, and the second antenna are physically associated.   
     
     
         2 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the first dimension is the direction for propagation of the electromagnetic radiation. 
     
     
         3 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, at least one of the plurality of elements has an irregular shape. 
     
     
         4 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the biological material is bound by a container, and wherein the first anti-reflection device is configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength into the biological material from a position outside the container. 
     
     
         5 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, at least a subset of the plurality of elements are arranged in an irregular array. 
     
     
         6 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the plurality of elements are arranged in an irregular array. 
     
     
         7 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device comprises a metasurface. 
     
     
         8 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the substrate component is a dielectric and the plurality of elements are conductive. 
     
     
         9 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the substrate component is conductive and the plurality of elements are a dielectric. 
     
     
         10 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 8 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the plurality of elements are metallic. 
     
     
         11 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the plurality of elements are collectively arranged to resonate at a first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation. 
     
     
         12 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device further comprises a second metamaterial coupled to the first metamaterial, wherein the second metamaterial comprises:
 a substrate component comprising a thickness no greater than a second wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation; and   a plurality of elements supported by the substrate component, wherein each element has a first dimension no greater than a second wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation, and at least two elements of the plurality of elements are non-identical.   
     
     
         13 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 12 , wherein, in the first anti-reflection device, the second metamaterial is arranged, in cooperation with the first metamaterial, to resonate at a second wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation. 
     
     
         14 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 13 , wherein the first wavelength is different from the second wavelength. 
     
     
         15 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 12 , wherein the second metamaterial shapes an amplitude and/or phase of the electromagnetic radiation. 
     
     
         16 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device comprises a plurality of metallic-comprising and/or dielectric-comprising layers. 
     
     
         17 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , the first wavelength corresponds to a frequency of about 40 GHz to about 100 GHz. 
     
     
         18 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein first wavelength is between about 30 micrometers and about 3 centimeters. 
     
     
         19 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device is planar. 
     
     
         20 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device is curved. 
     
     
         21 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device is flexible. 
     
     
         22 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the first anti-reflection device is configured to match an impedance of the biological material. 
     
     
         23 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising a detector arranged to detect electromagnetic radiation reflected by the biological material. 
     
     
         24 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising an electronic calliper arranged to determine a distance between the first antenna and the second antenna. 
     
     
         25 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising an impedance analyser arranged to determine an impedance of the biological material. 
     
     
         26 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising an accelerometer. 
     
     
         27 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising variable resistors and/or capacitors coupled to one or more of the first antenna, the second antenna, and the first metamaterial, to provide tunability. 
     
     
         28 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the biological material is human or animal tissue bound by skin, and wherein the first anti-reflection device is configured to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength from the first antenna, through the skin and into the human or animal tissue. 
     
     
         29 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the biological material is blood and the sensor measurement device is arranged to measure glucose and/or blood sugar level. 
     
     
         30 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor measurement device is wearable. 
     
     
         31 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor measurement device is arranged to be worn on a hand, a foot, an ear or a lip. 
     
     
         32 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , wherein sensor measurement device is handheld. 
     
     
         33 . The sensor measurement device of  claim 1 , further comprising a second anti-reflection device arranged between the biological material and the second antenna to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength from the biological material to the second antenna, the second anti-reflection device comprising a metamaterial comprising:
 a substrate component having a thickness no greater than the first wavelength; and   a plurality of elements supported by the substrate component, wherein the plurality of elements are spaced apart from one another across the substrate component, wherein each element has a first dimension no greater than the first wavelength and wherein at least two elements of the plurality of elements differ in shape and/or size.   
     
     
         34 . A method of coupling electromagnetic radiation into a biological material using a sensor measurement device, the sensor measurement device comprising:
 a first antenna configured to generate electromagnetic radiation to penetrate a biological material, the electromagnetic radiation having a first wavelength;   a first anti-reflection device, positioned between the first antenna and the biological material, to transmit electromagnetic radiation of the first wavelength emitted by the first antenna into the biological material, the first anti-reflection device comprising a first metamaterial comprising:
 a substrate component having a thickness no greater than the first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation; and 
 a plurality of elements supported by the substrate component, wherein the plurality of elements are spaced apart from one another across the substrate component, wherein each element has a first dimension no greater than the first wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation and wherein at least two elements of the plurality of elements differ in shape and/or size; and 
   a second antenna configured to receive electromagnetic radiation from the biological material, wherein the sensor measurement device is a single unit physically associating together the first antenna, the first anti-reflection device, and the second antenna,   
       the method comprising:
 positioning the sensor measurement device with respect to the biological material such that the first antenna is disposed on a first side of the biological material and the second antenna is disposed on a second side of the biological material; 
 providing electromagnetic radiation having the first wavelength from the first antenna to the first anti-reflection device; 
 transmitting, by the first anti-reflection device, electromagnetic radiation having the first wavelength from the first antenna into the biological material; 
 receiving, by the second antenna, electromagnetic radiation from the biological material; and 
 characterizing the biological material based on the received electromagnetic radiation.