Electro-photographic devices incorporating ultra-small resonant structures
View Patent ↗An imaging device includes an image carrier; and an array of ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures constructed and adapted to emit light onto the image carrier, at least one of said ultra-small light-emitting structures emitting light in response to exposure to a beam of charged particles. The image carrier may be a drum. One or more imaging devices may be incorporated in a copying machine; a printer; or facsimile machine.
1. An imaging device comprising:
an image carrier;
at least one source of a beam of charged particles; and
an array of ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures constructed and adapted to emit light onto the image carrier by resonating in response to exposure to the beam of charged particles directed generally along a length of the array and proximate each of the ultra-small light emitting structures in the array of ultra-small light emitting structures without touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures such that the operation of the charged particles of the beam physically passing by but not touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures causes the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures to resonate at a wavelength of the emitted light, the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures having a dimension smaller than the wavelength of the light emitted from the ultra-small light-emitting structures.
2. A device as in claim 1 wherein the image carrier is a drum.
3. A device as in claim 1 wherein the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures are each of the same type.
4. A device as in claim 1 wherein the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures are formed at a density of more than 2500 per inch.
5. A device as in claim 1 wherein the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures emit light at wavelengths shorter than 450 nm.
6. A device as in claim 1 wherein the source of charged particles is selected from the group consisting of:
an ion gun, a thermionic filament, tungsten filament, a cathode, a vacuum triode, a planar vacuum triode, an electron-impact ionizer, a laser ionizer, a field emission cathode, a chemical ionizer, a thermal ionizer, and an ion-impact ionizer.
7. A device as in claim 1 wherein the charged particles are selected from the group consisting of: positive ions, negative ions, electrons, and protons.
8. An electro-photographic device comprising:
an image carrier;
a source of a beam of charged particles;
an array of ultra-small light-emitting structures constructed and adapted to emit light onto the image carrier by resonating in response to exposure to the beam of charged particles directed generally along a length of the array and proximate each of the ultra-small light emitting structures in the array of ultra-small light emitting structures, without touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures such that the operation of the charged particles of the beam physically passing by but not touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures causes the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures to resonate at a wavelength of the emitted light, the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures having a dimension smaller than the wavelength of the light emitted from the ultra-small light-emitting structures; and
a controller constructed and adapted to control drawing of an image by said array onto said image carrier.
9. A device as in claim 8 wherein the device is incorporated in a machine selected from the group consisting of: a copying machine; a printer; and a facsimile machine.
10. A device as in claim 9 further comprising: a lens system disposed between the image carrier and the array.
11. A device as in claim 8 wherein the image carrier is a drum.
12. A device as in claim 8 wherein the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures emit light at wavelengths shorter than 450 nm.
13. A device as in claim 8 wherein the source of charged particles is selected from the group consisting of:
an ion gun, a thermionic filament, tungsten filament, a cathode, a vacuum triode, a planar vacuum triode, an electron-impact ionizer, a laser ionizer, a field emission cathode, a chemical ionizer, a thermal ionizer, and an ion-impact ionizer.
14. A device as in claim 8 wherein the charged particles are selected from the group consisting of: positive ions, negative ions, electrons, and protons.
15. An electro-photographic device comprising: one or more imaging devices, each said imaging device comprising:
(a) an image carrier and
(b) an array of ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures constructed and adapted to emit light onto the image carrier by resonating in response to exposure to a beam of charged particles directed generally along a length of the array and proximate each of the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures in the array of ultra-small light emitting structures, without touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures such that the operation of the charged particles of the beam physically passing by but not touching the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures causes the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures to resonate at a wavelength of the emitted light, the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures having a dimension smaller than the wavelength of the light emitted from the ultra-small light-emitting structures.
16. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein at least one of said one or more imaging devices further comprises a source of charged particles.
17. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein each of said one or more imaging devices further comprises a source of charged particles.
18. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein the image carrier is a drum.
19. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein, for at least one of the one or more imaging devices, the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures are each of the same type.
20. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures are each of the same type.
21. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein at least some of the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures are formed at a density of greater than 2500 per inch.
22. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 wherein at least some of the ultra-small light-emitting resonant structures emit light at wavelengths shorter than 450 nm.
23. An electro-photographic device as in claim 15 comprising at least three imaging devices.
24. An electro-photographic device as in claim 23 wherein said at least three imaging devices is constructed and adapted to produce light corresponding to a different image color.
25. An electro-photographic device as in any one of claims 15 - 24 wherein said device is selected from the group consisting of: a copying machine; a printer; and a facsimile machine.
26. An electro-photographic device as in any one of claims 15 - 24 wherein said image carrier is a drum.