Surface wave based wireless connection to an electronic device

1. An apparatus comprising:

a surface waveguide configured to support propagation of a plurality of electro-magnetic waves over a two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide, wherein the two-dimensional conductive surface is treated to increase a surface reactance of the two-dimensional conductive surface over a frequency range of the plurality of electro-magnetic waves, while maintaining an insertion loss of the surface waveguide below a first threshold;

a first mode converter configured to couple first electro-magnetic waves of a first mode to the two-dimensional conductive surface, wherein second electro-magnetic waves of a second mode propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide as a result of the coupling of the first electro-magnetic waves;

wherein a height of a field extent of the second electro-magnetic waves is maintained below a second threshold, wherein the height of the field extent of the plurality of electro-magnetic waves comprises a height at which at least a certain amount of energy is below a height above the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide; and

wherein at least a portion of the second electro-magnetic waves propagating across the two-dimensional conductive surface are coupled to an electronic device through a second mode converter of the electronic device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional conductive surface is treated by affixing a dielectric layer adjacent to the two-dimensional conductive surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional conductive surface is treated by modulating the two-dimensional conductive surface.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface provide electro-magnetic energy to charge the electronic device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface facilitates communication between the apparatus and the electronic device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface are coupled to a plurality of electronic devices through a plurality of mode converters of the plurality of electronic devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a conductive wall formed at a periphery of the two-dimensional conductive surface.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , configured to:

facilitate selection of a height of the conductive wall based on at least one of a frequency of the plurality of electro-magnetic waves, a dielectric constant of a dielectric layer, or a thickness of the dielectric layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein a first portion of the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface at a first frequency provide electro-magnetic energy to charge the electronic device, and wherein a second portion of the electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface at a second frequency facilitates communication between the apparatus and the electronic device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency, and a height of the conductive wall is selected based on the first frequency and the second frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein at least a first predetermined amount of energy of the second electro-magnetic waves at the first frequency is reflected by the conductive wall, and at least a second predetermined amount of energy of the second electro-magnetic waves at the second frequency is not reflected by the conductive wall.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a frequency of the second electro-magnetic waves propagating over the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide, a thickness of a dielectric layer of the surface waveguide, a dielectric constant of the dielectric layer, or a surface modulation of the two-dimensional conductive surface, is selected to maintain the height of the field extent of the second electro-magnetic waves below the second threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of a frequency of the second electro-magnetic waves propagating over the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide, a thickness of a dielectric layer of the surface waveguide, a dielectric constant of the dielectric layer, or a surface modulation of the two-dimensional conductive surface, is selected to ensure that the surface waveguide leaks less than a selected percentage of energy of the second electro-magnetic waves in an instance in which objects are proximate to the surface waveguide.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the surface reactance of the two-dimensional conductive surface varies across the two-dimensional conductive surface according to a predetermined pattern.

15. A method of coupling electro-magnetic energy to an electronic device comprising:

coupling, by a first mode converter, first electro-magnetic waves of a first mode to a two-dimensional conductive surface of a surface waveguide, wherein second electro-magnetic waves of a second mode propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide as a result of the coupling of the first electro-magnetic waves; wherein

supporting, by the surface waveguide, propagation of the second electro-magnetic waves over a two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide, wherein the two-dimensional conductive surface is treated to increase a surface reactance of the two-dimensional conductive surface over a frequency range of the second electro-magnetic waves, while maintaining an insertion loss of the surface waveguide below a first threshold;

maintaining a height of a field extent of the second electro-magnetic waves below a second threshold, wherein the height of the field extent of the second electro-magnetic waves comprises a height at which at least a certain amount of energy is below at height above the two-dimensional conductive surface of the surface waveguide; and

coupling, by a second mode converter of the electronic device, at least a portion of the second electro-magnetic waves of the two-dimensional conductive surface.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

treating the two-dimensional conductive surface comprises at least one of modulating the two-dimensional conductive surface, or affixing a dielectric layer adjacent to the two-dimensional conductive surface.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein a conductive wall is formed at a periphery of the two-dimensional conductive surface, and the method further comprises:

selecting a height of the conductive wall based on at least one of a frequency of the second electro-magnetic waves, a dielectric constant of a dielectric layer, or a thickness of the dielectric layer.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second electro-magnetic waves of the two-dimensional conductive surface provides electro-magnetic energy to at least one of charge the electronic device, or facilitate communication with the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein at least a first portion of the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface having a first frequency provides other electro-magnetic energy to charge the electronic device, and wherein a second portion of the second electro-magnetic waves that propagate across the two-dimensional conductive surface having a second frequency facilitates communication between an apparatus and the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency, and a height of a conductive wall is selected based on the first frequency and the second frequency, wherein at least a first predetermined amount of energy of the second electro-magnetic waves at the first frequency is reflected by the conductive wall, and at least a second predetermined amount of energy of the second electro-magnetic waves at the second frequency is not reflected by the conductive wall.