Patent ID: 8130171

Claim:
A method for creating a negative index metamaterial lens for use with a phased array antenna, the method comprising: creating a design for the negative index materials lens that bends a beam generated by the phased array antenna to a selected angle relative to a normal vector, wherein creating a design includes selecting an outline of the lens defined by a rotation of a first curve about the normal vector and a rotation of a second curve about the normal vector, the second curve positioned inside the first curve, and the lens outline further having a top section removed from the lens; modifying the design to include discrete components to form a discrete design; selecting materials for the discrete components; designing negative index metamaterial unit cells for the discrete components to form designed negative index metamaterial unit cells; fabricating the designed negative index metamaterial unit cells to form fabricated designed negative index metamaterial unit cells; and forming the negative index metamaterial lens from the designed negative index metamaterial unit cells, wherein the cells are substantially positioned within the first curved surface and the second curved surface of the lens.