Patent ID: 8116009

Claim:
A far-field sub-diffraction optical lens, comprising: a one-dimensionally periodic layered metamaterial crystal comprising a plurality of alternating layers comprising layer 1 and layer 2 , each of said layers characterized as comprising a layer thickness d 1 and d 2 , and comprising an effective permittivity ∈ 1 and ∈ 2 at a wavelength λ, respectively, wherein said metamaterial crystal is characterized as having a unit cell of thickness d, wherein c 1 =d 1 /d and c 2 =d 2 /d, wherein d is smaller than the wavelength λ and c 1 and c 2 are coefficients, wherein ∈ 1 and ∈ 2 are characterized according to the relationship ∈ 2 ≅−( c 1 /c 2 )∈ 1 ; an input surface adjacently situated to at least one of said alternating layers of said metamaterial crystal, said input surface capable of receiving an image from a specimen, light source, or both, said input surface capable of transmitting said image into said metamaterial crystal; and an output surface adjacently situated to at least one of said alternating layers of said metamaterial crystal, said output surface capable of transmitting a magnified image out from said metamaterial crystal.