CN115513614A

CN115513614A - Phase shifter and antenna

Info

Publication number: CN115513614A
Application number: CN202110697437.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王熙元; 曲峰
Original assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Beijing BOE Technology Development Co Ltd
Current assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Beijing BOE Technology Development Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-06-23
Filing date: 2021-06-23
Publication date: 2022-12-23

Abstract

The invention provides a phase shifter and an antenna, and belongs to the technical field of communication. The phase shifter of the present invention includes: the substrate comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a dielectric layer, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, and the dielectric layer is positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate; the first substrate includes: the transmission line is arranged on one side, close to the dielectric layer, of the first substrate and is provided with a first transmission end, a second transmission end and a transmission main body part; the second substrate includes: the reference electrode is positioned on one side, close to the dielectric layer, of the second substrate, at least part of the orthographic projection of the transmission line on the first substrate is overlapped with the orthographic projection of the transmission line, and a first opening is formed in the reference electrode; the phase shifter further includes: and the auxiliary functional structure is connected with the second transmission end of the transmission line, and the orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate is at least partially overlapped with the orthographic projection of the auxiliary functional structure on the first substrate.

Description

Phase shifter and antenna

Technical Field

The disclosure belongs to the technical field of wireless communication, and particularly relates to a phase shifter and an antenna.

Background

The phase shifter is a device for regulating and controlling the phase of electromagnetic waves, and is widely applied to various communication systems, such as satellite communication, phased array radar, remote sensing and telemetry and the like.

A large amount of low-frequency interference signals such as GSM, 3G, 4G, 5G sub 6, GPS, wifi and the like and higher harmonics thereof exist in the ground environment, and the traditional phase shifter can not filter the interference signals existing in the ground environment, so that the signal-to-noise ratio of the antenna is reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure is directed to solving at least one of the problems of the prior art and to providing a phase shifter and an antenna.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a phase shifter, which includes: the display panel comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a dielectric layer, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, and the dielectric layer is positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate;

the first substrate includes: the transmission line is arranged on one side, close to the dielectric layer, of the first substrate and provided with a first transmission end, a second transmission end and a transmission main body part;

the second substrate includes: the reference electrode is positioned on one side, close to the dielectric layer, of the second substrate, at least part of the orthographic projection of the reference electrode and the transmission line on the first substrate is overlapped, and a first opening is formed in the reference electrode;

the phase shifter further includes:

an auxiliary functional structure connected to the second transmission end of the transmission line, wherein an orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the auxiliary functional structure on the first substrate.

Optionally, the auxiliary functional structure is a microstrip filter structure, the microstrip filter structure includes a plurality of resonance units, and the resonance units that are adjacently disposed are coupled to each other.

Optionally, the microstrip filter structure includes a first resonance unit, a second resonance unit, a third resonance unit, a fourth resonance unit, and a fifth resonance unit;

wherein, the first and the second end of the pipe are connected with each other,

the first resonance unit and the fifth resonance unit are same in shape and are strip-shaped;

the second resonance unit, the third resonance unit and the fourth resonance unit are the same in shape and are U-shaped, and the opening directions of the second resonance unit and the fourth resonance unit are consistent and are opposite to the opening direction of the third resonance unit.

Optionally, the microstrip filter structure further includes:

a first connecting unit electrically connected to the first resonance unit;

a second connection unit electrically connected with the fifth resonance unit.

Optionally, the microstrip filter structure includes a sixth resonance unit, a seventh resonance unit, an eighth resonance unit, and a ninth resonance unit, which are arranged in parallel;

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the sixth resonance unit comprises a first sub-resonance unit and a second sub-resonance unit, and the width of the first sub-resonance unit is larger than that of the second sub-resonance unit;

the seventh resonance unit comprises a third sub-resonance unit and a fourth sub-resonance unit, and the width of the third sub-resonance unit is smaller than that of the fourth sub-resonance unit;

the eighth resonance unit comprises a fifth sub-resonance unit and a sixth sub-resonance unit, and the width of the fifth sub-resonance unit is greater than that of the sixth sub-resonance unit;

the ninth resonance unit comprises a seventh sub-resonance unit and an eighth sub-resonance unit, and the width of the seventh sub-resonance unit is smaller than that of the eighth sub-resonance unit.

Optionally, the phase shifter further comprises:

a third connecting unit connected with the sixth resonance unit;

a fourth connection unit connected with the ninth resonance unit.

Optionally, the microstrip filter structure and the transmission line are disposed on the same layer and made of the same material.

Optionally, the transmission main body part includes at least one meandering line electrically connected with the first transmission end and the second transmission end.

Optionally, an orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate does not overlap with an orthographic projection of the at least one serpentine line on the first substrate.

Optionally, the reference electrode further includes a second opening, an orthogonal projection of the second opening on the first substrate does not overlap with an orthogonal projection of the first opening on the first substrate, and an orthogonal projection of the first transmission end on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the second opening on the first substrate.

Optionally, the phase shifter further comprises: a first waveguide structure and a second waveguide structure; the first waveguide structure is configured to transmit a microwave signal in a coupling manner with the first transmission end of the transmission line through the second opening; the second waveguide structure is configured to transmit a microwave signal in a coupled manner with the second transmission end of the transmission line through the first opening.

Optionally, the first port of the first waveguide structure is disposed on a side of the first substrate away from the dielectric layer; the first port of the second waveguide is arranged on one side, away from the dielectric layer, of the second substrate;

the extending direction of the orthographic projection of the first transmission end on the first substrate penetrates through the center of the orthographic projection of the first port of the first waveguide structure on the first substrate; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

an extending direction of an orthographic projection of the second transmission end on the second substrate penetrates through a center of the orthographic projection of the first port of the second waveguide structure on the second substrate.

Optionally, an orthographic projection of the first port of the first waveguide structure on the first substrate completely overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate;

an orthographic projection of the first port of the second waveguide structure on the second substrate completely overlaps with an orthographic projection of the second opening on the second substrate.

Optionally, the phase shifter has a microwave transmission region and a peripheral region surrounding the microwave transmission region; the second substrate further comprises an isolation structure disposed on the second base; the isolation structure is located in the peripheral area and surrounds the microwave transmission area.

Optionally, the isolation structure is located on a side of the reference electrode close to the second substrate, and the reference electrode extends to the peripheral region and overlaps with the isolation structure.

Optionally, the reference electrode has a slot, and the slot is located in the peripheral region and overlaps with an orthographic projection of the isolation structure and the slot on the second substrate.

Optionally, the material of the dielectric layer comprises liquid crystal.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides an antenna, including the phase shifter described above.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 isbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view of A-A' of the phase shifter shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a top view (transmission line side) of the first substrate in the phase shifter shown in fig. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view (ground electrode side) of a second substrate in the phase shifter shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a microstrip filter structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another microstrip filter structure provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a phase shifter according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of B-B' of the phase shifter shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a first waveguide structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of another phase shifter provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of C-C' of the phase shifter shown in FIG. 14;

fig. 16 is a plan view (transmission line side) of the second substrate in the phase shifter shown in fig. 14.

Detailed Description

For a better understanding of the technical aspects of the present disclosure, reference is made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The use of "first," "second," and similar terms in this disclosure is not intended to indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but rather is used to distinguish one element from another. Also, the use of the terms "a," "an," or "the" and similar referents do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item preceding the word comprises the element or item listed after the word and its equivalent, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used merely to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

Before describing the following embodiments, it should be noted that the dielectric layer in the phase shifter provided in the following embodiments includes, but is not limited to, a liquid crystal layer, and only the dielectric layer is taken as an example for explanation. The reference electrode in the phase shifter includes, but is not limited to, a ground electrode as long as it can form a current loop with the transmission line, and in the embodiment of the present invention, only the reference electrode is taken as the ground electrode for the example. When the first transmission end of the transmission line is used as a receiving end, the second transmission end of the transmission line is used as a sending end; when the second transmission end of the transmission line is used as the receiving end, the first transmission end of the transmission line is used as the sending end. In the following description, the first transmission end of the transmission line is taken as a receiving end and the second transmission end is taken as a transmitting end for convenience of understanding.

In addition, the transmission line may be a delay line, a strip transmission line, or the like in the embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience of description, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, a delay line is taken as an example of a transmission line, where the shape of the delay line includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of more than one of a bow shape, a wave shape, and a zigzag shape.

It should be noted that the auxiliary function structure in the present disclosure is described by taking a filter structure as an example, and it is understood that the auxiliary function structure may also be other types of structures, and is not limited specifically herein.

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the disclosure; fig. 2 isbase:Sub>A cross-sectional view ofbase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A' of the phase shifter shown in fig. 1, which includes first and second substrates oppositely disposed, andbase:Sub>A liquid crystal layer 30 disposed between the first and second substrates, as shown in fig. 1 and 2. The first substrate includes a first substrate 10, a transmission line 11 and a bias line 12 disposed on a side of the first substrate 10 close to the liquid crystal layer 30, and a first alignment layer 13 disposed on a side of the transmission line 11 and the bias line 12 away from the first substrate 10. The second substrate comprises a second substrate 20, a ground electrode 21 arranged on the side of the second substrate 20 close to the liquid crystal layer 30, and a second alignment layer 22 arranged on the side of the ground electrode 21 close to the liquid crystal layer 30, wherein the reference electrode is at least partially overlapped with the orthographic projection of the transmission line on the first substrate. Of course, as shown in fig. 1, the phase shifter includes not only the above structure, but also a support structure 40 for maintaining the cell thickness (the cell thickness between the first substrate and the second substrate) of the liquid crystal cell, and a frame sealing adhesive 50 for sealing the liquid crystal cell, which are not described herein.

Fig. 3 is a top view (transmission line 11 side) of the first substrate in the phase shifter shown in fig. 1; as shown in fig. 3, the transmission line 11 has a first transmission end 11a, a second transmission end 11b, and a transmission main body portion; wherein the first transmission end 11a, the second transmission end 11b and the transmission main body part 11c all have a first endpoint and a second endpoint; the first end of the first transmission terminal 11a is electrically connected to the first end of the transmission main body portion 11c, and the first end of the second transmission terminal 11b is electrically connected to the second end of the transmission main body portion 11 c. It should be noted that the first endpoint and the second endpoint are relative concepts, and if the first endpoint is the head end, the second endpoint is the tail end, otherwise, the other way around is not. In addition, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first end point of the first transmission terminal 11a and the first end point of the transmission body part 11c are electrically connected, and at this time, the first end point of the first transmission terminal 11a and the first end point of the transmission body part 11c may be common. Accordingly, the first end point of the second transmission terminal 11b and the second end point of the transmission main body part 11c are electrically connected, and the first end point of the second transmission terminal 11b and the second end point of the transmission main body part 11c are common.

The transmitting body portion 11c includes, but is not limited to, a meandering line, and the number of the meandering lines may be one or a plurality of. The shape of the serpentine line includes, but is not limited to, a bow, a wave, and the like.

It should be noted that, when the first transmission end 11a is used as a receiving end of the microwave signal, the second transmission end 11b is used as a sending end of the microwave signal; accordingly, when the second transmission terminal 11b is used as a receiving terminal of the microwave signal, the first transmission terminal 11a is used as a transmitting terminal of the microwave signal. The embodiment of the present disclosure is described by taking the example that the second transmission terminal 11b is used as a receiving terminal of microwave signals, and the first transmission terminal 11a is used as a transmitting terminal of microwave signals. The bias line 12 is electrically connected to the transmission line 11 and configured to apply a dc bias signal to the transmission line 11 so as to form a dc steady-state electric field between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21. The liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 at the microscopic level are subjected to an electric field force, and the axial orientation is deflected. Macroscopically, that is, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 30 is changed, when a microwave signal is transmitted between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 30 is changed so that the phase of the microwave signal is changed accordingly. Specifically, the magnitude of the phase change amount of the microwave signal is positively correlated with the deflection angle of the liquid crystal molecules and the electric field strength, that is, the phase of the microwave signal can be changed by applying a dc bias voltage, which is the working principle of the liquid crystal phase shifter.

FIG. 4 is a plan view (ground electrode 21 side) of a second substrate in the phase shifter shown in FIG. 1; as shown in fig. 4, the ground electrode 21 has a first opening 211 thereon, the first opening 211 is used for radiation of a microwave signal, and the length of the first opening 211 in the first direction is not less than the line width of the delay line. Wherein the first direction refers to a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11, i.e., the X direction in fig. 4. The length of the first opening 211 in the first direction on the ground electrode 21 refers to the maximum length of the first opening 211 in the X direction in fig. 4. With continued reference to fig. 1, the phase shifter further includes a filter structure 100, the filter structure 100 is connected to the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line, and an orthographic projection of the first opening 211 on the first substrate 10 at least partially overlaps an orthographic projection of the filter structure 100 on the first substrate 10, that is, a microwave signal coupled in through the first opening 211 enters the filter structure 100 first, and the filter structure 100 is configured to filter a radio frequency signal fed in through the first opening 211. By arranging the filtering structure 100, the frequency of the input electromagnetic wave can be selected, and the electromagnetic wave at and below a target frequency band can be effectively blocked, so that the noise is reduced, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the antenna is improved.

In some embodiments, the filtering structure 100 includes, but is not limited to, a microstrip filtering structure including a plurality of resonant cells. By selecting the filter structure in the form of the microstrip, the space occupied by the filter structure in the liquid crystal phase shifter is reduced, and the volume of the liquid crystal phase shifter is reduced. Two microstrip filter structures are illustrated below.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a microstrip filter structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 5, the microstrip filter structure includes a dielectric substrate (not shown in the figure), a first resonant unit 51, a second resonant unit 52, a third resonant unit 53, a fourth resonant unit 54, and a fifth resonant unit 55, which are located on the dielectric substrate, and a ground layer (not shown in the figure) located on a side of the dielectric substrate away from each resonant unit.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the second resonance unit 52, the third resonance unit 53, and the fourth resonance unit 54 are all U-shaped microstrip line structures, and the first resonance unit 51 and the fifth resonance unit 55 are all strip microstrip line structures. The first resonant unit 51 and the fifth resonant unit 55, and the second resonant unit 52 and the fourth resonant unit 54 are symmetrically disposed with the third resonant unit 53 as the center. The opening directions of the second resonance unit 52 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure and the fourth resonance unit 54 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure are the same, the opening direction of the third resonance unit 53 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure is opposite to the opening direction of the second resonance unit 52 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure, and the opening direction of the third resonance unit 53 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure is also opposite to the opening direction of the fourth resonance unit 54 of the U-shaped microstrip line structure. In this embodiment, the filtering function is realized by mutual coupling between two adjacent resonance units.

With continued reference to fig. 5, the microstrip filter structure further comprises a first connection unit 56 and a second connection unit 57, the first connection unit 56 being electrically connected to the first resonance unit 51, the second connection unit 57 being electrically connected to the fifth resonance unit 55.

The first connection unit 56 may serve as an input end of the microstrip filter structure, and may also serve as an output end of the microstrip filter structure; when the first connection unit 56 can be used as an input terminal of the microstrip filter structure, the second connection unit 57 is an output terminal of the microstrip filter structure; while the first connection unit 56 may serve as an output of the microstrip filter structure, the second connection unit 57 serves as an input of the microstrip filter structure.

It should be noted that the electrical connection may be a contact electrical connection or a coupling electrical connection, and the present embodiment is described by taking the electrical connection as the coupling connection as an example.

In the phase shifter structure shown in fig. 7, the first connection unit 56 is an input end of the microstrip filter structure 100, and the second connection unit 57 is an output end of the microstrip filter structure 100, wherein the first connection unit 56 is located at the first opening 211, and the microstrip filter structure 100 is connected to the transmission line 11b through the second connection unit 57.

In the phase shifter structure shown in fig. 8, the first connection unit 56 is an output terminal of the microstrip filter structure 100, and the second connection unit 57 is an input terminal of the microstrip filter structure 100, wherein the second connection unit 57 is located at the first opening 211, and the microstrip filter structure 100 is connected to the transmission line 11b through the first connection unit 56.

In the above embodiment, by taking the electromagnetic wave in the 11GHz band as the target band, and through tests, the phase shifter shown in fig. 7 and 8 provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can have good frequency selectivity for the electromagnetic wave in the 11GHz band and below, and can effectively block the electromagnetic wave in the 11GHz band and below, and the signal loss is-10 dB to-70 dB, so that the noise is reduced and the signal-to-noise ratio of the antenna is improved by arranging the microstrip filter structure in the liquid crystal phase shifter.

It should be noted that the material and specific size of the dielectric substrate may be set according to the number of the resonant units, and are not limited herein. The resonance unit can be made of metal materials or nonmetal materials with good conductive performance, and can block electromagnetic waves in a non-target frequency band and transmit the electromagnetic waves in a target frequency band so as to ensure good communication quality. It can be understood that the frequency band of the electromagnetic wave blocked by the whole microstrip filter structure can be adjusted by adjusting the size of the resonance units and the spacing between the resonance units.

It should be noted that those skilled in the art can also select relevant parameters of the resonant unit according to practical situations, for example: the selectable range of the line width is 100um-300um, the range of the spacing between the resonance units is 20um-2mm, and the range of the thickness of the microstrip line is 0.1um-100 um.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another microstrip filter structure provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure, and as shown in fig. 6, the microstrip filter structure includes a dielectric substrate (not shown in the figure), a sixth resonant unit 61, a seventh resonant unit 62, an eighth resonant unit 63, and a ninth resonant unit 64 that are located on the dielectric substrate, and a ground layer (not shown in the figure) that is located on a side of the dielectric substrate away from each resonant unit.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 6, the sixth resonance unit 61, the seventh resonance unit 62, the eighth resonance unit 63, and the ninth resonance unit 64 are all strip microstrip line structures, the sixth resonance unit 61, the seventh resonance unit 62, the eighth resonance unit 63, and the ninth resonance unit 6 are arranged in parallel, and two adjacent resonance units are coupled to each other. With continued reference to fig. 6, the sixth resonance unit 61 includes a first sub-resonance unit 611 and a second sub-resonance unit 612, the width of the first sub-resonance unit 611 being greater than the width of the second sub-resonance unit 612; the seventh resonance unit 62 includes a third sub-resonance unit 621 and a fourth sub-resonance unit 622, the width of the third sub-resonance unit 621 is smaller than the width of the fourth sub-resonance unit 622; the eighth resonance unit 63 includes a fifth sub-resonance unit 631 and a sixth sub-resonance unit 632, and the width of the fifth sub-resonance unit 631 is greater than the width of the sixth sub-resonance unit 632; the ninth resonance unit 64 includes a seventh sub-resonance unit 641 and an eighth sub-resonance unit 642, and the width of the seventh sub-resonance unit 641 is smaller than that of the eighth sub-resonance unit 642. In this embodiment, the filtering function is realized by mutual coupling between two adjacent resonance units.

With continued reference to fig. 6, the microstrip filter structure further includes a third connection unit 65 and a fourth connection unit 66, where the third connection unit 65 is coupled to the sixth resonance unit 61, and the fourth connection unit 66 is coupled to the ninth resonance unit 64.

The third connection unit 65 may serve as an input end of the microstrip filter structure, and may also serve as an output end of the microstrip filter structure; when the third connection unit 65 can be used as an input terminal of the microstrip filter structure, the fourth connection unit 66 is an output terminal of the microstrip filter structure; while the third connection unit 65 may serve as an output of the microstrip filter structure, the fourth connection unit 66 is an input of the microstrip filter structure.

In the phase shifter structure shown in fig. 9, the third connection unit 65 is an input end of the microstrip filter structure 100, and the fourth connection unit 66 is an output end of the microstrip filter structure 100, wherein the third connection unit 65 is located at the first opening 211, and the microstrip filter structure 100 is connected to the transmission line 11b through the fourth connection unit 66.

In the phase shifter structure shown in fig. 10, the third connection unit 65 is an output end of the microstrip filter structure 100, and the fourth connection unit 66 is an input end of the microstrip filter structure 100, wherein the fourth connection unit 66 is located at the first opening 211, and the microstrip filter structure 100 is connected to the transmission line 1b1 through the third connection unit 65.

In this embodiment, by taking an electromagnetic wave in a 11GHz band as a target frequency band, through tests, the phase shifter shown in fig. 9 and 10 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure can have good frequency selectivity for electromagnetic waves in the 11GHz band and below, and can effectively block electromagnetic waves in the 11GHz band and below, with signal loss ranging from-10 dB to-70 dB, so that by providing the microstrip filter structure in the liquid crystal phase shifter, noise can be reduced, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the antenna can be improved.

It should be noted that the skilled person can also select relevant parameters of the resonant unit according to practical situations, for example: the selectable range of the line width is 500um-2000um, the range of the spacing between the resonance units is 50um-1mm, and the range of the thickness of the microstrip line is 0.1um-100 um.

It is understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure only take two microstrip filter structures shown in fig. 5 and fig. 6 as examples for illustration, of course, the microstrip filter structures may also be in any form, and those skilled in the art may also select the number of the resonant units according to actual situations, which is not illustrated herein. In some embodiments, the microstrip filter structure 100 is disposed on the same layer as the transmission line 11 and is made of the same material. In the embodiment, since the microstrip filter structure 100 and the transmission line 111 are disposed on the same layer and have the same material, the number of production steps can be reduced, and the production cost can be reduced.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the orthographic projection of the first opening 211 of the ground electrode 21 on the first substrate 10 is non-overlapping with the orthographic projection of the at least one serpentine line on the first substrate 10. For example: the orthographic projection of the first opening 211 of the ground electrode 21 on the first substrate 10 has no overlap with the projection of each meandering line on the first substrate 10, thereby avoiding the loss of microwave signals.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11, the ground electrode 21 further includes a second opening 213, an orthographic projection of the second opening 213 on the first substrate 10 does not overlap with an orthographic projection of the first opening 211 on the first substrate 10, and an orthographic projection of the first transmitting end 11a on the first substrate 10 at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the second opening 213 on the first substrate 10.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11-12, the phase shifter has a microwave transmissive region and a peripheral region surrounding the microwave transmissive region. The phase shifter comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer 30, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, and the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate and is positioned in a microwave transmission area; also included in the liquid crystal phase shifter in the disclosed embodiment are a first waveguide structure 60 and a second waveguide structure 70 located in the microwave transmission region; wherein the first waveguide structure 60 is located at a side of the first substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the second waveguide structure 70 is located at a side of the second substrate facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30. The first and second substrates in the embodiments of the present disclosure may have the same structure as the first and second substrates of the liquid crystal phase shifter in fig. 1, that is, the first substrate includes a first base 10, a transmission line 11, a bias line 12, and a first alignment layer 13 disposed on the first base 10, and the second substrate includes a second base 20, and a ground electrode 21 and a second alignment layer disposed on the second base 20. Wherein the first waveguide structure 60 is configured to transmit the microwave signal in a coupling manner with the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11; the second waveguide structure 70 is configured to transmit the microwave signal in a coupled manner with the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 through the first opening 211 on the ground electrode 21.

Specifically, when the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 is used as a receiving end and the first transmission end 11a is used as a transmitting end, the second waveguide structure 70 transmits the microwave signal to the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 by coupling, the microwave signal is transmitted between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21, and a dc steady-state electric field is formed between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21 due to the dc bias voltage applied to the bias line 12, so that the liquid crystal molecules are deflected, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 30 is changed, and thus, the phase of the microwave signal is changed due to the change of the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 30 when the microwave signal is transmitted between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21. After phase shifting the microwave signal, the phase shifted microwave signal is radiated out of the phase shifter via the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 and coupled to the first waveguide structure 60 through the second opening 213 on the ground electrode 21.

In some embodiments, the first waveguide structure 60 and the second waveguide structure 70 may be disposed on opposite sides, i.e., the first waveguide structure 60 is disposed on a side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the second waveguide structure 70 is disposed on a side of the second substrate 20 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30. In this case, the orthographic projection of the first waveguide structure 60 on the second substrate 20 is not overlapped with the orthographic projection of the second waveguide structure 70 on the second substrate 20, so as to ensure that the structures of the first waveguide structure 60 and the second waveguide structure 70 are independent and do not affect each other.

In one example, the first port of the second waveguide structure 70 may completely overlap the first opening 211 on the ground electrode 21 for precise transmission of the microwave signal. Of course, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, it may also be that the first port of the second waveguide structure 70 is orthographically projected on the second substrate 20, and covers the orthographic projection of the first opening 211 on the ground electrode 21 on the second substrate 20, in which case, the area of the first opening 211 on the ground electrode 21 is smaller than the area of the first port of the second waveguide structure 70.

In some examples, with continued reference to fig. 11, the extending direction of the orthographic projection of the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 on the first substrate 10 runs through the center of the orthographic projection of the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 on the first substrate 10. For example: the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 extends in the Y direction and penetrates the center of the first port of the first waveguide structure 60. When the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is the rectangular first opening 211, the center of the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is the intersection of two diagonal lines of the first port. When the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is circular, the center of the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is the center of the circle of the first port. In this case, the orthographic projection of the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 on the first substrate 10 is inserted into the first port of the first waveguide structure 60, so that the microwave signal output from the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is facilitated to be radiated to the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11, so that the microwave signal is transmitted between the transmission line 11 and the ground electrode 21. Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the extending direction of the orthogonal projection of the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 on the second substrate 20 penetrates the center of the orthogonal projection of the first port of the second waveguide structure 70 on the first substrate 10. For example: the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 extends in the Y direction and penetrates the center of the first port of the second waveguide structure 70. In this case, the orthographic projection of the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 on the second substrate 20 is inserted into the first port of the second waveguide structure 70, so that the microwave signal is coupled to the second waveguide structure 70 through the second transmission end 11b of the delay line to radiate the microwave signal out of the phase shifter.

In some embodiments, fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a first waveguide structure 60 according to an embodiment of the disclosure, where the first waveguide structure 60 may include four sidewalls, namely a first sidewall 60a, a second sidewall 60b, a third sidewall 60c and a fourth sidewall 60d, the first sidewall 60a is disposed opposite to the second sidewall 60b, the third sidewall 60c is disposed opposite to the fourth sidewall 60d, and a rectangular waveguide cavity 601 is surrounded by the four sidewalls, so that the first waveguide structure 60 is a rectangular waveguide. It should be noted that the second port of the first waveguide structure 60 may include a bottom surface 60e, the bottom surface 60e covers the entire second port, the bottom surface 60e has an opening 0601, the opening 601 is matched with one end of a signal connector, the signal connector is inserted into the first waveguide structure 6060 through the opening, and the other end is connected with an external signal line to input a signal into the first waveguide structure 60. Of course, the second port of the second waveguide structure 70 may be disposed on any one of the sidewalls, that is, the opening 0601 may be formed on any one of the first sidewall 60a, the second sidewall 60b, the third sidewall 60c and the fourth sidewall 60d, which is defined in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The second waveguide structure 70 has the same structure as the first waveguide structure 60, if the second waveguide structure 70 has only one sidewall, the second waveguide structure 70 is a circular waveguide structure, and if the second waveguide structure 70 includes a plurality of sidewalls, the plurality of sidewalls enclose the correspondingly shaped second waveguide structure 70. In the following, the first waveguide structure 60 and the second waveguide structure 70 are exemplified as rectangular waveguides, but not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 11 to 13, the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 is fixed on a side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the first port of the first waveguide structure 60 overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 on the first substrate 10, so that the microwave signal can be transmitted between the first waveguide structure 60 and the first transmission end 11a of the transmission line 11 in a coupling manner; and/or the first port of the second waveguide structure 70 is fixed on the side of the first substrate 10 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the first port of the second waveguide structure 70, the first opening 211 on the ground electrode 21 and the orthographic projection of the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 on the second substrate 20 are overlapped, so that the microwave signal can be transmitted between the second waveguide structure 70 and the second transmission end 11b of the transmission line 11 in a coupling manner. In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 14, the phase shifter has a microwave transmission region and a peripheral region surrounding the microwave transmission region, and the second substrate further includes an isolation structure 80 disposed on the second substrate 20, wherein the isolation structure 80 is located in the peripheral region and surrounds the microwave transmission region. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the isolation structure 80 is disposed to prevent the external rf signal from interfering with the microwave signal transmitted in the microwave transmission region.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 15, the isolation structure 80 is in a closed loop configuration, the isolation structure 80 is located on a side of the ground electrode 21 facing away from the liquid crystal layer 30, and the ground electrode 21 overlaps the isolation structure 80, i.e., the isolation structure 80 and the ground electrode 21 are shorted together. Wherein, the ground electrode 21 has a slot 212 at the side edge, and the slot 212 overlaps at least a portion of the isolation structure 80 on the second substrate 20, so that the ground electrode 21 and the isolation structure 80 can be provided with a ground signal by binding with the second connection pad on the second wiring board through the position of the isolation structure 80 corresponding to the slot 212.

For example: the ground electrode 21 has a rectangular outline and has a first side, a second side, a third side and a fourth side connected in sequence, in which case, the slot 212 may be formed on any one of the first side (left side), the second side (upper side), the third side (right side) and the fourth side (lower side), and in fig. 15, the slot 212 may be formed on the third side.

In some embodiments, the ground electrode 21 is made of a metal material, such as any one of copper, aluminum, gold, and silver. The thickness of the ground electrode 21 is about 01. Mu.m-100. Mu.m. Parameters such as specific material and thickness for the ground electrode 21 may be specifically set according to the size and performance requirements of the phase shifter. In some examples, the phase shifter includes not only the above structure, but also a support structure 40 and a frame sealing adhesive 50; the frame sealing glue 50 is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate, is positioned in the peripheral region, surrounds the microwave transmission region, and is used for sealing a liquid crystal box of the phase shifter; the support structures 40 are disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the number of the support structures may be plural, and the support structures 40 are spaced apart from each other in the microwave transmission region to maintain the cell thickness of the liquid crystal cell.

In some examples, the support structure 40 in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be made of an organic material and have a certain elasticity, so that it may prevent the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 from being damaged by an external force when the phase shifter is pressed. Further, appropriate spherical particles may be added to the support structure 40, and the stability of the support structure 40 in maintaining the box thickness is ensured by the spherical particles.

In some examples, the bias line 12 is made of a high-resistance material, and when a dc bias is applied to the bias line 12, the electric field formed by the bias line and the ground electrode 21 is only used to drive the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 30 to deflect, and for the microwave signal transmitted by the phase shifter, it is equivalent to an open circuit, that is, the microwave signal is transmitted only along the transmission line 11. The conductivity of the bias line 1224 is less than 14500000siemens/m, and the lower the conductivity value, the better the bias line 12 is selected according to the size of the phase shifter. In some examples, the material of the bias line 12 includes, but is not limited to, any one of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), nickel (Ni), tantalum nitride (TaN), chromium (Cr), indium oxide (In 2O 3), and tin oxide (Sn 2O 3). Preferably, the bias line 12 is made of ITO.

In some examples, the transmission line 11 is made of a metal material, and the material of the transmission line 11 is not limited to aluminum, silver, gold, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, or iron. The pitch of the transmission line 11 is a distance from a point on the transmission line 11, which has a normal line and an intersection of the normal line and the other part of the transmission line 11, to the closest one of the intersections of the normal line and the other part of the transmission line 11, that is, d1 shown in fig. 8 represents the pitch of the transmission line 11. In some examples, the line width of the transmission line 11 is about 100 μm to 3000 μm, the line pitch of the transmission line 11 is about 100 μm to 2mm, and the thickness of the transmission line 11 is about 0.1 μm to 100 μm.

In some examples, the transmission line 11 is a delay line, and the corner of the delay line is not equal to 90 °, so as to avoid the microwave signal from being reflected at the corner of the delay line, and causing the microwave signal to be lost.

In some examples, the first substrate 10 may be made of various materials, for example, if the first substrate 10 is a flexible substrate, the material of the first substrate 10 may include at least one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polyimide (PI), and if the first substrate 1011 is a rigid substrate, the material of the first substrate 10 may also be glass, etc. The thickness of the first substrate 10 may be about 0.1mm to 1.5 mm. The second substrate 20 may also be made of various materials, for example, if the second substrate 20 is a flexible substrate, the material of the second substrate 20 may include at least one of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Polyimide (PI), and if the second substrate 20 is a rigid substrate, the material of the second substrate 20 may also be glass, and the like. The thickness of the second substrate 20 may be about 0.1mm to 1.5 mm. Of course, other materials may be used for the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20, and are not limited herein. The specific thickness for the first and

second substrates

10 and 20 may also be set according to the skin depth of electromagnetic waves (radio frequency signals).

In some examples, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 30 is on the order of 1 μm-1 mm. Of course, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 30 can be specifically set according to the requirements of the size and phase shifting angle of the phase shifter. In addition, the liquid crystal layer 30 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is made of a microwave liquid crystal material. For example: the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 30 are positive liquid crystal molecules or negative liquid crystal molecules, and it should be noted that, when the liquid crystal molecules are positive liquid crystal molecules, an included angle between a long axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules and the second electrode in the embodiment of the disclosure is greater than 0 ° and less than or equal to 45 °. When the liquid crystal molecules are negative liquid crystal molecules, the included angle between the long axis direction of the liquid crystal molecules and the second electrode is larger than 45 degrees and smaller than 90 degrees in the specific embodiment of the invention, so that the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer 30 is changed after the liquid crystal molecules are deflected, and the phase shifting purpose is achieved.

In some examples, both the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer may be made of a polyimide-based material. The thickness of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer is about 30nm-2 μm. In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for manufacturing a phase shifter, which may manufacture the phase shifter. The method comprises the following steps.

S1, preparing a first substrate.

And S2, preparing a second substrate.

And S3, aligning the first substrate and the second substrate, and filling liquid crystal molecules between the first substrate and the second substrate to form a liquid crystal layer.

And S4, assembling a first waveguide structure on one side of the first substrate, which is far away from the liquid crystal layer, and assembling a second waveguide structure on one side of the second substrate, which is far away from the liquid crystal layer.

In some examples, step S1 specifically includes the following steps.

And S11, forming a bias line pattern on the first substrate through a patterning process.

Specifically, the first substrate is cleaned and dried, a magnetron sputtering mode is adopted, a first high-resistance material layer is deposited on the first substrate, for example, a layer of ITO material is coated, and after the first high-resistance material layer is subjected to glue coating, pre-drying, exposure, development, post-drying, dry or wet etching and annealing crystallization, an image including a bias line is formed.

And S12, forming a pattern comprising a transmission line and a micro-strip filter structure on the first substrate with the bias line through a patterning process.

Specifically, a first substrate for forming the bias line is cleaned and dried, a magnetron sputtering mode is adopted, a first metal material layer is deposited on a layer where the bias line is located and deviates from the first substrate, for example, a layer of aluminum material is coated, and after the first metal material layer is subjected to glue coating, pre-baking, exposure, development, post-baking, dry etching or wet etching, a pattern comprising a transmission line and a microstrip filter structure is formed.

And S13, forming a first alignment layer on the first substrate on which the transmission line is formed.

Specifically, the first substrate with the transmission line is cleaned and dried, PI liquid is printed, and then the first substrate is heated to evaporate a solvent, and a first alignment layer is formed through thermocuring, rubbing or photoaligning.

And S14, forming a pattern comprising a support structure on the first substrate on which the first alignment layer is formed through a patterning process.

Specifically, a glue layer is formed on one side of the first alignment layer, which is far away from the first substrate, in a spin coating or spray coating mode, and a pattern comprising the support structure is formed through pre-baking, exposure, development and post-baking. In addition, spherical particles can be sprayed in the glue layer.

Thus, the first substrate is prepared.

In some examples, step S2 specifically includes the following steps.

And S21, forming a pattern comprising an isolation structure on the second substrate through a composition process.

Specifically, the second substrate is cleaned and dried, and a magnetron sputtering method is adopted to deposit a second high-resistance material layer on the second substrate, for example, a layer of ITO material is coated, and after the second high-resistance material layer is subjected to glue coating, pre-baking, exposure, development, post-baking, dry or wet etching, annealing and crystallization, an image including an isolation structure is formed.

And S22, forming a pattern comprising the grounding electrode on the substrate with the isolation structure through a patterning process.

Specifically, the second substrate on which the isolation structure is formed is cleaned and dried, a magnetron sputtering mode is adopted, a second metal material layer is deposited on the layer on which the isolation structure is located and deviates from the first substrate, for example, a layer of aluminum material is coated, and after the second metal material layer is subjected to glue coating, pre-baking, exposure, development, post-baking, dry etching or wet etching, an image including the grounding electrode is formed.

And S23, forming a second alignment layer on the second substrate on which the transmission line is formed.

Specifically, the second substrate on which the grounding electrode is formed is washed and dried, and printed with the PI solution, and then heated to evaporate the solvent, and thermally cured, rubbed or photo-aligned to form the second alignment layer.

Thus, the second substrate is prepared.

In some examples, step S3 may specifically include the following steps.

And S31, forming frame sealing glue on the first substrate, and forming a liquid crystal layer on the second substrate.

Specifically, frame sealing glue is formed on the peripheral area of the first alignment layer of the first substrate; and dripping liquid crystal molecules on the second alignment layer of the second substrate to form a liquid crystal layer. It should be noted that the liquid crystal layer may also be formed by forming the frame sealing glue on the peripheral region of the second alignment layer of the second substrate and dropping liquid crystal molecules on the first alignment layer of the first substrate.

And S32, oppositely arranging the first substrate with the frame sealing glue and the second substrate with the liquid crystal layer.

Specifically, the first substrate with the frame sealing glue and the second substrate with the liquid crystal layer are conveyed to vacuum to carry out alignment and vacuum lamination on the box cavity, and then the liquid crystal box is formed through ultraviolet curing and thermocuring.

In addition, step S3 can be implemented not only by using S31 and S32 described above. Step S3 can also be implemented in the following manner. And aligning the prepared first substrate and the second substrate, supporting a certain space between the first substrate and the second substrate by using frame sealing glue to form a liquid crystal layer, and reserving a crystal filling opening on the frame sealing glue. And filling liquid crystal molecules between the first substrate and the second substrate through the liquid crystal filling port to form a liquid crystal layer, and then sealing the liquid crystal filling port to form a liquid crystal box.

Of course, after the liquid crystal box is formed, a cutting step can be further included, and the position of the first substrate corresponding to the bias line is exposed, so that the first wiring board can be bound and connected with the bias line through the first connecting pad, and the direct current bias voltage can be provided for the transmission line. Correspondingly, the position of the second substrate corresponding to the isolation structure is exposed, so that the second wiring board is bound and connected with the isolation structure through the second connection pad to provide a grounding signal for the grounding electrode.

In some examples, step S4 may specifically include: machining is carried out on an ingot of metal copper or aluminum in a numerically controlled machine (CNC) mode to obtain a hollow waveguide structure, namely a first waveguide structure and a second waveguide structure are formed. Then, a thin gold layer can be electroplated on the inner walls of the first waveguide structure and the second waveguide structure to prevent oxidation, that is, a protective layer is formed on the inner walls of the first waveguide structure and the second waveguide structure. And finally, fixing the formed first waveguide structure on one side of the first substrate, which is far away from the liquid crystal layer, and fixing the formed second waveguide structure on one side of the second substrate, which is far away from the liquid crystal layer.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an antenna, which may be a receiving antenna or a transmitting antenna.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna is taken as a receiving antenna for example. The antenna comprises the phase shifter and a patch electrode arranged on one side, departing from the grounding electrode, of the first substrate, and a first opening is arranged at the position, corresponding to the patch electrode, of the grounding electrode. The patch electrode is used to feed the microwave signal into the liquid crystal layer of the phase shifter through the first opening of the ground electrode. In addition, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the plurality of antennas are arranged in an array to form a phased array antenna.

It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments that are employed to illustrate the principles of the present disclosure, and that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, and these are to be considered as the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A phase shifter, comprising: the substrate comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a dielectric layer, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged, and the dielectric layer is positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate;

the phase shifter further includes:

2. The phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary functional structure is a microstrip filter structure, the microstrip filter structure comprising a plurality of resonant units, the resonant units disposed adjacently being coupled to each other.

3. The phase shifter of claim 2, wherein the microstrip filter structure comprises a first resonant cell, a second resonant cell, a third resonant cell, a fourth resonant cell, and a fifth resonant cell;

4. The phase shifter of claim 3, wherein the microstrip filter structure further comprises:

a first connecting unit electrically connected to the first resonance unit;

a second connection unit electrically connected with the fifth resonance unit.

5. The phase shifter according to claim 2, wherein the microstrip filter structure comprises a sixth resonant unit, a seventh resonant unit, an eighth resonant unit, and a ninth resonant unit arranged in parallel;

the sixth resonance unit comprises a first sub-resonance unit and a second sub-resonance unit, and the width of the first sub-resonance unit is greater than that of the second sub-resonance unit;

6. The phase shifter of claim 5, further comprising:

a third connecting unit connected with the sixth resonance unit;

a fourth connection unit connected with the ninth resonance unit.

7. The phase shifter of claim 2, wherein the microstrip filter structure is disposed on the same layer as the transmission line and is made of the same material.

8. The phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein the transmission body portion includes at least one meandering line electrically connected to the first transmission end and the second transmission end.

9. A phase shifter according to claim 8, wherein an orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate is non-overlapping with an orthographic projection of the at least one meander line on the first substrate.

10. The phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein the reference electrode further comprises a second opening, an orthogonal projection of the second opening on the first substrate does not overlap an orthogonal projection of the first opening on the first substrate, and an orthogonal projection of the first transmission terminal on the first substrate at least partially overlaps an orthogonal projection of the second opening on the first substrate.

11. The phase shifter of claim 10, further comprising: a first waveguide structure and a second waveguide structure; the first waveguide structure is configured to transmit a microwave signal in coupling with the first transmission end of the transmission line through the second opening; the second waveguide structure is configured to transmit a microwave signal in a coupled manner with the second transmission end of the transmission line through the first opening.

12. The phase shifter of claim 11, wherein the first port of the first waveguide structure is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing away from the dielectric layer; the first port of the second waveguide is arranged on one side, away from the dielectric layer, of the second substrate;

13. The phase shifter of claim 12, wherein an orthographic projection of the first port of the first waveguide structure on the first substrate completely overlaps with an orthographic projection of the first opening on the first substrate;

14. The phase shifter according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the phase shifter has a microwave transmission region and a peripheral region surrounding the microwave transmission region; the second substrate further comprises an isolation structure disposed on the second base; the isolation structure is located in the peripheral area and surrounds the microwave transmission area.

15. The phase shifter of claim 14, wherein the isolation structure is located at a side of the reference electrode close to the second substrate, and the reference electrode extends to the peripheral region and overlaps the isolation structure.

16. The phase shifter of claim 15, wherein the reference electrode has a slot located in the peripheral region and overlapping an orthographic projection of the isolation structure and the slot on the second substrate.

17. The phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the material of the dielectric layer comprises a liquid crystal.

18. An antenna comprising a phase shifter according to any one of claims 1 to 17.