CN219873996U - Gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter - Google Patents

Gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter Download PDF

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Publication number
CN219873996U
CN219873996U CN202321032939.7U CN202321032939U CN219873996U CN 219873996 U CN219873996 U CN 219873996U CN 202321032939 U CN202321032939 U CN 202321032939U CN 219873996 U CN219873996 U CN 219873996U
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liquid crystal
metal
phase shifter
gap
crystal phase
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屠磊
孟繁义
刘武君
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Foshan Zunshen Xinglian Technology Co ltd
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Foshan Zunshen Xinglian Technology Co ltd
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Abstract

The utility model relates to a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter, which sequentially comprises an upper layer structure, an intermediate metal layer and a lower layer structure from top to bottom; the upper layer structure sequentially comprises an upper metal layer, an upper dielectric plate, an upper glass plate, a metal patch and a liquid crystal layer from top to bottom; the lower layer structure sequentially comprises a lower glass plate, a lower dielectric plate and a lower metal layer from top to bottom; the upper dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of upper metal through holes, and the lower dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of lower metal through holes; the plurality of upper metal through holes form a gap waveguide cavity, and the middle metal layer is provided with two gap structures. When a driving voltage is applied between the metal patch and the middle metal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are deflected in a pointing way, when the liquid crystal molecules reach a full-bias state, the transmission phase change reaches the maximum value, and finally the continuously adjustable liquid crystal phase shifter is realized, so that the problems that the traditional liquid crystal phase shifter has larger loss in a microwave section and needs a certain transmission line length to reach the corresponding phase shifting capability are solved.

Description

Gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter
Technical Field
The utility model relates to the technical field of phase shifters, in particular to a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter.
Background
At present, the adjustable phase shifter is a microwave device for realizing the phase regulation of radio frequency signals, and is widely applied to the fields of antennas, radars, wireless communication and the like. Currently, the types of phase shifters commonly used are PIN type phase shifters, semiconductor phase shifters, ferrite phase shifters, and liquid crystal phase shifters. The PIN phase shifter can only work in microwave low frequency range (below X band), and has smaller power bearing capacity, and can not continuously shift phase, so that the application scene is greatly limited. The semiconductor phase shifter has large loss and high cost in millimeter wave bands, and greatly limits the application in large-scale phased arrays. Ferrite phase shifters cannot be widely used because of their large size, low operating frequency band, and difficulty in integration.
Liquid crystal is an anisotropic material, and as a uniaxial crystal, the molecular long axis of the material has a specific orientation, and the orientation of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecule is deflected under the action of an applied electric field or magnetic field, so that the macroscopic dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material is changed. Compared with other phase shifters, the liquid crystal phase shifter has the remarkable advantages of continuous tuning, high linearity, small volume, light weight and the like.
However, the existing liquid crystal phase shifter is generally based on a traditional microstrip transmission line half-open structure, has large loss in the microwave section, and needs a certain transmission line length to achieve the corresponding phase shifting capability, thereby severely limiting the practical application value.
Disclosure of Invention
The utility model aims to provide a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter, which is characterized in that when a driving voltage is applied between a metal patch and an intermediate metal layer, liquid crystal molecules are deflected in a pointing way, when the liquid crystal molecules reach a full-bias state, the transmission phase change reaches the maximum value, and finally, the continuous adjustable liquid crystal phase shifter is realized, and the problems that the traditional liquid crystal phase shifter has larger loss in a microwave section and needs a certain transmission line length to reach corresponding phase shifting capability are solved.
In order to achieve the above purpose, the present utility model provides the following technical solutions:
the gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter sequentially comprises an upper layer structure, an intermediate metal layer and a lower layer structure from top to bottom; the upper layer structure comprises an upper metal layer, an upper dielectric plate, an upper glass plate, a metal patch and a liquid crystal layer from top to bottom in sequence; the lower layer structure sequentially comprises a lower glass plate, a lower dielectric plate and a lower metal layer from top to bottom;
the upper dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of upper metal through holes, and the lower dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of lower metal through holes; the upper metal vias form a gap waveguide cavity, and the middle metal layer is provided with two gap structures which are used for coupling electromagnetic energy of upper and lower layers; the plurality of lower metal vias form a pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
Optionally, a plurality of the upper metal vias are disposed around to form a gap waveguide cavity.
Optionally, two rows of the lower metal vias are uniformly arranged on the front side and the rear side of the lower dielectric plate along the length direction of the lower dielectric plate; and the centers of the lower dielectric plates are uniformly distributed with two rows of lower metal through holes along the broadside direction of the lower dielectric plates, and a plurality of lower metal through holes form the pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
Optionally, two metal patches are provided, and the two metal patches are respectively located right above the gap structure.
Optionally, the two gap structures are close to short-circuit terminals of the two gap waveguides.
Optionally, the diameter of the upper metal via is the same as the diameter of the lower metal via;
the distance between two adjacent upper metal vias is the same as the distance between two adjacent lower metal vias;
the distance between the upper metal via hole and the edge of the upper dielectric plate is the same as the distance between the lower metal via hole and the edge of the lower dielectric plate.
Optionally, the heights of the upper metal via and the lower metal via are h1=0.25λ g ,λ g The medium wavelength corresponding to the working center frequency.
Alternatively, provided thatThe dielectric parameters of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer are as follows: epsilon r,⊥ =2.24、ε r,// =3.22、tanδ =0.06、tanδ // =0.004。
Optionally, the dielectric constants of the upper glass plate and the lower glass plate are each 4.7.
Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the utility model has the following beneficial effects:
1. when a driving voltage is applied between the metal patch and the middle metal layer, the liquid crystal molecules are deflected in a pointing way, when the liquid crystal molecules reach a full-bias state, the transmission phase change reaches the maximum value, and finally, the continuously adjustable liquid crystal phase shifter is realized, so that the problems that the traditional liquid crystal phase shifter is large in loss in a microwave section and a certain transmission line length is needed to reach corresponding phase shifting capability are solved;
2. electromagnetic waves start to be transmitted from the gap waveguide at the left side of the lower layer structure, are coupled onto the gap waveguide cavity of the upper layer structure through reflection of the gap structure at the left end and a short circuit terminal between the two gap waveguides, are transmitted to the gap structure at the right end along the gap waveguide cavity, and are coupled to the gap waveguide cavity of the gap waveguide cavity structure again to reach an output port. The metal patch and the liquid crystal layer can play a disturbance role in electromagnetic wave transmission. When a driving voltage is applied between the metal patch and the intermediate metal layer, the liquid crystal molecules positioned on the liquid crystal layer are deflected in the direction, and the deflection angle of the liquid crystal molecules can be continuously changed along with the change of the driving voltage value, so that the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material is continuously changed, and the change ensures that the capacitance formed by the metal patch and the opposite intermediate metal layer is continuously changed, thereby playing a continuous disturbance role on the propagation of electromagnetic waves. The continuous disturbance can cause the phase of the electromagnetic wave transmitted between the upper layer and the lower layer to change, and the phase of the transmitted electromagnetic wave can also change continuously along with the continuous change of the applied driving voltage value, when the liquid crystal molecules reach the full bias state, the transmission phase change reaches the maximum value, and finally the continuously adjustable liquid crystal phase shifter is realized.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter in accordance with one embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter in accordance with one embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an upper dielectric plate and an upper metal via in accordance with one embodiment of the present utility model;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a lower dielectric plate and a lower metal via in accordance with one embodiment of the present utility model;
wherein, 1, the superstructure; 11. a metal layer is arranged on the upper surface; 12. an upper dielectric plate; 13. a metal via is formed; 14. a glass plate is arranged on the upper surface; 15. a metal patch; 16. a liquid crystal layer; 2. an intermediate metal layer; 21. a slit structure; 3. a lower layer structure; 31. a lower glass plate; 32. a lower dielectric plate; 33. a lower metal via; 34. and a lower metal layer.
Detailed Description
Embodiments of the present utility model are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to like or similar elements or elements having like or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the drawings are illustrative only and are not to be construed as limiting the utility model.
In the description of the present utility model, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal," "transverse," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the utility model and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the utility model. Furthermore, features defining "first", "second" may include one or more such features, either explicitly or implicitly, for distinguishing between the descriptive features, and not sequentially, and not lightly.
In the description of the present utility model, unless otherwise indicated, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.
In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, for example; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present utility model will be understood in specific cases by those of ordinary skill in the art.
A gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present utility model is described below with reference to fig. 1 to 4.
The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter sequentially comprises an upper layer structure 1, an intermediate metal layer 2 and a lower layer structure 3 from top to bottom; the upper layer structure 1 sequentially comprises an upper metal layer 11, an upper dielectric plate 12, an upper glass plate 14, a metal patch 15 and a liquid crystal layer 16 from top to bottom; the lower layer structure 3 sequentially comprises a lower glass plate 31, a lower dielectric plate 32 and a lower metal layer 34 from top to bottom;
the upper dielectric plate 12 is provided with a plurality of upper metal vias 13, and the lower dielectric plate 32 is provided with a plurality of lower metal vias 33; the plurality of upper metal vias 13 form a gap waveguide cavity, the middle metal layer 2 is provided with two gap structures 21, and the gap structures 21 are used for coupling electromagnetic energy of upper and lower layers; the plurality of lower metal vias 33 form a pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
The working process of the gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter is as follows: the electromagnetic wave starts to transmit from the gap waveguide at the left side of the lower layer structure 3, is coupled to the gap waveguide cavity of the upper layer structure 1 via reflection of the short circuit terminal between the gap structure 21 at the left end and the two gap waveguides, and is transmitted to the gap structure 21 at the right end along the gap waveguide cavity, and is coupled to the gap waveguide cavity of the gap waveguide cavity structure again to reach the output port.
It should be noted that the metal patch 15 in combination with the liquid crystal layer 16 may play a disturbing role in electromagnetic wave transmission. When a driving voltage is applied between the metal patch 15 and the intermediate metal layer 2, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules located in the liquid crystal layer 16 is deflected, and along with the change of the driving voltage value, the deflection angle of the liquid crystal molecules can be continuously changed, so that the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material is continuously changed, and the change continuously changes the capacitance formed by the metal patch 15 and the opposite intermediate metal layer 2, thereby continuously disturbing the propagation of electromagnetic waves.
The continuous disturbance can cause the phase change of electromagnetic waves transmitted between the upper layer and the lower layer, and the phase change of the transmitted electromagnetic waves can also continuously change along with the continuous change of the applied driving voltage value, when the liquid crystal molecules reach the full bias state, the transmission phase change reaches the maximum value, and finally the continuous adjustable liquid crystal phase shifter is realized, thereby solving the problems that the traditional liquid crystal phase shifter has larger loss in the microwave section and needs a certain transmission line length to reach the corresponding phase shifting capability.
A plurality of the upper metal vias 13 are disposed around to form a gap waveguide cavity.
A gap waveguide cavity is provided on the upper dielectric plate 12 so that electromagnetic waves can be coupled to the gap waveguide cavity under reflection from the gap structure 21 and the short-circuit terminal, and the electromagnetic waves can be transferred along the gap waveguide cavity into another gap structure 21.
Two rows of the lower metal vias 33 are uniformly arranged on the front and rear sides of the lower dielectric plate 32 along the length direction of the lower dielectric plate 32; two rows of lower metal vias 33 are uniformly arranged in the center of the lower dielectric plate 32 along the width direction of the lower dielectric plate 32, and a plurality of lower metal vias 33 form the pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
Wherein the two gap waveguides of the lower dielectric plate 32 are disposed back-to-back such that a short circuit terminal is formed in the middle of the two gap waveguides, and electromagnetic waves can be coupled to the gap waveguide cavity under the reflection of the circuit terminal.
The number of the metal patches 15 is two, and the two metal patches 15 are respectively located right above the slit structures 21.
Metal patch15 is l in length 4 Width w 4 The metal patches 15 are machined on the lower surface of the upper glass plate 14, and the two metal patches 15 are located directly above the two slit structures 21, respectively. The metal patch 15 can regulate the liquid crystal layer 16 together with the intermediate metal layer 2 so that the deflection angle of the liquid crystal molecules can be continuously changed.
The two slit structures 21 are close to the short-circuit terminals of the two gap waveguides.
The slit structure 21 has a length l 3 With a width w3 and a spacing d, is located in the intermediate metal layer 2 and the slot structure 21 is close to the short-circuit terminal of the two slot waveguides, which slot structure 21 can be used for coupling electromagnetic energy in the upper and lower layers.
The diameter of the upper metal via 13 is the same as the diameter of the lower metal via 33;
the distance between two adjacent upper metal vias 13 is the same as the distance between two adjacent lower metal vias 33;
the spacing between the upper metal via 13 and the edge of the upper dielectric plate 12 is the same as the spacing between the lower metal via 33 and the edge of the lower dielectric plate 32.
Preferably, all metal vias have a diameter of 0.2mm and a via-to-via pitch of 0.4mm. On one hand, the processing complexity is reduced, on the other hand, the diameter and the distance of the metal via holes have optimal solutions for inhibiting electromagnetic wave leakage, the electromagnetic wave leakage can be reduced to the greatest extent by keeping the upper and lower parameters consistent, and the transmission efficiency is improved.
The heights of the upper metal via 13 and the lower metal via 33 are h1=0.25λ g ,λ g The medium wavelength corresponding to the working center frequency. The liquid crystal layer 16 has liquid crystal molecular dielectric parameters of: epsilon r,⊥ =2.24、ε r,// =3.22、tanδ =0.06、tanδ // =0.004. The dielectric constants of the upper glass plate 14 and the lower glass plate 31 are 4.7.
Preferably, a specific structural parameter of an adjustable gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter operating in the 25-30GHz range is h1=1.5 mm, h2=0.5 mm, h3=0.008 mm, t=0.003 mm, l1=12 mm, w1=5.2 mm, w2=0.5 mm, l2=3.8 mm,l3=2.4 mm, w3=0.15 mm, l4=0.3 mm, w4=0.4 mm, d=1.4 mm. In addition, the dielectric plate material was Rogers RO3003, the dielectric constants of the upper glass plate 14 and the lower glass plate 31 were 4.7, the loss tangent was 0.0048, and the dielectric parameters of the liquid crystal material were: epsilon r,⊥ =2.24,ε r,// =3.22,tanδ =0.06,tanδ // =0.004。
The adjustable gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter prepared by adopting the specific structural parameters has the maximum adjustable phase shift of more than 70 degrees in the working frequency band range of 25-30GHz for two states of liquid crystal molecule level and alignment.
Other configurations, etc., and operation of a gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter according to embodiments of the present utility model are known to those of ordinary skill in the art and will not be described in detail herein.
In the description herein, reference to the term "embodiment," "example," etc., means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the utility model. In this specification, schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.
While embodiments of the present utility model have been shown and described, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: many changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and principles of the utility model, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims (9)

1. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter is characterized by comprising an upper layer structure, an intermediate metal layer and a lower layer structure from top to bottom in sequence; the upper layer structure comprises an upper metal layer, an upper dielectric plate, an upper glass plate, a metal patch and a liquid crystal layer from top to bottom in sequence; the lower layer structure sequentially comprises a lower glass plate, a lower dielectric plate and a lower metal layer from top to bottom;
the upper dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of upper metal through holes, and the lower dielectric plate is provided with a plurality of lower metal through holes; the upper metal vias form a gap waveguide cavity, and the middle metal layer is provided with two gap structures which are used for coupling electromagnetic energy of upper and lower layers; the plurality of lower metal vias form a pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
2. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the upper metal vias are disposed circumferentially to form a gap waveguide cavity.
3. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein two rows of the lower metal vias are uniformly arranged on the front and rear sides of the lower dielectric plate along the length direction of the lower dielectric plate; and the centers of the lower dielectric plates are uniformly distributed with two rows of lower metal through holes along the broadside direction of the lower dielectric plates, and a plurality of lower metal through holes form the pair of back-to-back gap waveguides.
4. A gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein two of the metal patches are located directly above the slit structure.
5. A gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein two of said gap structures are adjacent to the shorting terminals of two of said gap waveguides.
6. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the upper metal via is the same as the diameter of the lower metal via;
the distance between two adjacent upper metal vias is the same as the distance between two adjacent lower metal vias;
the distance between the upper metal via hole and the edge of the upper dielectric plate is the same as the distance between the lower metal via hole and the edge of the lower dielectric plate.
7. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the upper metal via and the lower metal via each have a height h1=0.25λ g ,λ g The medium wavelength corresponding to the working center frequency.
8. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a liquid crystal molecular dielectric parameter of: epsilon r,⊥ =2.24、ε r,// =3.22、tanδ =0.06、tanδ // =0.004。
9. The gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter of claim 1 wherein the upper and lower glass plates each have a dielectric constant of 4.7.
CN202321032939.7U 2023-05-04 2023-05-04 Gap waveguide liquid crystal phase shifter Active CN219873996U (en)

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