JP2005229430A - Dielectric waveguide switch and switching module - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily realize a dielectric waveguide switch using an element which can be electrically switched. <P>SOLUTION: The dielectric waveguide switch has first and second conductor layers formed so as to face on both sides of a dielectric substrate on the surface of the dielectric substrate, dielectric waveguide structure constituted of a conductor which connects the first and second conductor layers, via holes provided so as to connect the first and second conductor layers inside the dielectric waveguide structure, a slit formed around any of the via holes of the first and second conductor layers and which separates the via hole and the formed conductor layer and a switch element which switches electric connection between the via hole and the conductor layer on which the slit is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a dielectric waveguide switch and a switching module combining the same.

  In order to efficiently transmit power while ensuring a wide communicable area, a method of mechanically scanning one highly directional antenna or a method of electrically switching a plurality of highly directional antennas is employed. . Non-Patent Document 1 (1997 Topical Symposium on Millimeter Waves Proceedings, pp. 115-118) describes a configuration in which four antennas are electrically switched by a switch.

  In the configuration disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, the signal input from the power feeding port is distributed and transmitted to four antennas via the microstrip line. A switch is provided in the microstrip line in the vicinity of each antenna to switch the antenna that radiates a signal to space. At this time, the length of the microstrip line to each antenna is inevitably increased in layout (approximately 10 cm in the case of the above example). Thus, when a planar line such as a microstrip line is used as the transmission line, for example, in the case of a 50Ω microstrip line formed on an alumina substrate having a thickness of 0.15 mm, the feeding loss is 0.06 dB / mm at 60 GHz. (6 dB for 10 cm). For this reason, there is a problem that an additional amplifier is required to compensate for the loss, and in the case of a reception system, the minimum reception sensitivity is lowered even if the loss can be compensated, and thus the communicable distance is shortened. was there.

On the other hand, a transmission line having a low loss even at a high frequency such as a millimeter wave band includes a dielectric waveguide that can be formed in a circuit board as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-53711). . In the case of a rectangular metal waveguide conventionally used, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-044501), a switching element for electrically connecting the upper and lower H surfaces is incorporated. By switching on / off, a waveguide switch can be configured. However, in the case of a dielectric waveguide, unlike the case of a metal waveguide, there is a problem that it is difficult to incorporate a switching element from the viewpoint of processing.
JP-A-6-53711 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-045001 1997 Topical Symposium on Millimeter Waves Proceedings, pp. 115-118

  Among the above-described conventional techniques, the technique disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1 has a large size and a large power supply loss. For this reason, there is a problem that an additional amplifier is required to compensate for the loss, and in the case of a reception system, the minimum reception sensitivity is lowered even if the loss can be compensated for, so that the communicable distance is shortened. There is a point.

  In the case of a dielectric waveguide that can be formed in a circuit board as disclosed in Patent Document 1, unlike the case of a metal waveguide as disclosed in Patent Document 2, a switching element from the viewpoint of processing. There is a problem that it is difficult to embed the battery and it is difficult to manufacture.

  The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art as described above, and realizes a dielectric waveguide switch that is low loss and easy to manufacture and a switching module using the same. Objective.

The dielectric waveguide switch of the present invention includes a first conductor layer and a second conductor layer formed on a surface of a dielectric substrate so as to face each other with the dielectric substrate interposed therebetween,
A dielectric waveguide structure constituted by a conductor connecting the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer;
A via hole provided in the dielectric waveguide structure so as to connect the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer;
A slit that is formed around the via hole in either of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, and separates the via hole and the formed conductor layer;
It has a switch element for switching electrical connection between the via hole and the conductor layer in which the slit is formed.

  In this case, it is good also as having a conductor piece provided between the said via hole and the conductor layer in which the said slit is formed.

  The switch element may be a diode.

  The switch element may be a MEMS.

  The switch element may be flip-chip mounted.

  A switching module according to the present invention includes a combination of a plurality of dielectric waveguide switches described above.

  In the present invention configured as described above, the via hole separated from the surrounding conductor layer by the slit acts as a resonator whose resonance frequency changes depending on the electrical connection state by the switch element. By changing the resonance frequency, it is possible to switch between signal passing and reflection in a desired frequency band. Since the dielectric waveguide structure, which is a low-loss transmission line, and the switch structure using the resonator are combined in this way, the switch element has an extremely low loss. In addition, manufacturing is facilitated by using a surface-mounted switch element for performing switching.

  According to the present invention, in a dielectric waveguide switch, an element that can be electrically switched to a resonator composed of a via hole and a conductor pad formed inside the dielectric waveguide is provided outside the dielectric waveguide. By connecting, it is possible to realize a dielectric waveguide switch that is low loss and easy to manufacture and a switching module using the dielectric waveguide switch.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of an embodiment of a dielectric waveguide switch according to the present invention, FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view, FIG. 1 (b) is a top view, and FIG. 1 (c) is a diagram. It is sectional drawing in the dashed-dotted line AA 'in 1 (a).

  The dielectric waveguide switch shown in FIG. 1 is formed by forming ground conductor layers 2a and 2b on both surfaces of a dielectric substrate 1, and connecting the ground conductor layers 2a and 2b with via hole rows 3a. A waveguide structure 4 is configured.

  By forming a slit 5 in the ground conductor layer 2a at the center of the dielectric waveguide structure 4, a conductor pad 6 separated from the ground conductor layer 2a is formed. The conductor pad 6 and the back surface ground conductor layer 2b are connected by a via hole 3b, whereby the resonator 7 is configured.

  The resonance frequency of the resonator 7 is mainly determined by the size of the conductor pad 6 and the size (diameter and length) of the via hole 3b. Further, the coupling between the resonator 7 and the dielectric waveguide 4 is adjusted by a via hole 3 c formed in the dielectric waveguide structure 4. Further, the conductor pad 6 and the ground conductor layer 2a are electrically connected by a diode 8. The diode 8 can be controlled in its conduction state by switching from the outside, and is connected to the pad 6 and the ground conductor layer 2a through bumps 9, respectively. Thereby, the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is configured.

  When the frequency of the signal for controlling the passage is f and the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is turned on when the diode 8 is turned off (a state where the signal passes), the diode 8 is turned off In this case, the resonance frequency of the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is f, and the signal of the frequency f may be passed. In this case, when the diode 8 is on, the resonance frequency f is shifted to the high frequency side, whereby the signal of the frequency f is reflected, and the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is turned off.

  When the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is also turned on when the diode 8 is turned on, when the diode 8 is turned on, the resonance frequency of the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is f, and the frequency It is sufficient that the signal of f passes. In this case, when the diode 8 is off, the resonance frequency f is shifted to the low frequency side, whereby the signal of the frequency f is reflected and the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is turned off.

  When the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is also turned on when the diode 8 is turned on, the resonance frequency when the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is turned on can be obtained at a higher frequency. Which one should be selected may be determined by comparing the performances of the two and obtaining the desired performance.

  Further, in the dielectric waveguide switch 10 having the configuration shown in FIG. 1, when the diode is turned off, the manufacturing restriction (limitation of the size of the conductor pad 6 and the via hole 3b). Therefore, the frequency at which the switch is turned on may not be increased to a desired frequency. In this case, as a configuration in which the switch is turned on at a higher frequency, as shown in FIG. In the case of such a configuration, the resonance frequency of the resonator 7 due to the strip conductor 11 approaches the resonance frequency when the switch is off, so that the on / off ratio of the switch is small. However, at a higher frequency, The switch can be turned on.

  FIG. 6 shows the result of calculating the insertion loss of the dielectric waveguide switch 10 shown in FIG. 1 operating in the 60 GHz band (when the diode is turned off). It can be seen that when the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is on, resonance occurs at 60 GHz and a signal passes. Here, the case where the dielectric waveguide switch 10 is configured by one resonator 7 is shown, but it may be configured by a plurality of resonators 7 so as to obtain a desired band. .

  Further, instead of the diode 8, as shown in FIG. 3, the MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) 12 is electrically switched to physically connect the conductor pad 6 and the ground conductor layer 2a via the MEMS 12. It is good also as a structure.

  In the present embodiment, a switch element such as a diode 8 or a MEMS 12 is mounted on the surface of the resonator 7. Since the diode and the MEMS can be flip-chip mounted after the resonator is formed, it can be performed independently of the step of creating the resonator, and the yield is good from this point. When a diode is used as the switch element, there are various characteristics, so that it is possible to select one that matches the characteristics of the resonator. When MEMS is used, switching including a mechanical element is possible, and from this point, it is possible to select one that matches the characteristics of the resonator.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a 1-input 4-output switch configured by using four dielectric waveguide switches.

  The input is divided into two, and connected to two sets of switch groups: dielectric waveguide switches 10a and 10b, and dielectric waveguide switches 10c and 10d, which are connected in a face-to-face manner. Each pair is connected via a half-wavelength dielectric waveguide 4 so that the two off-sets do not affect the set including the on-switch. For example, when a signal is transmitted to the output 1, the dielectric waveguide switch 10a may be turned on and the dielectric waveguide switches 10b, 10c, and 10d may be turned off. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the 1-input 4-output switcher can be configured by using six dielectric waveguide switches 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d, 10e, and 10f. For example, when a signal is transmitted to the output 1, the dielectric waveguide switches 10a and 10e may be turned on and the switches 10b, 10c, 10d and 10f may be turned off. In this case, the signal passes through the two switches (10a, 10e) before the signal is transmitted to the output 1. Therefore, the loss is larger than that of the above-described configuration, but there is an advantage that the band is widened because the dielectric waveguide 4 of ½ wavelength is not included.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram of the dielectric waveguide switch which shows Embodiment 1 by this invention, (a) is a perspective view of a switch, (b) is a top view, (c) is sectional drawing in dashed-dotted line AA ' It is. It is a 2nd block diagram of the resonator in this invention. It is a 2nd block diagram of the element switched electrically in this invention. It is the 1st 1 input 4 output switch comprised using the dielectric waveguide switch by this invention. It is the 2nd 1 input 4 output switch comprised using the dielectric waveguide switch by this invention. It is a calculation result of the passage characteristic of the dielectric waveguide switch by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dielectric board | substrate 2a, 2b Ground conductor layer 3a, 3b, 3c Via hole 4 Dielectric waveguide 5 Slit 6 Conductor pad 7 Resonator 8 Diode 9 Bump 10, 10a, 10b, 10c,
10d, 10e, 10f Dielectric waveguide switch 11 Strip conductor 12 MEMS

Claims (6)

A first conductor layer and a second conductor layer formed on the surface of the dielectric substrate so as to face each other with the dielectric substrate interposed therebetween;
A dielectric waveguide structure constituted by a conductor connecting the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer;
A via hole provided in the dielectric waveguide structure so as to connect the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer;
A slit that is formed around the via hole in either of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, and separates the via hole and the formed conductor layer;
A dielectric waveguide switch having a switch element for switching electrical connection between the via hole and the conductor layer in which the slit is formed. The dielectric waveguide switch according to claim 1, wherein
The dielectric waveguide switch according to claim 1, further comprising a conductor piece provided between the via hole and the conductor layer in which the slit is formed. The dielectric waveguide switch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The dielectric waveguide switch, wherein the switch element is a diode. In the dielectric waveguide switch according to claim 1 or 2,
The dielectric waveguide switch, wherein the switch element is a MEMS. The dielectric waveguide switch according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
A dielectric waveguide switch characterized in that the switch element is flip-chip mounted.   A switching module in which a plurality of dielectric waveguide switches according to any one of claims 1 to 5 are combined.

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