WO2021179901A1 - 液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法 - Google Patents

液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2021179901A1
WO2021179901A1 PCT/CN2021/077407 CN2021077407W WO2021179901A1 WO 2021179901 A1 WO2021179901 A1 WO 2021179901A1 CN 2021077407 W CN2021077407 W CN 2021077407W WO 2021179901 A1 WO2021179901 A1 WO 2021179901A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
liquid crystal
sub
alignment
transmission line
area
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PCT/CN2021/077407
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
方家
刘宗民
于海
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京东方科技集团股份有限公司
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Publication of WO2021179901A1 publication Critical patent/WO2021179901A1/zh

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00—Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/18—Phase-shifters
    • H01P1/184—Strip line phase-shifters
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01Q—ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS
    • H01Q3/00—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system
    • H01Q3/26—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture
    • H01Q3/30—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array
    • H01Q3/34—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array by electrical means
    • H01Q3/36—Arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern of the waves radiated from an antenna or antenna system varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array by electrical means with variable phase-shifters

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to the field of electromagnetic wave technology, and in particular to a manufacturing method of a phase shifter, an antenna, and a liquid crystal phase shifter.
  • a phase shifter is a device that can adjust the phase of electromagnetic waves. It is widely used in radar, missile attitude control, accelerator, communications, instrumentation, and even music.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter is used to modulate the phase of the electromagnetic wave signal by changing the voltage between the transmission line and the ground based on the different dielectric constant of the liquid crystal under different electric field strengths.
  • the spacing between the array antennas is required, which is generally 0.5 ⁇ -0.6 ⁇ .
  • the layout area of the liquid crystal phase shifter under each antenna unit is only 0.5*0.5 ⁇ 2 , so it is necessary to arrange the transmission line to a certain extent, such as serpentine wiring arrangement, and the transmission line adopts CPW( Coplanar Waveguide (Coplanar Waveguide) mode, according to the different areas of the transmission line, the direction of the electric field is different.
  • the liquid crystal is located between the transmission line and the phase control electrode, and the initial arrangement of the liquid crystal is consistent in each area.
  • the dielectric constant takes the short axis value at this time; when the electric field direction is parallel to the long axis direction of the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal dielectric constant takes the long axis at this time value. Therefore, in the liquid crystal phase shifter, according to the wiring direction, the area where the transmission line is located can be divided into multiple sub-wiring areas with different wiring directions. The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal in each sub-wiring area is different, resulting in the final liquid crystal The performance of the phased array antenna system deteriorates.
  • the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a liquid crystal phase shifter, an antenna, and a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal phase shifter.
  • liquid crystal phase shifter including:
  • a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other;
  • a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
  • the area where the transmission line is located includes at least two sub-wiring areas, and the wiring directions of the transmission lines in the at least two sub-wiring areas are different from each other;
  • the liquid crystal layer is configured to maintain the same predetermined relationship between the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer and the routing direction of the transmission line in each of the sub-wiring regions.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter further includes: a phase control electrode disposed on a side of the second substrate close to the liquid crystal layer.
  • the predetermined relationship includes: the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is parallel to the routing direction of the transmission line, or the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line.
  • the first substrate and the second substrate are respectively provided with a first alignment film and a second alignment film for aligning the liquid crystal layer, wherein the first and second alignment films are The alignment direction of the part corresponding to each sub-wiring area and the transmission line wiring direction in the sub-wiring area maintain the same predetermined relationship.
  • the first alignment film is disposed on a surface of the liquid crystal layer away from the phase control electrode, and the transmission line is disposed on the first alignment film;
  • the second alignment film is disposed on the surface of the liquid crystal layer away from the transmission line, and the phase control electrode is disposed on the second alignment film.
  • the materials of the first alignment film and the second alignment film are rubbing alignment materials or photo alignment materials.
  • the area where the transmission line is located includes at least five sub-wiring areas, and the five sub-wiring areas are sequentially connected to form a U-shaped wiring.
  • the five sub-wiring areas include a first sub-wiring area, a second sub-wiring area, a third sub-wiring area, a third sub-wiring area, a fourth sub-wiring area, and The fifth sub-wiring area; among them,
  • the first sub-wiring area and the fifth sub-wiring area have transmission line wiring directions opposite to each other, and the portions of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the first sub-wiring area and the fifth sub-wiring area
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is the first direction
  • the routing direction of the transmission line in the third sub routing area is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line in the first sub routing area, and the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the portion of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the third sub routing area is A second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction;
  • the second sub-wiring area is connected at the corner of the first sub-wiring area and the third sub-wiring area, and the transmission line direction of the second sub-wiring area is the same as that of the first sub-wiring area.
  • There is a first included angle between the routing directions of the transmission lines in the routing area, and the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the portion of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to the second sub-wiring area is a third direction, and the third direction is relative to the second sub-wiring area. Having the first included angle between one direction;
  • the fourth sub-wiring area is connected at the corner of the third sub-wiring area and the fifth sub-wiring area, and the transmission line routing direction of the fourth sub-wiring area is the same as that of the fifth sub-wiring area.
  • the first included angle is 45°;
  • the second included angle is 45°.
  • the transmission line is a coplanar waveguide transmission line, including:
  • the center zone is located on the side of the first substrate close to the liquid crystal layer
  • Two grounding straps are separately arranged on both sides of the center strap and are consistent with the routing direction of the center strap.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter further includes:
  • a first signal line for inputting a high-frequency signal to the transmission line is connected to a signal input end of the transmission line;
  • a second signal line for outputting high-frequency signals from the transmission line the second signal line being connected to the signal output end of the transmission line;
  • an impedance converter is provided between the first signal line and the signal input end of the transmission line, and between the second signal line and the signal output end of the transmission line.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter further includes:
  • the liquid crystal layer includes: an outer liquid crystal portion of the transmission line corresponding to an area where the transmission line is not provided, and the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the outer liquid crystal portion of the transmission line corresponds to any one of the sub-wiring areas.
  • the initial alignment directions of the liquid crystals of the liquid crystal layer are the same.
  • the present disclosure provides an antenna including the above-mentioned liquid crystal phase shifter.
  • the present disclosure provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing the above-mentioned liquid crystal phase shifter, including:
  • a liquid crystal layer is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate.
  • the predetermined relationship includes: the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is parallel to the routing direction of the transmission line, or the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line.
  • the disposing a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate includes:
  • the area where the first alignment film and the second alignment film are located is divided into at least two sub-alignment areas according to the routing direction of the transmission line, wherein, in the area where the first alignment film and the second alignment film are located, the transmission line runs
  • the area corresponding to the sub-wiring areas with the same and opposite line directions is used as a sub-alignment area, and the different sub-alignment areas are respectively aligned, so that the liquid crystal layer is configured to: In the region, the predetermined relationship is maintained between the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer and the routing direction of the transmission line.
  • the first alignment film and the second alignment film are aligned by rubbing alignment or photo alignment.
  • the respectively aligning the different sub-alignment regions includes:
  • a mask is used to block other sub-alignment areas except the current sub-alignment area, expose the current sub-alignment area, and align the current sub-alignment area. After the alignment is completed, remove the mask. template;
  • the first alignment film and the second alignment film further include: an alignment area outside the transmission line except for the area corresponding to the transmission line;
  • a mask is used to expose the current sub-alignment area and the transmission line out-of-line alignment area, so that the current sub-alignment area and the transmission line out-of-line alignment area are simultaneously aligned.
  • Figure 1 shows the equivalent circuit diagram of the transmission line periodically loaded with variable capacitors in parallel
  • FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the routing direction of a transmission line of a liquid crystal phase shifter in the related art
  • Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal phase shifter in the related art along the direction of Fig. 2A-A;
  • Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the relationship between the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal and the electric field
  • Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the influence of different liquid crystal arrangements on the performance of the phase shifter
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the routing direction of the transmission line on the first substrate of the liquid crystal phase shifter provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG. 7 shows one of the cross-sectional schematic diagrams of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the embodiment of the present disclosure taken along the line B-B in FIG. 6;
  • Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the first mask
  • Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of the second mask
  • Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of a third mask
  • Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of a fourth mask
  • FIG. 12 shows the second cross-sectional schematic diagram of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the embodiment of the present disclosure taken along the line B-B in FIG. 6.
  • the transmission line is periodically loaded with variable capacitors in parallel, and the phase can be changed by changing the capacitance of the variable capacitor.
  • the equivalent circuit model is shown in Figure 1, where Lt and Ct are the equivalent lines of the transmission line. Inductance and line capacitance depend on the characteristics of the transmission line and substrate; the variable capacitance Cvar(V) can be realized by MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) capacitance, variable diode capacitance, etc.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter realizes the change of the capacitance value of the plate capacitor through the voltage control of the liquid crystal.
  • FIG. 3 the upper electrode 50 of the variable plate capacitor is prepared on the lower surface of the upper substrate 30,
  • the transmission line 10 is prepared on the surface.
  • the transmission line 10 adopts the CPW (coplanar waveguide) mode.
  • the liquid crystal layer 20 is formed between the upper electrode 50 and the CPW transmission line 10. It is perpendicular to the electromagnetic wave transmission direction, so a parallel capacitor is formed, which has an equivalent circuit model as shown in Figure 1.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter of this structure is a transmission line that loads parallel capacitances according to a certain period. Therefore, two points need to be ensured in the design: 1) The characteristics of the transmission line are exactly the same in each cycle; 2) The variable capacitance value is exactly the same in each cycle.
  • the spacing between the array antennas is required, which is generally 0.5 ⁇ to 0.6 ⁇ .
  • the layout area of the liquid crystal phase shifter under each antenna unit needs to be only about 0.5*0.5 ⁇ 2 , so it is necessary to arrange the transmission line to a certain extent.
  • the transmission line 10 is The routing direction can be divided into 5 parts, namely parts I, II, III, IV, and V.
  • the arrows in the figure show the initial arrangement direction of the liquid crystals in each part.
  • the liquid crystal layer 20 is located between the upper substrate 30 and the lower substrate 40.
  • the initial liquid crystal arrangement state of the liquid crystal layer corresponding to each part of the transmission line 10 is consistent, as shown in FIG. 2
  • the arrow in the middle shows the initial arrangement direction of the liquid crystals in each part of the transmission line I, II, III, IV, and V.
  • the dielectric constant takes the short axis value at this time; when the electric field direction is parallel to the long axis direction of the liquid crystal, at this time The dielectric constant takes the long axis value. Therefore, if the liquid crystals are arranged in the horizontal direction in the scheme of Figure 3 (that is, the initial arrangement direction of the liquid crystals is consistent with the routing direction of the transmission line of the I and V parts), then the dielectric constants of the liquid crystals in the I and V parts are set to be short.
  • the embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liquid crystal phase shifter, an antenna, and a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal phase shifter, which can greatly improve the performance consistency of the liquid crystal phase shifter.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure includes:
  • a liquid crystal layer 300 disposed between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200;
  • the area where the transmission line 400 is located is divided into at least two sub-wiring areas with different wiring directions according to the wiring direction; the liquid crystal layer 300 is configured such that: in each of the sub-wiring areas, the liquid crystal layer 300 A predetermined relationship is maintained between the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal and the routing direction of the transmission line 400.
  • the predetermined relationship includes: the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is parallel to the routing direction of the transmission line 400, or the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line 400.
  • the liquid crystal layer 300 is partitioned and aligned, so that at each sub-wiring area of the transmission line 400 with different routing directions, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is the same as that of the transmission line 400.
  • the line direction is matched, that is, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer 300 and the routing direction of the transmission line 400 always maintain a predetermined relationship, for example, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal and the routing direction of the transmission line 400 always remain parallel or always vertical Therefore, the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal at each sub-wiring area of the transmission line 400 is kept consistent, and the performance consistency of the liquid crystal phase shifter is greatly improved.
  • liquid crystal phase shifter provided in the present disclosure will be described in detail below.
  • the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 are respectively provided with a first alignment for aligning the liquid crystal layer 300
  • the film 601 and the second alignment film 602 the portions of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 corresponding to each of the sub-wiring areas are configured to: in each of the sub-wiring areas, so The alignment directions of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 and the wiring direction of the transmission line 400 in the current sub-wiring area maintain the same predetermined relationship.
  • the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are respectively provided on the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are used to make the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer 300 It is simple and reliable to carry out zoning alignment.
  • the first alignment film 601 is disposed on the surface of the liquid crystal layer 300 away from the phase control electrode 500
  • the transmission line 400 is disposed on the first alignment film 601
  • the second alignment film 602 is disposed on the liquid crystal layer 300.
  • the phase control electrode 500 is disposed on the second alignment film 602.
  • the material of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 may be a friction alignment material, such as a PI (Polyimide, polyimide) film.
  • the film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are aligned, so that the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 both correspond to different sub-regions of the transmission line 400 and are aligned in different directions; or, the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 601
  • the material of the second alignment film 602 can also be a photo-alignment material. In the manufacturing process, a photo-alignment process can be used to align the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602, so that the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are aligned.
  • the films 602 all correspond to different sub-regions of the transmission line 400 and are aligned in different directions.
  • the transmission line 400 when the liquid crystal phase shifter of this structure is used to prepare a liquid crystal array antenna, the distance between the array antennas is required, generally 0.5 ⁇ 0.6 ⁇ , in order to meet this requirement, each antenna is required
  • the layout area of the liquid crystal phase shifter under the unit is only 0.5*0.5 ⁇ 2 , so it is necessary to arrange the transmission line 400 to a certain extent, and its routing direction can be a serpentine routing or the like.
  • the transmission line 400 includes at least five sub-wiring areas, and the five sub-wiring areas have different transmission line directions, which can be connected in sequence.
  • the wiring is U-shaped.
  • the five sub-wiring areas can also be connected in other shapes, for example, a zigzag shape, etc.; it is also understandable that the specific number of the sub-wiring areas of the transmission line 400 is not limited, for example, It can include two sub-wiring areas with different transmission lines.
  • the routing direction of the transmission line is based on the signal transmission direction on the transmission line as the routing direction of the transmission line. For example, for two sub-wiring areas arranged in parallel, the routing direction of the transmission line is the same, It means that the signal transmission direction of the transmission line is the same, and the direction of the transmission line is opposite, which means that the signal transmission direction of the transmission line is opposite.
  • the five sub-wiring areas include a first sub-wiring area I and a second sub-wiring area that are sequentially connected.
  • the routing direction of the transmission line is opposite, and the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the portion of the liquid crystal layer 300 corresponding to the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V is the first direction F1;
  • the routing direction of the transmission line in the routing area III is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line in the first sub-wiring area I, and the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the portion of the liquid crystal layer 300 corresponding to the third sub-wiring area III is the first
  • the second direction F2 the second direction F2 is perpendicular to the first direction F1; the second sub-
  • the transmission line 400 includes first, second, third, fourth, and fifth sub-wiring areas V, where it can be seen from FIG. 6 that the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area
  • the routing direction of the transmission line of V is opposite (that is, the signal transmission direction of the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V are opposite), as seen from FIG. 6, the first sub-wiring area I And the fifth sub-wiring area V are the two sub-wiring areas arranged horizontally and horizontally in FIG.
  • the line area V is vertical, as seen from FIG.
  • the liquid crystal corresponding to each sub-wiring area The initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the layer 300 is shown in FIG. 6:
  • the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 300 in the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V is the first direction F1 (the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V are shown in FIG.
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal inside is the vertical direction
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the third sub-wiring area III is the second direction F2 (the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the third sub-wiring area III shown in FIG. 6 is the horizontal direction);
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the second sub-wiring area II is the third direction F3 (the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the second sub-wiring area II shown in FIG. 6 is an angle with the wiring direction in the first direction F1, The included angle is the same as the first included angle ⁇ ),
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the fourth sub-wiring area IV is the fourth direction F4 (the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the fourth sub-wiring area IV shown in FIG. 6 is an angle with the wiring direction in the first direction F1, The included angle is the same as the second included angle ⁇ ).
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is always perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line 400 as an example. In practical applications, according to actual requirements, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal may also be the same as the transmission line 400.
  • the routing direction is always parallel.
  • the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 300 is perpendicular to the wiring direction of the transmission line 400, which is beneficial to reduce the insertion loss.
  • the second sub-wiring area II and the fourth sub-wiring area IV are two corner areas of U-shaped corners, and the transmission line of the two corner areas is routed
  • the relationship between the direction and the direction of the transmission line of the first sub-wiring area I can be designed according to the layout area of the liquid crystal phase shifter under the array antenna in practical applications, etc., which is not limited.
  • the first sub-wiring area I An included angle ⁇ may be 45°
  • the second included angle ⁇ may be 45°.
  • liquid crystal phase shifter provided in the present disclosure can optionally be applied to a coplanar waveguide (CPW) periodic load variable capacitance liquid crystal phase shifter.
  • CPW coplanar waveguide
  • the transmission line 400 is a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line 400, and includes a central strip 410, which is a signal line located at all On the side of the first substrate 100 close to the liquid crystal layer 300; and, two grounding straps 420 are separately provided on both sides of the center strap 410, and are consistent with the routing direction of the center strap 410.
  • CPW coplanar waveguide
  • the transmission line 400 may also be a transmission line 400 of other modes.
  • the liquid crystal layer 300 further includes: a liquid crystal portion outside the transmission line corresponding to an area where the transmission line 400 is not provided, and the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal portion outside the transmission line is in accordance with any one of the The initial alignment directions of the liquid crystals of the liquid crystal layer 300 corresponding to the sub-wiring areas are the same.
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal may be aligned with any sub-line of the transmission line 400
  • the initial alignment directions of the liquid crystals in the regions are the same.
  • the curve a in FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the loss simulation results when the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in each sub-wiring area of the liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the disclosure is perpendicular to the wiring direction of the transmission line
  • the curve b is the liquid crystal along the direction of FIG. 3
  • the microwave signal is a high-frequency signal
  • the control signal for periodically loading the parallel capacitor is a low-frequency signal. Therefore, the control during microwave signal transmission and capacitor loading The signal is different.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes:
  • an impedance converter 900 is provided between the first signal line 710 and the signal input end of the transmission line 400, and between the second signal line 720 and the signal output end of the transmission line 400.
  • Impedance matching is achieved by setting the impedance converter 900 to match the impedance between the second signal line 720 and the transmission line; similarly, at the contact point between the high-frequency signal input element and the transmission line, if the impedances of the two are not the same, the standing wave The ratio (standing wave) is not 1, that is, there is return loss, which degrades performance. Therefore, impedance matching needs to be done.
  • the impedance converter 900 is set to enable impedance matching between the first signal line 710 and the transmission line 400 .
  • the impedance converter 900 may include: a first connection part 910, a conversion part 920, and a second connection part 930.
  • the conversion part 920 is a cylindrical structure with a gradually changing diameter and is connected to the The inner diameter of one end of the first connection portion 910 is larger than the end of the second connection portion 920; wherein, in the impedance converter between the first signal line 710 and the signal input end of the transmission line 400, the first connection The signal transmitted by the part 910 undergoes impedance conversion by the conversion part 920, and then is transmitted to the second connection part 930; in the impedance converter between the second signal line 720 and the signal output end of the transmission line 400, The signal emitted by the second connection part 920 undergoes impedance conversion by the conversion part 920 and then is transmitted to the first connection part 910.
  • the impedance converter 900 is connected to the center band 410 of the transmission line 400, and there is a gap between the two grounding bands 420.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter further includes: a third signal line 730 for periodically loading the control signal of the parallel capacitance to the phase control electrode, the third signal line 730 and The phase control electrode 500 is electrically connected.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter may further include: a fourth signal line 731 for periodically loading the control signal of the parallel capacitance to the transmission line, the fourth signal line 731 and The transmission line 400 is electrically connected.
  • the liquid crystal phase shifter may include multiple phase adjustment units, each of the phase adjustment units corresponds to one or more of the phase control electrodes 500, and each phase adjustment unit and the transmission line 400 After the voltage is applied to form an electric field, the liquid crystal layer is driven to deflect and the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal layer is changed. Therefore, the phase of the microwave signal can be changed, and the phase control electrodes and transmission lines in different phase adjustment units are adjusted accordingly after voltage is applied.
  • the phase shift amount of is different, that is, each phase adjustment unit adjusts a phase shift amount correspondingly, so when the phase shift amount is adjusted, the corresponding phase adjustment unit applies voltage according to the magnitude of the phase shift to be adjusted, and There is no need to apply voltage to all the phase adjustment units, so that the phase shifter in this embodiment is convenient to control and consumes less power.
  • each phase control electrode 500 in each phase adjustment unit may be controlled by the same third signal line 730.
  • the same third signal line 730 it is also possible to use the same third signal line 730 to control each phase control electrode in different phase adjustment units according to actual requirements.
  • the embodiment of the present disclosure also provides an antenna, including the liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the antenna provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can also bring about the beneficial effects brought by the liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, which will not be repeated here.
  • an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal phase shifter, which is used to manufacture the phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the method includes:
  • Step S1 providing a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200;
  • Step S2 forming a transmission line 400 on the first substrate 100, and forming a phase control electrode 500 on the second substrate 200;
  • Step S3 disposing a liquid crystal layer 300 between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, wherein the area where the transmission line 400 is located is divided into at least two sub-wiring areas with different transmission line wiring directions according to the wiring direction;
  • the liquid crystal layer 300 is configured such that in each of the sub-wiring areas, the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 300 and the wiring direction of the transmission line 400 maintain the same predetermined relationship; the predetermined relationship includes :
  • the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is parallel to the routing direction of the transmission line 400, or the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line 400.
  • the liquid crystal layer 300 is oriented and aligned according to the routing direction of the transmission line 400, so that at each sub-region of the transmission line 400 with different routing directions, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is the same as that of the transmission line 400.
  • Direction matching that is, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer 300 and the routing direction of the transmission line 400 always maintain the same predetermined relationship, for example, the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal and the routing direction of the transmission line 400 always remain parallel or always Vertical, so that the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal at each sub-region of the transmission line 400 remains consistent, and the performance consistency of the liquid crystal phase shifter is greatly improved.
  • step S3 specifically includes:
  • Step S31 forming a first alignment film 601 on the transmission line 400 of the first substrate 100, and forming a second alignment film 602 on the phase control electrode 500 of the second substrate 200;
  • Step S32 The area where the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are located is divided into a plurality of sub-alignment areas according to the routing direction of the transmission line 400, where the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are located In the region, the region corresponding to the sub-wiring regions with the same and opposite wiring directions is used as a sub-alignment region, and the different sub-alignment regions are respectively aligned, so that the liquid crystal layer 300 is configured as: In the sub-wiring area, the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer 300 and the wiring direction of the transmission line 400 maintain the same predetermined relationship; the predetermined relationship includes: the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal and the alignment direction of the transmission line 400; The routing direction of the transmission line 400 is parallel or the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line 400.
  • the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are respectively provided on the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are used to make the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer 300 It is simple and reliable to carry out zoning alignment.
  • step S32 specifically includes:
  • Step S321 When aligning any sub-alignment area, use a mask to block other sub-alignment areas except the current sub-alignment area, expose the current sub-alignment area, and align the current sub-alignment area. After the alignment is completed, remove The mask;
  • Step S322 Repeat the above step S321 to align the next sub-alignment area until the alignment step of the sub-alignment area is completed.
  • a mask when aligning a certain sub-alignment area of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602, a mask can be used to cover the other areas, and only the sub-alignment area is aligned according to the initial alignment direction of the liquid crystal.
  • the shielding plate is removed, and the next sub-alignment area is aligned.
  • the transmission line 400 has a U-shaped wiring direction, including a first sub-wiring area I, a second sub-wiring area II, and a third sub-wiring area connected in sequence.
  • the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the portion of the liquid crystal layer 300 corresponding to the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V is the first direction F1;
  • the transmission line of the third sub-wiring area III is routed
  • the line direction is perpendicular to the line direction of the transmission line in the first sub-wiring area I, the initial liquid crystal alignment direction of the portion of the liquid crystal layer 300 corresponding to the third sub-wiring area III is the second direction F2, and the first The second direction F2 is perpendicular to the first direction F1;
  • the second sub-wiring area II is connected at the corner of the first sub-wiring area I and the third sub-wiring area III, and the second There is a first included angle ⁇ between the sub-wiring area II and the transmission line direction of the
  • the method includes:
  • the first sub-wiring area I and the fifth sub-wiring area V are opposite because the transmission line wiring directions are opposite, the first sub-wiring area I,
  • the area corresponding to the fifth sub-wiring area V serves as a sub-alignment area, that is, the first sub-alignment area, the area corresponding to the second sub-wiring area II serves as the second sub-alignment area, and the third sub-wiring area
  • the area corresponding to the line area III serves as the third sub-alignment area
  • the area corresponding to the fourth sub-wiring area IV serves as the fourth sub-alignment area;
  • the first mask plate 710 as shown in FIG. 8 is used to shield at least other sub-alignment areas except the first sub-alignment area, and the first sub-alignment area is aligned along the first direction F1, wherein the liquid crystal is initially aligned When the direction is perpendicular to the routing direction of the transmission line 400, the first direction F1 is shown by the arrow in the figure, or the first sub-alignment area is aligned in a direction opposite to the first direction F1. After the alignment is completed, remove The first mask plate completes the alignment of the first sub-alignment area;
  • the second mask 720 as shown in FIG. 9 is used to shield at least other sub-alignment areas except the third sub-alignment area, and the third sub-alignment area is aligned along the second direction F2, where the liquid crystal is initially aligned
  • the second direction F2 is shown by the arrow in the figure, or the second sub-alignment area is aligned in a direction opposite to the second direction F2.
  • the third mask plate 730 as shown in FIG. 10 is used to shield at least other sub-alignment areas except the second sub-alignment area, and the second sub-alignment area is aligned along the third direction F3, wherein the liquid crystal is initially aligned
  • the third direction F3 is as shown by the arrow in the figure, or the second sub-alignment area is aligned in a direction opposite to the third direction F3.
  • the fourth mask plate 740 as shown in FIG. 11 is used to at least cover other sub-alignment regions except the fourth sub-alignment region, and the fourth sub-alignment region is aligned along the fourth direction F4, wherein the liquid crystal is initially aligned
  • the fourth direction F4 is as shown by the arrow in the figure, or the fourth sub-alignment area is aligned in a direction opposite to the fourth direction F4. After the alignment is completed, remove The fourth mask.
  • the mask can be made of thin-layer plastics, tapes, polyimide materials and other materials that have a relatively thin thickness and can be peeled off.
  • the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 are aligned by rubbing alignment or photo alignment.
  • the material of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 may be a rubbing alignment material, such as PI film (polyimide film).
  • the rubbing alignment process is used to align the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film
  • the area of the second alignment film 602 that is not blocked by the mask is used for orientation alignment; or, the material of the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 may also be a photo-alignment material, for example, an alignment with a photosensitive agent
  • the first alignment film 601 and the second alignment film 602 include each of the sub-alignment areas corresponding to the transmission line 400, and also include transmission lines other than the area corresponding to the transmission line 400 400 outer alignment area; in the method, when any one of the sub-alignment areas is aligned, a mask is used to expose the current sub-alignment area and the transmission line 400 outer alignment area, so as to align the current sub-alignment area and the The outer alignment area of the transmission line 400 is aligned at the same time.
  • the above solution is adopted.
  • the alignment direction can be with any sub-alignment area.
  • the alignment direction of the regions is the same.
  • the first mask only shields the second sub-alignment area, the third sub-alignment area, and the fourth sub-alignment area, and the first sub-alignment area and the None of the outer alignment areas of the transmission line 400 is blocked, so that the alignment direction of the outer alignment area of the transmission line 400 is the same as the alignment direction of the first sub-alignment area.
  • the alignment direction of the outer alignment area of the transmission line 400 is the same as the alignment direction of the first sub-alignment area.
  • the outer alignment area of the transmission line 400 The alignment direction may also be consistent with the alignment direction of any one of the second, third, and fourth sub-alignment regions.

Landscapes

  • Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)

Abstract

本公开提供一种液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法。所述液晶移相器包括：相对设置的第一基板和第二基板；设置于所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间的液晶层；设置在所述第一基板靠近所述液晶层的一侧的传输线。所述传输线所在区域包括至少两个子走线区域，所述至少两个子走线区域中的所述传输线的走线方向彼此不同。所述液晶层被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向之间均保持相同的预定关系。

Description

液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法
相关申请的交叉引用
本公开主张在2020年3月9日在中国提交的中国专利申请No.202010157019.2的优先权，其全部内容通过引用包含于此。
技术领域
本公开涉及电磁波技术领域，尤其涉及一种移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法。
背景技术
移相器是能够对电磁波的相位进行调整的装置，在雷达、导弹姿态控制、加速器、通信、仪器仪表甚至于音乐等领域都有着广泛的应用。液晶移相器用于基于液晶在不同电场强度下介电常数不同的特性，通过改变传输线与地之间的电压，改变二者间的液晶介电常数调制电磁波信号相位。
在相关技术中，当利用液晶移相器制备液晶阵列天线时，对阵列天线之间的间距有要求，一般为0.5λ-0.6λ。为了满足该要求，需要每个天线单元下的液晶移相器的可布局面积仅为0.5*0.5λ 2，所以需要将传输线进行一定的排布，例如蛇形走线排布，传输线采用CPW(Coplanar Waveguide，共面波导)模式，按照传输线的走线方向划分的不同区域，电场方向不同。然而，在液晶移相器的液晶盒中，液晶位于传输线与相控电极之间，且液晶的初始排布状态在各个区域都是一致的。
对于微波信号来说，当其电场方向垂直于液晶的短轴方向时，此时介电常数取短轴值；当电场方向平行于液晶的长轴方向时，此时液晶介电常数取长轴值。因此，在液晶移相器中，按照走线方向，传输线所在区域可划分为具有不同走线方向的多个子走线区域，在各子走线区域的液晶介电常数不同，由此造成最终液晶相控阵天线系统的性能恶化。
发明内容
本公开的目的在于提供一种液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法。
第一方面，本公开提供了一种液晶移相器，包括：
相对设置的第一基板和第二基板；
设置于所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间的液晶层；
设置在所述第一基板靠近所述液晶层的一侧的传输线，
其中，所述传输线所在区域包括至少两个子走线区域，所述至少两个子走线区域中的所述传输线的走线方向彼此不同；
所述液晶层被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向之间均保持相同的预定关系。
可选地，所述液晶移相器还包括：设置在所述第二基板靠近所述液晶层的一侧的相控电极。
可选地，所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向垂直。
可选地，所述第一基板和所述第二基板上分别设有用于对所述液晶层进行配向的第一配向膜和第二配向膜，其中，所述第一和第二配向膜的与每一所述子走线区域对应的部分的配向方向与该子走线区域内的传输线走线方向之间均保持相同的所述预定关系。
可选地，所述第一配向膜设置在所述液晶层的远离所述相控电极的表面上，所述传输线设置在所述第一配向膜上；
所述第二配向膜设置在所述液晶层的远离所述传输线的表面上，所述相控电极设置在所述第二配向膜上。
可选地，所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜的材料为摩擦配向材料或光配向材料。
可选地，所述传输线所在的区域至少包括五个子走线区域，所述五个子走线区域依次连接呈U形走线。
可选地，所述五个子走线区域包括依次连接的第一子走线区域、第二子走线区域、第三子走线区域、第三子走线区域、第四子走线区域和第五子走线区域；其中，
所述第一子走线区域与所述第五子走线区域的传输线走线方向相反，所 述液晶层中对应所述第一子走线区域和所述第五子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第一方向；
所述第三子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域的传输线走线方向垂直，所述液晶层对应所述第三子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第二方向，所述第二方向与所述第一方向垂直；
所述第二子走线区域连接在所述第一子走线区域和所述第三子走线区域的拐角处，所述第二子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域的传输线走线方向之间具有第一夹角，所述液晶层对应所述第二子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第三方向，所述第三方向与所述第一方向之间具有所述第一夹角；
所述第四子走线区域连接在所述第三子走线区域和所述第五子走线区域的拐角处，所述第四子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第五子走线区域的传输线走线方向之间具有第二夹角，所述液晶层对应所述第四子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第四方向，所述第四方向与所述第一方向之间具有所述第二夹角。
可选地，所述第一夹角为45°；
所述第二夹角为45°。
可选地，所述传输线为共面波导传输线，包括：
中心带，位于所述第一基板的靠近所述液晶层的侧面上；
两条接地带，分设于所述中心带的两侧，并与所述中心带的走线方向一致。
可选地，所述液晶移相器还包括：
用于向所述传输线上输入高频信号的第一信号线，所述第一信号线连接于所述传输线的信号输入端；
用于从所述传输线上输出高频信号的第二信号线，所述第二信号线连接于所述传输线的信号输出端；
其中，在所述第一信号线和所述传输线的信号输入端之间、以及所述第二信号线和所述传输线的信号输出端之间均设有阻抗变换器。
可选地，所述液晶移相器还包括：
用于向所述相控电极周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第三信号线，所述第三信号线与所述相控电极电连接；
用于向所述传输线周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第四信号线，所述第四信号线与所述传输线电连接。
可选地，所述液晶层包括：未设置所述传输线的区域所对应的传输线外液晶部分，所述传输线外液晶部分的液晶初始配向方向与任一所述子走线区域所对应的所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向相同。
第二方面，本公开提供一种天线，包括上述的液晶移相器。
第三方面，本公开提供一种用于制造上述的液晶移相器的制造方法，包括：
提供第一基板和第二基板；
在所述第一基板上形成传输线；
在所述第二基板上形成相控电极；
在所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间设置液晶层。
可选地，所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向垂直。
可选地，所述在所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间设置液晶层包括：
在所述第一基板的所述传输线上形成第一配向膜，在所述第二基板的所述相控电极上形成第二配向膜；
将所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜所在区域根据所述传输线的走线方向分为至少两个子配向区域，其中，在所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜所在区域中，传输线走线方向相同和相反的子走线区域所对应的区域，作为一个子配向区域，对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向，以使得所述液晶层被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向之间均保持所述预定关系。
可选地，采用摩擦配向或者光配向方式对所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜进行配向。
可选地，所述对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向包括：
对任一子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板遮挡住除当前子配向区域之 外的其他子配向区域，暴露当前子配向区域，对当前子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述掩模板；
重复上述步骤，对下一子配向区域进行配向，直至完成所述子配向区域的配向。
可选地，所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜中还包括：除所述传输线所对应的区域之外的传输线外配向区域；
在任一所述子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板暴露出当前所述子配向区域和所述传输线外配向区域，以对当前子配向区域和所述传输线外配向区域同时进行配向。
附图说明
图1表示传输线周期性并联加载可变电容的等效电路图；
图2表示相关技术中液晶移相器的一种传输线走线方向示意图；
图3表示相关技术中一种液晶移相器沿图2A-A向剖视断面示意图；
图4表示液晶介电常数与电场关系示意图；
图5表示不同液晶排布方式对移相器性能影响示意图；
图6表示本公开实施例中提供的一种液晶移相器的第一基板上传输线的走线方向示意图；
图7表示本公开实施例中的液晶移相器沿图6中B-B向剖视断面示意图之一；
图8表示第一掩模板的示意图；
图9表示第二掩模板的示意图；
图10表示第三掩模板的示意图；
图11表示第四掩模板的示意图；
图12表示本公开实施例中的液晶移相器沿图6中B-B向剖视断面示意图之二。
具体实施方式
为使本公开实施例的目的、技术方案和优点更加清楚，下面将结合本公 开实施例的附图，对本公开实施例的技术方案进行清楚、完整地描述。显然，所描述的实施例是本公开的一部分实施例，而不是全部的实施例。基于所描述的本公开的实施例，本领域普通技术人员在无需创造性劳动的前提下所获得的所有其他实施例，都属于本公开保护的范围。
除非另外定义，本公开使用的技术术语或者科学术语应当为本公开所属领域内具有一般技能的人士所理解的通常意义。本公开中使用的“第一”、“第二”以及类似的词语并不表示任何顺序、数量或者重要性，而只是用来区分不同的组成部分。同样，“一个”、“一”或者“该”等类似词语也不表示数量限制，而是表示存在至少一个。“包括”或者“包含”等类似的词语意指出现该词前面的元件或者物件涵盖出现在该词后面列举的元件或者物件及其等同，而不排除其他元件或者物件。“连接”或者“相连”等类似的词语并非限定于物理的或者机械的连接，而是可以包括电性的连接，不管是直接的还是间接的。“上”、“下”、“左”、“右”等仅用于表示相对位置关系，当被描述对象的绝对位置改变后，则该相对位置关系也可能相应地改变。
在对本公开实施例提供的液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法进行详细说明之前，有必要对相关技术进行以下说明：
在相关技术中，传输线周期性并联加载可变电容，可通过改变可变电容的容值，实现相位的变化，其等效电路模型如图1所示，其中Lt、Ct为传输线等效的线电感和线电容，取决于传输线及基板的特性；可变电容Cvar(V)可以通过MEMS(Micro-Electro-Mechanical System，微型电子机械系统)电容、可变二极管电容等来实现。
液晶移相器是通过压控液晶，来实现平板电容的电容值改变，其结构图如图3所示，在上基板30的下表面制备可变平板电容的上电极50，下基板40的上表面制备传输线10，该传输线10采用CPW(共面波导)模式，上电极50与CPW传输线10之间为液晶层20，上电极50与CPW传输线10空间重合的区域，即形成平板电容，该电容垂直于电磁波传输方向，因此形成并联电容，具有如图1的等效电路模型。根据其原理及图1等效电路模型，该结构液晶移相器为传输线按照一定周期的加载并联电容，因此，在设计时需要确保两点：1)每个周期里传输线特性完全一致；2)每个周期里可变电容 值完全一致。
当利用该结构的液晶移相器制备液晶阵列天线时，对阵列天线之间的间距有要求，一般为0.5λ～0.6λ。为了满足该要求，需要每个天线单元下的液晶移相器的可布局面积仅为大约0.5*0.5λ 2，所以需要将传输线进行一定的排布，例如，图2中所示，传输线10按照走线方向可分为5个部分，即部分I、II、III、IV、V，图中箭头所示为各部分的液晶初始排布方向。图3所示的液晶移相器断面结构中，液晶层20位于上基板30、下基板40之间，因此在传输线10各部分对应的液晶层的液晶初始排布状态是一致的，如图2中箭头所示为传输线I、II、III、IV、V各部分的液晶初始排布方向。
根据图4中所示，对于微波信号来说，当其电场方向垂直于液晶的长轴方向时，此时介电常数取短轴值；当电场方向平行于液晶的长轴方向时，此时介电常数取长轴值。因此，若在图3的方案中液晶沿水平方向排布(即液晶初始排布方向与I、V部分的传输线走线方向一致)，此时I、V部分的液晶介电常数取值为短轴值，II、IV部分的液晶介电常数取值为中间态，III部分的液晶介电常数取值为长轴，对应的仿真结果如图5中b曲线所示，由此，传输线在走线方向不同的各子走线区域内，液晶介电常数不一致，插损较大，会造成最终液晶相控阵天线系统的性能恶化。
为了解决上述问题，本公开实施例提供了一种液晶移相器、天线及液晶移相器的制造方法，能够使得液晶移相器的性能一致性得到较大改善。
如图6和图7所示，本公开实施例所提供的液晶移相器包括：
相对设置的第一基板100和第二基板200；
设置于所述第一基板100和所述第二基板200之间的液晶层300；
设置在所述第一基板100靠近所述液晶层300的一侧的传输线400；
设置在所述第二基板200靠近所述液晶层300的一侧的相控电极500；
其中，传输线400所在区域按照走线方向，划分为具有不同走线方向的至少两个子走线区域；所述液晶层300被配置为：每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向之间均保持预定关系。
其中所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走 线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向垂直。
上述方案中，根据所述传输线400的走线方向，对液晶层300进行分区定向配向，使得在传输线400具有不同走线方向的各个子走线区域处，液晶初始配向方向均与传输线400的走线方向匹配，也就是说，使得液晶层300中液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向始终保持预定关系，例如，液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向始终保持平行、或者始终保持垂直，从而，使得传输线400各子走线区域处的液晶介电常数保持一致，液晶移相器的性能一致性得到较大改善。
以下对本公开提供的液晶移相器进行详细说明。
在本公开实施例中提供的液晶移相器中，如图6所示，所述第一基板100和所述第二基板200上分别设有用于对所述液晶层300进行配向的第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602中与各所述子走线区域对应的部分被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602的配向方向与当前子走线区域内的传输线400走线方向之间均保持相同的所述预定关系。
上述方案中，通过在第一基板100和第二基板200上分别设置第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602，并利用第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602使液晶层300中的液晶进行分区配向，简单可靠。例如，如图7中所示，第一配向膜601设置在液晶层300的远离相控电极500的表面上，传输线400设置在第一配向膜601上；第二配向膜602设置在液晶层300的远离传输线400的表面上，相控电极500设置在第二配向膜上602上。
例如，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602的材料可以是摩擦配向材料，例如PI(Polyimide，聚酰亚胺)膜，在工艺制造中，通过摩擦配向工艺，来对第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602进行配向，使得第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602均对应于不同的传输线400子区域，沿不同方向进行配向；或者，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602的材料还可以是光配向材料，在工艺制造中，可采用光配向工艺，来对第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602进行配向，使得第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602均对应于不同的传输线400子区域，沿不同方向进行配向。
对于所述传输线400来说，当利用该结构的液晶移相器制备液晶阵列天线时，由于阵列天线之间的间距有要求，一般为0.5λ～0.6λ，为了满足该要求，需要每个天线单元下的液晶移相器的可布局面积仅为0.5*0.5λ 2，所以需要将传输线400进行一定的排布，其走线方向可以是蛇形走线等。
例如，在一种示例性的实施例中，如图6所示，所述传输线400至少包括五个子走线区域，且所述五个子走线区域的传输线走线方向各不相同，可依次连接呈U形走线。当然可以理解的是，所述五个子走线区域也可以连接呈其他形状，例如，Z字形等；还可以理解的是，所述传输线400的子走线区域的具体数量不限，例如，还可以是包括两个传输线走线方向不同的子走线区域。
需要说明的是，在本公开中，传输线的走线方向，是以传输线上的信号传输方向作为传输线的走线方向，例如，对于平行设置的两个子走线区域，传输线走线方向相同，是指传输线的信号传输方向相同，传输线走线方向相反，是指传输线的信号传输方向相反。
在一种示例性的实施例中，以所述五个子走线区域连接呈U形走线为例，所述五个子走线区域包括依次连接的第一子走线区域I、第二子走线区域II、第三子走线区域III、第四子走线区域IV和第五子走线区域V；其中，所述第一子走线区域I与所述第五子走线区域V的传输线走线方向相反，所述液晶层300中对应所述第一子走线区域I和所述第五子走线区域V的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第一方向F1；所述第三子走线区域III的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域I的传输线走线方向垂直，所述液晶层300对应所述第三子走线区域III的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第二方向F2，所述第二方向F2与所述第一方向F1垂直；所述第二子走线区域II连接在所述第一子走线区域I和所述第三子走线区域III的拐角处，所述第二子走线区域II与所述第一子走线区域I的传输线走线方向之间具有第一夹角α，所述液晶层300对应所述第二子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第三方向F3，所述第三方向F3与所述第一方向F1之间具有所述第一夹角α；所述第四子走线区域IV连接在所述第三子走线区域III和所述第五子走线区域V的拐角处，所述第四子走线区域IV与所述第五子走线区域V的传输线走线方向之间具有 第二夹角β，所述液晶层300对应所述第四子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第四方向F4，所述第四方向F4与所述第一方向F1之间具有所述第二夹角β。
在上述方案中，所述传输线400包括第一、第二、第三、第四和第五子走线区域V，其中由图6可知，第一子走线区域I和第五子走线区域V的传输线走线方向相反(即所述第一子走线区域I与所述第五子走线区域V的信号传输方向相反)，从图6中看，所述第一子走线区域I和所述第五子走线区域V均为图6中横向水平设置的两个子走线区域，第三子走线区域III的传输线走线方向与第一子走线区域I、第五子走线区域V垂直，从图6中看，为竖向设置的子走线区域，而第二子走线区域II和第四子走线区域IV分别位于所述U形走线的两个拐角处，从图6中看，与水平方向之间分别具有第一夹角α和第二夹角β。
为了使得液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向始终保持相同的预定关系，以液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向始终垂直为例，此时，各子走线区域对应的液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向如图6所示：
第一子走线区域I和第五子走线区域V的液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向为第一方向F1(图6中所示第一子走线区域I、第五子走线区域V内的液晶初始配向方向为竖直方向)；
第三子走线区域III的液晶初始配向方向为第二方向F2(图6中所示第三子走线区域III内的液晶初始配向方向为水平方向)；
第二子走线区域II的液晶初始配向方向为第三方向F3(图6所示第二子走线区域II的液晶初始配向方向为与第一方向F1的走线方向之间具有夹角，该夹角角度与所述第一夹角α相同)，
第四子走线区域IV的液晶初始配向方向为第四方向F4(图6所示第四子走线区域IV的液晶初始配向方向为与第一方向F1的走线方向之间具有夹角，该夹角角度与所述第二夹角β相同)。
需要说明的是，以上示例是以液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向始终保持垂直为例，在实际应用中，根据实际需求，也可以是液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向始终保持平行。
还需要说明的是，由于当液晶初始配向方向与传输线走线方向一致时，其插损波动要比液晶初始配向方向垂直于传输线走线方向时的插损大，因此，在发明实施例中，可选地，在每一所述子走线区域，所述液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向垂直，有利于降低插损。
此外，在本公开所提供的实施例中，所述第二子走线区域II和所述第四子走线区域IV为U形拐角的两个拐角区域，这两个拐角区域的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域I的传输线走线方向之间的关系可根据实际应用中阵列天线下液晶移相器的可布局面积等进行设计，对此不限定，例如，所述第一夹角α可以为45°，所述第二夹角β可以为45°。
此外，在本公开所提供的液晶移相器可选是应用于共面波导(CPW)周期负载可变电容液晶移相器。
在一种示例性的实施例中，如图6和图7所示，所述传输线400为共面波导(CPW)传输线400，包括：中心带410，所述中心带410为信号线，位于所述第一基板100的靠近所述液晶层300的侧面上；及，两条接地带420，分设于所述中心带410的两侧，并与所述中心带410的走线方向一致。当然可以理解的是，所述传输线400也可以是其他模式传输线400。
此外，在一种示例性的实施例中，所述液晶层300还包括：未设置所述传输线400的区域所对应的传输线外液晶部分，所述传输线外液晶部分的液晶初始配向方向与任一所述子走线区域所对应的所述液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向相同。
采用上述方案，所述液晶层300中，除所述传输线400所对应区域之外的其他区域，也就是所述传输线外液晶部分，液晶初始配向方向可以是与所述传输线400任一子走线区域的液晶初始配向方向相同。
此外，图5中a曲线为本公开实施例提供的液晶移相器中各子走线区域中液晶初始配向方向均垂直于传输线走线方向时的损耗仿真结果示意图，b曲线为液晶沿图3中水平方向排布(即液晶初始排布方向与I、V部分的传输线走线方向一致)时的损耗仿真结果示意图。从图5中可以看出，液晶沿图3中水平方向排布(即液晶初始排布方向与I、V部分的传输线走线方向一致)时，其插损波动要比各子走线区域中液晶初始配向方向均垂直于传输线走线 方向时的插损大约3dB，由此可见，本公开实施例提供的液晶移相器的性能一致性得到较大改善。
此外，需要说明的是，本公开实施例所提供的液晶移相器中，微波信号为高频信号，周期加载并联电容的控制信号为低频信号，因此，微波信号传输时和电容加载时的控制信号不同。基于此，本公开实施例中所提供的液晶移相器中还包括：
用于向所述传输线400上输入高频信号的第一信号线710，所述第一信号线700连接于所述传输线400的信号输入端；
及，用于从所述传输线400上输出高频信号的第二信号线720，所述第二信号线720连接于所述传输线400的信号输出端；
其中，在所述第一信号线710和所述传输线400的信号输入端之间、以及所述第二信号线720和所述传输线400的信号输出端之间均设有阻抗变换器900。
采用上述方案，在负载(例如，天线)和传输线的接触处，若两者的阻抗不相同，驻波比(驻波)不为1，即有回波损耗，使性能下降，因此需要做好阻抗匹配，通过设置阻抗变换器900使得第二信号线720和所述传输线之间进行阻抗匹配；同样地，在高频信号输入元件和传输线的接触处，若两者的阻抗不相同，驻波比(驻波)不为1，即有回波损耗，使性能下降，因此需要做好阻抗匹配，通过设置阻抗变换器900使得所述第一信号线710和所述传输线400之间进行阻抗匹配。
此外，还需要说明的是，所述阻抗变换器900可以包括：第一连接部分910、转换部分920和第二连接部分930，所述转换部分920为直径渐变的圆柱体结构，其连接所述第一连接部分910的一端内径大于连接所述第二连接部分920的一端；其中，所述第一信号线710和所述传输线400的信号输入端之间的阻抗变换器中，其第一连接部分910发射的信号经所述转换部分920进行阻抗变换，然后传递给所述第二连接部分930；所述第二信号线720和所述传输线400的信号输出端之间的阻抗变换器中，第二连接部分920发射的信号经所述转换部分920进行阻抗变换，然后传递给所述第一连接部分910。
其中，需要说明的是，所述阻抗变换器900与所述传输线400的中心带410连接，而与所述两条接地带420之间保留间隙。
此外，如图7所示，所述液晶移相器中还包括：用于向所述相控电极周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第三信号线730，所述第三信号线730与所述相控电极500电连接。此外，如图12中所示，所述液晶移相器中还可以包括：用于向所述传输线周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第四信号线731，所述第四信号线731与所述传输线400电连接。
此外，需要说明的是，所述液晶移相器中可包括多个相位调整单元，每一所述相位调整单元中对应一个或多个所述相控电极500，每个相位调整单元和传输线400在被施加电压形成电场后，驱动液晶层偏转，改变液晶层的介电常数，因此，可以改变微波信号的相位，且不同的相位调整单元中相控电极和传输线在被施加电压后，对应调整的相移量是不同，也即每一个相位调整单元则对应调整一个相移量，故可以在相移量调整时，根据要调整的相移量的大小控制相应的相位调整单元施加电压，而无需对所有的相位调整单元施加电压，从而使得本实施例中的移相器方便控制，且功耗较小。
此外，为了方便控制，以及布线简单，每个相位调整单元中的各个相控电极500可采用同一第三信号线730进行控制。当然，也可以根据实际需求，不同相位调整单元中的各个相控电极采用同一第三信号线730进行控制。
此外，本公开实施例还提供了一种天线，包括本公开实施例提供的液晶移相器。显然，本公开实施例所提供的天线也能够带来本公开实施例所提供的液晶移相器所带来的有益效果，在此不再赘述。
此外，本公开实施例中还提供了一种液晶移相器的制造方法，用于制造本公开实施例所提供的移相器，所述方法包括：
步骤S1、提供第一基板100和第二基板200；
步骤S2、在所述第一基板100上形成传输线400，在所述第二基板200上形成相控电极500；
步骤S3、在所述第一基板100和所述第二基板200之间设置液晶层300，其中传输线400所在区域按照走线方向，划分为具有不同传输线走线方向的至少两个子走线区域；所述液晶层300被配置为：每一所述子走线区域内， 所述液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向之间均保持相同的预定关系；所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向垂直。
上述方案中，根据所述传输线400的走线方向，对液晶层300进行分区定向配向，而使得在传输线400具有不同走线方向的各个子区域处，液晶初始配向方向均与传输线400的走线方向匹配，也就是说，使得液晶层300中液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向始终保持相同的预定关系，例如，液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向始终保持平行，或者始终保持垂直，从而使得传输线400各子区域处的液晶介电常数保持一致，液晶移相器的性能一致性得到较大改善。
所述方法中，示例性的，上述步骤S3具体包括：
步骤S31、在所述第一基板100的所述传输线400上形成第一配向膜601，在所述第二基板200的所述相控电极500上形成第二配向膜602；
步骤S32、将所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602所在区域根据所述传输线400的走线方向分为多个子配向区域，其中所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602所在的区域中，走线方向相同和相反的子走线区域所对应的区域，作为一个子配向区域，对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向，以使得所述液晶层300被配置为：每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层300的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向之间均保持相同的预定关系；所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线400的走线方向垂直。
上述方案中，通过在第一基板100和第二基板200上分别设置第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602，并利用第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602使液晶层300中的液晶进行分区配向，简单可靠。
具体地，步骤S32中所述对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向，具体包括：
步骤S321、对任一子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板遮挡住除当前子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，暴露当前子配向区域，对当前子配向区域 进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述掩模板；
步骤S322、重复上述步骤S321，对下一子配向区域进行配向，直至完成所述子配向区域的配向步骤。
采用上述方案，对第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602中某一子配向区域进行配向时，可以采用掩模板来遮挡住其他区域，仅对该子配向区域根据液晶初始配向方向进行配向，当该子配向区域配向完成后，去除遮挡板，对下一子配向区域进行配向。
以图所示的液晶移相器为例，所述传输线400至少一部分走线方向为U形走线，包括依次连接的第一子走线区域I、第二子走线区域II、第三子走线区域III、第四子走线区域IV和第五子走线区域V，其中，所述第一子走线区域I与所述第五子走线区域V的传输线走线方向相反，所述液晶层300中对应所述第一子走线区域I和所述第五子走线区域V的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第一方向F1；所述第三子走线区域III的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域I的传输线走线方向垂直，所述液晶层300对应所述第三子走线区域III的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第二方向F2，所述第二方向F2与所述第一方向F1垂直；所述第二子走线区域II连接在所述第一子走线区域I和所述第三子走线区域III的拐角处，所述第二子走线区域II与所述第一子走线区域I的传输线走线方向之间具有第一夹角α，所述液晶层300对应所述第二子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第三方向F3，所述第三方向F3与所述第一方向F1之间具有所述第一夹角α；所述第四子走线区域IV连接在所述第三子走线区域III和所述第五子走线区域V的拐角处，所述第四子走线区域IV与所述第五子走线区域V的传输线走线方向之间具有第二夹角β，所述液晶层300对应所述第四子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第四方向F4，所述第四方向F4与所述第一方向F1之间具有所述第二夹角β。
对图7所示的液晶移相器进行配向时，所述方法包括：
将所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602中，所述第一子走线区域I和第五子走线区域V由于传输线走线方向相反，所述第一子走线区域I、第五子走线区域V所对应的区域作为一个子配向区域，即第一子配向区域，所述第二子走线区域II所对应的区域作为第二子配向区域，所述第三子走线区域 III所对应的区域作为第三子配向区域，所述第四子走线区域IV所对应的区域作为第四子配向区域；
利用如图8所示的第一掩模板710至少遮挡住除所述第一子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，沿第一方向F1对第一子配向区域进行配向，其中以液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向垂直时，所述第一方向F1如图中箭头所示，或者沿与第一方向F1相反的方向对所述第一子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述第一掩模板，完成所述第一子配向区域的配向；
利用如图9所示的第二掩模板720至少遮挡住除所述第三子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，沿第二方向F2对第三子配向区域进行配向，其中以液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向垂直时，所述第二方向F2如图中箭头所示，或者沿与第二方向F2相反的方向对所述第二子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述第二掩模板；
利用如图10所示的第三掩模板730至少遮挡住除所述第二子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，沿第三方向F3对第二子配向区域进行配向，其中以液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向垂直时，所述第三方向F3如图中箭头所示，或者沿与第三方向F3相反的方向对所述第二子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述第二掩模板；
利用如图11所示的第四掩模板740至少遮挡住除所述第四子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，沿第四方向F4对第四子配向区域进行配向，其中以液晶初始配向方向与传输线400的走线方向垂直时，所述第四方向F4如图中箭头所示，或者沿与第四方向F4相反的方向对所述第四子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述第四掩模板。
需要说明的是，在上述方案中，所述掩模板可以选用薄层塑料、胶带、聚酰亚胺材料等具有较薄厚度、且可剥离除去的材料。
还需要说明的是，在上述方法中，采用摩擦配向或者光配向方式对所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602进行配向。
上述方案中，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602的材料可以是摩擦配向材料，例如PI膜(聚酰亚胺薄膜)，通过摩擦配向工艺，来对第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602中未被掩模板遮挡住的区域，以进行定向配向；或 者，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602的材料还可以是光配向材料，例如，具有感光剂的配向剂材料，利用如图8-11所示的各掩模板对各子配向区域进行配向时，直接利用紫外线照射所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602中未被掩模板所遮挡住的区域，以进行定向配向，从而实现不同子配向区域的不同方向的配向需求。
此外，上述方案中，所述第一配向膜601和第二配向膜602包括与所述传输线400所对应的各所述子配向区域，还包括除所述传输线400所对应的区域之外的传输线400外配向区域；所述方法中，在任一所述子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板暴露出当前所述子配向区域和所述传输线400外配向区域，以对当前子配向区域和所述传输线400外配向区域同时进行配向。
采用上述方案采用上述方案，所述配向膜中，除所述传输线400所对应的各子配向区域之外的其他区域，也就是所述传输线400外配向区域，配向方向可以是与任一子配向区域的配向方向相同。
以图8所示为例，所述第一掩模板仅遮挡住所述第二子配向区域、所述第三子配向区域和所述第四子配向区域，而所述第一子配向区域和所述传输线400外配向区域均未遮挡，以使得所述传输线400外配向区域的配向方向与所述第一子配向区域的配向方向相同。
当然可以理解的是，以上仅是以所述传输线400外配向区域的配向方向与所述第一子配向区域的配向方向相同为例进行说明，在实际应用中，所述传输线400外配向区域的配向方向还可以是与所述第二、第三和第四子配向区域中任一子配向区域的配向方向一致。
有以下几点需要说明：
(1)本公开实施例附图只涉及到与本公开实施例涉及到的结构，其他结构可参考通常设计。
(2)为了清晰起见，在用于描述本公开的实施例的附图中，层或区域的厚度被放大或缩小，即这些附图并非按照实际的比例绘制。可以理解，当诸如层、膜、区域或基板之类的元件被称作位于另一元件“上”或“下”时，该元件可以“直接”位于另一元件“上”或“下”或者可以存在中间元件。
(3)在不冲突的情况下，本公开的实施例及实施例中的特征可以相互组 合以得到新的实施例。
以上所述，仅为本公开的具体实施方式，但本公开的保护范围并不局限于此，本公开的保护范围应以权利要求的保护范围为准。

Claims (20)

  1. 一种液晶移相器，包括：
    相对设置的第一基板和第二基板；
    设置于所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间的液晶层；
    设置在所述第一基板靠近所述液晶层的一侧的传输线，
    其中，所述传输线所在区域包括至少两个子走线区域，所述至少两个子走线区域中的所述传输线的走线方向彼此不同；
    所述液晶层被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向之间均保持相同的预定关系。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的液晶移相器，还包括：设置在所述第二基板靠近所述液晶层的一侧的相控电极。
  3. 根据权利要求2所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向垂直。
  4. 根据权利要求2所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述第一基板和所述第二基板上分别设有用于对所述液晶层进行配向的第一配向膜和第二配向膜，其中，所述第一和第二配向膜的与每一所述子走线区域对应的部分的配向方向与该子走线区域内的传输线走线方向之间均保持相同的所述预定关系。
  5. 根据权利要求4所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述第一配向膜设置在所述液晶层的远离所述相控电极的表面上，所述传输线设置在所述第一配向膜上；
    所述第二配向膜设置在所述液晶层的远离所述传输线的表面上，所述相控电极设置在所述第二配向膜上。
  6. 根据权利要求4所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜的材料为摩擦配向材料或光配向材料。
  7. 根据权利要求4所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述传输线所在的区域至少包括五个子走线区域，所述五个子走线区域 依次连接呈U形走线。
  8. 根据权利要求7所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述五个子走线区域包括依次连接的第一子走线区域、第二子走线区域、第三子走线区域、第三子走线区域、第四子走线区域和第五子走线区域；其中，
    所述第一子走线区域与所述第五子走线区域的传输线走线方向相反，所述液晶层中对应所述第一子走线区域和所述第五子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第一方向；
    所述第三子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域的传输线走线方向垂直，所述液晶层对应所述第三子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第二方向，所述第二方向与所述第一方向垂直；
    所述第二子走线区域连接在所述第一子走线区域和所述第三子走线区域的拐角处，所述第二子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第一子走线区域的传输线走线方向之间具有第一夹角，所述液晶层对应所述第二子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第三方向，所述第三方向与所述第一方向之间具有所述第一夹角；
    所述第四子走线区域连接在所述第三子走线区域和所述第五子走线区域的拐角处，所述第四子走线区域的传输线走线方向与所述第五子走线区域的传输线走线方向之间具有第二夹角，所述液晶层对应所述第四子走线区域的部分的液晶初始配向方向为第四方向，所述第四方向与所述第一方向之间具有所述第二夹角。
  9. 根据权利要求8所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述第一夹角为45°；
    所述第二夹角为45°。
  10. 根据权利要求2所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述传输线为共面波导传输线，包括：
    中心带，位于所述第一基板的靠近所述液晶层的侧面上；
    两条接地带，分设于所述中心带的两侧，并与所述中心带的走线方向一致。
  11. 根据权利要求10所述的液晶移相器，还包括：
    用于向所述传输线上输入高频信号的第一信号线，所述第一信号线连接于所述传输线的信号输入端；
    用于从所述传输线上输出高频信号的第二信号线，所述第二信号线连接于所述传输线的信号输出端；
    其中，在所述第一信号线和所述传输线的信号输入端之间、以及所述第二信号线和所述传输线的信号输出端之间均设有阻抗变换器。
  12. 根据权利要求11所述的液晶移相器，还包括：
    用于向所述相控电极周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第三信号线，所述第三信号线与所述相控电极电连接；
    用于向所述传输线周期性地加载并联电容的控制信号的第四信号线，所述第四信号线与所述传输线电连接。
  13. 根据权利要求2所述的液晶移相器，其中，
    所述液晶层包括：未设置所述传输线的区域所对应的传输线外液晶部分，所述传输线外液晶部分的液晶初始配向方向与任一所述子走线区域所对应的所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向相同。
  14. 一种天线，包括如权利要求1至13中任一项所述的液晶移相器。
  15. 一种用于制造如权利要求1至13中任一项所述的液晶移相器的制造方法，包括：
    提供第一基板和第二基板；
    在所述第一基板上形成传输线；
    在所述第二基板上形成相控电极；
    在所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间设置液晶层。
  16. 根据权利要求15所述的制造方法，其中，
    所述预定关系包括：所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向平行、或者所述液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向垂直。
  17. 根据权利要求15所述的制造方法，其中，所述在所述第一基板和所述第二基板之间设置液晶层包括：
    在所述第一基板的所述传输线上形成第一配向膜，在所述第二基板的所 述相控电极上形成第二配向膜；
    将所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜所在区域根据所述传输线的走线方向分为至少两个子配向区域，其中，在所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜所在区域中，传输线走线方向相同和相反的子走线区域所对应的区域，作为一个子配向区域，对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向，以使得所述液晶层被配置为：在每一所述子走线区域内，所述液晶层的液晶初始配向方向与所述传输线的走线方向之间均保持所述预定关系。
  18. 根据权利要求17所述的制造方法，其中，
    采用摩擦配向或者光配向方式对所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜进行配向。
  19. 根据权利要求17所述的制造方法，其中，所述对不同所述子配向区域分别进行配向包括：
    对任一子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板遮挡住除当前子配向区域之外的其他子配向区域，暴露当前子配向区域，对当前子配向区域进行配向，配向完成后，去除所述掩模板；
    重复上述步骤，对下一子配向区域进行配向，直至完成所述子配向区域的配向。
  20. 根据权利要求19所述的制造方法，其中，
    所述第一配向膜和第二配向膜中还包括：除所述传输线所对应的区域之外的传输线外配向区域；
    在任一所述子配向区域进行配向时，采用掩模板暴露出当前所述子配向区域和所述传输线外配向区域，以对当前子配向区域和所述传输线外配向区域同时进行配向。
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