JP2005532015A - Miniature RF and microwave components and methods for manufacturing such components - Google Patents

Abstract

The elements that guide or control the RF and microwave radiation are integral and are formed from a plurality of electrodeposition operations and / or from a stack of layers of materials. These elements include switches, dielectrics, antennas, transmission lines, filters, hybrid couplers, antenna arrays, and / or other active or passive elements. This element has channels that do not allow the entry or exit of radiation useful in separating the sacrificial material from the constituent materials. Preferred forming processes include electrodeposition processing techniques (eg, selective deposition, bulk deposition, etching operations, and planarization operations) and post-deposition processes (eg, selective etching operations and / or backfill operations). Is used.

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of electrical equipment and its manufacture, and other embodiments relate to RF and microwave devices and their manufacture. In particular, embodiments of the present invention include small passive RF and microwave devices (e.g., filters, transmission lines, delay lines, etc.) manufactured at least in part using a multilayer electrodeposition technique known as electrodeposition molding. )

A technique for forming a three-dimensional structure (parts, components, devices, etc.) from a plurality of layers attached to each other is described in Adam L. Invented by Cohen and known as electrochemical molding. Research on these technologies is still ongoing commercially under the name EFAB ^™ at Mengen Corporation of Burbank, California. This technique is described in Patent Document 1 issued on February 22, 2000. This electrochemical deposition method allows selective deposition of materials using a unique masking technique including the use of a mask. In the masking technique, a mask is used that includes a conformable material patterned on a support structure that is separate from the substrate to be plated. When it is desired to perform electrodeposition using the mask, the deposition at the selected position is not performed due to the contact between the matching portion of the mask and the substrate in the presence of the plating solution. For convenience, these masks can be referred to as matched contact masks, and these masking techniques can be referred to as matched contact mask plating processes. Specifically, in the name of EFAB ^™ at Mengen Corporation of Burbank, California, the mask became known as an instant mask and the process became known as instant mask or instant mask plating. Selective deposition using a compatible contact mask can be used to form a monolayer or multilayer structure of material. Here, the 630 patent (Patent Document 1) will be described for reference. Regarding the application of Patent Document 1, the following papers have been published on adaptive contact mask plating (instant masking) and electrochemical molding (see Non-Patent Documents 1 to 9).
US Pat. No. 6,027,630 A. Cohen, G. Jang, F. Chen, F. Mansfeld, You. Phlodis, P. Written by "EFAB: Batch production of functional and sufficiently dense metal parts with microscale features", Volume 9 of Solid Freedom Molding, University of Texas, Austin, p. 161, 1998 August A. Cohen, G. Jang, F. Chen, F. Mansfeld, You. Phlodis, P. Written by Will, “EFAB: High Speed, Low Cost Desktop Micromachining with High Aspect Ratio True Three-Dimensional MEMS”, Vol. 12, IEEE, page 244 of the Micro Electromechanical System Workshop, January 1999 A. "Three-dimensional micro-cutting by electrochemical molding" written by Cohen, micro-cutting machine, March 1999 Gee. Chang, Ai. Cohen, you. Flodis, F. Chen, F. Mansfeld, Pee. Written by Will "EFAB: High-speed desktop production with true 3D microstructure", International Conference on Integrated Microstructure for Space Applications, Volume 2, Aerospace Corporation, April 1999 F. Chen, Yu. Phlodis, G. Chang, Ai. Cohen, F. Mansfeld, Pee. Written by Wille, “EFAB: 3D Metallic Microstructure with High Aspect Ratio Using a Low-cost Automated Batch Process”, Volume 3, Microstructure Technology with High Aspect Ratio (HARMST, 1999) 3rd International Workshop on June 1999 A. Cohen, you. Flodis, F. Chen, Gee. Jang, F. Mansfeld, Pee. Written by Will, “EFAB: An Inexpensive Automatic Electrochemical Batch Molding Process with Three-Dimensional Microstructure,” Micromachining and Micromachining Process Technology, SPIE, 1999 Symposium on Micromachining and Micromolding, 1999 September F. Chen, Gee. Jang, Yu. Flodis, A. Cohen, F. Mansfeld, Pee. Written by "EFAB: An occasional 3D metal microstructure with high aspect ratio using an inexpensive automated batch process", MEMS Symposium, ASME 1999 International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exhibition, November 1999 A. "Electrochemical Molding (EFABTM)" written by Cohen, Chapter 19 of the MEMS Handbook edited by Mohammed Gad-El-Hack, CRC Press, 2002 "Micro-molding-Killer application of high-speed prototyping", High-speed prototyping report, CAD / CAM publisher, June 1999

  The disclosures of these nine non-patent documents will be described below as a unit.

  Electrochemical deposition methods can be performed using the various methods described in the above patents and publications. In one form, three separate processes are performed in the process of forming each layer of the structure to be formed.

  1. At least one material is selectively deposited on one or more preferred regions of the substrate by electrodeposition.

  2. Thereafter, a full deposition is performed by electrochemical deposition of at least one additional material. This additional deposition thereby covers areas that are pre-deposited and areas of the substrate that are not pre-deposited.

  3. Finally, the thickness of the material deposited during the first and second steps is flattened. This forms a smooth surface of the preferred thickness of the first layer having at least one region containing at least one material and at least one region containing at least one additional material.

  After forming the first layer, one or more layers can be formed adjacent to the immediately preceding layer and can be adhered to the smooth surface of the immediately preceding layer. These additional layers are formed by repeating the first to third steps once or twice or more. By forming each subsequent layer, the previously formed layer and the initial substrate are treated as a new and thick substrate.

  When all layers are formed, at least one portion of the at least one deposited material is removed in an etching process to expose and open the three-dimensional structure to be formed.

  A preferred method of performing selective electrodeposition included in the first step is performed using conformal contact mask plating. In this type of plating, one or more conforming contact (CC) masks are first formed. The adaptive contact mask has a support structure. The support structure is deposited or formed with a patterned compatible derivative. The shape of the compatible material for each mask is determined in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of the material to be plated. At least one conforming contact mask is required for each cross-sectional shape to be plated.

  The support for the conformable contact mask typically has a plate-like structure formed of selectively electrodeposited metal, and what is plated is melted. In this typical method, the support acts as an anode in the electrodeposition process. In other methods, the support is a porous or perforated material through which the deposited material passes during the electroplating process from the terminal anode to the deposition surface. In either method, multiple conforming contact masks can share the support. That is, patterns of compatible derivatives for plating multiple layers can be placed in different areas of a single support. When a single support has many plating patterns, the entire support is referred to as a conforming contact mask and the individual plating masks are referred to as “submasks”. In this application, such a distinction is made only in connection with special points.

  In preparing the selective deposition of the first step, the conforming portion of the conforming contact mask is located at a selected portion of the substrate (or a pre-deposited layer or a portion previously deposited on the layer) on which the deposition is to be performed. Aligned and pressed. The matching contact mask is pressed against the substrate so that the opening contains the plating solution in the matching portion of the matching contact mask. The matching material of the matching contact mask that contacts the substrate acts as a barrier in electrodeposition, and the opening of the matching contact mask filled with electroplating solution allows the material to be removed when an appropriate potential and / or current is supplied. Acts as a passage for movement from the anode (eg, the support of a compatible contact mask) to the non-contact portion of the substrate (acting as the cathode during the plating process)

Examples of conforming contact masks and conforming contact mask plating are shown in FIGS. 1 (a) -1 (c). FIG. 1 (a) is a side view of a compliant contact mask 8 made of a conformable or deformable (eg, polymeric material) insulator 10 patterned on an anode 12. The anode has two functions. FIG. 1A shows a substrate 6 that is separate from the mask 8.
Of the two functions, one is a function as a support material for the patterned insulator 10 and maintains its complete and linear state. This is because the pattern is topologically complex (eg, including isolated “islands” of insulators). Another function is to act as an anode in the electroplating process, as shown in FIG. In conformal contact mask plating, the deposition material 22 is selectively deposited on the substrate 6 simply by pressing the insulator against the substrate and then electrodepositing the deposition material 22 through the openings 26a and 26b in the insulator. After depositing the material on the substrate, it is preferable to separate the conforming contact mask from the substrate 6 so as not to break, as shown in FIG. 1 (c). The process of conforming contact mask plating is distinct from the “through-mask” plating process. This is because in the through mask plating process, the separation of the masking material from the substrate is accompanied by destruction. In the matched contact mask plating process, as in the case of through mask plating, material is deposited selectively or simultaneously over the entire layer. A plated area consists of one or more isolated plating areas, which belong to a single structure being formed or to many structures that are being formed simultaneously. In conformal contact mask plating, the mask can be used in many plating processes because the individual masks are not intentionally broken during the removal process.

  Other examples of conforming contact masks and conforming contact mask plating are shown in FIGS. 1 (d) -1 (f). FIG. 1 (d) shows an anode 12 'separate from the patterned conformable material 10' and the mask 8 'comprising the support structure 20. FIG. 1 (d) also shows a substrate 6 separate from the mask 8 '. The mask 8 ′ shown in FIG. 1 (e) is in contact with the substrate 6. FIG. 1 (f) shows a deposit 22 ′ formed by passing a current from the anode 12 ′ to the substrate 6. FIG. 1 (g) shows the deposit 22 'on the substrate 6 after separation from the mask. In this example, the electrolyte is located between the substrate 6 and the anode 12 '. Current from one or both solutions and anode 12 'is passed through the mask opening to the substrate on which the material is deposited. This type of mask will be referred to as an “anode-less instant mask (AIM)” or “anode-less matched contact (ACC) mask”.

  Unlike through-mask plating, conforming contact mask plating forms a conforming contact mask that is completely separate from the molding process of the substrate that is plated (separated from the three-dimensional structure to be formed). A conforming contact mask can be formed in various ways. For example, a photolithographic process can be used. All masks can be made at the same time before the molding process than during the molding process of the structure. This separation method allows easy, low-cost, automated, independent, clean interior “desktop factories” to be installed almost everywhere, for example, the photolithographic process is as clean as required in a service bureau. Indoor processes can be performed.

  An example of the electrochemical molding process is shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (f). In these drawings, a process of depositing a first material 12 as a sacrificial material and a second material 14 as a structural raw material is shown. In this example, the matching contact mask 8 includes a support 12 made of a patterned matching material (eg, a polymer derivative) 10 and a deposition material 2. The conforming portion of the conforming contact mask is pressed against the substrate 6 with the plating solution 14 located in the opening 16 of the conforming material 10. The current supplied from the power source 18 passes through the plating solution 14 through the double support 12 as an anode and the double substrate 6 as a cathode. In FIG. 2A, the material 2 in the plating solution and the material 2 from the cathode 12 selectively move to the cathode by the passage of current, and the cathode is plated. After electroplating the first deposition material 2 on the substrate 6 using the compatible contact mask 8, the compatible contact mask is removed as shown in FIG. 2 (b). FIG. 2 (c) shows the first deposition material 2 previously deposited and the second deposition material 4 deposited entirely on the other part of the substrate 6 (ie, non-selectively deposited). . The entire deposition is performed by electroplating the anode / substrate 6 from an anode (not shown) made of the second material with a plating solution. As shown in FIG. 2D, the entire layer made of two materials is flattened to obtain an accurate thickness and flatness. As shown in FIG. 2D, by repeating this process for all layers, the multilayer structure 20 made of the second material 4 (structural raw material) becomes the first material 2 (ie, the sacrificial material). Filled with. The buried structure is etched to obtain the desired device, ie, the structure 20 as shown in FIG.

  3 (a) to 3 (c) show various components of a typical manual electrochemical molding processing system 32. FIG. This system 32 consists of several subsystems 34, 36, 38, 40. Substrate holding subsystem 34 is shown in the upper part of each of FIGS. 3 (a) to 3 (c). As a plurality of components, (1) carrier 48, (2) metal substrate on which layers are deposited. 6, (3) The linear slide part which can move the board | substrate 6 up and down with respect to the carrier 48 with the drive force of an actuator is included. The subsystem 34 also includes an indicator for measuring the vertical difference of the substrate used to set or determine the layer thickness and / or deposition thickness. The subsystem 34 further has legs 68 for the carrier 48. This leg 68 is accurately attached to the subsystem 36.

  The subsystem 36 shown at the bottom of FIG. 3 (a) includes, as a plurality of components, (1) a compliant contact mask 8 comprising a plurality of compliant contact masks (ie, submasks) sharing the support / anode 12 ( 2) a precision X stage 54, (3) a precision Y stage 54, (4) a frame 72 to which the legs 68 of the subsystem 34 are attached, and (5) a tank 58 for containing the electrolyte solution 16. Subsystems 34 and 36 further include electrical connections that are connected to a power source for driving adaptive contact masking.

  A full deposition subsystem 38 is shown at the bottom of FIG. 3 (b) and includes several components: (1) an anode 62, (2) an electrolyte tank 64 containing electrolyte 66, (3) A frame 74 to which the legs 68 of the subsystem 34 are attached is provided. The subsystem 38 further includes an electrical connection for connecting the anode to a power source for performing a full deposition process.

  A planarization subsystem 40 is shown at the bottom of FIG. 3 (c) and includes a wrapping plate 52, associated mechanisms, and a control system (not shown) for planarizing deposits.

  In addition to teaching the CC mask used to perform electrodeposition, the '630 patent also allows the CC mask to be mounted on a substrate with the polarity of the voltage reversed, so that the material is selectively from the substrate. It also teaches that it can be removed. This indicates that such a removal process can be used to selectively etch, chop and polish the substrate. For example, Plaque.

  A method of forming a microstructure from an electroplated metal (ie, using an electrochemical molding technique) is described in the name of the invention as “microstructured by X-ray lithography at multiple levels of depth using a sacrificial metal layer”. US Pat. No. 5,190,637 to Henry Gackel, “Formation”. This patent describes the formation of metal using mask irradiation. Electroplating is performed on the plating base from which the first layer of the first metal is exposed, filling the voids in the photoresist. Thereafter, the photoresist is removed and a second metal is electroplated onto the first layer and the plating base. The exposed surface of the second metal is machined to the extent that the first metal is exposed to form a flat, uniform surface extending across both the first metal and the second metal. The formation of the second layer is then started by applying a photoresist to the first layer and repeating the method used to form the first layer. The method is then repeated until the entire structure is formed and the second metal is removed by etching. The photoresist is formed by casting on the plating base or the previous layer, and the voids of the photoresist are formed by exposing the photoresist through a mask patterned with X-rays or ultraviolet rays.

  Electrochemical molding processes provide the ability to form prototypes of small (eg, medium and small), parts, structures, devices, etc. in large quantities at a reasonable price and in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, electrochemical molding processes allow the formation of many structures that were not possible before. Electrochemical molding process extends the range of new designs and products in many industrial fields. Electrochemical molding processes offer this new capability, and although it can be understood that electrochemical molding processes can be combined with designs and structures known in various fields to produce new structures, Certain uses provide designs, structures, capabilities and / or features that are not known or obvious in view of the state of the art in the field of special use.

  In the field of electrical components and systems, especially in the field of RF and microwave components, systems for small sized devices, to reduce manufacturing costs, increase reliability, and to different frequency ranges There is a need for applications and / or to enhance various features.

  One of the various aspects of the present invention is to provide an RF component having a small size.

  One of the various aspects of the present invention is to provide an RF component that can be manufactured at low cost.

  One of the various aspects of the present invention is to provide a reliable RF component.

  Among the various aspects of the present invention, one object is to provide an RF component having a characteristic design that can be applied in more frequency bands.

  Among the various aspects of the present invention, one object is to provide an RF component having characteristics that provide high capacity, eg, greater bandwidth.

  Other objects and advantages of various aspects of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the teachings set forth herein. Various aspects of the present invention will be clearly described herein or ascertained from the teachings set forth herein and will be apparent from each or combination of the above-described objects of the invention and described herein. It will be clear from other purposes ascertained from the teachings made. All of these objectives will become apparent from several embodiments, not by one embodiment of the invention.

  As a first aspect of the present invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element for guiding or controlling radiation is provided, and the coaxial RF or microwave element is an RF provided in a conductive structure. Or at least one incident port of microwave radiation; at least one exit port of the RF or microwave radiation provided on the conductive structure; at least one exit port of the RF or microwave radiation; At least one flow path delimited by the conductive structure through which the RF or microwave radiation passes when propagating from one incident port to the at least one exit port; Consisting of a central conductor extending along the length of the at least one flow path to the exit port, the conductive structure comprising: One or more apertures extending from the path to the outer region, the apertures having a size less than 1/10 of a wavelength or less than 200 microns, the apertures passing the RF It is not intended to be.

  As a second aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a micro device is provided, in which (1) a step of depositing a plurality of layers of attached material is performed. In this step, the deposition of each layer of material comprises (i) at least a first material deposition and (ii) at least a second material deposition. The manufacturing method further includes (2) a step of removing at least a part of the first material or at least a part of the second material after the deposition of the plurality of layers, and is caused by the deposition and the removal. The structure results in at least one structure that functions as an RF or microwave control, guidance, transmission, or reception component. The microminiature device includes at least one incident port for RF or microwave radiation provided in a conductive structure; at least one exit port for RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure. When the RF or microwave radiation propagates from the at least one incident port to the at least one exit port, the conductive structure through which the RF or microwave radiation passes is bounded on the side surface; At least one defined flow path; and a central conductor extending from the entrance port to the exit port along the length of the at least one flow path. The conductive structure has one or more openings extending from the flow path to an external region, the openings having a size less than 1/10 of a wavelength or less than 200 microns, The aperture is not intended to pass the RF.

  As a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a four-port hybrid coupler comprising a plurality of layers of deposited material having four microminiature coaxial elements, the first of the four coaxial elements being four The second one extends between the other two of the four ports, the other two extend between the first coaxial element and the second one. And at least part of the length of at least one of the four coaxial elements is arranged in a meandering manner.

  As a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a circuit for supplying a signal to a passive array of N antenna elements to form a plurality of rays. This method deposits multiple layers of attached material, each connecting four (N / 2) log2N four-port hybrid couplers, each consisting of four microminiature coaxial elements, with a pair of coaxial elements connected to each port. Each coaxial element extends between a respective pair of ports of the hybrid coupler, and at least some of the hybrid couplers are connected to other hybrid couplers via a phase shift element. To form a Butler matrix.

As a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a Butler matrix for providing a signal to a passive array of N antenna elements to form a plurality of rays. This Butler matrix consists of (N / 2) log ₂ N four-port hybrid couplers, each of the four hybrid couplers consisting of four subminiature coaxial elements, the first of the four coaxial elements being Extending between two of the four ports, the second one extending between the other two of the four ports, and the other two being the first coaxial element above And at least a part of the length of at least one of the four coaxial elements is arranged in a meandering manner.

  As one aspect of the present invention, a miniature coaxial RF or microwave element is provided. The RF or microwave element has an inner conductor that is substantially coaxial with the axis of the outer conductor, the inner conductor and the outer conductor being separated by a dielectric gap, and the outer conductor The cross-sectional dimension between one inner wall of the conductor and the inner wall on the opposite side of the outer conductor is less than 200 μm. As a variation of this aspect of the invention, the outer conductor has a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape.

  As one aspect of the present invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element that preferentially passes radiation in a desired frequency band is provided. The coaxial RF or the microwave element is at least one incident port for RF or microwave radiation provided in a conductive structure; the RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure At least one exit port; when the RF or microwave radiation propagates from the at least one incident port to the at least one exit port, the RF or microwave radiation passes through the electrically conductive material. At least one flow path delimited by a structure; a central conductor extending from the entrance port to the exit port along the length of the at least one flow path; to the frequency at which the component passes Within the channel, it is approximately one-half of the propagation wavelength along the length of the channel, or a position that is separated from each other by an integral multiple thereof. In consists of one conductive spokes that extend between the central conductor and the conductive structure. The coaxial RF or microwave element satisfies one or more of the following conditions: (1) The central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive spoke are integral. (2) the cross-sectional dimension of the channel perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the radiation along the channel is less than about 1 mm, more preferably less than about 0.5 mm, most preferably (3) about 50% or more of the flow path is filled with a gaseous medium, more preferably about 70% or more of the flow path is filled with the gaseous medium, most preferably About 90% or more of the flow path is filled with the gaseous medium; (4) at least a portion of the conductive portion of the element is formed by an electrodeposition process; (5) of the conductive portion of the element. Or at least some of the layers deposited sequentially (6) at least a portion of the flow path is rectangular; (7) at least a portion of the central conductor is rectangular; (8) the flow path is a two-dimensional non-linear path. (9) the flow path extends along a three-dimensional path; (10) the flow path includes at least one curved area, and the curved area. One side wall of the channel has a smaller radius than the opposite side of the one side wall of the channel in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface vibrations having a small radius; (11) the conductive structure Is less than about 20%, preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5%, most preferably about 0 if the electric field at that surface occurs there. Having a channel at one or more locations; 12) The conductive structure is less than about 20% of the maximum value in the flow path, preferably less than 10%, more preferably, if an electric field on the surface of the conductive structure occurs there. Having patches of different dielectric materials at one or more locations that are less than 5%, most preferably approximately 0; (13) Tethered corners meet at 60 degrees and 120 degrees And / or (14) the conductive spokes are spaced an integral multiple of one half wavelength in length and are used on the central conductor A ledge, or a ledge extending from the conductive structure, is placed at one or more positions spaced from the conductive spokes by an integral multiple of half the wavelength to the flow path. Extension It has been.

  As one aspect of the present invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element that preferentially passes radiation in a desired frequency band is provided, and the coaxial RF or microwave element is provided in a conductive structure. At least one incident port of RF or microwave radiation; at least one exit port of the RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure; the RF or microwave radiation is the above-mentioned At least one flow path delimited by the conductive structure through which the RF or microwave radiation passes when propagating from at least one incident port to the at least one exit port; A central conductor extending along the length of the at least one flow path from the outlet to the exit port; Along the length, one has electric induction characteristics and the other has capacitance characteristics, each extending to a closed channel extending from one side of the flow path. It consists of a pair of conductive stubs. Within the flow path relative to the frequency at which the components pass, successive positions along the length of the flow path are separated from each other by about 1/4 of the propagation wavelength, or an integral multiple thereof, and the coaxial RF, Alternatively, the microwave element satisfies one or more of the following conditions: (1) The central conductor, the conductive structure, and the conductive stub are integrated; (2) the above The cross-sectional dimension of the channel perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the radiation along the channel is less than about 1 mm, more preferably less than about 0.5 mm, and most preferably less than about 0.25 mm. (3) About 50% or more of the flow path is filled with a gaseous medium, more preferably about 70% or more of the flow path is filled with the gaseous medium, most preferably the flow path. About 90% or more is filled with the gaseous medium (4) at least a portion of the conductive portion of the element is formed by an electrodeposition process; (5) at least a portion of the conductive portion of the element is formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers; (6) At least part of the channel is rectangular; (7) At least part of the central conductor is rectangular; (8) The channel extends along a two-dimensional non-linear path. (9) the flow path extends along a three-dimensional path; (10) the flow path includes at least one curved area, and the flow path in the curved area. One side wall has a smaller radius than the opposite side of the one side wall of the flow path in the curved region and is provided with a plurality of surface vibrations having a small radius; If the electric field at the surface of the sex structure occurs there, Having channels at one or more locations that are less than about 20%, preferably less than 10%, more preferably less than 5%, and most preferably approximately zero of the maximum value in the flow path; 12) The conductive structure is less than about 20% of the maximum value in the flow path, preferably less than 10%, more preferably, if an electric field on the surface of the conductive structure occurs there. Having patches of different dielectric materials at one or more locations that are less than 5%, most preferably approximately 0; (13) Tethered corners meet at 60 degrees and 120 degrees And / or (14) the conductive stubs are spaced an integral multiple of one half wavelength in length and are used on the central conductor. Out A stretch or a ledge extending from the conductive structure is placed at one or more positions spaced from the conductive stub by an integral multiple of half the wavelength to the flow path. It is extended.

  In one aspect of the invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element is provided that guides or controls radiation. The coaxial RF or microwave element includes at least one incident port for the RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure; the RF or microwave provided in the conductive structure. At least one exit port of radiation; the RF or microwave conduction through which the RF or microwave radiation passes when propagated from the at least one entrance port to the at least one exit port. At least one flow path delimited on the side by a sexual structure; a central conductor extending from the entrance port to the exit port along the length of the at least one flow path; and below the flow path The center conductor is branched from the center conductor, and the center conductor is short-circuited to the conductive structure. The coaxial RF or the microwave element satisfies at least one of the following conditions: (1) the branch of the central conductor, a conductive structure surrounding the branch, the central conductor and The location of the short circuit with the conductive structure is integral; (2) at least a portion of the central conductor or at least a portion of the conductive structure is a plurality of layers deposited sequentially. And / or (3) at least a portion of the central conductor or at least a portion of the conductive structure comprises a material formed by a plurality of electrodeposition operations.

  In one aspect of the invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element is provided that guides or controls radiation. The coaxial RF or microwave element is at least one incident port for the RF or microwave radiation in a conductive metal structure; at least one of the RF or microwave radiation in the conductive metal structure. Two exit ports; the conductive metal through which the RF energy or microwave energy passes when the RF energy or microwave energy propagates from the at least one incident port to the at least one exit port. It consists of at least one flow path bounded on its side by the structure. The coaxial RF or the microwave element satisfies at least one of the following conditions: (1) At least a part of the conductive metal structure is formed by a plurality of electrodeposition operations. And / or (2) at least a portion of the conductive metal structure comprises a metal formed from a plurality of sequentially deposited layers.

  In one aspect of the invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element is provided that guides or controls radiation. The coaxial RF or microwave element is at least one incident port of the RF energy or microwave energy in a conductive metal structure; and the RF energy or microwave energy is the at least one incident port. At least one flow path bounded on the side by the conductive metal structure through which the RF energy or the microwave energy passes, at least a part of the conductive metal structure is It has a material formed by a plurality of electrodeposition operations and / or a metal formed from a plurality of layers deposited sequentially.

  In one aspect of the invention, a coaxial RF or microwave element is provided that guides or controls radiation. The coaxial RF or microwave element is the RF or at least one exit port of the microwave radiation in a conductive metal structure; and the RF energy or microwave energy is the at least one At least one flow path delimited by the conductive metal structure through which the RF energy or microwave energy passes when propagating to the incident port; and at least along the at least one flow path The conductive material surrounding the flow path and the channel in the vicinity of the branch area from the flow path are integrated with one branch channel.

  As a variant of an embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturing is performed using one or more of the following operations. (1) The operation of selectively electrodepositing the first conductive material and electrodepositing the second conductive material. In this operation, one of the first and second conductive materials is a sacrificial material. One is a constituent material; (2) electrodepositing a first conductive material, selectively etching the first constituent material to form at least one void, and filling the at least one void (3) electrodepositing at least one conductive material, depositing at least one fluid dielectric material, and then depositing the next layer of material to be electrodeposited Depositing a seed layer of the conductive material in preparation for forming; and / or (4) selectively electrodepositing the first conductive material, electrodepositing the second conductive material, Selectively etching one of the first and second conductive materials, and then Working electrodeposition of conductive 牲材 fee; in this work, the first, second, at least one third conductive material is a sacrificial material, the remaining two conductive 牲材 fee is the material.

  As another variation of an embodiment of the present invention, manufacturing is performed using one or more of the following operations. (1) separating at least one sacrificial material from at least one constituent material; (2) (a) a second sacrificial material to form a void and (b) a first sacrificial material from at least one constituent material. Separating, filling at least a portion of the void with a dielectric material, and then separating the second sacrificial material from the constituent material and the dielectric material; and / or (3) the above in the constituent material The void is filled with a magnetic material or a conductive material embedded in a fluid dielectric material, and then the dielectric material is solidified.

  As another modification of the aspect of the present invention, the component includes an ultra-small coaxial component, a transmission line, a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, a band-pass filter, a reflection filter, an absorption filter, a leakage wall filter, and a delay line. , Impedance matching structure for connecting other functional components, directional coupler, power combiner (eg, Wilkinson), power splitter, hybrid power combiner, magic TEE, frequency multiplexing converter, frequency demultiplexer, pyramid type One or more of (ie, smooth wall) feed horn antennas and scalar (waveform) feed horn antennas are included.

  In one aspect of the invention, an electrical device is provided, the electrical device having a plurality of layers of sequentially deposited material, the pattern resulting from the deposition comprising at least one structure that can be used as an electrical device. provide.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing an RF device is provided, the method comprising depositing a plurality of layers of deposited material. In this step, the deposition of each layer of the material includes at least selective deposition of the first material, deposition of at least the second material, and planarization of at least a portion of the deposited material. The manufacturing method further removes at least a part of the first material or at least a part of the second material after the deposition of the plurality of layers. In this manufacturing method, the structure pattern generated by the deposition and the removal provides at least one structure that can be used as an electrical device.

  As one aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a microdevice is provided, which includes (1) depositing a plurality of layers of attached material. In this step, the deposition of each layer of material comprises at least a first material deposition and at least a second material deposition. The apparatus method further includes the step of (2) removing at least part of the first material or at least part of the second material after depositing the plurality of layers. The structure resulting from the deposition and removal provides at least one structure that functions as (1) an annular dielectric, (2) a switch, (3) a helical dielectric, or (4) an antenna. .

  In one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for manufacturing a microminiature device is provided, the apparatus having means for depositing a plurality of layers of attached material, wherein the deposition of each layer of material is at least Means for performing selective deposition of the first material, means for performing deposition of at least the second material, after deposition of the plurality of layers, removing at least part of the first material or at least part of the second material 1) an annular dielectric, (2) a switch, (3) depending on the structure resulting from the use of the means for performing the deposition and the means for performing the removal. At least one structure is provided that functions as a) a spiral dielectric, or (4) an antenna.

  In one aspect of the present invention, a micro-annular dielectric is provided, the micro-annular dielectric being configured to form a plurality of conductive loop elements that form at least a portion of an annular pattern. And the annular pattern is combined to have an inner diameter and an outer shape, and at least a part of the plurality of loops has a larger cross-sectional dimension closer to the outer shape than the inner diameter.

  In one aspect of the invention, a microantenna is provided, the antenna being at least partially separated from the substrate.

  As one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing an RF device is provided. In this manufacturing method, a step of depositing multiple layers of attached material is performed. In this step, the deposition of each layer of the material includes at least selective deposition of the first material, deposition of at least the second material, and planarization of at least a portion of the deposited material. The manufacturing method further removes at least a part of the first material or at least a part of the second material after the deposition of the plurality of layers. In this manufacturing method, the structure pattern generated by the deposition and the removal provides at least one structure that can be used as an RF device.

  Further aspects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the teachings described herein. Other aspects include combinations of the above aspects of the invention and / or many features of one or more embodiments. Further embodiments include apparatus used to perform one or more methods of the present invention. These aspects of the present invention include shapes, structures, functional relationships, processes, and the like described below in addition to combinations of the above aspects.

  1 (a) -1 (g), 2 (a) -2 (f), and 3 (a) -3 (c) illustrate various features of one form of known electrochemical molding process. . Other electrochemical molding techniques are described in the above-mentioned '630 patent specification, the various publications mentioned above, and the various patents and patent applications described herein for reference. Based on the teaching described in this specification, those skilled in the art can derive an electrochemical molding processing technique by combining the techniques described in these publications, patents, patent applications, or other known techniques. it can. All of the teachings of the present invention can be combined with embodiments having various aspects of the present invention to create preferred embodiments. Other embodiments can be derived by combining the embodiments explicitly described in this specification.

  4 (a) -4 (i) show the various stages in the formation of a single layer of a multilayer molding process. In this multilayer molding process, the second metal is deposited on the first metal and in the opening of the first metal. This deposit forms part of the layer. In FIG. 4A, which is a side view of the substrate 82, a patternable photoresist 84 is poured into the substrate 82 as shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4C shows a pattern formed by curing, exposing, and developing the photoresist. By patterning the photoresist 84, openings 92 (a) -92 (c) extending from the photoresist surface 86 to the surface 88 of the substrate 82 are formed. As shown in FIG. 4D, a metal 94 (nickel or the like) is electroplated in the openings 92 (a) -92 (c). As shown in FIG. 4E, the photoresist is removed from the substrate (chemically removed) to expose a region of the substrate 82 that is not covered by the first metal 94. FIG. 4 (f) shows that the second metal 96 (for example, silver) is formed by blanket type electroplating on the entire exposed portion of the substrate (conductive) 82 and the first metal 94 (conductive). The applied state is shown. In FIG. 4G, the thicknesses of the first metal 94 and the second metal 96 are averaged until the first metal 94 is exposed (the height of the second metal 96 is set to the height of the first metal 94). The first layer of the resulting structure (reduced to thickness) is shown. FIG. 4 (h) shows the result of repeating the process shown in FIG. 4 (b) -FIG. 4 (g) several times, and a multilayer structure in which each layer is made of two materials is formed. Is done. In most applications, as shown in FIG. 4 (i), one of these (two) materials is removed to form the desired three-dimensional structure 98 (component or device).

  The various embodiments, modifications, and techniques disclosed herein can be used in combination with different types of patterning masks and masking techniques. For example, a matching contact mask and masking operation can be used. Proximity masks and masking operations (ie, operations that use a mask that selectively covers the substrate at least partially if the mask is in proximity to the substrate even if there is no contact between the mask and the substrate) can be used. Non-conforming masks and masking operations (ie operations based on masks whose masks and their contact surfaces are not compatible) can be used. Masks and masking operations that are adhered to each other (not only in contact with the mask and the mask, but also operations that use selective deposition or a mask adhered to the substrate to be etched) can be used.

  All of these techniques can be combined with the techniques of various embodiments having various aspects of the present invention to create more enhanced embodiments. Various embodiments described explicitly in this specification can be combined to derive further embodiments.

  For example, in some embodiments, the process is modified to include a dielectric material (eg, a polymer or, if possible, a ceramic material), a conductor embedded in the dielectric, or a magnetic material (embedded in a dielectric binder). Alternatively, cavities can be formed in a conductive structure that is completely or partially filled with powdered ferrite sintered after placement. The dielectric material (s) can be used as a support structure to hold the conductive elements in isolation from each other, and / or the dielectric material can partly transmit the microwave transmission or absorption characteristics of a device. Can be used to correct. The dielectric can be incorporated into the structure being formed by lamination. Alternatively, the dielectric can be filled into the structure by backfilling, or selectively, after all layers have been formed.

  In some embodiments, the manufactured structure / device can be hermetically sealed with a suitable gas. Alternatively, the structure / device can be sealed by vacuum filling the voids in the structure. In other embodiments, the critical surface of the structure can be protected from moisture or damaging environmental conditions by shielding with plastic or glass.

  As a further example, in some embodiments it is desirable to have a structure comprised of two or more conductive materials (eg, nickel and gold or copper and gold). Therefore, a process is implemented that is modified to achieve such a result.

  In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, an ultra-small RF or microwave transmission line is provided. Such a transmission line can be used as an RF assembly block and microwave element. The transmission line preferably has a rectangular coaxial structure with a central conductor made of rectangular solid metal and an outer conductor made of solid metal. In the present invention, the ultra-compact coaxial component or the transmission line is a component having a minimum cross-sectional dimension of 200 μm between one inner wall of the outer conductor and the inner wall opposite to the outer conductor. Means that. The coaxial transmission line supports the transverse fundamental electromagnetic (TEM) mode and is well suited for such ultra-miniaturization. From the basic electromagnetic theory, it is known that the TEM mode has a zero cutoff frequency. Therefore, the TEM mode continues to propagate at practical frequencies, no matter how small the dimensions of the structure.

  Three advantages of the ultra-compact coaxial line are size, microwave bandwidth, and phase linearity. In general, the physical length of passive transmission line components should be in the order of one free space wavelength when the operating frequency is 1 GHz, for example 30 cm. Therefore, in the case of a conventional coaxial transmission line or waveguide, its components have this degree of linear dimension. In the case of an ultra-compact coaxial line, the constituent elements can be made much shorter by winding the coaxial line back and forth in a meandering manner and also by laminating the coaxial line in many meandering levels.

  The second advantage of the ultra-compact coaxial line is excellent bandwidth performance. In a coaxial transmission line, this is best formed by the cut-on frequency of the highest mode, which is the TE mode. From basic electromagnetism it is known that this cut-on frequency is inversely proportional to the maximum dimension of the outer conductor. In conventional coaxial lines, this cut-on generally occurs between 10 GHz and 50 GHz. In this ultra-compact coaxial line, this cut-on is easily expanded far beyond 100 GHz to handle the highest frequencies in near-term analog systems and to handle the most rapidly changing pulses in digital systems. Bandwidth is given for it.

  The third advantage of the microminiature coaxial line is the degree of phase linearity. From basic electromagnetics, it is known that the TEM mode is the only mode in the transmission line that can propagate with zero dispersion. In other words, since all frequencies within the operating bandwidth have the same phase velocity, the relation of the related phase between any two points on the line is completely linear (linear function) with the frequency. There is a relationship. Because of this property, there are rapidly changing non-sinusoidal features, for example, rapidly changing digital edges or short digital pulses propagate without distortion. At very small coaxial line sizes (ie, 200 μm or less), all other known transmission line media do not propagate in pure TEM mode, but in pseudo TEM mode. As a good example, a strip line commonly used in Si digital ICs, a micro trip commonly used in GaA and InP MMICs (microwave integrated circuits), and the like are known.

  Another feature of the preferred ultra-compact coaxial line other than its dimensions is that its cross-sectional shape is rectangular. Conventional coaxial lines are generally circular because it is relatively easy to process the central conductor in a circle (eg, a round wire) and a hollow tube (eg, a catheter) as the outer conductor. It consists of a central conductor and an outer conductor. According to basic electromagnetic theory, a rectangular coaxial line lacks analytical methods but provides performance similar to a circular coaxial line. Fortunately, recently, a numbering tool (eg, high frequency simulator or HFSS software) that helps to design components, such as a rectangular micro coaxial cable, in any shape and size. Can be easily obtained.

  In a preferred embodiment, an ultra-small microwave component is fabricated using electrochemical molding processing techniques, at least in part, to achieve selective patterning using electrochemical molding processing techniques, particularly contact masks or adhesive masks. In some cases, micro coaxial cables are used. In the molding process by such a method, adjacent transmission lines are formed using, for example, one common shield (ie, outer conductor). There are also known types of passive microwave functions that cannot be realized in semiconductor ICs or that can be realized with considerable disadvantages in performance. A good example of a function that cannot be realized with today's semiconductor IC is circulation. That is, non-reciprocal transmission of microwave power between adjacent ports around the loop. An example of the inferior function of today's semiconductor ICs is frequency multiplexing. That is, the route assignment of microwaves from one input port to many different output ports depending on the frequency. Ultra-compact coaxial lines can be used to form components that can provide such functionality, especially when combined with a variety of electrochemical molding processes.

  In one preferred embodiment, the microminiature coaxial line is integrated with active semiconductor devices, particularly RF and high speed digital ICs. Such integration poses a problem in the IC industry in the interconnection and route assignment of high frequency analog and digital signals within the chip. A suitable example where such integration is useful is clock distribution in high speed microprocessors. In transmissions with very sharp edges along conventional (stripline) transmission lines on silicon, the edges are always distorted or widened due to diffusion and loss on the transmission lines. In ultra-compact coaxial lines, the clock signal can be connected directly to a single-mode coaxial structure, where all of the basic and Fourier elements of the clock pulse are long at the same speed. Propagate distance. Hence, clock pulse distortion and associated clock skew is reduced. These transmission lines can be used to form a clock signal tree or the like.

  5 (a) to 5 (c) show an RF / microwave filter 102 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 (a) is a perspective view of a coaxial filter element that includes a first set 104 of spokes 104a-104d. FIG.5 (b) is a top view which shows the filter 102 seen from the line 4 (c) -4 (c) of Fig.5 (a). FIG.5 (c) is a top view which shows the coaxial filter seen from the line 4 (c) -4 (c) of Fig.5 (a). FIG. 5 (c) shows that the filter of FIG. 5 (a) includes three sets of spokes separated from each other by half of the wavelength (λo) at approximately the center frequency in the frequency band passing through the filter. ing. In this configuration, the filter is considered a Bragg type filter with two poles (each of a pair of adjacent sets forming one pole). In one example, the dimensions shown in Table 1 can be adopted as the dimensions of the filter.

他の実施態様では、通過帯域におけるフィルターの挿入損失、ストップ帯域における減衰、及び遷移領域における特徴等を変えるために、これらの寸法は、変更することができる。更に他の実施態様では、フィルターおよび／またはフィルター構成要素を形成する材料を変更する事によって種々のパラメーターを部分的に修正する事もまた可能である。例えば、フィルター全体をニッケルまたは銅から形成する事ができる。或いは、フィルターを銀または金で部分的に又は全体的にめっきする事ができる。

In other embodiments, these dimensions can be varied to change filter insertion loss in the passband, attenuation in the stopband, and characteristics in the transition region. In still other embodiments, it is also possible to partially modify various parameters by changing the material forming the filter and / or filter component. For example, the entire filter can be formed from nickel or copper. Alternatively, the filter can be partially or wholly plated with silver or gold.

  FIG.5 (d) is a top view which shows the center part of the coaxial filter of a modified embodiment. In this embodiment, the filter has five sets of spokes 160a-160e (two spokes are shown for one set in FIG. 5 (d)), and these spokes are in the passband (ie 162). 164, 166, 168, wavelength: λo / 2) are separated from each other by about ½ of the wavelength of the center frequency. This figure shows four poles.

  In other embodiments, the number of poles can be varied (eg, three, five, or more) when forming the filter.

  FIG. 6 (a) shows the end of a rectangular filter that uses a set of multiple spokes with four spokes per set. In one example, the dimensions shown in Table 2 can be adopted as the dimensions of the filter.

図５（ａ）乃至図５（ｃ）の正方形のフィルターの場合と同様に、上記の寸法は、長方形の同軸フィルターに対して変更できる。この長方形のフィルターの最も好ましい実施態様において、スポークからなる複数のセットは互いにλｏ／２の間隔で配置される。

As with the square filter of FIGS. 5 (a) to 5 (c), the above dimensions can be changed for a rectangular coaxial filter. In the most preferred embodiment of this rectangular filter, the sets of spokes are spaced apart from each other by λo / 2.

  6 (b) and 6 (c) are cross-sectional views of two other shapes for coaxial filters of the type shown (ie, circular and elliptical). In other embodiments, other cross-sectional shapes can be used. Further, the inner conductors 302, 302 'and the outer conductors 304, 304' may have different cross-sectional shapes. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the spokes can have different cross-sectional shapes (square, rectangular, circular, elliptical, etc.).

  FIGS. 7 (a) -7 (d) show the shape of another example spoke used in a coaxial filter. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 (a) -7 (d) where two spokes 312 and 314 are used, the two spokes extend along the longer side of the rectangular outer conductor 316. The shape of this spoke is symmetric. FIG. 7 (b) shows spokes 322, 324 similar to the two spokes of FIG. 7 (a), but the two spokes extend along the shorter side of the rectangular outer conductor 326. This is different from the two spokes in FIG. FIG. 7 (c) shows an embodiment in which two spokes are used, similar to the spokes of FIG. 7 (a) and FIG. The other spokes 334 extend in the vertical direction (the short side of the rectangular outer conductor 336). In FIG. 7 (d), only one spoke 342 is used and constitutes each set.

  As an example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7 (a), the dimensions shown in Table 2 can be employed, but in this shape, dimensions 242 and 244 are not present. As another example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7 (a), the dimensions shown in Table 3 can be employed, in which the reference numbers are apostrophes.

ある変更実施態様では、異なるスポークの数（例えば、三個又は五個）と形状（複数個のスポークが導線の一つの辺から延設されており、又、全てのスポークが内側導体から外側導体へと半径方向において外側へ延設されていない）が採用されている。

In some alternative embodiments, the number of different spokes (eg, three or five) and shape (multiple spokes extend from one side of the conductor, and all spokes extend from the inner conductor to the outer conductor. Is not extended outward in the radial direction.

  8 (a) and 8 (b) are perspective views showing components of a non-linear coaxial filter according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A shows a meandering coaxial filter, and FIG. 8B shows a helical coaxial filter. Furthermore, in another modified embodiment, the coaxial filter has a shape in which an inlet and an outlet are formed outside the plane of the winding structure, or a shape in which the winding structure is generally laminated or three-dimensionally extended. Other shapes can be used. By performing three-dimensional lamination in this way, a filter smaller than a conventionally obtained filter can be obtained.

  9 (a) -9 (c) show a modified embodiment of the components of the coaxial filter. In this embodiment, a combination of spokes is used, and two protrusions are formed along the inner or outer conductor, which has the function of facilitating the passage of RF or microwave signals through the filter. In particular, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 (a), the spokes 352, 354, 356, 358 are disposed at the end of the outer conductor 362, and the protrusions 372, 374, 376, 378 are disposed on the inner surface, and their length is 1/4 of the wavelength (λo / 4), and they are preferably spaced about λo / 2. In other modified embodiments, a concavity may be formed in the outer conductor 362 opposite the protrusion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 (a), the spokes are not spaced apart by λo / 2, but instead are spaced apart by an integer multiple of λo / 2. . In this embodiment, the integer multiple is 3.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 (b), the distance between the spokes is not an integral multiple of λo / 2. Λo / 2) is formed on the inner conductor.

  In the third modified embodiment shown in FIG. 9 (c), not only the protrusions but also spokes 394 and 396 intermediate set are formed on the inner conductor. The spacing between adjacent sets of filter elements is most preferably λo / 2.

  In further embodiments, the spokes, protrusions, and / or notches can each have a different shape. In some embodiments, the spacing between adjacent filter elements (spokes, protrusions, and / or notches) can be an integer multiple of λo / 2.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 (a) -9 (d), the spokes provided in the structure serve to fully support the inner conductor, so there is no need to provide a dielectric or other support medium. Thus, in the most preferred embodiment, the inner conductor may be separated from the outer conductor by an air, gaseous medium or vacuum space. In other embodiments, a solid or liquid dielectric material may be partially or fully inserted into the gap between the inner and outer conductors. The dielectric material is inserted after the formation of the conductor or in the original position where the conductor was formed. Various examples of the implementation process are described below.

  FIG. 9D is a plan view showing a central portion in the length direction of two meandering pole coaxial filters. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 (d), no spokes are provided, but protrusions 394, 396, 398 provided on the inner conductor 392 'are used to obtain a filter effect. In other alternative embodiments, protrusions provided within the outer conductor 362 'can also be used. Alternatively, a combination of protrusions provided inside the outer conductor or the inner conductor can also be used. Since no spokes are used, the position of the inner conductor cannot be fixed relative to the outer conductor. Various embodiments are described below in which a dielectric is formed between the outer and inner conductors during assembly of the conductive material. Various embodiments are described that enable a transition from a conductive support used during lamination to a solid dielectric formed completely or partially between the inner and outer conductors.

  10 (a) -10 (d) are plan views of the central portion in the length direction of the elements of the coaxial line including a rapidly changing transition in the direction of propagation of radiation. In accordance with the manufacturing method of the present invention, the coaxial and waveguide components are largely afraid of the geometric complexity of the design or the approach of tools that reach the seaming location. Various degrees of seam bend can be inserted without. FIG. 10A shows a transition from one coaxial portion 402 to another coaxial portion 404 and further to another coaxial portion. In this figure, the transitions 412, 414, 416, 418, 422, 424, 426, 428 are shown as 90 degree transitions and it is expected that considerable reflection will occur due to these rapidly changing curves. . FIG. 10 (b) shows surfaces 432, 434 that are spliced to help reduce losses (eg, reflections) at the transitions 412 ″ ″, 414 ″ ″. FIG. 10 (c) shows the seamed surfaces at all transitions 412 ', 414', 416 ', 418', 422 ', 424', 426 ', 428'. These transitions are intended to help reduce further losses. In further embodiments, the length of the surface can be extended (eg, the length of surfaces 412, 414) to ensure that most of the radiation strikes at an angle of incidence that is not 90 degrees. FIG. 10D shows that many surfaces can be applied to each of the transition regions 412 ″, 414 ″, 416 ″, 418 ″, 422 ″, 424 ″, 426 ″, and 428 ″. The splicing effect of the manufacturing method of the present invention is not only applied to coaxial components (for example, transmission lines, filters, etc.) but also to waveguides (for example, internal dimensions of 800 μm or less, 400 μm or less, or less) It can also be applied to waveguides of the same size, or large waveguides where a monolithic structure is desired to reduce size or reduce assembly difficulties due to complex propagation paths.

  FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are plan views along the center of the coaxial transmission line 438 and the coaxial filter component 440, respectively, where the unevenness 436 is formed on the inner surface of the coaxial line on the small radius side. Is formed. The irregularities may be smooth and wavy, or may be discontinuous. Assuming that the surface with the small nominal radius is a simple curve 442, the irregularities are close to the length of the path along the outer wall along the length of the path along the side with the small nominal radius. Is to increase.

  12 (a) -12 (c) show a filter based on three coaxial pole-like stubs according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12A is a plan view (viewed from above) of the center portion in the length direction of the filter. FIG. 12 (b) is an end view of the filter of FIG. 12 (a) showing a rectangular structure. FIG.12 (c) is a top view which shows the circular modification of the filter of Fig.12 (a) and FIG.12 (b). The filters shown in FIGS. 12A to 12C can be set to the dimensions shown in Table 4.

各一対のスタブ５２２、５２４は、静電容量のリアクタンスおよび誘導性のリアクタンスを夫々提供し、組み合わさってフィルターのポールを提供する。各スタブは外側導体５５６のサイドチャンネル５５２、５５４の端部において夫々短絡させている。ポール間の間隔は、フィルターの通過帯域の中心周波数の波長の約１／４（λｏ／４）である事が好ましい。スタブの長さは、静電容量のリアクタンス（例えば、λｏ／４より長い）および誘導性のリアクタンス（λｏ／４より短い）を提供するように選ばれる。ある変更実施態様では、ポール間の間隔は、λｏ／４の整数倍に広げることができ、他のフィルタリング要素は構成要素（スポーク、突起等）に付加することができると思われる。

Each pair of stubs 522, 524 provide capacitive reactance and inductive reactance, respectively, and combine to provide a filter pole. Each stub is short-circuited at the end of the side channel 552, 554 of the outer conductor 556, respectively. The spacing between the poles is preferably about ¼ (λo / 4) of the wavelength of the center frequency of the pass band of the filter. The stub length is chosen to provide capacitive reactance (eg, longer than λo / 4) and inductive reactance (less than λo / 4). In some alternative embodiments, the spacing between the poles can be increased to an integral multiple of λo / 4, and other filtering elements could be added to the components (spokes, protrusions, etc.).

  In other embodiments, these dimensions can be altered to change filter insertion loss in the passband, attenuation in the stopband, characteristics in the transition region and passband, and the like. In still other embodiments, it is also possible to partially modify various parameters by changing the material forming the filter and / or filter component. For example, the entire filter may be formed from nickel or copper, or the filter may be partially or fully plated with silver or gold.

  In an alternative embodiment, one stub (provides a shunt capacitance) that shorts from one shorted stub (provides shunt inductance) at the end of each pole and channel (eg, into the dielectric). And the capacitive stub can be shorted due to its open shape.

  FIG. 13A is a plan view (viewed from above) of the central portion in the length direction of a coaxial bandpass filter based on two S-shaped pole-shaped stubs. The inlet 602 and outlet 604 are connected by a passage 606 in the outer conductor 608. Two pairs of channels 612 and 614 extend from the outer conductor 608. An inner conductor 616 extends below the center of the passage 606. Stubs 622 and 624 extend from the inner conductor 616 and are short-circuited in the outer conductor 608 at the ends of the channels 612 and 614.

  FIG. 13B is a perspective view of a filter 630 having a somewhat modified shape compared to the filter of FIG. The filter of FIG. 13 (b) was made using MEMGen's DFABTM electrochemical molding process. The filter has both a ground lead 632 and a signal lead 634 for connection to the substrate (eg, circuit board, IC, etc.) after the sacrificial material is removed. The filter has a plurality of holes 642 (openings) in the outer conductor that facilitate removal of the sacrificial material from between the inner and outer conductors. In this example, the holes each have a length of 150 microns, have a height of 50 microns, and extend completely through the walls of the shield conductor by a length of 80 microns.

  FIG. 13 (c) is a perspective view of partially formed filters (as shown in FIG. 13 (b)) partially formed after removing the sacrificial material from the constituent material. In this view, the outer walls of the coaxial elements (shielding walls) are visible 652 and the openings 654 extending into them are also visible. A central conductor 656 is also visible.

The etch holes discussed here have a preferred size and are located in the region of the coaxial structure or waveguide structure so that the sacrificial material is efficiently and completely removed and does not interfere with the electrical properties of the structure. It is preferable. In this respect, the holes act as waveguides with a cut-off frequency (lower limit) much higher than the wavelength, so that they do not significantly impact the RF characteristics of the structure. Alternatively, it is preferred to have dimensions that are significantly smaller than the wavelength (s). In this respect, the structure is preferably 0.1, 0.01, or 0.001 times smaller than the wavelength. As the wavelength increases, such limits result in etch holes that are too small to effectively remove the sacrificial material, in which case the reduction factor must be smaller.
14 (a) and 14 (B) are perspective views of a coaxial filter element having a modified design with openings (eg, channels) along the length of the outer conductor, the openings being radiation. It was not provided as a doorway. In some manufacturing embodiments of the present invention, this opening facilitates separation of component material 702 from the small cavities in the outer conductor and the sacrificial material deposited in the channel. In some embodiments of the present invention in which the sacrificial material 704 is chemically etched, the openings are intended to help the etchant enter small cavities and channels. In other embodiments in which the sacrificial material is melted and fluidized to separate from the constituent material, the opening is not required, but if the opening is selected (eg, near an end of a blind channel or the like). ), The opening facilitates removal of the sacrificial material by the supplied pressure. FIG. 14A is a perspective view of a component 706 formed from a component material embedded in the sacrificial material and filled with the sacrificial material. FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the component 706 separated from the sacrificial material.

  Figures 15 (a) -15 (d) show transmission plots versus frequency according to a mathematical model for the various filter designs described above. FIG. 15 (a) shows a modeled transmission plot for a two-pole filter (three sets of spokes) having a shape similar to that of FIG. 7 (a) and formed from nickel. The component dimensions are shown in Table 5. As can be seen from FIG. 15A, the band of the filter is centered on 28 GHz, the insertion loss is 20-22 dB in the pass band, and the insertion loss is 61-77 dB in the stop band.

図１５（ｂ）は、図９（ｄ）に示された二ポールフィルター（内側導体に形成された三セットのスポーク）に対するモデル化された伝送プロットを示す。この図において、各突起の長さは、約λｏ／４で、上記突起の中心間の距離は約λｏ／４で、上記突起は、図７（ａ）の形状と同様の形状を有し、ニッケルから形成されている。外側導体の内径は約２４０μｍで、中央導体の直径の遷移は２０μｍと２２０μｍとの間で、突起の長さは約１５ｍｍであり、上記突起の中心間の間隔は、約３０ｍｍである。図１５（ｂ）から分かるように、帯域は、５ＧＨｚを中心とし、通過帯域での挿入損失は５−６ｄＢで、ストップ帯域での挿入損失は１３−１８ｄＢである。

FIG. 15 (b) shows a modeled transmission plot for the two-pole filter (three sets of spokes formed on the inner conductor) shown in FIG. 9 (d). In this figure, the length of each protrusion is about λo / 4, the distance between the centers of the protrusions is about λo / 4, and the protrusion has a shape similar to the shape of FIG. It is made of nickel. The inner diameter of the outer conductor is about 240 μm, the transition of the diameter of the central conductor is between 20 μm and 220 μm, the length of the protrusion is about 15 mm, and the distance between the centers of the protrusions is about 30 mm. As can be seen from FIG. 15B, the band is centered on 5 GHz, the insertion loss in the pass band is 5-6 dB, and the insertion loss in the stop band is 13-18 dB.

  FIGS. 15 (c) and 15 (d) show modeled transmission plots having a shape according to the structure and dimensions shown in FIGS. 12 (a) -12 (c). In these figures, the constituent material is nickel in the filter of FIG. 15C and gold plated nickel in the filter of FIG. 15D. As can be seen from FIG. 15C, the band has an insertion loss of about 7-8 dB in the pass band, and FIG. 15D shows that the insertion loss is 1-2 dB.

  FIG. 16 shows a flow chart of an electrochemical molding process that assembles a three-dimensional structure from one conductive material and one dielectric material deposited on a laminate basis.

  In the process of FIG. 16, starting at block 702, the current layer number n is set to one. The structure / device formation begins with layer 1 and ends with final layer N.

  After setting the current layer number, the process proceeds to decision block 704 where the surface of the substrate is fully conductive or at least fully conductive so that conductive material can be electrodeposited in the desired region of the substrate. A question is asked about whether it is sex. If the material is conductive and is deposited only on certain areas of the substrate that are continuous with a portion of the surface of the substrate to which power is supplied, the entire surface of the substrate must necessarily be conductive. There is no. In the present invention, the term substrate refers to a base on which a layer of material is deposited. As the process proceeds, the morphology of the substrate is changed and layers are successively deposited on the substrate.

  If the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 708. If the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 706 where a seed layer of the first conductive material is applied to the substrate. The seed layer is applied in many different ways. Application of the seed layer is a selective method (eg, by first coating the substrate with a mask, then applying the seed layer, and then removing the mask and the material deposited thereon). Or a bulk type or blanket type deposition method. The conductive layer is deposited by, for example, a physical or chemical vapor deposition process. Alternatively, the conductive layer can be solidified, or as a glue that can adhere to the substrate, or take the form of other flowable materials. As a further alternative, the conductive layer can be supplied as a sheet adhered to the substrate. The seed layer is very thin compared to the thickness by electrodeposition used to form most of the layers of the structure.

  After application of the seed layer, the process proceeds to block 708 where deposition of the second conductive material is required. The most preferred deposition method is a selective process using a dielectric CC mask in contact with a substrate in which one or more openings are present, through which the conductive material is electrodeposited onto the substrate. Is done. Other forms of selective deposition of material can also be used. In various modification processes, the first and second conductive materials may be different from each other or may be made of the same material. If they are made of the same material, the formed structure has more isotropic electrical characteristics. On the other hand, if they are different from each other, a selective removal operation can be used to separate the exposed areas of the first conductive material without damaging the second conductive material.

  The process then proceeds to block 710 where it is necessary to remove the portion of the seed layer that is not covered by the deposited conductive material. This is done in preparation for depositing the dielectric material. In some embodiments, it is not necessary to remove the seed layer in regions where the seed layer is stacked on the conductive material deposited in the previous layer. However, for ease of use, a bulk removal process is preferred in some circumstances. The seed layer can be removed by an etching process that is selectively performed on the seed layer material (if it is different from the second conductive material). In such an etching operation, the seed layer is very thin, so that the seed layer covered by the second conductive material can be damaged little or not, as long as appropriate etch control is used. There is no. If the seed layer material is the same as the second conductive material, the deposited second material can be controlled by controlling etching parameters (eg, time, temperature, and / or etchant concentration). The very thin seed layer can be removed without significant damage to the conductive material.

  The process then proceeds to block 712 where a dielectric material needs to be deposited. The dielectric material is deposited by various methods, using a selective method, a blanket method, or a bulk method. In the process of an embodiment of the present invention, a planarized composite layer is formed that includes distinct areas of conductive material and distinct areas of dielectric material, and excess material is planarized, The dielectric material is not damaged (other than associated with potential waste) by deposition of the dielectric material by a blanket method, and in fact provides a wider range of deposition possibilities. The dielectric material is deposited using spraying, sputtering, coating, spraying, or the like.

  The process then proceeds to block 714, which requires planarizing the deposited material to form the nth layer of the structure having the desired net thickness. Planarization can be done in various ways including lapping and / or CMP.

  When the formation of the layer is completed by the work in block 714, the process proceeds to decision block 716. In this decision block, a question is asked as to whether the nth layer (ie, the current layer) is the last layer (ie, the Nth layer) of the structure. If so, the process proceeds to block 720 and ends. If not, the process proceeds to block 718.

  At block 718, it is incremented by “n”. Thereafter, the process loops back to block 704 where again a question is asked as to whether the substrate (ie, the previous substrate with the addition of the layer just formed) is sufficiently conductive.

  The process continues to loop through blocks 704-718 until the formation of the Nth layer is complete.

  FIG. 17 (a) shows one end of a coaxial structure having an outer conductive element 724, an inner conductive element 726, an embedded dielectric region 728, and an outer dielectric region 730. In an embodiment that extends the process of FIG. 16, such removal from region 728 ensures that proper support for inner conductive element 726 can be obtained from region 730. A post process (ie, a process performed after deposition of all layers) can be used to remove some or all and some or all of the dielectric from region 728.

  FIGS. 18 (a) -18 (j) show a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. 18 (a) -18 (j) are vertical plan views showing a cross section of the structure being assembled by lamination. FIG. 18 (a) shows the starting material of the process (i.e. the blank substrate 732 on which the layer is deposited). FIG. 18 (b) shows a second conductive material 734-1 'selectively deposited with respect to the first layer. At the beginning of this process, the supplied substrate should be sufficiently conductive to allow deposition without the use of a seed layer. FIG. 18 (c) shows a dielectric material 736-1 ′ (work block 712) deposited in a blanket fashion, and FIG. 18 (d) is formed as a result of the planarization operation at work / block 714. The first layer L1 is shown. This completed first layer has a desired thickness, clearly distinguishable regions of conductive material 734-1 and dielectric material 736-1.

  FIG. 18 (e) shows the result of performing the first operation (block 706) associated with forming the second layer. The application of the seed layer 738-2 'as an important part of the first layer made of dielectric material is necessary for the second layer, and the center conductive region is separated from the two outer conductive regions. FIG. 18 (f) shows a second conductive material (work block 708) 734-2 ′ selectively deposited with respect to the second layer, and a portion 738-2 with a seed layer 738-2 ′. "" Is not covered by the second conductive material 734-2 ', and FIG. 18 (g) shows the seed layer 738-2' ( Fig. 18 (h) shows a blanket deposited guide material 736-2 'for the second layer (work block 712), showing the uncovered portion of operation 710). (I) shows a second layer L2 formed by the planarization process (work block 714), which includes distinct regions of conductive material 734-2 and dielectric layer 736-2. .

  FIG. 18 (j) shows the completed structure consisting of layers L1-L7. The operation for forming the layers L3-L7 is the same as the operation used for forming the layer L2. The structure / device shown in FIG. 18 (j) can actually be used. Alternatively, additional processing operations can be performed in preparation for final use.

  Various modifications of the embodiment shown in FIG. 16 can be implemented. As one modification, the order of deposition can be reversed. In other processes, instead of selectively depositing materials, each material may be deposited by bulk deposition and a “net” selective placement of materials using selective etching operations. .

  FIG. 19 shows a flow chart of the electrochemical molding process, which is somewhat more complicated than the process of FIG. In the process of FIG. 19, a three-dimensional structure / device is formed using three conductive materials deposited on a stack. In this process, since all materials are conductors except for the substrate, the layer formation process is simplified compared to the process of FIG. However, although three materials may or may not be deposited in each layer, this process can create superior functionality and versatile structures as well as its complexity.

  The process begins at block 802, where the current layer number n is set to 1 (n = 1). The process then proceeds to decision block 804 where an inquiry is made as to whether the surface of the substrate is fully conductive or at least fully conductive. If the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 808. On the other hand, if the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 806 where a seed layer of the first conductive material is applied to the substrate. The process then proceeds to decision block 808.

  At block 808, a question is asked as to whether the first conductive material is deposited on the nth layer (ie, the current layer). If the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 812. On the other hand, if the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 810 where selective deposition of the first material is required. Thereafter, the process loops back to decision block 812.

  At block 816, a question is asked as to whether a third conductive material is to be deposited on the nth layer (ie, the current layer). If the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 816. On the other hand, if the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 814 where deposition of the second conductive material is required (this deposition is selective or bulk). Thereafter, the process loops back to decision block 816.

  At block 818, a question is asked as to whether a third conductive material is to be deposited on the nth layer (ie, the current layer). If the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 828. On the other hand, if the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to decision block 818.

  At block 818, a question is made as to whether a second conductive material has been deposited on the nth layer (ie, the current layer). If the answer to the question is “no”, the process proceeds to block 826. On the other hand, if the answer is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 822 which requires planarization of the partially formed layer at the desired level. This makes the interim thickness of the layer slightly greater than the desired layer thickness relative to the final layer. The process then proceeds to block 824 where selective etching to the deposited material is required to form one or more voids in which the third material is deposited. The process then loops back to decision block 826.

  At block 826, deposition of a third conductive material is required. The deposition of the third conductive material is performed selectively or in a bulk manner. The process then loops back to block 828.

  At block 828, planarization of the deposited material is required to obtain the nth layer, which is the final planarized layer having a predetermined thickness.

  If the operation at block 828 completes the formation of the n th layer, the process proceeds to decision block 830. In this decision block, a question is asked as to whether the nth layer (ie, the current layer) is the last layer (ie, the Nth layer) of the structure. If so, the process proceeds to block 834 and ends. If not, the process loops back to block 832.

  At block 832, it is incremented by “n”. Thereafter, the process loops back to block 808 where the question is asked again whether to deposit the first conductive material on the nth layer. The process continues to loop through blocks 808-832 until the formation of the Nth layer is complete.

  20 (a) -20 (b) are perspective views showing a structure including a conductive element and a dielectric support structure that can be partially formed according to the process shown in FIG. The coaxial structure / device of FIG. 20 (a) has an outer conductor 842, an inner conductor 844, and a dielectric support structure 846 that holds the two conductors in a desired relative position. During formation, the inner and outer conductors are formed from one of the three conductive materials described in connection with the process shown in FIG. 19 (main material) and the outer conductor is only the inlet 848 and outlet 850. It also has a processing port 852. A second conductive material is located within these processing ports and contacts the inner conductor 844. After all layers of the structure are formed, the second conductive material is removed and the dielectric material 846 fills the formed void or voids. Thereafter, the third conductive material is removed, leaving the structure / device shown in FIG. In the description of FIG. 20A, the reference numbers of the first material, the second material, and the third material correspond one-to-one with the reference numbers of the first material, the second material, and the third material in the process shown in FIG. But not all are.

  The structure shown in FIG. 20 (b) is similar to the structure of the process of FIG. 20 (a), but the inner conductor and the outer conductor are firmly held in place by the dielectric structure 846 ′ whose aspect has been changed. Is different.

  21 (a) -21 (t) shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure described in FIG. 20 (a), formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, and in this coaxial structure, a conductive material Two are sacrificial materials that are removed after the layers in the structure are formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials.

  FIG. 21 (a) shows the starting material of the process (i.e. the blank substrate 852 on which the layer is deposited). Assume that in the course of the process, the supplied substrate is sufficiently conductive to allow deposition without application of a seed layer (ie, a “yes” response to the query at block 804); and Assume that the answer to the question at block 808 is “yes”. FIG. 21 (b) shows the result of the operation at block 819 related to the deposition of the first conductive material 854 to form the first deposition 854-1 'as the first layer. Next, assume that the response to the query at block 812 is “yes” to the first layer. Also assume that the response to the query in block 816 is “no” for the first layer. Therefore, FIG. 21 (c) shows the deposition of the second material 856 (block 810) and the deposited first and second conductive materials 854-1, 856-1 to finish the formation of the first layer. This is shown in combination with the planarization of (block 828). FIGS. 21 (d) and 21 (e) show the first layer for the formation of a second layer L2 comprising distinct regions 854-2, 856-2 of the first and second conductive materials, respectively. Shows the same processing and work performed. FIGS. 21 (f) and 21 (g) show the first and second layers for the formation of a third layer L3 comprising distinct regions 854-3 and 856-3 of the first and second conductive materials, respectively. The same process and work performed on the two layers is shown.

  FIGS. 21 (h) -21 (k) show the results of several operations related to the formation of the fourth layer L4 of the structure / device. FIG. 21 (h) shows the result of the operation at block 810 associated with the deposition of the first conductive material 854 to perform the first deposition 854-4 'as the fourth layer. Next, assume that the response to the query in block 812 is “yes” for the fourth layer. Also assume that the response to the query in block 816 is “yes” for the fourth layer. Therefore, FIG. 21 (i) illustrates the deposition of the second material 856 (block 810) and the deposited first and second conductive materials to form a fourth layer smoothly and partially. 854-4 ′ and 856-4 ′ (block 822) are shown in combination. FIG. 21 (j) shows the result of the work of removing a portion of the planarized deposit 856-4 'by etching. FIG. 21 (k) forms a fourth layer comprising distinct regions 854-4, 856-4, 858-4 of the first conductive material, the second conductive material, and the third conductive material, respectively. The results of operations 826 and 828 are shown in combination.

  21 (l), 21 (m), 21 (n), 21 (o), 21 (p), 21 (q) are distinct regions 854-5, 856 of the first and second conductive materials. -5; 854-6, 856-6; 854-7, 856-7 for the formation of the first three layers for the formation of the fifth to seventh layers (L5, L6, and L7) Shows the same processing and work performed.

  21 (r) -21 (t) is an extension of the process flow of FIG. FIG. 21 (r) shows a gap extending through the outer wall 862 of the first conductive material to contact the separated inner structure 864 of the second conductive material (eg, the inner conductor of the coaxial transmission line). FIG. 9 shows the result of selective removal (eg, etching or melting) of the third conductive material to form 866. FIG. FIG. 21 (s) shows the structure shown in FIG. 21 (r) with a void 866 filled with a selected dielectric material 860 that contacts both the outer wall 862 and the inner structure 864. FIG. FIG. 21 (t) removes the first conductive material from the structure shown in FIG. 21 (s), and the inner structure 864 is supported by one or more dielectric structures relative to the outer wall; The final structure is substantially filled with air. FIG. 21 (t) also shows the holes in the structure.

  22 (a) -22 (c) shows the first removal, backfill, and second performed on the material in the opposite position to that shown in FIGS. 21 (r) -21 (t). Indicates removal work. 22 (a) -22 (c), the first conductive material 854 is removed to form a void, which is filled with a dielectric 860 ', and then the third conductive material is removed.

  In a modified embodiment, the processes of FIGS. 21 (r) -21 (t) and FIGS. 22 (a) -22 (c) include a second filling operation that fills the void resulting from the final removal operation. Can be extended to In this second filling operation, the same dielectric material as that used first or a different one may be used. In a further modification, the structure / device formed is composed of two or more conductive materials and / or is composed of two or more solid, liquid or gaseous dielectrics. Three or more materials can be used.

  FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b) show a flowchart of an electrochemical molding process that uses two conductive materials and one dielectric material to form a three-dimensional structure / structure.

  In the process of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), starting at block 902, three process variables are set: (1) set the layer number to 1, n = 1, (2) set the main seed layer Set to 0, PSLP = 0, (3) Set second type layer to 0, SSLP = 0. The process then proceeds to decision block 904 where an inquiry is made as to whether the surface of the substrate is fully conductive or at least fully conductive. If “yes”, the process proceeds to decision block 906. On the other hand, if “no”, the process proceeds to block 908.

  In blocks 906 and 908, the same question is asked as to whether a first conductive material (FCM) is deposited on the nth layer (ie, the first layer). If the answer to the question at block 906 is “no”, the process proceeds to block 812. On the other hand, if the answer to the question is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 914, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 916. If the answer to the question at block 908 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 910, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 916.

  In block 910, a main seed layer (PSL) of conductive material is required to be applied to the substrate. The seed layer is applied by various methods, some of which are as described above. From block 910, the process proceeds to block 912 where the main seed layer is set to 1 (PSLP = 1). This indicates that the main seed layer has already been deposited on the current layer.

  From block 912 and if “yes” at block 906, from block 906 the process proceeds to block 914 where selective deposition of FCM is required. In some variations, the preferential deposition is the use of a CC mask. From block 914, if block 908 is “no”, from block 908, if block 906 is “no”, the process proceeds from block 906 to decision block 916.

  At decision block 916, a question is asked as to whether a second conductive material (SCM) is deposited on the nth layer (ie, the first layer in this case). If the answer to the question at block 916 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 924. If “no”, the process proceeds to block 918.

  In blocks 924 and 918, the same question is made as to whether a first conductive material (FCM) has been deposited on the nth layer (ie, PSLP = 1?). If the answer to the question at block 924 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 926. If the reply is “no”, the process proceeds to block 934. If the answer to the question at block 918 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 922 and if the answer is “no”, the process proceeds to block 966.

  At decision block 926, an inquiry is made as to whether the presence of PSL can coexist with the SCM being deposited. If the answer to the question at block 926 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 928. If “no”, the process proceeds to block 932.

  In blocks 932 and 922, removal of certain portions of the PSL not covered by FCM is required. As in the “no” case at block 924, the process proceeds from block 932 to block 934 and the process proceeds from block 922 to block 966. At decision block 934, an inquiry is made as to whether the surface of the substrate is fully conductive or sufficiently conductive. This question has already been made, but the response changes because of the different material patterns of the conductive material being deposited or because of the removal of the previously applied seed layer. This is because it can coexist with the second conductive material to be deposited. If the answer to the question at block 934 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 928. If “no”, the process proceeds to block 936.

  In block 936, a second seed layer (SSL) application is required to allow deposition of the second conductive material in a later operation. The process then proceeds to block 938 where SSLP is set to 1. This indicates that the current layer has accepted the second type layer, and that information is useful in later work.

  If the response is “yes” at block 926 or 934, or via block 938, the process proceeds to block 928. At block 928, a second seed layer deposition is required. This deposition operation is a selective operation or a blanket operation.

  The process proceeds from block 928 to decision block 942 where an inquiry is made as to whether a dielectric is deposited on the nth layer (ie, the first layer). If the answer to the question at block 942 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 944, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 968.

  Planarization of the deposited material is necessary to obtain a partially formed nth layer having a desired thickness that is different from the final thickness of the layer. After planarization, the process that requires selective etching of one or both of the deposited conductive materials proceeds to block 946, where one or more voids are formed. , And place a dielectric in it. The process then proceeds to block 948. If the answer to the question at block 948 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 952, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 956.

  In block 952, a question is made as to whether all exposed SSL has been removed by the etch in block 946. If the answer to the question at block 952 is “yes”, the process proceeds to block 956, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 954.

  At block 954, removal of the portion of SSL exposed in the gap formed at block 946 is required. After working at block 954, the process proceeds to decision block 956.

  At decision block 956, a question is asked as to whether the PSLP is one. If the answer to the question at decision block 956 is “yes”, the process proceeds to decision block 962, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 966.

  In decision block 962, a question is asked as to whether all of the exposed PSL has been removed by the SCM etch. If the answer to the question at block 962 is “yes”, the process proceeds to decision block 966, and if “no”, the process proceeds to block 964.

  At block 964, removal of the portion of the PSL exposed in the gap formed at block 946 is required. After working at block 964, the process proceeds to block 966.

  At block 966, deposition of dielectric material is required. The deposition process can be either selective or blanket, but various processes can be used, some of which have been described above.

  In block 968, planarization of the deposited material is required to obtain the final smooth nth layer having the desired thickness.

  After the operation at block 968 finishes forming the nth layer, the process proceeds to decision block 970 where PSLP and SSLP are set to zero. The process then proceeds to decision block 972. In this decision block, a question is asked as to whether the nth layer (ie, the current layer) is the last layer of the structure (Nth layer). If so, the process proceeds to block 978 and ends. However, if not, the process proceeds to block 974.

  At block 974, it is incremented by “n”. Thereafter, the process loops back to block 904 where again a question is made as to whether the substrate (ie, the surface of the substrate modified by the formation of a previous layer) is sufficiently conductive. The process then continues to loop through blocks 904-974 until the formation of the Nth layer is complete.

  Similar to the processes of FIGS. 16 and 19, there are various modifications to the processes of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b). In these variations, the order of material deposition can be changed as a whole, or what other work has been done during the formation of a layer, or the order in which each type of material is deposited. Can be changed. Conductive materials or dielectric type materials can be added. The final deposition choice is made by the actual control of the deposition arrangement by depositing the material in the void, or by etching away the material after deposition. Additional operations are added to the process to remove selected material or to deposit additional material.

  FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a coaxial structure having an outer conductor 1002 made of material 994, an inner conductor 1004, and a dielectric support structure 1006 made of material 996. FIG. The structure of FIG. 24 is formed according to the process of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b) by adding a post layer forming operation to remove one of the conductive materials. During the formation of the structure by lamination, the outer conductor and the inner conductor are formed from one of the two conductive materials described in connection with the process of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b). (Ie main material). The second conductive material is used as a sacrificial material. A dielectric material (ie, a third material) is also used as part of the structure. After all layers are formed, the second conductive material is removed to form a final structure consisting of the main conductive material 994 and the dielectric material 996.

  25 (a) -25 (z) are side views of the results of the various operations of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b) used in forming the layers of the coaxial components shown in FIG. is there. The operations associated with the results shown in FIGS. 25 (a) -25 (x) and 26 (a) -26 (f) are shown in Table 6.

図２５（ｙ）は、層の区切りが除去された状態の構造の概観を示し、第二種層は第二材料と同一であるとする。図２５（ｚ）は、図２４に示された構造を形成する第一材料の除去作業のポストプロセス（例えば、選択的エッチング）の結果を示している。

FIG. 25 (y) shows an overview of the structure with the layer breaks removed and the second seed layer is the same as the second material. FIG. 25 (z) shows the result of the post process (eg, selective etching) of the removal operation of the first material forming the structure shown in FIG.

  26 (a) -26 (e) is a modification of the process of FIGS. 25 (h) -25 (k), in which the first conductive material is deposited on the fourth layer of the above structure. Before use, it is necessary to use the main seed layer.

  FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a coaxial transmission line. The transmission line 1002 has an outer conductive shield 1006 that surrounds the inner conductor 1004. In the illustrated embodiment, the transmission line 1002 is separated from the substrate 1008 via a spacer 1010. In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate is a dielectric in which a suitable ground potential is applied to the shield 1006 via the conductive spacer 1010 (eg, via the underside of the substrate), and the signal is Added to the center conductor (eg, by appropriate connection from the underside of the substrate). In one variation, the shield is curved around a bend in the central conductor such that the shield substantially completely shields the central conductor at substantially all locations on the substrate (device). (Except for one or more holes formed in the shield that allow the removal of the sacrificial material used during the formation of). In another alternative embodiment, the substrate is conductive and the dielectric material is separated from the central conductor, and the interior of the coaxial element penetrates the interior of the substrate. In still other embodiments, the shield may take the form of a conductive mesh or one or more conductive lines extending from the plane of the substrate. In still other embodiments, the transmission line can be curved in one plane (eg, a plane parallel to the plane of the substrate) or employ a desired three-dimensional pattern. For example, the transmission line may take the form of a spiral pattern similar to the spiral loop pattern of the conductive lines. Similarly, filter elements similar to those shown in FIGS. 12 (c) and 13 (a) can be changed from the relatively flat shape shown to a more three-dimensional shape. For example, the main line of the filter (616, 606) is spiral, but the branch lines 622, 614, etc. are paths below the center of the spiral, or are themselves spiral paths (eg, Smaller diameter than main line diameter). Such a shape, at the expense of increasing its height, can maintain the desired effective length and reduce the planar size of the structure.

  FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the RF contact switch. This RF switch has a cantilever shape. The switch 1022 has a cantilever beam 1026 that contacts the second beam 1024. The cantilever beam is distorted downward due to an electrostatic force when a voltage is applied between the electrode 1028 disposed below the cantilever beam and the cantilever beam. In the illustrated embodiment, all switch elements are suspended above the substrate by support legs 1030a-1030 (c), thereby reducing parasitic capacitance to the substrate. This approach makes it possible to reduce the distance between the drive electrode and the cantilever beam, thereby increasing the actuation force and reducing the required drive voltage while at the same time the distance from the substrate. Increases, which reduces the parasitic capacitance. Independence of electrode size and contact gap is not possible if the electrode size and contact gap must be placed on a flat substrate. The flexibility of the various levels of implementation of the electrochemical molding process allows the switch element to be placed in a more desired position. In one embodiment, the cantilever beam can have a length of about 600 μm and a thickness of 8 μm. Circular contact pads are placed below the beam, and the contact pads are separated by, for example, about 32 μm and the contacts are well separated. The lower beam is suspended, for example, approximately 32 μm above the substrate, and the upper beam is suspended, for example, approximately 88 μm above the substrate. Of course, other dimensional relationships exist in other embodiments. In one example of the use of such a switch, a voltage is applied between the control electrode 1028 and the cantilever beam 1026, the switch is closed, and an AC signal (eg, RF or microwave) is It can be propagated if it is on a cantilever beam or on another beam and the switch is closed. In some modified designs, one or both lines 1026 and 1024 have protrusions at their contact locations, or alternatively, the contact locations are made of a suitable material to extend contact life. Also good. In other alternative embodiments, the entire switch can be placed in a shielded conductor that reduces radiation losses associated with signals propagating along the length of lines 1026 and 1024. In still other embodiments, the switch can be used as a capacitive switch by placing a thin layer of dielectric (eg, nitride) at one or both of the contact positions of lines 1026 and 1024. Thus, the contact of the switch can be moved between a low capacitance value and a high capacitance value. Signal transmission occurs for such switches when impedance matching occurs. For example, if the capacitance is low, higher frequency signals propagate and lower frequency signals are disturbed or significantly attenuated. In a further embodiment, the portion of the control electrode or line 1026 that is closest to this control electrode is covered by a dielectric, reducing the possibility of a short between the control electrode and the deflection line. In yet another embodiment, a pull-up electrode is provided to compensate for contact separation beyond the capability that can be achieved using the spring force of the deflectable line 1026 only. In one embodiment, the ratio of the switch capacitance (assuming a capacitive switch) when opened to closed is preferably about 50 or higher, more preferably about 100 or higher. In yet another embodiment, the second conductor can be detachably attached to the base 1030 and the lower surface of the line 1026 by a dielectric. This second conductor is part of the switch control circuit, as opposed to the shared conductor 1026 of the control electrical circuit having the signal.

  FIG. 29 is a perspective view of a log periodic antenna. The antenna 1032 has a number of different dipoles 1034 (a) -1034 (j) along a common supply line 1036 supported by a spacer 1038 from a substrate (not shown). This elevated position can reduce regulatory capacitive losses otherwise associated with a lossy substrate or associated with an adjacent antenna. In other embodiments, other antenna shapes may be used, such as a linear slot array, a linear dipole array, a helical antenna, a spiral antenna, and / or a square antenna. it can.

  30 (a) -30 (b) are perspective views showing an example of a donut-shaped dielectric that rotates 180 degrees with respect to each other. FIG. 30 (c) is a perspective view of the donut-shaped dielectric of FIGS. 30 (a) -30 (b) formed by an electrochemical molding process. The donut-shaped dielectric shown in FIG. 30 (c) is formed according to the process shown in FIGS. 2 (a) -2 (b). In some embodiments, the dielectric can be formed on a dielectric substrate. In yet another embodiment, the dielectric can be formed on a conductive substrate with a suitable dielectrically isolated feedthrough. In one embodiment, a donut-shaped coil has 12 windings and is 900 μm across, and its bottom surface can be suspended 40 μm above the substrate. It has a plurality of inner conductor columns 1044 and a plurality of outer conductor columns 1046 connected to the upper bridging element 1050 (a) and the lower bridging element 1050 (b). The dielectric also has two circuit connection elements 1048 (a), 1048 (b) supported by spacers 1052 (a), 1052 (b). In one embodiment, the entire dielectric is supported away from the substrate by the spacers 1052 (a), 1052 (b). Such spacing reduces parasitic capacitance due to contact or proximity between the lower conductive bridge 1050 (b) and the substrate (not shown). In one embodiment, the inner conductor column and the outer conductor column have similar dimensions, but in the illustrated embodiment, the area of the inner conductor column is set smaller than the area of the outer conductor column (eg, diameter Is small). Similarly, in this embodiment, the width of the bridging elements 1050 (a), 1050 (b) increases outward from the center of the dielectric in the radial direction. Such a shape reduces the ohmic resistance, and it seems that a desired current flows around the path of electrical induction. Such a shape would reduce the leakage of magnetic flux from the dielectric and thus contribute to increasing inductance and reducing noise radiated by components to other circuit elements. In another embodiment, it is advantageous to shield the outer periphery of the dielectric with a conductive wall. Similarly, the inner circumference can also be shielded by a conductive wall. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the top and bottom surfaces can also be shielded by a conductive plate or mesh. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the spacers 1052 (a), 1052 (b), as well as the circuit connection elements 1048 (a), 1048 (b) may also be made of conductive elements that help to minimize radiation loss. It can be at least partially shielded. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the dielectric can have a more circular shape as opposed to the substantially rectangular shape shown.

  FIGS. 31 (a) and 31 (b) show a spiral dielectric design formed according to an electrochemical molding process and a stacked spiral dielectric, respectively. The illustrated dielectric 1062 has eight coils 1064 (a) -1064 (g), one connection bridge 1066, and two spacers 1068 (a), 1068 (b). Each of the coils has a thickness of 8 μm, an outer shape of about 200 μm, separated from each other by 8 μm, and the lowermost coil is disposed by 56 μm above the substrate. Similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 27-30 (c), the spacer not only ensures electrical connection between the dielectric and the rest of the circuit, but also mounts the dielectric coil to the substrate (not shown). Also used to separate from.

  FIG. 31 (c) shows a modification of the dielectric of FIGS. 31 (a) and 31 (b). The dielectric 1072 of FIG. 31 (c) can be formed using 23 layers and having the illustrated design features. As shown, the dielectric has eleven coil levels 1074 (a) -1074 (k) and a number of turns of 9.125. Each coil level is formed from an 8 micron thick layer and is separated from the other coil levels by a thickness of 4 microns. The inner diameter is 180 microns and the outer diameter is 300 microns. As shown, the dielectric has a core having a diameter of 60 microns and the space between the core 1076 and the windings 1074 (a) -1074 (k) is 60 microns. If a simple calculation is made based on a uniform magnetic field, the inductance for the dielectric is 20 nH, ignoring the core. However, since the actual dielectric diameter is larger than its length and the winding is not firmly fixed, the inductance is lower than this theoretical value. The actual value is estimated to be in the range of 25% -50% of the theoretical value (ie 5-10 nH). On the other hand, the inductance is greatly enhanced by the presence of the core-1076 (eg, 100 or more). Of course, in other embodiments, other shapes can be set.

  In other embodiments, the dielectrics of FIGS. 31 (a) -31 (c) can take different forms. FIGS. 32 (a) -32 (b) show two possible designs, and the design of FIG. 32 (b) exhibits less ohmic resistance than the design of FIG. 32 (a). In FIG. 32 (a), a single dielectric 1082 with N coils and a long connector line 1084 are shown, and FIG. 32 (b) shows two half-sized dielectrics 1086 (a), 1086 (b) is shown. In the dielectrics 1086 (a) and 1086 (b), the number of coils in each is about half that of the dielectric of FIG. 32 (a) connected in series via a short bridging element 1088. As shown, since the bridging element 1088 is shorter than the connector line 1084, the pair of dielectrics of FIG. 32 (b) has less loss than the dielectric of FIG. 32 (a). On the other hand, as the coupling between the two dielectrics weakens, the associated net inductance loss is likely to occur. By having a core extending in the form of a loop through both dielectrics, it is possible to return the inductance to or exceed that of the tall dielectric of FIG. 32 (a). .

  FIGS. 33 (a) and 33 (b) show two dielectric shapes that minimize ohmic losses and maintain a high coupling level between the coils of the dielectric. In these drawings, the upward path of the coil is indicated by a solid line, and the downward path thereof is indicated by a dotted line. In FIG. 33 (a), the upwardly extending coil has a larger parameter than the downwardly extending coil. In FIG. 33 (b), the coils have substantially similar parameter dimensions.

  FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a capacitor 1092 having twelve combined plates (two sets 1094 (a) and 1094 (b) each consisting of six plates). Specifically, the thickness of each plate is 8 microns, the distance between the plates is 4 microns, and one side is 436 μm. Based on these detailed dimensions and ideal parallel plate calculations, the capacitance is about 5 pF. This value is expected to vary somewhat due to the fringe field effect. As noted above, the capacitor is surrounded by a dam 1096 that is used to facilitate the back-filling of the post-released dielectric, and the dielectric to adjacent devices manufactured in the immediate vicinity of the same substrate. Minimize spillage. Dielectric backfilling greatly increases the capacitance provided by such capacitors. Similarly, the capacitance can be significantly increased by reducing the spacing between plates and / or adding plates. The capacitor has two pairs of bond pads 1098 (a), 1098 (b) that are orthogonal. Since the parallel bond pads are conductively connected, electrical connection to the device is made through connection to one of the pads 1098 (a) and one of the pads 1098 (b). As shown, the bond pad is aligned with the bottom plate of the capacitor, and the top plate is connected to the bottom plate by a column located in a region extending from each group. In other embodiments, the pads can be connected directly to, for example, a plate located in the middle of each stack. From there, current flows up and down and to the other plate of each stack.

  FIGS. 35A and 35B are a perspective view and a side view, respectively, of an example of the variable capacitor 1102. The capacitor plate has a shape similar to the shape of FIG. 34, and is divided into two sets of six plates 1104 (a) and 1104 (b). In this embodiment, a set 1104 (a) consists of an electrostatic actuator 1108 consisting of two parallel plates that can drive the spring element 1106 and the plate 1104 (a) vertically with respect to the fixed plate 1104 (b). To be attached to. In use, a DC potential is applied between the spring support 1110 and the actuator pad 1112. The actuator pad 1112 is connected to a column 1114, and the column 1114 holds a fixed drive plate 1116. When such a drive voltage is applied, the movable drive plate 1118 is pulled so as to approach the fixed drive plate, and the fixed drive plate approaches the movable capacitor plate 1104 (a) via the support column 1124. This changes the capacitor of the device. The capacitor is connected to the circuit through one of a spring support 1110 and a fixed capacitor plate contact pad 1128.

  In further embodiments, resistive losses associated with conductors carrying current, such as the spacers of FIGS. 27-31 (c), the central conductor of coaxial components, and other components, increase the cross-sectional dimensions of the elements. It can be reduced by increasing its surface area without making it. This is particularly useful when the frequency of the signal reduces the skin depth compared to the cross-sectional dimensions of the component. For example, the cross-sectional dimension (the plane perpendicular to the direction of current flow) of the current-carrying conductor can be increased by changing it from a circle to a square or other shape with multiple angles. FIGS. 36 (a) and 36 (b) show two examples of such coaxial elements. The two coaxial elements 1132 and 1142 have central conductors 1134 and 1144 that are changed from square and circular to shapes with notches to increase their surface area.

  FIG. 37 is a side view of another embodiment of the present invention in which an integrated circuit 1152 is formed on a substrate 1154 (eg, silicon) and a contact pad 1156 is disposed on the integrated circuit. Exposed through layer 1158. The contact pads are for connecting to other devices or, alternatively, are connecting members on the top side for connecting separate components of the integrated circuit. For example, the connecting member is a pad for distributing a high frequency clock signal to different positions in an integrated circuit (for example, 10 GHz) via a low dispersion transmission line such as a coaxial line or a waveguide. Two coaxial transmission lines 1162, 1172 are shown connecting several pads together. The outer conductor of the coaxial line is supported by a stand or pedestal 1164, 1174, and the connection to the pad is made by wires 1166, 1176. In an alternative embodiment, the connection to the pad is made by bringing at least a portion of the coaxial shielding, not just the wire, into contact with or in close proximity to the surface of the integrated circuit. In some embodiments, the coaxial structure is supported by a center wire and ground connection, while in other embodiments, a pedestal or the like is used. In some embodiments, the coaxial structure is preformed and placed in place on the integrated circuit, or the EFAB process is performed directly on the top surface of the integrated circuit. The connection of such an ultra-small device to an integrated circuit is described in US provisional patent application no. 60/379, 133, which is briefly described below. Of course, in other embodiments, some pads are for connections between components of the IC and other pads are for connections between other components. In some embodiments, the coaxial line has a specially adjusted length to control the difference between clock signals arriving at different locations on one chip or on different chips.

  38 (a) and 38 (b) show first and second generation computer controlled electrochemical molding processing systems manufactured by MEMGen (ie, EFABTH micro molding processing system). These systems are used in performing the processes described herein and in forming the devices / structures described herein. In their current form, these systems include selective and blanket deposition, planarization stations, various cleaning and surface activation stations, inspection stations, plating bath circulation subsystems, atmospheric control systems (eg, temperature control and air purification). System), and a transfer stage that moves the substrate relative to various stations (eg, providing motion in the Z, X, and Y directions). Other systems include one or more selective etching stations, one or more blanket etching stations, one or more seed layer forming stations (eg, CVD or PVD deposition stations), selective atmospheres. It has a control system (eg, supplying gas globally or within a work area) and a rotating stage to align one or more substrates and / or selected stations.

  In some embodiments, many similar components can be assembled on a single substrate, and many components can be used integrally on the substrate, or they can be diced and separated from each other. A plurality of second substrates are attached as separate components for different circuit / configuration boards. In other embodiments, the electrochemical processes in the various embodiments described herein can be used in a comprehensive manner, with various distinct components simultaneously formed on a single substrate, all Although not necessarily connected to each other, many components are formed in the final position. In some embodiments, one or many identical or clearly identifiable components are formed directly on an integrated control circuit or other substrate having pre-installed components. In one embodiment, the entire system can be formed from a plurality of components that are integrally formed and arranged.

  In a further embodiment, multiple devices or multiple groups of devices are formed simultaneously with the structure used to package the components. Such a packaging structure is described in US patent application no. 60/379, 182 and will be described in the patent application table described later. In this application, there are teachings of several techniques for forming a structure and hermetically sealed package. The structure is formed with holes that allow removal of the sacrificial material. After removal of the sacrificial material, the holes are filled in various ways. For example, a meltable material is adjacent to or proximate the hole and the meltable material is flowed to seal the hole and then re-solidify. In another embodiment, the hole is filled with a hole filling material in close proximity to the hole at a distance. After removal of the sacrificial material, the hole filling material is used to fill the gap associated with the hole and seal them via a solder-like material or an adhesive type material. In still other embodiments, particularly where deposition is performed in a substantially linear deposition process, or serves to stop deposition and the starting point at which the deposition is formed to fill the holes. Deposition can be performed to fill the holes when the material to be formed is placed under the holes.

  While this application focuses mostly on coaxial transmission lines and coaxial filters, it should be understood that these structures can be used as basic building blocks for other structures. There must be. Therefore, the RF and microwave components of various embodiments include ultra-compact coaxial components, transmission lines, low pass filters, high pass filters, band pass filters, reflection filters, absorption filters, leakage wall filters, delays. Impedance matching structure for connecting lines, other functional components, certain classes of antennas, directional couplers, power combiners (eg Wilkinson), power splitters, hybrid power combiners, magic TEEs, frequency multiplex converters, frequencies One or more of the demultiplexers are included. The antenna has a linear shape such as a pyramid-type feed horn, a scalar (waveform) feed horn, a patch antenna, etc. (which can efficiently transmit microwave power from a very small transmission line to free space). Flat, adapted arrays, etc. The ultra-compact coaxial cable manufactured by EFAB allowed the manufacture of new components with many functionalities. The combination of power combining (or splitting) and frequency multiplexing (or demultiplexing) easily forms a single miniature coaxial structure with many input and output ports.

  As an example of application of the coaxial transmission line according to the embodiment of the present invention, a case where it is applied to a four-port transmission line hybrid coupler will be described.

  The hybrid is the oldest and most useful of all microwave components. As the name implies, a hybrid is a combination of two functions into a single component. These two functions are power division and phase change. When a hybrid is comprised of a waveguide, coaxial cable, or broadband transmission line, the hybrid generally operates on the principle of constructive, destructive interference in the split of current at the junction and fundamental spatial modes in the line .

  FIG. 39 shows a classic four-port transmission line hybrid structure. This is called a “bifurcated line” coupler because of this structure. Because this structure has “through” lines 1200, 1202 (port 1 to port 2, port 3 to port 4) and two vertical “branches” 1204, 1206, the “branches” 1204, 1206 are This is because it can be considered that the “penetration” lines 1200 and 1202 are connected. These lines and branches are formed by the inner conductor of the coaxial element surrounded by the shield conductor 1208. In order to provide the desired specific impedance, the size of these shielding conductive elements is determined relative to the size of the inner conductor. These shielding conductors individually shield the inner conductors. Alternatively, in order to achieve a higher degree of compression, a part of one shielding element is used, each shielding a part of many inner conductors. More specifically, the hybrid relies on how it sends signals from input port 1 to output port 2, and further to two connected ports 3,4. The goal is to prevent all power from flowing into the connected port 3. The most useful power division is about 3 dB, that is, 50% between the port 2 and the port 4 connected thereto. As shown in FIG. 39, the phase difference between ports 2 and 4 is 90 degrees. This phase difference is common in radar receivers in coherent communications and I (phase) and Q (quadrature) channel feed networks.

  Due to the principle of single-mode wave interference, the phase conditions at all three output ports can be met exactly by making the electrical lengths of the four central parts of the line equal to λ / 4. Next, according to the transmission line theory, the vertical (branch) portion has a specific impedance Z0, and the horizontal portion between the branches has a specific impedance Z0 / (2) 1/2. , −3 dB amplitude condition is satisfied. The end of the horizontal portion has a characteristic impedance Z0, which is roughly 50Ω in the RF industry standard.

  In principle, it is simple and very useful in use, but “branch line” couplers must be physically large because λ / 4 is required in electrical length. For example, in the center of the S band (2-4 GHz)-a commonly used band for communications and radar-the free space wavelength is 10 cm or about 4 inches. Therefore, λ / 4 is 1 inch and the size of the hybrid is at least 1 × 1 without counting feed lines and connectors.

  A square hybrid was a standard component in the field of microwave network design. Because of its physical size, cutting is the preferred processing technology, and cutting mills have been sticking to CNC control to date, and humans have been manipulating the machine tools needed, especially in manufacturing operations.

  In the 1960s, hybrids began to be manufactured using microstrip line technology. This was the beginning of the era of microwave integrated circuit (MIC) technology, enabling batch production and hybrids being easier to supply. However, the microstrip hybrid was a trade-off. Because its performance was not as good as the best waveguide or coaxial components, microstrip lines are inherently more lossy than waveguides or coaxial cables, and different lines on a common substrate This is because it causes crosstalk between them. In order to mitigate crosstalk, the different microstrip lines must be physically separated. Therefore, the “real estate” occupied by the final hybrid is more than a design than that of a waveguide or coaxial.

  By using electrochemical molding, it is possible to produce an excellent coaxial structure that enables the formation of an excellent hybrid coupler. As such a structure, there is a curved portion having a very small radius of curvature. According to the full-wave simulation, the curved portion has extremely low insertion loss and return loss when formed from a single-mode coaxial line having no change in cross section. FIG. 40 shows an example of the curved portion and its dimensions. It is estimated that the electrical length around the curved portion is π * RC = π * 480 μm = 1, 508 mm, and the wall thickness is 80 μm. Since the size of the end mill or cutting tool is limited, it is difficult to form a curved portion having a small radius of curvature by cutting. Microstrip line curves cannot be formed with small radii of curvature due to the tendency to initiate substrate mode. Such a mode is always present in the microstrip, when initiated it causes an unchangeable loss and the connection to adjacent microstrip lines sharing the same substrate cannot be changed. Since the outer conductor is tensioned and the inner conductor is compressed, the metal is fatigued and cracked, so it is also difficult to form a curved portion with a small radius from the straight portion of the round coaxial line.

  Given the ability to form small radii, as shown in FIG. 41, low loss bends and long transmission lines can be greatly reduced in physical quantities by serpentine (ie, snake-like) windings. It is done. This figure is a plan view of a portion of a coaxial line having an inner conductor 1222 and an outer conductor 1220. One outer wall of each coaxial line is shared between adjacent parallel portions. Since the skin depth of the RF current is very small (several microns), this common wall can be made extremely thin. Indeed, in some components, the walls between the lines can be reduced to the thickness of a conductive mesh with openings having the above characteristics.

  The small, low-loss bend helps to obtain other major advantages of an electrochemically (integrally) manufactured hybrid. That is miniaturization. FIG. 41 shows how each λ / 4 of the branch line hybrid 1212 has a serpentine portion in order to significantly reduce the total area occupied by the hybrid 1212 as compared to the conventional linear hybrid 1210. It can be formed. According to the full wave simulation, excellent performance can be obtained in a state where the branch line is compressed to λ / 12 (electrical length is λ / 4) with a length of a straight line that produces a compression ratio of 9 in area. Is shown.

  The serpentine portion of the branch line coupler is preferably formed according to the technique described above. In order to facilitate removal of the sacrificial material during the molding process, the outer shield portion of the coaxial element can be provided with an opening to facilitate the entry of chemical etchant into the space within the shield structure or outer conductor. .

  The size and location of the openings are preferably selected so that etching is effective and minimizes loss or interference in the RF performance of the component or network. In order to minimize RF loss, the aperture preferably has a small size with respect to wavelength. For example, the size may be in the primary coaxial mode, such as a waveguide where the aperture has a significantly higher cutoff frequency than the mode frequency (eg, 2x, 5x, 10x, 50x, or more). Selected to appear. The said opening is arrange | positioned in the side surface of a component (for example, transmission line etc.), or the upper end part or bottom face part. The openings are arranged uniformly along the length of a certain component, or arranged in groups.

  The dielectric material is coalesced during the layer formation process to fill the entire gap between the inner and outer conductors, or the inner and outer conductors for mechanical support The dielectric material occupies a relatively small selected area between the conductors. If the dielectric is relatively thin (?), Its use can be incorporated during the execution of a multilayer EFAB process without the need to form a seed layer or the like on the dielectric material. This avoids the problem that the next deposited material “forms a mushroom” and forms a bridge on the dielectric. Alternatively, bulk or selective dielectric material coalescence is achieved by backfilling after the formation of the layer is finished and the sacrificial material etch is finished or partially finished.

  In some embodiments, the component seals (airtight or otherwise), or is maintained environmentally, or reduces the presence or deposition of moisture or problematic materials in critical regions. To operate.

The branch line couplers shown in FIGS. 39 and 42 are placed on a horizontal plane. In other embodiments, serpentine structures are stacked vertically or consist of a combination of vertical or horizontal elements. In addition, many such structures are formed on a single substrate in a batch and then separated from each other prior to final assembly. Should I say anything else about 3D structures?
One application of the branch line coupler or hybrid of FIG. 39B is a Butler matrix. This Butler matrix is a passive network that can be used as a feed for the antenna array. This array produces a pattern of radiation that is orthogonal in space (ie, rays) from an array of N or binary N antenna elements. Here, N indicates a power of 2. “Orthogonal” means that the light beams overlap slightly so that they are collected in a large space area. In an ideal case, this region has a full solid angle 2π steradian in the plane of the antenna array. FIG. 43 (a) conceptually shows a state in which four orthogonal light beams from a four-element linear array are collected.

  The Butler matrix is essentially a one-to-one map between the input transmission line ports and the orthogonal rays. The direction of the beam is controlled by sending an input signal to the desired input port. This drive control can be effectively done by placing a power amplifier at each input and thereby turning the power amplifier on and off as desired. An example of a circuit using a hybrid branch coupler of the type described above for generating signals for the Butler array antenna elements is shown in FIG. This circuit has four 90 degree 3 dB hybrid couplers 1300, two 45 degree phase shift converters 1302, and a transmission line interconnector 1304. This phase shift converter is typically formed from a transmission line selected to change the desired path. For example, a length of 1 / 8λ is used for phase shift of π / 4, and a length of 7 / 8λ is used for phase shift of -π / 4. The crossover shown in FIG. 43 (b) is merely an example of a line that crosses without being connected. Therefore, the crossover line has a shape such that one line overlaps another line. This overlap is accomplished by forming additional layers of the structure or by reducing the height of individual lines above and near the crossover point. Narrowing the line at the crossover point is accomplished by adjusting the size of the inner width of the outer conductor and the outer width of the inner conductor, while maintaining an impedance that does not change. FIG. 44 shows a narrowed transmission line 1332, 1334 having an outer conductor 1336 and an inner conductor 1338, respectively, near the crossover point.

  FIG. 43 (c) shows a four Butler matrix using four serpentine hybrid couplers 1312, two delay lines 1314, two crossovers 1322, four inputs 1316, and four antenna elements 1318 (eg, patch antennas). 1 is a schematic diagram of an antenna array 1310. FIG.

  FIG. 45 is a schematic diagram of an 8-input, 8-butler matrix antenna array using 12 hybrids and 16 phase shift converters (8 of which perform conversion). As can be seen from this figure, this array also has many crossovers.

The number of passive components of the Butler matrix is proportional to the number of desired rays so that the number of hybrids required to generate N orthogonal rays is (N / 2) log ₂ N. This proportional rule is analogous to determining the number of complex multiplications required to perform an N-element Fourier transform. In Brute force, N ² is required for such multiplication, but in fast Fourier transform (FFT), this is reduced to Nlog ₂ N.
For this reason, the Butler matrix is sometimes referred to as an analog to form the FFT rays. Like FFT, it greatly reduces the number of components required to make an antenna to form a beam, especially when N is large and / or when the array is two-dimensional.

  Conventional Butler matrix antenna arrays suffer in terms of performance in terms of light quality and bandwidth. When the amplitude and phase separation of the hybrid are 3 dB and 90 degrees, respectively, the light quality starts to decline, especially in the side lobes. This coaxial cable alleviates this problem by using the inherent accuracy of EFAB to produce a hybrid that is very slow in amplitude and phase shift between the two ports.

  The bandwidth shortcoming is rather fundamental. In view of its structure, the Butler matrix should work perfectly at certain design frequencies, but the rays begin to “tilt” at higher or lower frequencies. “Inclined” means that the ray travels in a radial direction toward the space. Although limited, this shortcoming is not the main reason why the Butler matrix failed to meet the requirements in microwave systems. Rather, it is a matter of accuracy as described above.

  The Butler matrix using the ultra-compact coaxial cable hybrid described here has several advantages. First, the hybrid, phase shift converter, interconnector, input port, and output port can be simultaneously formed on the substrate by using the molding technique described above, and batch-type methods (at once, Can be assembled in many copies). Furthermore, the non-uniformity in the hybrid amplitude and phase transformations, with respect to the main lobe, significantly increases the power in the side row b, so that the high uniformity obtained in the molding process embodiment described here leads to a non-uniformity. Uniformity is greatly removed. As a result, in one embodiment, hybrids with amplitude and phase of 0.1 dB and 1 degree, respectively, can be produced, and the light quality problem can be largely eliminated.

  FIG. 46 shows how the radiating element of the patch antenna is integrally formed with the coaxial feed element by EFAB. The coaxial feed element 1342 (eg, transmission line) is disposed on the substrate 1344. In one alternative embodiment, the coaxial element is separated from the substrate. The coaxial feed element has an inner conductor 1346 disposed between outer conductive shields 1348 having through-holes 1352 (eg, a shield having a rectangular or square cross-sectional shape). An extension line 1354 of the coaxial inner conductor is formed from the through hole to the flat patch antenna 1356. The vertical length of the through hole is, for example, 100 to 500 microns. The size of the hole is dictated by a parasitic impedance caused by a central conductor that interacts electromagnetically with the hole. The length and width of the patch is 3 / 8-1 / 2λ, where λ is the wavelength in free space. A ground plane is preferably disposed under the patch antenna. This ground plane need not be completely flat and need not be completely solid, but instead takes the form of a small array of conductive elements. The coaxial elements and delay lines forming the hybrid coupler form all or part of this ground plane.

  In some embodiments, a small area of dielectric (eg, Teflon or polystyrene) is used to help support the patch (eg, the corner of the patch).

  When the right side of the coaxial element in FIG. 46 carries signals to and / or from the antenna, the short length of the left coaxial line is used for impedance matching between the driving (or receiving) electrons and the patch.

  FIG. 47 shows a substrate on which four batches of 8 × 8 sized antenna arrays are formed. After the formation, the substrate is cut, the plurality of arrays are separated from each other, and the process ends (packaging, wire bonding, etc.). The substrate 1372 is a wafer containing integrated circuits against which an electrochemical molding process is used to create the RF components to complete the formation of the RF system. The antenna 1374 is formed over other RF components (eg, the components necessary to form a Butler array).

  According to one embodiment, the delay line is made in an extremely small form by wrapping its various parts, adjoining, and sharing the shielding conductor at multiple locations on the adjoining line. In some embodiments, these lines are placed in a common plane, and in other embodiments, these lines are arranged in three dimensions by stacking these lines. In still other embodiments, these elements take the form of a spiral pattern or the like.

  In other embodiments of the invention, waveguides and waveguide components are formed and used. In some embodiments, the separate components are used manually or automatically combined. In another embodiment, the entire system such as a signal distribution network is formed.

  The contents of patent applications and patents related to the present invention will be described below. The summary of each patent application, or the summary of each patent, is described below to help the reader find various teachings. The description of the subject matter of the invention is not intended to be limited to the specifically pointed out themes, but is intended to include all the content found in these applications. The teachings in these applications can be combined with the teachings of this application in a number of ways. For example, an appropriate method for manufacturing a structure can be extracted by combining various teachings, an appropriate structure can be obtained, and an appropriate device can be extracted.

  Some of the embodiments of the present invention are based on a combination of the teachings of the present invention and various teachings cited herein for reference. In some embodiments, no blanket deposition process and / or averaging process is used. In some embodiments, a plurality of different materials are deposited on a single layer or on different layers. In some embodiments, a masking process that is not an electrodeposition process is used. In some embodiments, a selective deposition process that is not a conformal contact masking process and that is not an electrodeposition process is used for the multiple layers. In some embodiments, no. The non-conforming contact masking or non-contact masking technique described in the above cited US provisional patent application corresponding to 60 / 429,483 is used.

  In some embodiments, nickel is used as the constituent material. In other embodiments, materials such as gold, silver, etc. that can be separated from the sacrificial material, or other electrodeposition materials are used as constituent materials. In some embodiments, copper is used as a material with or without a sacrificial material. In some embodiments, the sacrificial material is removed. In other embodiments, the sacrificial material is not removed. In some embodiments, the sacrificial material is removed by a chemical etching operation, an electrodeposition operation, or a melting operation. In some embodiments, the anode is different from the support of the matched contact mask, and the support has a porous structure or other perforated structure. In some embodiments, multiple conforming contact masks having different patterns are used to deposit materials having different selective patterns on different layers and / or different portions of a single layer. In some embodiments, the depth of deposition may move the conforming contact mask away from the substrate such that the seal between the conforming portion of the conforming contact mask and the substrate moves from the surface of the conforming material to the inner edge thereof. Increased by pulling out.

  Many embodiments, variations in design and use of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings in this specification. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above-mentioned drawings, modifications and uses thereof, and is limited to the claims described later.

It is a schematic side view which shows the process of a compatible contact mask plating process. It is a schematic side view which shows the process of a compatible contact mask plating process. It is a schematic side view which shows the process of a compatible contact mask plating process. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating the steps of a compatible contact mask plating process using different types of compatible contact masks. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating the steps of a compatible contact mask plating process using different types of compatible contact masks. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating the steps of a compatible contact mask plating process using different types of compatible contact masks. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating the steps of a compatible contact mask plating process using different types of compatible contact masks. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing steps of an electrochemical molding process applied to the formation of a special structure in which a sacrificial material is selectively deposited and a component material is deposited in a blanket fashion. It is a schematic side view which shows the various examples of the subassembly used in the electrochemical shaping | molding method performed by the hand shown by Fig.2 (a)-FIG.2 (f). It is a schematic side view which shows the various examples of the subassembly used in the electrochemical shaping | molding method performed by the hand shown by Fig.2 (a)-FIG.2 (f). It is a schematic side view which shows the various examples of the subassembly used in the electrochemical shaping | molding method performed by the hand shown by Fig.2 (a)-FIG.2 (f). FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. Fig. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating, in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. FIG. 4 shows the formation of a first layer of a structure using adhesive mask plating in which a second material is deposited in a blanket manner in an opening between the deposition position of the first material and the first material itself. It is a perspective view of the coaxial filter which has a short circuit spoke. It is a top view of the coaxial filter along line 4 (b) -4 (b) of Drawing 5 (a). It is a top view of the coaxial filter along line 4 (c) -4 (c) of Drawing 5 (a). FIG. 6 is a plan view of the central portion of a coaxial filter element showing five sets of filtering spokes (two per set) along the length of the filter. FIG. 5 is an end view of a rectangular, circular, elliptical filter element using multiple sets (four spokes per set). FIG. 5 is an end view of a rectangular, circular, elliptical filter element using multiple sets (four spokes per set). FIG. 5 is an end view of a rectangular, circular, elliptical filter element using multiple sets (four spokes per set). Fig. 6 illustrates another example spoke shape used in a filtering component. Fig. 6 illustrates another example spoke shape used in a filtering component. Fig. 6 illustrates another example spoke shape used in a filtering component. Fig. 6 illustrates another example spoke shape used in a filtering component. It is a perspective view of the component of a curved coaxial filter. It is a perspective view of the component of a curved coaxial filter. Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of a component of a coaxial filter that uses protrusions along the inner or outer conductor to aid in signal filtering. Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of a component of a coaxial filter that uses protrusions along the inner or outer conductor to aid in signal filtering. Fig. 4 shows a modified embodiment of a component of a coaxial filter that uses protrusions along the inner or outer conductor to aid in signal filtering. It is a top view of the center part in the length direction of a meandering two-pole coaxial filter. It is a top view of the center part in the length direction of the horseshoe-shaped coaxial transmission line from which the degree of a fastening is different. It is a top view of the center part in the length direction of the horseshoe-shaped coaxial transmission line from which the degree of a fastening is different. It is a top view of the center part in the length direction of the horseshoe-shaped coaxial transmission line from which the degree of a fastening is different. It is a top view of the center part in the length direction of the horseshoe-shaped coaxial transmission line from which the degree of a fastening is different. It is a top view along the center part of a coaxial transmission line and a coaxial filter component, Comprising: A wavy amplitude is formed in the inner surface of the small radius side of a coaxial cable. It is a top view along the center part of a coaxial transmission line and a coaxial filter component, Comprising: A wavy amplitude is formed in the inner surface of the small radius side of a coaxial cable. It is a top view (figure seen from the top) of the center part along the length direction of the linear three-pole coaxial bandpass filter using several pairs of stubs for forming each pole. FIG. 13 is an end view of the filter of FIG. 12 (a) showing a rectangular structure. It is a top view (view seen from the top) of the center part along the length direction of the curved three-pole coaxial band pass filter which has a stub support body. It is a top view (view seen from the top) of the center part along the length direction of the S-shaped three-pole coaxial bandpass filter which has a stub support body. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the filter made using MEMGen's DFABTM electrochemical molding technique of FIG. 13 (a) with a somewhat modified shape of the filter after the sacrificial material has been removed. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a close-up filter (such as that shown in FIG. 13 (b)) partially formed after removal of the sacrificial material from the constituent material. In a perspective view of a coaxial filter component embedded in a sacrificial material and a coaxial filter component separated from the sacrificial material, the outer conductor of the coaxial component has a hole (other than the intended microwave doorway). In a perspective view of a coaxial filter component embedded in a sacrificial material and a coaxial filter component separated from the sacrificial material, the outer conductor of the coaxial component has a hole (other than the intended microwave doorway). Figure 5 shows a plot of transmission versus frequency according to a mathematical model for various filter designs. Figure 5 shows a plot of transmission versus frequency according to a mathematical model for various filter designs. Figure 5 shows a plot of transmission versus frequency according to a mathematical model for various filter designs. Figure 5 shows a plot of transmission versus frequency according to a mathematical model for various filter designs. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of an electrochemical molding process using one conductive material and one dielectric material in the manufacture of the desired device / structure. FIG. 17 is an end view of a coaxial structure formed using the process of FIG. FIG. 17 (a) is a perspective view of a coaxial structure. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. FIG. 17 shows a structure similar to that shown in FIGS. 17 (a) and 17 (b), formed using the process flow of FIG. Fig. 4 shows a flow chart of an example of an electrochemical molding process that includes the use of three conductive materials. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a structure including a conductive element and a dielectric support structure that can be formed in accordance with the process extension shown in FIG. 19. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a structure including a conductive element and a dielectric support structure that can be formed in accordance with the process extension shown in FIG. 19. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 20 shows a structure similar to the coaxial structure shown in FIG. 20 (a) formed by applying the process flow of FIG. 19, in which two of the conductive materials have layers in the above structure. A sacrificial material that is removed after it is formed, and the dielectric material is used to replace one of the removed sacrificial materials. FIG. 22 shows an extension of the removal and replacement process shown in FIGS. 21 (r) -21 (t). FIG. 22 shows an extension of the removal and replacement process shown in FIGS. 21 (r) -21 (t). FIG. 22 shows an extension of the removal and replacement process shown in FIGS. 21 (r) -21 (t). Fig. 3 shows a flow chart of an example of an electrochemical molding process that includes the use of two conductive materials and a dielectric material. Fig. 3 shows a flow chart of an example of an electrochemical molding process that includes the use of two conductive materials and a dielectric material. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a structure formed using an extension of the process of FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b). FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. FIG. 24 is a side view showing an example of a layer formation process according to FIGS. 23 (a) and 23 (b), in which a coaxial structure is formed of a dielectric material that supports only the inner conductor. 25 (h) -25 (k), the process requires the use of a seed layer before depositing the first conductive material on the fourth layer of the above structure. . 25 (h) -25 (k), the process requires the use of a seed layer before depositing the first conductive material on the fourth layer of the above structure. . 25 (h) -25 (k), the process requires the use of a seed layer before depositing the first conductive material on the fourth layer of the above structure. . 25 (h) -25 (k), the process requires the use of a seed layer before depositing the first conductive material on the fourth layer of the above structure. . 25 (h) -25 (k), the process requires the use of a seed layer before depositing the first conductive material on the fourth layer of the above structure. . It is a perspective view of a coaxial transmission line. It is a perspective view of RF contact switch. It is a perspective view of a log periodic antenna. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the donut-shaped dielectric material which rotates 180 degree | times with respect to each other. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the donut-shaped dielectric material which rotates 180 degree | times with respect to each other. 1 is a perspective view of a donut-shaped dielectric formed by an electrochemical molding process. FIG. 1 shows a spiral dielectric design formed according to an electrochemical molding process and a stacked spiral dielectric, respectively. 1 shows a spiral dielectric design formed according to an electrochemical molding process and a stacked spiral dielectric, respectively. 31 shows a modification of the dielectric shown in FIGS. 31 (a) and 31 (b). 32 (a) and 32 (b) show that the design of FIG. 32 (b) exhibits less ohmic resistance than the design of FIG. 32 (a), and two feasible designs with variable total inductances. In contrast. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of two dielectric shapes that minimize ohmic losses and maintain a high level of coupling between the dielectric coils. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of two dielectric shapes that minimize ohmic losses and maintain a high level of coupling between the dielectric coils. It is a perspective view of a capacitor. It is the perspective view and side view of an example of a variable capacitor. It is the perspective view and side view of an example of a variable capacitor. FIG. 2 is an end view showing two examples of a coaxial structure, where the central conductor has a cross-sectional shape that increases the surface area with respect to the cross-sectional area. FIG. 2 is an end view showing two examples of a coaxial structure, where the central conductor has a cross-sectional shape that increases the surface area with respect to the cross-sectional area. FIG. 4 is a side view of the integrated circuit having contact pads used to connect internal signals (eg, clock signals) and low dispersion transmission lines for communication with other parts of the integrated circuit. FIG. 2 illustrates a first and second generation computer controlled electrochemical molding process system (ie, an EFABTH micromolding system) that can be used in performing the processes described herein. FIG. 2 illustrates a first and second generation computer controlled electrochemical molding process system (ie, an EFABTH micromolding system) that can be used in performing the processes described herein. It is a top view of the conventional four-port hybrid coupler. It is a top view of the curved part and its dimension in a coaxial cable. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of a coaxial cable having a shared outer conductor along portions of the transmission line. In order to significantly reduce the total area occupied by the branch line hybrid compared to the conventional linear hybrid, each λ / 4 part of the branch line hybrid is formed with a serpentine portion. Shows how to get. The four orthogonal rays from a four-element linear array are collected. Fig. 2 shows a Butler array, whose antenna element has a signal generated by a circuit using a hybrid branch coupler and two phase shifters. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a four-element butler matrix antenna array using four serpentine hybrid couplers, two delay lines, two crossovers, four inputs, and four antenna elements (eg, patch antenna). FIG. 6 shows crossover points of a plurality of narrowed transmission lines each having an outer conductor and an inner conductor. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an eight-input, eight-antenna butler matrix array using twelve hybrids, sixteen phase shift converters (of which eight perform conversion) and eight antennas. It shows how a radiating element of a patch antenna can be attached to a coaxial feed element. Figure 4 shows a substrate on which four batches of 8x8 sized antenna arrays are formed.

Claims (34)

a. At least one incident port for RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure;
b. At least one exit port of the RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure;
c. When the RF or microwave radiation propagates from the at least one incident port to the at least one exit port, a side is bounded by the conductive structure through which the RF or microwave radiation passes. At least one channel formed;
d. In a coaxial RF or microwave element for guiding or controlling radiation comprising a central conductor extending along the length of the at least one flow path from the entrance port to the exit port,
The conductive structure has one or more openings extending from the flow path to an external region, the openings having a size less than 1/10 of a wavelength or 200 microns, The aperture is not intended to pass the RF. The component of claim 1, wherein at least some openings are used to remove the sacrificial material. The at least some of the openings are used to accommodate a dielectric that helps to maintain a desired relative position between the central conductor and the conductive structure. Component. The component of claim 1, wherein the conductive structure and the central conductor are integral. The component of claim 1, wherein the central conductor and a portion of the conductive structure comprise a material formed from a plurality of successively deposited layers. The component according to claim 1, wherein the central conductor and a part of the conductive structure are made of a material formed by a plurality of electrodeposition operations. The component of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the flow path perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the radiation along the flow path is less than about 1 mm. The component of claim 1, wherein a dimension of a cross section of the flow path perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the radiation along the flow path is less than about 0.5 mm. The component of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional dimension of the flow path perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the radiation along the flow path is less than about 0.2 mm. The component according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the flow path is rectangular. The component of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the central conductor is rectangular. The component according to claim 1, wherein the flow path extends along a three-dimensional path. The component of claim 12, wherein the three-dimensional path comprises a three-dimensional spiral. The component according to claim 1, wherein the component is a hybrid coupler. The component of claim 1, wherein the component comprises a delay line. The component according to claim 1, wherein the component is an antenna. The component of claim 16, wherein the antenna comprises an array of antennas. The component according to claim 16, wherein the antenna is fed by a Butler matrix or feeds the Butler matrix. 17. The component of claim 16, wherein the antenna array comprises a patch antenna array. 17. The component of claim 16, wherein the antenna array is powered by signals propagated through a Butler matrix, and the input to the Butler matrix is controlled by a power amplifier. The component of claim 1, wherein the at least one coaxial line is arranged in a serpentine shape. The butler matrix of claim 21, wherein the at least one serpentine configuration comprises a shared conductive shielding structure disposed between at least two different portions. The two flow paths are arranged adjacent to each other, and the two flow paths are separated by one conductive shielding structure. The component of claim 1 formed at least in part using one or more of the following operations:
a. An operation of selectively electrodepositing the first conductive material and electrodepositing the second conductive material. In this operation, one of the first and second conductive materials is a sacrificial material, and the other is a configuration. Material;
b. Electrodepositing the first conductive material, selectively etching the first constituent material to form at least one void, and depositing the second conductive material to fill the at least one void. Work to wear;
c. Electrodeposit at least one conductive material, deposit at least one flowable dielectric material, and deposit a seed layer of the conductive material in preparation for forming the next layer of electrodeposited material Work; or
d. Selectively electrodepositing the first conductive material; electrodepositing the second conductive material; selectively etching one of the first and second conductive materials; In this work, at least one of the first, second and third conductive materials is a sacrificial material, and the remaining two conductive materials are constituent materials. The component of claim 1 formed at least in part using one or more of the following operations:
a. Separating at least one sacrificial material from at least one constituent material;
b. Separating the first sacrificial material from (a) a second sacrificial material and (b) at least one constituent material to form a void, and filling at least a portion of the void with a dielectric material, and then Separating the second sacrificial material from a material and the dielectric material; or
c. The voids in the constituent material are filled with a magnetic material or a conductive material embedded in a fluid dielectric material, and then the dielectric material is solidified. 2. The component according to claim 1, wherein the component connects a low pass filter, a high pass filter, a band pass filter, a reflection filter, an absorption filter, a leakage wall filter, a delay line, and other functional components. Impedance matching structure, directional coupler or combiner (eg, square hybrid, hybrid ring, Wilkinson combiner, Magic T). 2. The component according to claim 1, wherein the component includes a micro coaxial element, a transmission line, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, a band pass filter, a reflection filter, an absorption filter, a leakage wall filter, a delay line, and the like. Impedance matching structure, directional coupler, power combiner (eg Wilkinson), power splitter, hybrid combiner, magic TEE, frequency multiplex converter, or frequency multiplex separator, pyramid type (smooth) A wall) feedhorn antenna and / or one or more scalar (waveform) feedhorn antennas. A method of manufacturing a microminiature device,
a. Depositing multiple layers of deposited material;
In this step, the deposition of each layer of the material is
i. Deposition of at least a first material;
ii. Consisting of a deposit of at least one second material,
b. After depositing the plurality of layers, comprising removing at least part of the first material or at least part of the second material;
The structure resulting from the deposition and removal results in at least one structure that functions as an RF or microwave control, guidance, transmission, or reception component.
a. At least one incident port for RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure;
b. At least one exit port of the RF or microwave radiation provided in the conductive structure;
c. When the RF or microwave radiation propagates from the at least one incident port to the at least one exit port, a side surface is bounded by the conductive structure through which the RF or microwave radiation passes. At least one channel formed;
d. A central conductor extending from the entrance port to the exit port along the length of the at least one flow path;
The conductive structure has one or more openings extending from the flow path to an external region, the openings having a size less than 1/10 of a wavelength or 200 microns, The aperture is not intended to pass the RF. A four-port hybrid coupler consisting of multiple layers of deposited material with four microminiature coaxial elements, the first of the four coaxial elements extending between two of the four ports The second one extends between the other two of the four ports and the remaining two extend between the first coaxial element and the second coaxial element. And at least part of the length of at least one of the four coaxial elements is arranged in a meandering manner. 30. The butler matrix of claim 29, wherein the serpentine form comprises a shared shielding structure disposed between adjacent central conductor portions of one or more coaxial elements. A method of manufacturing a circuit for supplying a signal to a passive array of N antenna elements to form a plurality of rays, the method comprising:
(A) Deposit multiple layers of attached material, each consisting of four ultra-compact coaxial elements (N / 2) log ₂ N four-port hybrid coupler, with a pair of coaxial elements at each port Forming each said coaxial element extending between a respective pair of said ports of a hybrid coupler so as to be coupled;
(B) connecting at least some hybrid couplers to other hybrid couplers via a phase-shifting element to form a Butler matrix. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the deposition of each layer of material comprises
(A) selective deposition of at least a first material;
(B) deposition of at least a second material;
(C) comprising planarization of at least a portion of the deposited material;
Multiple layers are deposited,
After deposition of the multiple layers, at least a portion of the first material or at least a portion of the second material is removed. A Butler matrix for providing a signal to a passive array of N antenna elements to form a plurality of rays, the Butler matrix comprising (N / 2) log ₂ N four-port hybrid couplers. Each of the four hybrid couplers consists of four subminiature coaxial elements, the first of the four coaxial elements extending between two of the four ports and the second one Extending between the other two of the four ports, the remaining two being extended between the first coaxial element and the second coaxial element, the four coaxial elements At least a part of at least one of the lengths is arranged in a meandering manner. 35. The butler matrix of claim 34, wherein the serpentine form comprises a shared shielding structure disposed between adjacent central conductor portions of one or more coaxial elements.

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