TW201407876A - Dielectric conduit for EHF communication - Google Patents

Abstract

A dielectric conduit for electromagnetic EHF signal propagation, wherein the dielectric conduit comprises an elongated body of dielectric material extending continuously along a longitudinal axis between a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein An orthogonal cross-section of the elongate body at various points along the longitudinal axis has a first dimension along a major axis along the cross-section, wherein the major axis extends along a largest dimension of the cross-section, and a second along the cross-section a second dimension of the axis, wherein the secondary axis extends along a widest dimension of the section at right angles to the primary axis; and, for each section of the elongated body, the first dimension is greater than a wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal, and The second dimension is less than the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal.

Description

Dielectric conduit for EHF communication

The present disclosure is generally directed to an apparatus, system, and method for EHF communication including communication using a dielectric guiding structure and a beam focusing structure.

Advances in semiconductor fabrication and circuit design technology have led to the development and production of ICs with ever-increasing operating frequencies. Therefore, electronic products and systems with such integrated circuits can provide more powerful functionality than previous products. The functional outline of this hyperplasia involves processing more data at a faster rate.

Many electronic systems contain a plurality of printed circuit boards (PCBs) that are mounted on top of them, and thereby can route various signals to and from the ICs. For electronic systems equipped with at least two PCBs and requiring communication between these PCBs, various connector and backplane architectures have been developed to facilitate the flow of information between the boards. Unfortunately, these connector and backplane architectures introduce various impedance discontinuities into the signal path, resulting in degradation of signal quality or integrity. Conventional board connections, such as mechanical connectors that carry signals, typically create discontinuities that require costly electronic components to solve. Conventional mechanical connectors can also wear out over time, requiring precise calibration and manufacturing methods, and are susceptible to mechanical impact problems.

These characteristics of traditional connectors may lead to degradation of signal integrity and the need Electronic systems that transmit data at various high rates are unstable, which in turn limits the availability of such products. Disadvantages of conventional connectors can result in degradation of signal integrity and instability associated with electronic systems designed to transmit data at various high rates, thereby limiting the availability of such systems. Accordingly, multiple methods and systems are needed to couple discrete portions of a high data rate signal path without the cost and power consumption associated with pluggable physical connectors and equalization circuits. In addition, a number of methods and systems are required to ensure that these solutions are easy to manufacture, modular and efficient.

Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,621,913 and U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 12/655,041. These and all other publicly available documents referred to in this application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

In one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a dielectric conduit for electromagnetic EHF signal propagation having at least one known wavelength, wherein the dielectric conduit includes a long body of a first dielectric material, A terminal and a second terminal extend continuously along a longitudinal axis, wherein the orthogonal cross-section of the elongated body at each point along the longitudinal axis has a first dimension along a major axis along the cross-section, Wherein the primary axis extends along a largest dimension of the section and a second dimension along a minor axis of the section, wherein the secondary axis extends along a widest dimension of the section at right angles to the primary axis; and, for the length Each section of the body is larger than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal and the second dimension is less than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal.

In this embodiment, the elongated body has a surface, wherein at least one quarter of the area of the surface is covered by a first reflective coating, the coating is a reflective material or It is a combination of multiple reflective materials that are configured to reflect when the electromagnetic EHF signal is propagated along the length of the elongated body.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a conduit for the propagation of electromagnetic EHF signals, the conduit comprising a plurality of elongated bodies of dielectric material, each elongated system configured to propagate an independent electromagnetic EHF Signals, and the dielectric materials of the individual elongated bodies are the same or different. Each of the elongate bodies extends continuously along a longitudinal axis between a first terminal and a second terminal, and orthogonal cross sections of the respective elongate bodies along the cross section along the longitudinal axis are along the cross section The main axis has a first dimension, wherein the major axis is defined as the largest dimension of the section, and a second dimension along the minor axis of the section, wherein the secondary axis is defined as the primary dimension The axis has the widest dimension of the cross section at right angles.

For each of the sections of each elongated body, the first dimension is greater than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the elongated body, and the second dimension is less than the electromagnetic wave to be propagated along the elongated body The known wavelength of the EHF signal. In addition, for at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongated bodies, the plurality of elongated bodies extend in combination and adjacent to each other, wherein each elongated body is separated by a first reflective coating Each adjacent elongate body, the cladding being a reflective material or a combination of a plurality of reflective materials, configured to be capable of imparting electromagnetic EHF signals along the length of the elongate body reflection.

In still another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a method of propagating an electromagnetic EHF signal along a conduit as described above, wherein the method includes utilizing an electromagnetic EHF transmitter to transmit an electromagnetic EHF signal; the elongated body of the conduit The first terminal is disposed adjacent to the EHF transmitter, such that at least a portion of the transmitted electromagnetic EHF signal is directed through the first terminal into the elongated body; and the guided portion of the electromagnetic EHF signal is along the Long body propagates to the length The second terminal of the type body.

102‧‧‧ grain

104‧‧‧Conductor connector

106‧‧‧transmitters

108‧‧‧Wraping materials

110‧‧‧PCB ground plane

112‧‧‧Overlay

114‧‧‧Every high frequency (EHF) communication chip

116‧‧‧Connector Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

202‧‧‧ grain

204‧‧‧Conductor connector

206‧‧‧transmitters

208‧‧‧Wraping materials

214‧‧‧EHF communication chip

218‧‧‧ lead frame

220‧‧‧Antenna connection wiring

222‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

224‧‧‧Long body

226‧‧‧ longitudinal axis

228‧‧‧ first dimension

230‧‧‧ second dimension

232‧‧‧Covering materials

240‧‧‧section

242‧‧‧ main axis

244‧‧‧ secondary axis

246‧‧‧section

248‧‧‧section

300‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

302‧‧‧Long body

304‧‧‧ first terminal

306‧‧‧second terminal

308‧‧‧First lateral surface

310‧‧‧Second lateral surface

312‧‧‧ first major surface

314‧‧‧ second major surface

316‧‧‧ length

318‧‧‧Width

320‧‧‧depth

322‧‧‧Cover

400‧‧‧EHF electromagnetic communication system

402‧‧‧First EHF Communication Chip

404‧‧‧Second EHF communication chip

406‧‧‧PCB substrate

500‧‧‧EHF communication system

502‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

504‧‧‧First EHF communication chip

506‧‧‧Second EHF communication chip

508‧‧‧First coupling characteristics

510‧‧‧ long cube

512‧‧‧Second coupling characteristics

602‧‧‧ coupling characteristics

604‧‧‧Rectangular-pyramidal frustum

606‧‧‧Base

608‧‧‧ top

610‧‧‧ Terminal

612‧‧‧ long cube

613‧‧‧ top height

614‧‧‧base height

615‧‧‧ top width

616‧‧‧Base width

618‧‧‧Dielectric interface tablet

620‧‧‧ plate thickness

700‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

702‧‧‧ coupling characteristics

704‧‧‧Dielectric horn

706‧‧‧Dielectric interface tablet

708‧‧‧EHF electromagnetic signal source

800‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

802‧‧‧ coupling characteristics

804‧‧‧First dielectric lens

806‧‧‧Second dielectric lens

808‧‧‧EHF electromagnetic signal source

810‧‧‧ Dielectric conduit terminal

900‧‧‧First long dielectric cube

902‧‧‧Second long dielectric cube

904‧‧‧Cover material

1000‧‧‧First long dielectric cube

1002‧‧‧Second long dielectric cube

1004‧‧‧Cover material

1018‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

1020‧‧‧Long body

1022‧‧‧Long body

1024‧‧‧long body

1026‧‧‧Long body

1028‧‧‧Cover

A number of embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals are used to refer to the

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an EHF communication wafer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention showing some internal components.

2 is a perspective view of the EHF communication chip of FIG. 1.

3 is a perspective view of a dielectric conduit segment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4A-4C are cross-sectional views of representative dielectric conduits in accordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a dielectric conduit in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a semi-schematic side view of an EHF electromagnetic communication system in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of an alternative EHF electromagnetic communication system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view of an exemplary coupling feature in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of the coupling characteristics of a source adjacent to an EHF signal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of an alternative coupling feature adjacent to an EHF signal source in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 11 depicts a portion of a dielectric conduit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12 depicts a portion of an alternative dielectric catheter in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 13 depicts a portion of yet another alternative dielectric conduit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 is a flow chart illustrating a method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The present disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and the specific embodiments of the embodiments are shown in the drawings. It is to be understood that the appended claims are not intended to Modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and scope.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the description which follows. Reference will now be made to a number of embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure, such as the accompanying drawings. The subject matter of the present disclosure is described in conjunction with the embodiments, and it is understood that the subject matter of the present disclosure is limited only to the specific embodiments. Rather, the subject matter of the present disclosure is intended to cover various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which are included in the spirit and scope of the subject matter of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. In other instances, well-known process steps have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure.

In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in the description which follows, However, those skilled in the art should know that the subject matter of the present disclosure can be implemented even without such specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components that are well known to those skilled in the art are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the features of the subject matter disclosed herein.

A number of devices, systems, and methods involving a dielectric coupler for EHF communication will be shown and described below.

A device capable of providing communication via a communication link is called a communication device or communication unit. For example, a communication unit capable of operating in the EHF band can be referred to as an EHF communication unit. An example of an EHF communication unit is an EHF communication link (comm-link) chip. The vocabulary "communication link wafer", "communication link chip package" and "EHF communication link chip package" will be used interchangeably throughout the article to refer to the EHF antenna embedded in the IC package. Examples of such communication link wafers are described in detail in the text of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial Nos. 61/491,811, 61/467,334, and 61/485,103, each of which is incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes.

1 is a side view of an exemplary very high frequency (EHF) communication chip 114 showing some internal components in accordance with an embodiment. As discussed with respect to FIG. 1, the EHF communication chip 114 can be mounted on a connector printed circuit board (PCB) 116 of the EHF communication chip 114. FIG. 2 shows a similar exemplary EHF communication chip 214. It is noted that Figure 1 is a computer simulation of a graphic to depict the EHF communication chip 114 and thus is capable of displaying some components in a stylized manner. The EHF communication chip 114 can be configured to transmit and receive very high frequency signals. As shown, the EHF communication die 114 can include a die 102, a leadframe (not shown), one or more conductor connectors such as the attached wires 104, a conductor such as the antenna 106, and a wrapper. Material 108. The die 102 can contain any suitable structure configured to minimize circuitry on a suitable die substrate and is functionally equivalent to what is also referred to as a "wafer" or "integrated circuit (IC)." The die substrate may be formed of any suitable semiconductor material such as tantalum, but is not limited thereto. The die 102 can be electrically connected to the lead frame. The leadframe (similar to 218 of FIG. 2) can be any suitable conductive lead arrangement configured to operate for one or more other circuits to be coupled to the die 102. The wire of the lead frame (see 218 of Figure 2) can be embedded or fixed within a lead frame substrate. The lead frame substrate can be constructed using any suitable insulating material that is configured to substantially hold the wires in a predetermined arrangement.

In addition, electrical communication between the die 102 and the wires of the leadframe can be accomplished by any suitable method using a conductor connector such as one or more of the attached wires 104. The connection wires 104 can be utilized to electrically connect points on the circuit of the die 102 to corresponding wires on the wire frame. In another embodiment, the die 102 can be inverted and the conductor connector includes a plurality of bumps, or die balls, rather than the attached wires 104, which can be referred to as "flip-chip" arrangements. Mode configured settings.

The antenna 106 can be any suitable structure configured as configured for the transducer for conversion between electrical and electromagnetic signals. The antenna 106 can be configured to operate in the EHF spectrum and can be configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals; in other words, as a transmitter, receiver or transceiver. In one embodiment, the antenna 106 can be constructed as part of the leadframe (see 218 in Figure 2). In other embodiments, the antenna 106 can be separate from the die 102, but can be operatively coupled thereto by any suitable method while being disposed adjacent to the die 102. For example, an antenna can be attached to the antenna (similar to 220 of FIG. 2) to connect the antenna 106 to the die 102. Alternatively, in a flip chip configuration, the antenna 106 can be connected to the die 102 without the use of an antenna connection (see 220). In other embodiments, the antenna 106 can be disposed on the die 102 or on the PCB 116.

In addition, the encapsulation material 108 can hold the various components of the EHF communication wafer 114 at a fixed relative position. The encapsulation material 108 can be any suitable material configured to provide electrical insulation and physical protection to the electrical and electronic components of the EHF communication wafer 114. For example, the wrapper 108 can be a mold compound, glass, plastic or ceramic. The wrapper 108 can be constructed in accordance with any suitable shape. For example, the encapsulation material 108 can be in the form of a rectangular block enclosing the unconnected portion of the EHF communication wafer 114 except the lead frame. All components except the wire. One or more external connections may be formed by other circuits or components. For example, the external connections may include solder balls and/or external solder balls for connection to a printed circuit board.

Further, the EHF communication chip 114 can be mounted on a connector PCB 116. The connector PCB 116 can include one or more overlays 112, one of which can be a PCB ground plane 110. The PCB ground plane 110 can be any suitable configuration configured to provide electrical grounding to the circuits and components on the PCB 116.

2 is a perspective view of an EHF communication chip 214 showing some of the internal components. It is noted that Figure 2 is a computer simulation of the graphics to depict the EHF communication chip 214 and thus enables some components to be displayed in a stylized manner. As shown, the EHF communication die 214 can include die 202, leadframe 218, one or more conductor connectors such as attached wires 204, a conductor such as antenna 206, and one or more antennas attached. Wiring 220 and wrap material 208. The die 202, the leadframe 218, one or more attachment wires 204, the antenna 206, the antenna attachment wires 220, and the wrapper 208 can have an EHF communication die 114 similar to that shown in FIG. The functionality of the die 102, the leadframe, the attached wiring 104, the antenna 106, the antenna attachment wiring, and the components of the encapsulation material 108. Additionally, the EHF communication chip 214 can include a connector PCB (similar to the PCB 116).

In FIG. 2, it can be observed that the die 202 is encapsulated within the EHF communication chip 214, and the connection wires 204 can connect the die 202 to the antenna 206. In this embodiment, the EHF communication chip 214 can be mounted on the connector PCB. The connector PCB (not shown) may contain one or more overlay layers (not shown), one of which may be a PCB ground plane (not shown). The PCB ground plane can be any suitable configuration configured to provide electrical grounding to the circuitry and components on the PCB of the EHF communication chip 214.

Referring now to Figures 1-2, the EHF communication chip 214 can be incorporated and configured for EHF communication with the EHF communication chip 114. In addition, any of the EHF communication chips 114 or 214 can be configured to transmit and/or receive electromagnetic signals, thereby providing the EHF communication die 114 and the EHF communication die 214 and accompanying electrical circuits or components. Single or two-way communication. In one embodiment, the EHF communication die 114 and the EHF communication die 214 can be co-located on a single PCB and provide in-board PCB communication. In another embodiment, the EHF communication chip 114 can be located on a first PCB (similar to the PCB 116), and the EHF communication chip 214 is located on a second PCB (similar to the PCB 116), thereby providing PCB communication between boards.

In some cases, pairs of such EHF communication chips 114 and 214 can be placed sufficiently far apart from each other so that EHF electromagnetic signals are not reliably exchanged between them. In these cases, it may be desirable to provide improved signal transmission results between pairs of EHF communication chipsets. To this end, the present invention provides a dielectric conduit configured to propagate electromagnetic EHF signals, as will be described hereinafter and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

3 is a perspective view of an exemplary dielectric conduit 222 segment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the dielectric conduit 222 may be additionally or alternatively referred to as a waveguide or a dielectric waveguide.

The dielectric conduit 222 includes an elongated body 224 that contains a first dielectric material. The elongate body 224 generally extends along a longitudinal axis 226 of the dielectric conduit 222. The elongated body contains a first dielectric material that preferably has a dielectric constant of at least about 2.0. Materials with significantly higher dielectric constants may result in a preferred reduction in the length of the elongated body because the wavelength is reduced when the EHF signal enters a material with a higher dielectric constant. Preferably, the elongated body contains a plastic material that is a dielectric material.

The elongate body 224 is shaped such that at various points along the longitudinal axis 226, a cross-section of the elongate body 224 that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis exhibits a major axis that spans the The section extends along the largest dimension of the section, and the primary axis of the section, the axis extending across the section along the largest dimension of the section at a right angle to the major axis. For each of these sections, the section will have a first dimension 228 along its major axis and a second dimension 230 along its minor axis.

To enhance the ability of the elongated body 224 to propagate electromagnetic EHF signals internally, the dimensions of each elongated body are suitably adjusted such that the length of the first dimension of each section is greater than the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the conduit; And the second dimension is less than the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the conduit. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the first dimension is greater than 1.4 times the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated, and the second dimension is no more than about half of the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated. .

In addition, electromagnetic EHF signal propagation by the elongated body can be enhanced by placing a cladding material 232 on the outer surface of the dielectric elongated body 224. The nature of the surface of the elongate body will vary according to the particular dimensions of each elongate body. While generally considering the overall surface area of the elongate body, the cladding material 232 will typically cover at least about a quarter of the surface. In another embodiment, the first reflective coating covers at least half of the surface of the elongate body, as shown for the cladding material 232 in FIG. In still another alternative embodiment of the invention, the first reflective coating covers the entire surface of the elongate body. The coating of the cloth for the elongated body may comprise a single reflective material or a plurality of reflective materials. The cover may comprise different reflective materials on different faces, or surfaces, of the elongate body.

For each of the embodiments, the covering material may be in the form of, for example, continuous coating. It is applied in a manner that is substantially free of nicks or holes. In another embodiment, the covering material may contain a plurality of holes, such as voids that are regularly or irregularly spaced, or voids that appear in the woven or mesh wrap, as shown in FIG. The one shown for the cladding material 232.

Suitable cladding materials include materials that are capable of reflecting electromagnetic EHF signals to be propagated along the elongated body 224. Reflective materials suitable for cladding may comprise a conductor material, a dissipative material, or other dielectric material. When the cladding contains a conductor material, the conductor material may contain a single or multiple conductor metals. When the coating contains additional dielectric material, such as air surrounding the elongated body, the second dielectric material will typically have a dielectric constant that is less than the dielectric constant of the conduit.

The depiction of the cladding in the drawings does not reflect the actual dimensions of the cladding material, but is exaggerated for clarity of illustration. The thickness of the cladding material layer sufficient to reflect the electromagnetic EHF signal can be rather meager, and generally only a very thin coating is required to satisfactorily reflect the propagated signal. For example, when the cladding material is a conductor metal, an extremely thin metal foil is usually sufficient for most purposes. In general, for the purposes of the present invention, any cladding material thickness that satisfactorily reflects the internal electromagnetic EHF signal is a sufficient thickness. Alternatively, the thickness of the cladding material may be determined in part by manufacturing and usage considerations.

The loss of signal within the dielectric conduit can be reduced by employing a single mode rectangular mode waveguide that utilizes a transverse electric field (TE) propagation mode. Alternatively, the catheter may employ a hybrid propagation mode, which is not a transverse electric field (TE) mode or a transverse magnetic field (TM) mode, but has E _mn ^y and E _mn ^x , where m and n refer to The maximum value, that is, the maximum and minimum values. In an exemplary scenario, the basic patterns of each family can be expressed as E ₁₁ ^y and E ₁₁ ^x .

For any propagation mode family, the cutoff frequency can be defined as follows:

Where k _x and k _y are transverse propagation constants in the x and y directions; in an exemplary scenario, assuming that the field is polarized along the x-axis, k _x and k _y can be approximated as follows:

In one example, the elongate body of the catheter is comprised of a polyethylene plastic such as LDPE or HOPE, and the frequency of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the conduit is 60 GHz. For this exemplary catheter, m = 1, n = 1, width a = 2 mm, height b = 1 mm, n1 = 1.5 and n2 = n3 = n4 = n5 = 1. Using equations (2)-(5), the cutoff frequency of the exemplary catheter can be calculated to be about 56 GHz, which means that the operating frequency of 60 GHz is suitable for signal transmission via the dielectric conduit.

Usually, as the a dimension increases, the cutoff frequency becomes lower. In other words, with a larger dimension, the operating frequency can experience higher order mode propagation. In this example, polyethylene plastic is used as the waveguide or dielectric conduit, but alternative dielectric materials with low loss tangent, such as TEFLOT, polystyrene, glass, rubber, ceramics, etc., can also be used.

For applications such as 1-meter long USB cable, higher order mode propagation may result in higher loss per transmission length and higher divergence effects, but within tolerances for manufacturing and coupling efficiency. However, an exemplary polyethylene conduit having a width of 10 mm and a thickness of 1.5 mm is capable of transmitting data at 5 Gb/s up to 5 meters.

That is, as described above, "n" is a refractive index which defines the speed of light in a vacuum / the speed of light in a material. For near total internal reflection, this "n" can also be a lower cladding index. The elongated body of the dielectric conduit can be surrounded or encapsulated by a variety of claddings having different refractive indices. The refractive index of the cladding material is defined as the ratio of the velocity of light in a vacuum to the phase velocity of light within the cladding material (e _r ), or as follows:

For homogeneous and heterogeneous cladding materials, full internal reflection of the electromagnetic EHF signal can be achieved when the refractive index of the cladding material is less than the refractive index of the dielectric material of the elongated body core. Therefore, a bare rectangular dielectric strip can be utilized as the elongated body.

The elongated body 224 can have any of a variety of possible geometries as long as the first dimension of each section of the elongated body is greater than the wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated while the second dimension is less than the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated. The wavelength can be. In general, the elongate body 224 is shaped such that each section has an exterior formed by a combination of linear and/or continuously curved segments. In one embodiment, each cross section has an outer shape defining a rectangular shape, a rounded rectangular shape, a stadium shape, or a super elliptical shape, wherein the super elliptical shape includes a shape including an elliptical shape and an over elliptical shape.

For example, FIG. 4A illustrates a section 240 that defines a rounded rectangle having a primary axis 242 and a secondary axis 244. FIG. 4B illustrates a section 246 that defines a stadium or capsule shape having a primary axis 242 and a secondary axis 244. 4C illustrates a section 248 that defines an elliptical shape 248 having a primary axis 242 and a secondary axis 244.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a dielectric conduit 300 can include a long body 302 of a first dielectric material, wherein the elongated body 302 is from the first terminal 304 to the second Terminal 306 extends along a longitudinal axis, and the distance between the first and second terminals corresponds to length 316 of elongated body 302.

The elongated body 302 defines an elongated cube. In other words, the elongate body 302 is shaped such that, at various points along its longitudinal axis, a cross-section in the elongate body 302 that is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis defines a rectangle. The elongated body 302 includes a first lateral surface 308 and a second lateral surface 310 spaced from the first lateral surface, and a distance 318 separating the first and second lateral surfaces defines the elongated body along the edge The width on a major axis. Similarly, the elongate body 302 includes a first major surface 312 and a second major surface 314 spaced from the first major surface, and a distance 320 separating the first and second major surfaces defines the elongated shape. The depth of the body along a major axis.

The dielectric conduit 300 of FIG. 5 additionally includes a cover 322, wherein the cover contains a reflective material or more than one reflective material that surrounds the respective lateral surfaces 308, 310 and major surfaces 312, 314. The elongated body 302, as shown in the partially cut away view of FIG.

The dielectric conduit of the present invention is suitable for enhancing electromagnetic EHF signal propagation between signal EHF communication chips in an EHF electromagnetic communication system. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a representative EHF electromagnetic communication system 400 is shown to include a dielectric conduit 300 having a first termination 304 and a second termination 306. The first EHF communication chip 402 is disposed adjacent to the first terminal 304, and the second EHF communication chip 404 is disposed adjacent to the second terminal 306. Each of the communication chips can be selectively attached to a substrate such as a PCB substrate 406.

In use, if the communication chip 402 is configured to be a transmission source of an electromagnetic EHF signal having a wavelength suitable for the dielectric conduit, the EHF frequency can be used. The rate electromagnetic signal is transmitted from the first EHF communication chip 402 adjacent to the terminal 304 into the dielectric conduit 300. Then, if the communication chip 404 is configured to be used as a receiver for the electromagnetic EHF signal, the signal can be propagated along the length of the catheter 300 and pre-transmitted to the second terminal 306 of the dielectric conduit, where It may be received by a second communication chip 404 adjacent to the second terminal 306. The dielectric conduit can be used, for example, for unidirectional propagation from a proprietary transmission source to a dedicated receiver. Alternatively, and more generally, the dielectric conduit can direct such signals to and from a transducer capable of transmitting or receiving EHF signals in either or both directions.

The dielectric conduit of the present invention can be rigid or can be more flexible to accommodate a variety of distances and pointing ranges between a plurality of EHF communication wafers connected by the conduit. The dielectric conduit of the present invention may include a connector member or fastener at one or both ends to attach the catheter 300, thereby attaching the catheter 300 to one or more of the transmission and reception The device associated with the IC package, or by which the catheter is directly attached to the transmitting and/or receiving IC package. The dielectric conduit 300 can be selectively disposed on a conductive surface or partially embedded therein, particularly when used in an electronic device.

At least one of the first and second terminals of the dielectric conduit of the present invention may further comprise a coupling feature configured to enhance EHF signal transmission. For example, the coupling characteristic can be configured to enhance transmission of an external electromagnetic EHF signal into the elongated body of the first dielectric material and/or to enhance the long EEG signal from the first dielectric material. The transmission of the ontology. The schematic of Figure 7 depicts an EHF electromagnetic communication system with first and second coupling characteristics. As shown, the EHF communication system 500 includes a dielectric conduit 502 that is configured to facilitate EHF electromagnetic signal propagation between the first EHF communication chip 504 and the second EHF communication chip 506. The dielectric conduit 502 is in the elongated cube 510 of the dielectric conduit 502 and the first communication chip 504 A first coupling characteristic 508 is further incorporated between the interface, and a second coupling characteristic 512 is formed at the interface between the elongated cube 510 and the second communication chip 506.

The coupling characteristic can be any structure capable of propagating, focusing, and/or transmitting an EHF electromagnetic signal from a neighboring EHF signal source, such as an EHF transmitter or transmitter, to the terminal of the elongated cube. The coupling characteristic can contain one or more dielectric materials that can be the same or different than the first dielectric material of the elongated cube. The geometry of the coupling characteristics can be selected, for example, by incorporating a dielectric lens or dielectric horn to maximize the signal energy delivered into the elongated cube.

In an embodiment of the invention, the dielectric conduit may incorporate one or more coupling characteristics, which in turn may include one of a dielectric lens, a dielectric horn, a dielectric interface plate, and a dielectric converter. One or more. Dielectric horns are typically configured to capture the largest transmitted EHF energy from an EHF signal source for transmission to the elongated cube. For example, the coupling characteristic can include a dielectric horn that defines a rectangular-pyramid frustum, as shown in the coupling characteristic 602 of FIG. 8, which is coupled to a dielectric material and is elongated. The elongated body 612 of the cube.

The coupling characteristic 602 includes a rectangular-pyramid frustum 604 composed of a dielectric material that may be the same as or different from the first dielectric material of the elongated body 612. The rectangular-pyramid frustum 604 includes a base 606 and a top 608 and is coupled to the terminal 610 of the elongated cube 612 via the top 608. The rectangular-pyramid frustum 604 has a top height 613 and a top width 615, wherein the top height 613 is substantially equal to the height of the elongated cube 612 to which it is coupled, and the top of the rectangular-pyramid frustum The width 615 is generally approximately equal to the width of the elongated cube 612 to which it is coupled. Each of the frustum heights and widths may be from the top 608 of the frustum 604 to the frustum The value at the base 606 of the body 604 increases. In one embodiment of the invention, the frustum height and width are values from the top 608 of the frustum 604 to the base height at the base 606 of the frustum 604. 614 and substrate width 616 increase linearly. It will also be appreciated that these coupling characteristics may have other configurations suitable for coupling to conduits having different cross-sectional configurations.

The coupling feature 602 can optionally further have a dielectric interface plate 618 coupled to the base 606 of the rectangular-pyramid frustum 604 and having a substantially equal rectangular-pyramid plane The base height 614 of the frustum 604 and the height and width of the base width 616. The dielectric interface plate 618 can additionally define a plate thickness 620 that is substantially equal to a quarter of the wavelength of the EHF signal that is expected to propagate by the elongated body 612. The dielectric interface plate 618 can have a dielectric constant that is different from the dielectric constant of the coupling characteristic.

9 is a schematic depiction of a dielectric conduit 700 incorporating a coupling characteristic 702 comprising a dielectric horn plate 704 and a dielectric interface plate 706. The coupling characteristic 702 is disposed adjacent to an EHF electromagnetic signal source 708, thereby maximizing the transmission of the EHF signal into the terminal of the catheter for propagation.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the dielectric conduit can incorporate coupling characteristics having one or more dielectric lenses, wherein the lenses are suitably positioned to thereby enter an incident EHF electromagnetic signal The delivery within the terminal of the catheter is maximized for propagation. Various dielectric lenses can be utilized for this purpose, including concave lenses, convex lenses, Fresnel lenses, and the like, and the coupling characteristics can be configured to couple to conduits having different cross-sectional dimensions, ie as previously described.

10 is a schematic depiction of a dielectric conduit 800 incorporating a coupling characteristic 802 that includes a first dielectric lens 804 and a second dielectric lens 806. The coupling characteristic 802 It is placed adjacent to an EHF electromagnetic signal source 808 to capture the incident EHF signal. In general, the coupling characteristics of the dielectric lenses 804, 806 are directed and spaced apart from each other such that the focus of the refracted EHF radiation intersects the terminal 810 of the dielectric conduit.

The Snell formula can be used to estimate the focus position for one or more dielectric lenses, which describes the behavior of electromagnetic waves when passing through the boundaries between different media such as water, glass, and air. In more detail, the Snell formula states that the relationship between the sine of the incident and refractive angles is equal to the ratio of the phase velocities in the two media, or to the reciprocal of the ratio of the refractive indices, ie, as follows:

Wherein each θ is the angle measured for the incident wave (θ ₁ ) and for the refracted wave (θ ₂ ) from the normal to the boundary, and v is the velocity of the light within each individual medium (usually in per second) Metric, or m/s, is the unit) and n is the refractive index (without units) of each individual vehicle.

In other embodiments of the invention, the dielectric conduit can incorporate a plurality of elongated bodies of dielectric material to form a dielectric conduit capable of propagating a plurality of independent EHF signals, or by turning off the function of the dielectric conduit until Two masking structures are present to minimize pseudo-radial radiation at least partially around the collective dielectric conduit.

In the case where the dielectric conduit includes a plurality of dielectric bodies, each of the additional elongated bodies generally extends at least partially along and adjacent to the first elongated body, while each elongated body can be comprised of the first or The first or second cladding of the second reflective material is separated from the other elongated bodies. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, an exemplary combined waveguide includes a first elongated dielectric cube 900 and a second elongated dielectric cube 902, which are arranged side by side, and thus the first length A lateral side of the cube 900 abuts against a lateral side of the second elongated cube 902 side. In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, another exemplary combined waveguide includes a first elongated dielectric cube 1000 and a second elongated dielectric cube 1002, which are arranged in a stacked manner. Therefore, a major surface of the first elongated cube 1000 abuts against a major surface of the second elongated cube 1002.

In both embodiments, at least one of the first and second major surfaces of the first and second elongated cubes may be substantially covered by a suitable coating comprising a reflective material. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the first and second elongated cubes 900, 902 are completely packaged and separated by a cladding material 904, and the first and second elongated cubes 1000 are illustrated in FIG. 1002 is completely packaged and separated by a covering material 1004.

In yet another embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 13, the dielectric conduit 1018 includes four individual elongated bodies of dielectric material and is separated and wrapped by a cover 1028, wherein the four individual The long form of the body is arranged according to a two by two matrix.

In the case where the dielectric conduit of the present invention includes a plurality of elongated bodies for propagating a plurality of independent EHF signals, each of the elongated bodies can be separated from each other of the other elongated bodies simultaneously or sequentially. The terminals of each elongated body are placed adjacent to different EHF signal sources and/or receivers.

The dielectric conduit of the present invention follows a method of electromagnetic EHF signal propagation along a conduit, as depicted in flow chart 1100 of FIG. The method can include, at 1102, utilizing an electromagnetic EHF transmitter to transmit an electromagnetic EHF signal; positioning the first terminal of the elongated body of the conduit adjacent the EHF transmitter, such that at 1104, the transmitted electromagnetic At least a portion of the EHF signal is directed into the elongated body via the first terminal; and, at 1106, the guided portion of the electromagnetic EHF signal propagates along the elongated body to the elongated body First Two terminals.

In some embodiments, the method can further include, at 1108, positioning the second terminal of the elongated body of the conduit adjacent to an EHF receiver configured to receive EHF radiation; at 1110, from A second terminal of the elongated body of the conduit transmits the propagated electromagnetic EHF signal; and, at 1112, the transmitted electromagnetic EHF signal is received by the EHF receiver.

In some embodiments, wherein the EHF transmitter can correspond to a first EHF transmitter and the EHF receiver can correspond to a second EHF conductor, the method can further include, at 1114, utilizing the second An EHF transmitter to transmit a second electromagnetic EHF signal; at 1116, at least a portion of the transmitted second electromagnetic EHF signal is received into the elongated body via the second terminal; and, at 1118, the first Receiving a received portion of the electromagnetic EHF signal along the elongated body to a first terminal of the elongated body; at 1120, transmitting the propagated second electromagnetic EHF signal from a first terminal of the elongated body of the conduit; At 1122, the transmitted second electromagnetic EHF signal is received by the first EHF transmitter.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure may also provide a system including an IC package assembly having an EHF communication chip disposed on a substrate having a planar portion of a conductor. The EHF communication chip may also contain a transmitter capable of transmitting a transmission signal having an EHF frequency. The conductor plane of the substrate is substantially substantially reflective of the transmitted signal. The system can also include an elongated dielectric coupler having a first end adjacent the conductor of the EHF communication chip, a length, and a second end spaced from the first end. At least a portion of the transmitted signal can pass through the first end and into the dielectric coupler and can propagate away from the conductor along the dielectric coupler or conduit. Additionally, the transmitted signal can have a polarization characteristic that will remain substantially the same throughout the length of the dielectric coupler.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will be able to fully disclose the general nature of the present disclosure, while others may be able to modify and/or adapt these particular embodiments for various applications by applying the technical knowledge of the art. There is no need for undue experimentation and no departure from the general concept of this disclosure. Accordingly, the adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the terms of the present invention are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive, so that the subject matter or vocabulary should be interpreted in accordance with the teachings and teachings.

The breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to any of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, but only as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

222‧‧‧ dielectric conduit

224‧‧‧Long body

226‧‧‧ longitudinal axis

228‧‧‧ first dimension

230‧‧‧ second dimension

232‧‧‧Covering materials

Claims (35)

A dielectric conduit for electromagnetic EHF signal propagation having at least one known wavelength comprising: a long body of a first dielectric material between a first terminal and a second terminal Extending continuously along a longitudinal axis, wherein the orthogonal cross-section of the elongate body at each point along the longitudinal axis has a first dimension along a major axis along the cross-section, wherein the major axis is along the largest of the cross-section a dimension extending, and a second dimension along a minor axis of the section, wherein the secondary axis extends along a widest dimension of the section at right angles to the major axis; wherein, for each section of the elongated body, the first dimension a dimension greater than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal, and the second dimension being less than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal; and the elongated body having a surface, wherein at least a quarter of the surface area is Covered by a reflective coating, the coating being a reflective material or a combination of multiple reflective materials, the materials being configured to propagate the electromagnetic E along the length of the elongated body It can be reflected when the HF signal is used. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first dimension is greater than 1.4 times the known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal for each section of the elongated body, and the second dimension is not greater than the electromagnetic Half of the known wavelength of the EHF signal. The catheter of claim 1, wherein at least half of the area of the elongated body surface is covered by the first reflective coating. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first reflective coating is a continuous coating. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first reflective coating comprises a complex Several holes. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first reflective coating comprises a conductor material, a dissipative material, or a second dielectric material, and a dielectric constant lower than that of the first dielectric material Dielectric constant. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric material has a dielectric constant of at least 2.0. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the first reflective coating is a second dielectric material and the dielectric constant is lower than a dielectric constant of the first dielectric material. The catheter of claim 1, wherein each section along the longitudinal axis corresponds to a shape formed by one or more straight or continuous curved segments. The catheter of claim 9, wherein each section along the longitudinal axis defines a rectangle, a rounded rectangle, a stadium or a super ellipse. The catheter of claim 10, wherein each section along the longitudinal axis defines an elliptical or over-elliptical shape. The catheter of claim 9, wherein each of the sections along the longitudinal axis defines a rectangle, and the elongated body of the dielectric first material defines an elongated cube. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the surface of the elongated body comprises a first lateral surface and a second lateral surface spaced apart from the first lateral surface, and the first and second lateral surfaces are separated a distance defining a width of the elongated body along the major axis; and a first major surface and a second major surface spaced apart from the first major surface, and a distance separating the first and second major surfaces defines the elongated shape The depth of the body along the secondary axis. The catheter of claim 13, wherein the first and second major surfaces At least one of is covered by the first reflective coating. The catheter of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second terminals has a coupling characteristic, wherein the coupling characteristic is configured to enhance an external electromagnetic EHF signal into the first The transport of the elongated body of material and/or the transmission of the enhanced electromagnetic EHF signal away from the elongated body of the first material. The catheter of claim 15 wherein the coupling characteristic comprises at least one of a dielectric lens, a dielectric horn, a dielectric interface plate, and a dielectric converter. The catheter of claim 16, wherein each of the sections along the longitudinal axis defines a rectangle; the elongated body of the dielectric first material defines an elongated cube; and the coupling characteristic comprises a dielectric horn a rectangular-pyramid frustum of a dielectric material, the rectangular-pyramid frustum having a base and a top, wherein the top of the rectangular-pyramid frustum is attached to the The first body or the second terminal is coupled to the elongated body of the dielectric first material. The catheter of claim 17, wherein the top of the rectangular-pyramid frustum has a top width substantially equal to a first dimension of the elongated cube and substantially equal to a second dimension of the elongated cube The top height. The catheter of claim 17, wherein the rectangular-pyramid frustum has a height and a width, and the height and width of the frustum are each from the rectangular-pyramid The top to base of the head increases linearly. The catheter of claim 17, wherein the coupling characteristic further comprises a dielectric interface plate coupled to the base of the rectangular-pyramid frustum and having substantially equal to the rectangle - The height and width of the base of the pyramidal frustum, and A plate thickness equal to one quarter of the wavelength of the known EHF signal. The catheter of claim 20, wherein the dielectric interface plate has a relative dielectric constant different from a relative dielectric constant of the coupling characteristic. The catheter of claim 1, further comprising a second elongated body of a third dielectric material; the second elongated body extending continuously between the first terminal and the second terminal along a longitudinal axis Wherein at various points along the longitudinal axis, the orthogonal cross-section of the second elongate body has a first dimension along a major axis of the cross-section, wherein the major axis is defined as the largest dimension of the cross-section, And a second dimension along a minor axis of the cross-section, wherein the minor axis is defined as the widest dimension of the cross-section at right angles to the main axis; the second elongate body has a surface, wherein the area of the surface At least a quarter of the coating is covered by a second reflective coating, the coating being a reflective material or a combination of multiple reflective materials, and the materials are configured to The electromagnetic energy EHF signal can be reflected when the length of the second elongated body is propagated; wherein, for each cross section of the second elongated body, the first dimension is greater than a known wavelength of the second electromagnetic EHF signal, and the first Two dimensions a known wavelength that is less than the second electromagnetic EHF signal; and wherein the second elongate body extends at least partially along and adjacent to the first elongate body while the first or second reflectivity is utilized At least one of the cladding is separated from the first elongated body. The catheter of claim 22, wherein the first and second elongate bodies have substantially equal dimensions along major and minor axes thereof. The catheter of claim 22, wherein the first and second long bodies are The combination is encapsulated by the first and second reflective covering materials. A catheter for electromagnetic EHF signal propagation, comprising: a plurality of long bodies of dielectric material, each long type of system configured to propagate an independent electromagnetic EHF signal, and the dielectric material of each elongated body is The same or different; wherein each elongated body continuously extends along a longitudinal axis between a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein orthogonal cross sections of the respective elongated bodies are at various points along the longitudinal axis A first dimension along a major axis of the section, wherein the major axis is defined as a largest dimension of the section, and a second dimension along a minor axis of the section, wherein the secondary axis is defined as The widest dimension of the section at right angles to the major axis; wherein for each section of each elongate body, the first dimension is greater than a known wavelength of the electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the elongate body, and the second dimension is a known wavelength less than an electromagnetic EHF signal to be propagated along the elongate body; and wherein, for at least a portion of each of the plurality of elongate bodies, the plurality of elongate bodies are grouped The manners are extended and adjacent to each other, wherein each elongated body is separated from each adjacent elongated body by a first reflective coating, the cladding being a reflective material or a combination of a plurality of reflective materials, and It is configured to reflect when the electromagnetic EHF signal is propagated along the length of the elongate body. The catheter of claim 25, wherein the combination of the adjacent elongate bodies is encapsulated by the first or second reflective covering material. The catheter of claim 26, wherein the first and second reflective coatings independently comprise a conductor material, a dissipative material, or an additional dielectric material. The catheter of claim 25, wherein the longitudinal axis along each elongated body Each section of the line defines a rectangle such that each elongate body defines a long cube of dielectric material. The catheter of claim 28, wherein the surface of each elongated body includes a first lateral surface and a second lateral surface spaced apart from the first lateral surface, and the first and second lateral surfaces are separated a distance defining a width of the elongated body along the major axis; and a first major surface and a second major surface spaced apart from the first major surface, and a distance separating the first and second major surfaces defines the elongated shape The depth of the body along the secondary axis. The catheter of claim 29, wherein the catheter comprises two elongated bodies extending in combination and adjacent to each other such that a lateral surface of a first elongated body is by the first Reflectively coated and separated from a lateral surface of a second elongated body. The catheter of claim 29, wherein the catheter comprises two elongated bodies extending in combination and adjacent to each other such that a major surface of a first elongated body is by the first Reflectively coated and separated from a major surface of a second elongated body. The catheter of claim 29, wherein the catheter comprises four elongated bodies extending in combination and adjacent to each other by a two by two matrix such that each elongated body is by the first reflectivity Covered and separated from each other long body. A method of propagating an electromagnetic EHF signal along a catheter as described in claim 1, comprising: utilizing an electromagnetic EHF transmitter to transmit an electromagnetic EHF signal; positioning the first terminal of the elongated body of the catheter adjacent to the An EHF transmitter, such that at least a portion of the transmitted electromagnetic EHF signal is directed through the first terminal into the elongated body; The guided portion of the electromagnetic EHF signal propagates along the elongated body to the second terminal of the elongated body. The method of claim 33, further comprising: positioning the second terminal of the elongated body of the conduit adjacent to an EHF receiver configured to receive EHF radiation; from the elongated body of the conduit The second terminal transmits the propagated electromagnetic EHF signal; and the transmitted electromagnetic EHF signal is received by the EHF receiver. The method of claim 34, wherein the EHF transmitter corresponds to a first EHF transmitter, and the EHF receiver corresponds to a second EHF conductor, further comprising: utilizing the second EHF Transmitting a second electromagnetic EHF signal; receiving at least a portion of the transmitted second electromagnetic EHF signal through the second terminal into the elongated body; receiving the received portion of the second electromagnetic EHF signal along the elongated Propagating the body to a first terminal of the elongated body; transmitting the propagated second electromagnetic EHF signal from a first terminal of the elongated body of the conduit; and receiving the transmitted second electromagnetic EHF signal by the first EHF conductor .