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WO2007084071A1 - Déphaseur à retard continu micro-usiné - Google Patents

Déphaseur à retard continu micro-usiné Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2007084071A1
WO2007084071A1 PCT/SE2007/050031 SE2007050031W WO2007084071A1 WO 2007084071 A1 WO2007084071 A1 WO 2007084071A1 SE 2007050031 W SE2007050031 W SE 2007050031W WO 2007084071 A1 WO2007084071 A1 WO 2007084071A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
movable part
phase shifter
transmission line
substrate
fixed part
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/SE2007/050031
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English (en)
Inventor
Lars Stenmark
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ASTC AEROSPACE AB
Original Assignee
ASTC AEROSPACE AB
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ASTC AEROSPACE AB filed Critical ASTC AEROSPACE AB
Publication of WO2007084071A1 publication Critical patent/WO2007084071A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P1/00—Auxiliary devices
    • H01P1/18—Phase-shifters
    • H01P1/184—Strip line phase-shifters

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to methods and structures for improved high speed radio transmission systems using phased array antennas.
  • the growing demand for high speed communication and miniaturized systems results in the use of increasing frequencies up to tens of gigahertz and a shift from the traditional disk antenna towards electronically steered antennas.
  • the first trend is the requirement for high data communication rates leading to the use of higher frequency bands in the radio systems, today normally a few gigahertz (S-band or X-band), but moving quickly towards ten's of GHz (Ka-band).
  • S-band or X-band gigahertz
  • Ka-band gigahertz
  • the other trend is the demand for smaller and lighter systems in particular for mobile systems, most pronounced in aerospace and satellite applications.
  • High frequency, high bitrate radio links requires effective antennas with a high gain in the communication between transmitter and receiver.
  • Two antenna types are used in the art, parabolic disk antennas or antennas with electronically steered antenna beam.
  • phase shifters are used to vary the phase of the signal.
  • phase shifters have a number of switches with digital control, state of the art is 5 bit resolution.
  • High resolution is however not readily accomplished, particularly not in devices with small overall dimensions.
  • conventional phase shifters are lossy at high frequencies. Summary of the invention
  • the object of the present invention is to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. This is achieved by the device as defined in claim 1 and the method as defined in claim 17.
  • the device according to the invention comprises a microstrip or coplanar transmission line with at least one movable part and at least one fixed part, wherein the movable part is arranged in parallel and adjacent to the fixed part.
  • the movable part is arranged so that at least one end portion of the movable part overlap an end portion of the fixed part in an overlapping section with a gap between the movable part and the fixed part, the gap providing a capacitive coupling.
  • the movable part can be displaced so that the length of the overlapping section is varied and consequently the transmission line length of the phase shifter is varied.
  • phase shifter with continuously variable transmission line length is realised by having a continuously variable movable part.
  • the movable part may be realised in a first substrate and the fixed part in another substrates. The substrates are then bonded together.
  • the movable part may be formed as a suspended part of the first substrate, in particular the movable part is free- hanging, suspended by a plurality of springs (140) flexible in a direction in which the movable part (107) is displaced, but stiff in the transverse and out of plane directions.
  • the movable part may be formed on one side of the first substrate, wherein the movable part is U-shaped with two parallel end portions, and each end portion is overlapping separate fixed parts formed on one side of the second substrate.
  • the movable part can be arranged between a lower fixed part and an upper fixed part, wherein the upper fixed part comprises an input port and the lower fixed part comprises an output port.
  • a linear actuator can be used to move the movable part and the linear actuator may be controlled by a control loop comprising a position sensor connected to the movable part.
  • phase shifter of the present invention facilitates the realisation of electronically steered antenna system comprising arrays of phase shifters arranged on arrays of antennas.
  • a method to fabricate the phase shifters according to the present invention comprises the steps of shaping the substrates, forming transmission lines and bonding of the substrates.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a micro-strip transmission line sliding across another similar transmission line
  • Fig. 2 is a top view of a true time delay phase shifter according to the invention
  • Fig. 3 is a top view of a phase shifter according to the invention using a coplanar waveguide as the variable length transmission line,
  • Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of the suspended sledge with support components
  • Fig. 5 is a cross-section through a three wafer stack with a vertically integrated phase shifter.
  • a highly miniaturized time delay phase shifter with low losses according to the present invention opens new possibilities in electronically steered high frequency antenna systems.
  • the present invention provides a continuous phase shift with high resolution giving the possibility to design antenna arrays with a large number of antenna elements and very narrow fine pointing beam.
  • Microsystems Technology which also is known as micromechanics or Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) technology
  • MST Microsystems Technology
  • MEMS Microelectromechanical Systems
  • the present invention also takes full advantage of the new technology by parallel processing of maybe several hundreds of small movable features on a common substrate.
  • integration level for a given size is superior conventional technologies, thereby enabling many functionalities in one single integrated device.
  • An accurate true time delay phase shifter with small dimensions and low losses is a very desirable device in electronically steered high frequency antenna systems.
  • the present invention provides such a device using MST processing and in particular multiwafer bonding.
  • MST processing When a large number of antenna elements are used in order to obtain a very narrow beam the resolution requirement on the phase shifter increases and a continuously true time delay phase shifter is a preferable solution.
  • the present invention significantly improves the performance of a key component for electronically steered antenna system. It is a low loss micromechanical device for true time delay phase shift with the unique feature of continuous operation over the whole phase shift band, i.e. more than 180°.
  • a typical application is in satellite communication links with high bitrate and low power consumption. Other applications can be found in e.g. instruments using phase comparison for different reasons.
  • the present invention is a new method to realize a true time delay phase shifter with unique performance regarding low insertion losses, high resolution stable phase shift and small dimensions.
  • the small dimensions makes it possible to produce an electronically steered antenna array at 32 GHz (free space wavelength 9,4 mm) with around 5 mm distance between the center of the antenna elements.
  • As all components, such as power amplifier, phase shifter, and cavity backed antenna, can be accommodated in the size of an antenna element very large arrays with a high gain narrow lobe can be manufactured and a totally integrated miniaturized system is enabled.
  • the phase change function in the invention is accomplished by a physical change of the length of the transmission line between the power amplifier and the antenna.
  • a U- shaped part of the transmission line is mounted on a small micromachined sledge; the sledge can be moved back and forth to any desired position, preferably measured by an integrated position sensor.
  • Each leg of the movable transmission line is capacitively coupled to a fixed line. The whole assembly reminds of a musical wind instrument, the trombone.
  • the number of movable parts can be reduced by 50% by mounting two bended transmission lines opposite each other on the same sledge, when one is increasing its length the opposite transmission line is decreasing its length the same amount.
  • a fixed substrate 101 comprises a ground plane 110 on one side of the substrate 101 and a microstrip transmission line 105 on the other side.
  • Another transmission line 107 which is mounted on a movable substrate 103, hereafter named the sledge 103, is arranged in parallel with and facing the transmission line 105 on the fixed substrate with a gap 115 in between.
  • the gap 115 is preferably below 20 ⁇ m.
  • the sledge 103 can be moved back and forth along the direction defined by the two parallel microstrip transmission lines 105, 107. At a section 120 the transmission lines are overlapping but not in physical contact with each other. The close distance of the gap 115 makes the capacitive coupling very strong between the two transmission lines 105, 107. Simulation on a 32 GHz system gives a reflection coefficient of less than -27 dB for a continuous 180° phase shift.
  • the fact that the transmission lines 105, 107 have a gap 115 in-between, forming the capacitive coupling, is advantageous since there is no sliding contact, which particularly in space applications, due to a vacuum environment, otherwise could lead to sticking and wear.
  • the substrates 101, 103 are most likely of silicon as silicon is the most common material in the MST/MEMS field. However it may also be e.g. metal sheets, micromachinable glass, polymer or a ceramic material, i.e. materials used as microwave substrates like the ones mentioned but also others such as, but not limited to, SiC, BN, Teflon, etc. Suitable methods for shaping the wafers are, but is not limited to, etching, injection molding, electro discharge machining (EDM), rolling, laser ablation, punching etc. Wafers are bonded using for example fusion bonding, anodic bonding, adhesives, welding, soldering, etc., however not limited to those methods.
  • EDM electro discharge machining
  • FIG. 2 A schematic illustration of another embodiment of the present invention used to achieve variable transmission line length with fixed input port 117 and output ports 117 is shown in Fig. 2 (substrates not shown).
  • a U-shaped transmission line 107 with parallel end portions is mounted on the sledge 103.
  • the end portions are overlapping two fixed parallel transmission lines 105, 106 in a section 120, one end portion 105 connected to an input port 117 and the other end portion to an outlet port 118 on the fixed substrate 101.
  • An advantage with this configuration is that the sledge stroke only needs to be half the required transmission line length change, which lower the requirement on an actuator mechanism used for lateral movement.
  • the fixation of the ports 117, 118 is important when the device is to be connected to another device.
  • a coplanar transmission line that is mechanically elongated is schematically illustrated.
  • a fixed substrate 101 has a sledge 103 sliding just above the top surface.
  • the surface has three coplanar transmission lines 105, 106, 107 with the four surrounding ground planes 111, 112.
  • the sledge 103 has the U-shaped coplanar transmission line 107 on the bottom surface. There is no physical contact between the surfaces, but a very strong capacitive coupling both between the conductors 105, 106, 107 and the ground planes 111, 112. If needed, a spring-shaped flexible conductor 109 can provide a DC connection between the two ground planes 111, 112.
  • the arrangements around the sledge 103 are schematically illustrated presented in Fig. 4.
  • the sledge 103 is a free-etched part of the surrounding suspension substrate 104, preferably made of mono-crystalline silicon, as silicon wafers are the most commonly used material for micromachining, but it can be any suitable, machinable material such as glass, quartz, ceramics, polymers etc.
  • the sledge 103 is suspended by a number of flexible springs or bars 140.
  • the springs 140 are flexible in the movement direction, but as stiff as possible in the transverse and out of plane directions. The purpose for this is that the U-shaped transmission line 107 shall slide very precise above the coupled lines 105,106 for a smooth low loss performance.
  • a lateral linear actuator 130 fixedly mounted in the surrounding wafer 104, is mechanically coupled by a beam 131 to the sledge 103 in order to move it in a controlled way.
  • the actuator 130 can be of shape memory metal, phase change material, piezoelectric or any other suitable type of actuator material that can be integrated in the device.
  • a position sensor 135 may be coupled by a beam 136 to the sledge 103.
  • the sensor 135 can be an optical, magnetic, capacitive sensor or other sensor suitable to be integrated in the wafer stack.
  • the sensor 135 is used to position the sledge 103 to a predetermined position giving a desired phase shift from the true time delay phase shifter.
  • another embodiment of the present invention has the U-shaped transmission line out of plane, as illustrated in Fig. 5.
  • the phase shifter is accommodated in a three wafer stack 501,504,502. Two continuous through wafer vias 525 and 526, wherein transmission lines extends essentially without changed properties from one side of the wafers to the other side of the wafers, forming inlet 517 and outlet ports 518.
  • the upper wafer 502 carries a straight transmission line 506, which can be microstrip or coplanar transmission line.
  • the lower wafer 501 has a similar arrangement with a transmission line 505.
  • the free- hanging movable sledge 103 is manufactured in the middle suspension wafer 104.
  • the movable sledge 103 has a folded transmission line 507, going from one side to the other through another continuous through wafer via 527.
  • the transmission line 507 on the sledge 103 is partly overlapping the fixed transmission line parts 505,506 an overlapping section 520 as for the in-plane version.
  • Gaps 515, 516 provide capacitive coupling between fixed parts 505,506 and movable part 507 of the transmission line.
  • phase shifter array a phase shifter array
  • An electronically steered antenna system comprising an array of phase shifters, wherein the antenna array is arranged in close proximity to the phase shifter array is realised.
  • the antenna array may be symmetrical with respect to a central reference antenna element is such way that U- shaped movable transmission line parts are arranged in pairs opposite each other on the same movable part of the substrate, so that when one transmission line is increasing its length the opposite transmission line is decreasing its length to the same amount.
  • a fabrication method according to the present invention is exemplified by one possible method to accomplish a phase shifter like the one shown in Fig. 5.
  • the phase shifter comprises three mircromachined substrates 501,504,502 , i.e. three silicon wafers, with a patterned conductive material, such as copper, defining the transmission lines 505,506,507.
  • the movable part 507 of the transmission line is U-shaped, extending along the upper surface of the sledge 503 down through a via to the lower side and back again along the lower side of the sledge 503, and is overlapping the fixed parts 505,506 of the transmission line in the lower and upper substrates 501,502 respectively. Further, the fixed parts 505, 506 of the transmission lines extend through their respective substrates 501,502 to the input port 517 on the upper side and the output port 518 on the lower side of the stack. Shaping of the substrates 501,504,502 are performed using for example photolithography and etching.
  • the conductive material is deposited using conventional deposition technologies used in the MST/ MEMS field such as physical vapour deposition and electroplating and patterning.
  • the silicon wafers 501,504,502 are bonded together using silicon fusion bonding.

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  • Variable-Direction Aerials And Aerial Arrays (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne des procédés et des structures pour systèmes de radiotransmission à haute vitesse améliorés faisant appel à des antennes réseau à commande de phase. Selon l'invention, on obtient un déphaseur présentant une longueur de ligne de transmission variable. Le déphaseur possède un microruban ou une ligne de transmission coplanaire présentant une partie mobile (107) et une partie fixe (105), la partie mobile (107) étant agencée en parallèle et adjacente à la partie fixe (105). Cette partie mobile (107) est agencée de façon qu'une partie d'extrémité de la partie mobile (107) chevauche une partie d'extrémité de la partie fixe (105), un espace (115) séparant la partie mobile (107) de la partie fixe (105), cet espace (115) permettant un couplage capacitif. Le déplacement de la partie mobile (105) permet de faire varier la longueur de la partie de chevauchement (120) et, par conséquent, de faire varier la longueur de ligne de transmission du déphaseur.
PCT/SE2007/050031 2006-01-18 2007-01-18 Déphaseur à retard continu micro-usiné Ceased WO2007084071A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE0600097 2006-01-18
SE0600097-0 2006-01-18

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2007084071A1 true WO2007084071A1 (fr) 2007-07-26

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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011050579A1 (fr) * 2009-10-30 2011-05-05 网拓(上海)通信技术有限公司 Déphaseur
CN105244567A (zh) * 2015-10-16 2016-01-13 深圳国人通信股份有限公司 一种移相器
CN105762491A (zh) * 2016-02-03 2016-07-13 中国科学院国家空间科学中心 一种太赫兹传输阵列天线及其制备方法
EP3252865A1 (fr) * 2016-06-03 2017-12-06 Alcatel- Lucent Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd Appareil formant un décaleur de phase et une antenne
US11101558B2 (en) 2018-08-28 2021-08-24 Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy Apparatus for a phase shifter and a method of manufacture of an apparatus for a phase shifter

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6281838B1 (en) * 1999-04-30 2001-08-28 Rockwell Science Center, Llc Base-3 switched-line phase shifter using micro electro mechanical (MEMS) technology
US20040246073A1 (en) * 2001-10-23 2004-12-09 Shu-Ang Zhou Multi-bit time delay adjuster unit for high rf applications and method
WO2005013415A1 (fr) * 2003-07-28 2005-02-10 Plasma Antennas Ltd Appareil pour realiser un reseau de distribution reconfigurable

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6281838B1 (en) * 1999-04-30 2001-08-28 Rockwell Science Center, Llc Base-3 switched-line phase shifter using micro electro mechanical (MEMS) technology
US20040246073A1 (en) * 2001-10-23 2004-12-09 Shu-Ang Zhou Multi-bit time delay adjuster unit for high rf applications and method
WO2005013415A1 (fr) * 2003-07-28 2005-02-10 Plasma Antennas Ltd Appareil pour realiser un reseau de distribution reconfigurable

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011050579A1 (fr) * 2009-10-30 2011-05-05 网拓(上海)通信技术有限公司 Déphaseur
CN105244567A (zh) * 2015-10-16 2016-01-13 深圳国人通信股份有限公司 一种移相器
CN105762491A (zh) * 2016-02-03 2016-07-13 中国科学院国家空间科学中心 一种太赫兹传输阵列天线及其制备方法
EP3252865A1 (fr) * 2016-06-03 2017-12-06 Alcatel- Lucent Shanghai Bell Co., Ltd Appareil formant un décaleur de phase et une antenne
US11101558B2 (en) 2018-08-28 2021-08-24 Nokia Solutions And Networks Oy Apparatus for a phase shifter and a method of manufacture of an apparatus for a phase shifter

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