Single-Layer Metallization and Via-Less Metamaterial Structures

• US 20090128446A1
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Rayspan Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Cheng-Jung, Achour, Maha, Gummalla, Ajay, Poilasne, Gregory, Pathak, Vaneet
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/911.R
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way

Abstract

Techniques and apparatus based on metamaterial structures provided for antenna and transmission line devices, including single-layer metallization and via-less metamaterial structures.

Claims

1. A metamaterial device comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second, different surface; and

a metallization layer formed on the first surface and patterned to have two or more conductive parts to form a single-layer composite left and right handed (CRLH) metamaterial structure on the first surface.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is free of via holes.

3. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to another surface.

4. The device as in claim 3, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to an inner wall of a device housing for the device.

5. The device as in claim 3, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to a carrier apparatus that holds the device.

6. The device as in claim 3, wherein the dielectric substrate is not flat.

7. The device as in claim 3, wherein the dielectric substrate is flexible.

8. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances at which the metamaterial antenna operates.

9. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances in WiFi bands.

10. The device as in claim 1, wherein:

the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances which include a first frequency resonance in a low band and a second frequency resonance in a high band, the first frequency resonance being a left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonance and the second frequency resonance being a right-handed (RH) mode frequency resonance.

11. The device as in claim 10, wherein the two or more frequency resonances further include a third frequency resonance which is in either the low band or the high band.

12. The device as in claim 11, wherein at least two out of the first, second and third frequency resonances are sufficiently close to collectively produce a broadband.

13. The device as in claim 10, wherein at least two out of the two or more frequency resonances are sufficiently close to form a broadband.

14. The device as in claim 10, wherein the low band includes a cellular band and the high band includes a PCS/DCS band.

15. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances in WiMax bands.

16. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate one or more frequency resonances between 824 MHz and 960 MHz.

17. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate one or more frequency resonances between 1710 MHz and 2170 MHz.

18. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a penta-band metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate five frequency resonances.

19. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a quad-band metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate four frequency resonances.

20. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts to form the single-layer CRLH metamaterial structure comprise:

a ground electrode;

a cell patch;

a via line coupling the cell patch with the ground electrode; and

a feed line electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch through a gap to direct a signal to or from the cell patch.

21. The device as in claim 20, wherein the feed line includes a launch pad formed near a distal end and separate from the cell patch to enhance capacitive coupling between the feed line and the cell patch.

22. The device as in claim 20, wherein the ground electrode is a co-planar waveguide (CPW) ground, and the metallization layer includes a CPW feed that is coupled to the feed line.

23. The device as in claim 20, wherein the ground electrode, the cell patch, the via line, the gap, and the feed line are configured to generate frequency resonances for a quad-band antenna operation.

24. The device as in claim 23, wherein the frequency resonances include a left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonance in a low band of the quad-band.

25. The device as in claim 20, wherein a distal end of the feed line that is close to the cell patch is shaped and configured to enhance impedance matching of the CRLH metamaterial structure.

26. The device as in claim 20, wherein the cell patch is shaped and configured to increase a length of the gap.

27. The device as in claim 20, wherein a location where the via line is attached to the ground electrode is based on a feed location to enhance impedance matching of the CRLH metamaterial structure.

28. The device as in claim 20, comprising:

a second electrode formed on the second surface and comprising an extended portion configured to enhance impedance matching of the CRLH metamaterial structure.

29. The device as in claim 20, comprising:

a conductive line attached to the feed line on the first surface,

wherein the ground electrode, the cell patch, the via line, the gap, the feed line, and the conductive line are configured as an antenna to generate frequency resonances for a penta-band antenna operation.

30. The device as in claim 29, wherein the frequency resonances include at least two LH mode frequency resonances in a low band of the penta-band.

31. The device as in claim 29, wherein the conductive line has a meander shape.

32. The device as in claim 29, wherein the conductive line has a spiral shape.

33. The device as in claim 20, comprising:

a capacitor that couples the cell patch and the feed line, wherein a width of the gap is increased and/or a length of the gap is decreased as compared to the width and/or the length of the gap in the absence of the capacitor based on a capacitance value of the capacitor.

34. The device as in claim 20, comprising:

an inductor inserted in the via line, wherein a length of the via line is shortened as compared to the length of the via line in the absence of the inductor based on an inductance value of the inductor.

35. The device as in claim 1, comprising:

a lumped element coupled to the two or more conductive parts.

36. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts to form the single-layer CRLH metamaterial structure comprise:

a cell patch on the first surface;

a top ground electrode spaced from the cell patch and located on the first surface;

a via line on the first surface having a first end connected to the cell patch and a second end connected to the ground electrode;

a launch pad on the first surface spaced from the cell patch by a gap to electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch; and

a feed line connected to the launch pad to direct a signal to or from the cell patch,

wherein the second surface is free of a metallization area underneath the cell patch on the first surface.

37. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts to form the single-layer CRLH metamaterial structure comprise:

a cell patch comprising a first cell patch and a second cell patch that are spaced from each other by a gap and electromagnetically coupled to each other over the gap;

a ground electrode comprising a main ground electrode area and a ground electrode extension connected to the main ground electrode area as an extension of the main ground electrode, the ground electrode extension being shaped and positioned to have a first part spaced from the first cell patch by a distance and a second part spaced from the second cell patch by substantially the same distance;

a first via line coupling the first cell patch to the first part of the ground electrode extension;

a second via line coupling the second cell patch to the second part of the ground electrode extension with a length substantially equal to the first via line; and

a feed line electromagnetically coupled to one of the first and second cell patches through a gap to direct a signal to or from the one of the first and second cell patches.

38. The device as in claim 37, wherein the single-layer CRLH MTM structure is configured to generate two left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonances.

39. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure structured to form a metamaterial transmission line and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances at which the metamaterial transmission line operates.

40. A metamaterial device, comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second, different surface;

a first metallization layer formed on the first surface; and

a second metallization layer formed on the second surface,

wherein the first and second metallization layers are patterned to have two or more conductive parts to form a composite left and right handed (CRLH) metamaterial structure that comprises a unit cell which is free of a conductive via penetrating the dielectric substrate to connect the first metallization layer and the second metallization layer.

41. The device as in claim 40, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to another surface.

42. The device as in claim 41, wherein the dielectric substrate is not flat.

43. The device as in claim 41, wherein the dielectric substrate is flexible.

44. The device as in claim 40, wherein:

the first metallization layer comprises a cell patch, a launch pad positioned close to and spaced from the cell patch to electromagnetically coupled to the first cell patch, and a feed line connected to the launch pad to direct a signal to or receive a signal from the cell patch via the launch pad; and

the second metallization layer comprises a cell ground electrode located underneath the cell patch in the first metallization layer and electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch without being connected to the cell patch by a conductor that penetrates through the substrate, and a ground electrode separated from the cell ground electrode, and a conductive line that connects the cell ground electrode to the ground electrode, wherein the cell patch, the launch pad and the cell ground electrode form the unit cell.

45. The device as in claim 40, wherein the two or more conductive parts are configured to generate two or more frequency resonances.

46. The device as in claim 45, wherein the two or more frequency resonances include a first frequency resonance in a low band and a second frequency resonance in a high band, the first frequency resonance being a left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonance and the second frequency resonance being a right-handed (RH) mode frequency resonance.

47. The device as in claim 46, wherein at least two out of the two or more frequency resonances are sufficiently close to collectively produce a broadband.

48. The device as in claim 40, wherein the two or more conductive parts include:

a ground electrode formed on the second surface;

a cell patch formed on the first surface;

a truncated ground formed on the second surface below the cell patch, the truncated ground electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch through a portion of the dielectric substrate sandwiched between the cell patch and the truncated ground;

a via line formed on the second surface, the via line coupling the truncated ground with the ground electrode; and

a feed line electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch through a gap to direct an antenna signal to or from the cell patch.

49. The device as in claim 48, wherein the feed line comprises a launch pad formed near a distal end and separate from the cell patch to enhance capacitive coupling between the feed line and the cell patch.

50. The device as in claim 48, wherein the ground electrode includes an extended portion added to be closer to the cell patch than the ground electrode without the extended ground electrode.

51. The device as in claim 50, wherein the ground electrode, the cell patch, the truncated ground, the feed line, the via line, and the gap are configured to generate frequency resonances for a quad-band operation.

52. The device as in claim 51, wherein the frequency resonances include an LH mode frequency resonance in a low band of the quad-band.

53. The device as in claim 48, wherein a distal end of the feed line is shaped and configured to enhance matching upon antenna integration, the distal end being close to the cell patch.

54. The device as in claim 48, wherein the cell patch is shaped and configured to increase a length of the gap.

55. The device as in claim 48, wherein a location where the via line is attached to the ground electrode is determined with respect to a feed location to enhance matching.

56. The device as in claim 48, wherein the ground electrode includes an extended portion configured to enhance matching.

57. The device as in claim 48, further comprising a conductive line attached to the feed line on the first surface,

wherein the ground electrode, the cell patch, the truncated ground, the via line, the gap, the feed line, and the conductive line are configured to generate frequency resonances for a penta-band antenna operation.

58. The device as in claim 57, wherein the frequency resonances include at least two LH mode frequency resonances in a low band of the penta-band.

59. The device as in claim 57, wherein the conductive line has a meander shape.

60. The device as in claim 57, wherein the conductive line has a spiral shape.

61. The device as in claim 48, further comprising a capacitor that couples the cell patch and the feed line, wherein a width of the gap is increased and/or a length of the gap is decreased as compared to the width and/or the length of the gap in the absence of the capacitor based on a capacitance value of the capacitor.

62. The device as in claim 48, further comprising an inductor inserted in the via line, wherein a length of the via line is shortened as compared to the length of the via line in the absence of the inductor based on an inductance value of the inductor.

63. The device as in claim 40, further comprising a lumped element coupled to the two or more conductive parts.

64. The device as in claim 40, wherein the two or more conductive parts include:

a ground electrode formed on the second surface;

a cell patch formed on the second surface;

a via line formed on the second surface, the via line coupling the cell patch with the ground electrode; and

a feed line formed on the first surface, the feed line electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch through a portion of the dielectric substrate sandwiched between the feed line and the cell patch to direct an antenna signal to or from the cell patch.

65. The device as in claim 64, wherein the ground electrode, the cell patch, the via line, and the feed line are configured to generate frequency resonances suited for a quad-band operation.

66. The device as in claim 65, wherein the frequency resonances include an LH mode frequency resonance in a low band of the quad-band.

67. A metamaterial device comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second, different surface;

a cell patch on the first surface;

a top ground electrode spaced from the cell patch and located on the first surface;

a top via line on the first surface having a first end connected to the cell patch and a second end connected to the top ground electrode;

a cell launch pad formed on the second surface beneath the cell patch on the first surface and electromagnetically coupled to the cell patch through the substrate to direct a signal to or receive a signal from the cell patch without being directly connected to the cell patch through a conductive via that penetrates through the substrate; and

a bottom feed line formed on the second surface and connected to the cell launch pad to direct the signal to or from cell launch pad,

wherein the cell patch, the top ground electrode, the top via line, the cell launch pad, and the bottom feed line form a composite left and right handed (CRLH) metamaterial structure.

68. The device as in claim 67, wherein the dielectric substrate is free of via holes.

69. The device as in claim 67, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to another surface.

70. The device as in claim 69, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to an inner wall of a device housing for the device.

71. The device as in claim 69, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a shape of and is attached to a carrier apparatus that holds the device.

72. The device as in claim 69, wherein the dielectric substrate is not flat.

73. The device as in claim 69, wherein the dielectric substrate is flexible.

74. The device as in claim 67, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances in WiFi bands.

75. The device as in claim 67, wherein:

the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances which include a first frequency resonance in a low band and a second frequency resonance in a high band, the first frequency resonance being a left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonance and the second frequency resonance being a right-handed (RH) mode frequency resonance.

76. The device as in claim 67, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances in WiMax bands.

77. The device as in claim 67, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate one or more frequency resonances between 824 MHz and 960 MHz.

78. The device as in claim 67, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial antenna and are positioned and sized to generate one or more frequency resonances between 1710 MHz and 2170 MHz.