INCREASED BANDWIDTH PLANAR ANTENNAS

• US 20100134371A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Worl, Robert Tilman
• Application Number:
  US12/327,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134371A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/792.500
• 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 11/105 using a dielectric support
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/14 Reflecting surfaces; Equivalent structures electromagnetic shields H01Q1/526
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/25 Ultra-wideband [UWB] systems, e.g. multiple resonance systems; Pulse systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

A broadband antenna may include a conductive antenna surface for radiating signals, a conductive backplane for reflecting signals radiated by the conductive antenna surface, and a dielectric layer disposed between the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane. The dielectric layer may include a plurality of dielectric substrates having differing dielectric constants.

Claims

1. A broadband antenna comprising:

a conductive antenna surface for radiating signals;

a conductive backplane; and

a dielectric layer disposed between the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a plurality of dielectric substrates having differing dielectric constants.

2. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein the broadband antenna comprises at least one of a spiral antenna, an Archimedean spiral antenna, and a log periodic bowtie antenna.

3. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein at least one of the conductive antenna surface, the conductive backplane, and the dielectric layer are flat.

4. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein at least one of the conductive antenna surface, the conductive backplane, and the dielectric layer are non-planar.

5. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein the broadband antenna is at least one of planar, has a distance between the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane, has a bandwidth greater than an octave, and does not have a cavity backing.

6. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein at least one of the broadband antenna performs a plurality of functions over a broad frequency spectrum, and the dielectric layer was deposited against at least one of the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane using direct write.

7. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein the dielectric substrates with higher dielectric constants provide a higher electrical distance between an adjacent portion of the conductive antenna surface and an adjacent portion of the adjoining conductive backplane, and the dielectric substrates with lower dielectric constants provide a lower electrical distance between an adjacent portion of the conductive antenna surface and an adjacent portion of the conductive backplane.

8. The broadband antenna of claim 7 wherein the broadband antenna is a spiral antenna, the dielectric layer comprises concentric rings of varying dielectric substrates in between the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane, and a middle portion of the dielectric layer comprises at least one dielectric substrate with a lower dielectric constant than a dielectric constant of at least one dielectric substrate at an outer portion of the dielectric layer.

9. The broadband antenna of claim 1 wherein at least one of the conductive backplane comprises at least one of a surface of a ship, a surface of an airplane, a surface of a satellite, a surface of a spacecraft, and a surface of a vehicle, and the broadband antenna has a voltage standing wave ratio which is less than two at high frequencies.

10. A method of manufacturing a broadband antenna comprising:

providing a conductive antenna surface;

providing a conductive backplane; and

disposing a dielectric layer, comprising a plurality of dielectric substrates having differing dielectric constants, between the conductive antenna surface and the conductive backplane.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the method is used to manufacture a broadband antenna comprising at least one of a spiral antenna, an Archimedean spiral antenna, and a log periodic bowtie antenna.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the provided conductive antenna surface, the provided conductive backplane, and the disposed dielectric layer are flat.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the provided conductive antenna surface, the provided conductive backplane, and the disposed dielectric layer are non-planar.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the manufactured broadband antenna is at least one of planar, has a distance between the provided conductive antenna surface and the provided conductive backplane, has a bandwidth greater than an octave, and does not have a cavity backing.

15. The method of claim 10 at least one of further comprising the step of the manufactured broadband antenna performing a plurality of functions over a broad frequency spectrum, and the disposing step further comprising depositing the dielectric layer against at least one of the provided conductive antenna surface and the provided conductive backplane using direct write.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the disposed dielectric substrates with higher dielectric constants provide a higher electrical distance between an adjacent portion of the provided conductive antenna surface and an adjacent portion of the adjoining provided conductive backplane, and the disposed dielectric substrates with lower dielectric constants provide a lower electrical distance between an adjacent portion of the provided conductive antenna surface and an adjacent portion of the provided conductive backplane.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the manufactured broadband antenna is a spiral antenna, the disposed dielectric layer comprises concentric rings of varying dielectric substrates in between the provided conductive antenna surface and the provided conductive backplane, and a middle portion of the disposed dielectric layer comprises at least one dielectric substrate with a lower dielectric constant than a dielectric constant of at least one dielectric substrate at an outer portion of the disposed dielectric layer.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of the provided conductive backplane comprises at least one of a surface of a ship, a surface of an airplane, a surface of a satellite, a surface of a spacecraft, and a surface of a vehicle, and further comprising the step of the manufactured broadband antenna providing a voltage standing wave ratio which is less than two at high frequencies.

19. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of the provided conductive antenna surface radiating signals, and the provided conductive backplane reflecting the radiated signals.

20. A method of manufacturing a broadband antenna comprising:

determining a lowest required operating frequency of the broadband antenna;

determining a highest required operating frequency of the broadband antenna;

calculating a uniform thickness for an entire dielectric layer at a specified electrical distance at the lowest required operating frequency based on a dielectric material to be used in the dielectric layer having a highest dielectric constant;

calculating the lowest required dielectric constant of the dielectric layer based on the calculated uniform thickness of the dielectric layer at the specified electrical distance to generate the specified electrical distance at the highest required operating frequency;

calculating the number of different dielectric materials to be used in the dielectric layer having differing dielectric constants between the lowest required dielectric constant and the highest dielectric constant based on a total bandwidth of the broadband antenna;

calculating widths of each of the respective differing dielectric materials to be used in the dielectric layer;

fabricating the dielectric layer using the calculations and determinations made in all steps of the method;

disposing the dielectric layer against a conducting backplane; and

disposing an antenna against the dielectric layer.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the uniform thickness comprises the physical distance the conducting backplane and the antenna will be uniformly spaced apart from one another.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the specified electrical distance comprises a quarter of a wavelength.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein fifteen different dielectric materials are used per octave in the dielectric layer.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein at least one of the widths comprise respective distances along each dielectric material which will be disposed directly against the conducting backplane and the antenna, the width calculations are done using simulation software, and the widths are chosen to emulate a slope of a physically tapered backplane.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the dielectric layer is disposed against the conducting backplane using direct-write.