MILLIMETER-WAVE SLOT ANTENNA SYSTEMS AND METHODS WITH IMPROVED GAIN

• US 20140050283A1
• Filed: 10/28/2013
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siklu Communication Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Siklu Communication Ltd.
• Inventors: Leiba, Yigal
• Granted Patent: US 9,997,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/298
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/22 Longitudinal slot in boundary wall of waveguide or transmission line H01Q13/203 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0043 Slotted waveguides combination with horns H01Q13/0233
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/005 Slotted waveguides arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/36 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

Various embodiments of a millimeter-wave antenna system configured to enhance the gain in a communication network, in which one or more slotted wave-guides produce radiating slot structures that form accurate high-gain millimeter-wave radiation patterns. The system comprises one or more slotted wave-guides to transport millimeter-waves, a PCB including a substrate lamina and an electrically-conductive lamina with two or more highly accurate slots, and an electrically-conductive metal cover that intersects the electrically-conductive lamina to form an enclosed wave-guide cavity. Various embodiments of methods for producing the millimeter-wave antenna system, including different techniques for creating the accuracy of the slots in the slotted wave-guides.

Claims

1. A millimeter-wave antenna system comprising:

a first slotted wave-guide operative to transport millimeter-waves comprising;

(i) a printed-circuit-board comprising an electrically-conductive lamina mounted on a substrate lamina, said electrically-conductive lamina is cut accurately with at least two separate slots; and

(ii) an electrically-conductive metal cover mounted on said electrically-conductive lamina, such that an enclosed wave-guide cavity is formed above said at least two separate slots, thereby forming said first slotted wave-guide;

wherein said first slotted wave-guide is operative to guide millimeter-waves over said at least two separate slots, thereby radiating millimeter-waves via said at least two separate slots, thereby forming a predetermined millimeter-wave radiation pattern.

2. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, further comprising at least a second slotted wave-guide operative to transport millimeter-waves alongside said first slotted wave-guide, thereby forming, together with said first slotted wave-guide, a two-dimensional radiating slot structure, operative to form an accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern.

3. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 2, wherein said accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern has a gain above 9 dBi.

4. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 3, wherein accuracy of said accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern is better than one dB.

5. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 3, wherein said two-dimensional radiating slot structure comprises at least 16 slots, resulting in said accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern having a gain above 15 dBi.

6. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 5, wherein said two-dimensional radiating slot structure comprises at least 128 slots, resulting in said accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern having a gain above 24 dBi.

7. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 2, wherein said first and second slotted wave-guides are injected with said millimeter-waves using a single millimeter-wave radiating source.

8. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 7, wherein said single millimeter-wave radiating source is connected to said first and second slotted wave-guides via a wave-guide fork.

9. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 2, wherein said first and second slotted wave-guides are injected with said millimeter-waves using respectively a first and second millimeter-wave radiating sources.

10. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 9, wherein a phase difference between said first and second millimeter-wave radiating sources is controlled, thereby controlling a direction toward which said accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern radiates.

11. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein said at least two separate slots are cut to an accuracy of at least 25 micrometer.

12. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 11, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a laser cutting technique.

13. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 11, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a punching technique.

14. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 11, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a wire-cutting technique.

15. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 11, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a printed-circuit-board etching technique.

16. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein said accurate millimeter-wave radiation pattern has a gain above 6 dBi.

17. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein accuracy of said accurate millimeter-wave radiation pattern is better than one dB.

18. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein said electrically-conductive lamina is printed on said substrate lamina, thereby forming said printed-circuit-board.

19. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein:

said electrically-conductive metal cover is bent molded or machined into a structure having a “

U”

shaped cross-section, such that at least one rail is formed and contact said electrically-conductive lamina which together seal electromagnetically said cavity in formation of said first slotted wave-guide, and such that two openings are formed, one opening at one end of the electrically-conductive metal cover, and another opening at the other end of the electrically-conductive metal cover;

said millimeter-waves are injected into said first slotted wave-guide via said one opening; and

the at least two separate slots are located one after the other along length of said first slotted wave-guide, such that said millimeter-waves pass over one of said at least two separate slots, and then pass over another of said at least two separate slots, on their way from said one opening to said another opening of said first slotted wave-guide.

20. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 19, wherein said at least two separate slots have identical dimensions.

21. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 20, wherein said another opening of said first slotted wave-guide is sealed electromagnetically, such that said millimeter-waves reflect back toward said one opening, thereby passing over each of said at least two separate slots at least twice.

22. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 21, wherein said millimeter-waves inside said first slotted wave-guide are standing-waves.

23. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 19, wherein said one of said at least two separate slots has smaller dimensions than said another of said at least two separate slots, thereby compensating for attenuation in said millimeter-waves as they propagate along said first slotted wave-guide.

24. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein the slots form a two dimensional array.

25. The millimeter-wave antenna system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the slots is operative to control phase of said millimeter-wave by interacting with at least one electrical component mounted on said printed circuit board.

26. A method for producing a millimeter-wave antenna system, comprising:

forming accurately at least two separate slots in an electrically-conductive lamina of a printed-circuit-board, said at least two separate slots are operative to radiate millimeter-waves, and said at least two separate slots are located in respect to each other such as to facilitate synthesis of an accurate millimeter-wave radiation pattern; and

mounting, on top of said electrically-conductive lamina, an electrically-conductive metal cover, such that an enclosed wave-guide cavity is formed above said at least two separate slots, thereby forming a first slotted wave-guide operative to function as a millimeter-wave antenna system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least two separate slots are formed to an accuracy of at least 25 micrometer.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a laser cutting technique.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a punching technique.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a wire-cutting technique.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein said accuracy is achieved using a printed-circuit-board etching technique.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein said at least two separate slots are located substantially one wavelength of said millimeter-waves from each other.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

forming accurately, alongside said two separate slots, at least two additional separate slots in said electrically-conductive lamina of said printed-circuit-board, said at least two additional separate slots are operative to radiate millimeter-waves, and said at least two additional separate slots are located in respect to each other and in respect to said two separate slots such as to facilitate synthesis of an accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern; and

mounting, on top of said electrically-conductive lamina, a second electrically-conductive metal cover, such that an enclosed second wave-guide cavity is formed above said at least two additional separate slots, thereby forming a two-dimensional radiating slot structure, operative to form an accurate high gain millimeter-wave radiation pattern.

34. A communication system, comprising:

a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC) comprising a radio transmitter, operative to transmit millimeter-wave signals, the radio transmitter comprising a Power Amplifier (PA) operative to output the millimeter-wave signals at a low power level of between −

10 dBm and 20 dBm, and a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) and a synthesizer operative to drive a mixer up-converting signals into the millimeter-wave signals;

a first slotted waveguide operating as a first directional antenna having a gain of at least 30 dBi;

wherein the radio transmitter and the first slotted waveguide are configured to transmit the millimeter-wave signals at a level of at least 20 dBmi, using a bandwidth of at least 100 MHz and 16-levels Quadrature-Amplitude-Modulation (16QAM), facilitating data rates of at least 200 Mbps, while the RFIC is configured to keep power consumption of the radio transmitter under 2.5 W.