SWITCHABLE TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE PHASED ARRAY ANTENNA

• US 20160172755A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Jimmy Susumu, Cameron, Rodney D., Bekker, Isaac R., Ternes, Randal L., Chen, Ming, Heisen, Peter T., Miller, Dan R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,297,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/523 between antennas of an array
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0025 Modular arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/061 Two dimensional planar arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters

Abstract

Disclosed is a switchable transmit and receive phased array antenna (“STRPAA”). As an example, the STRPAA may include a housing, a multilayer printed wiring board (“MLPWB”) within the housing having a top surface and a bottom surface, a plurality of radiating elements located on the top surface of the MLPWB, and a plurality of transmit and receive (“T/R”) modules attached to the bottom surface of the MLPWB. The STRPAA may also include a plurality of vias, wherein each via, of the plurality of vias, passes through the MLPWB and is configured as a signal path between a T/R module, of the plurality of T/R modules, on the bottom surface of the MLPWB and a radiating element, of the plurality of radiating elements, located on the top surface of the MLPWB opposite the T/R module.

Claims

1. A switchable transmit and receive phased array antenna (“

STRPAA”

), the STRPAA comprising;

a housing;

a multilayer printed wiring board (“

MLPWB”

) within the housing, the MLPWB having

a top surface and

a bottom surface;

a plurality of radiating elements located on the top surface of the MLPWB; and

a plurality of transmit and receive (“

T/R”

) modules attached to the bottom surface of the MLPWB,

wherein the plurality of T/R modules are in signal communication with the bottom surface of the MLPWB

wherein each T/R module of the plurality of T/R modules is located on the bottom surface of the MLPWB opposite a corresponding radiating element of the plurality of radiating elements located on the top surface of the MLPWB, and

wherein each T/R module is in signal communication with the corresponding radiating element located opposite the T/R module.

2. The STRPAA of claim 1, wherein the housing includes

a pressure plate and

a honeycomb aperture plate having a plurality of channels,

wherein the pressure plate is configured to push the plurality of T/R modules against the bottom surface of the MLPWB,

wherein the plurality of radiating elements are configured to be placed approximately against the honeycomb aperture plate, and

wherein each radiating element of the plurality of radiating elements is located at a corresponding channel of the plurality of channels of the honeycomb aperture.

3. The STRPAA of claim 2, further including a wide angle impedance matching (“

WAIM”

) sheet in signal communication with the honeycomb aperture plate.

4. The STRPAA of claim 3, wherein each radiating element of the plurality of radiating elements is a printed antenna.

5. The STRPAA of claim 2, wherein each T/R module is placed in signal communication with the bottom surface of the MLPWB through a plurality of high performance signal contacts.

6. The STRPAA of claim 5, wherein each T/R module includes at least three monolithic microwave integrated circuits (“

MMICs”

).

7. The STRPAA of claim 6, wherein a first MMIC of the at least three MMICs is a beam processing MMIC and a second and third MMICs are power switching MMICs.

8. The STRPAA of claim 7, wherein the first MMIC utilizes silicon-germanium (“

SiGe”

) technologies and the second and third MMICs utilize gallium-arsenide (“

GaAs”

) technologies.

9. The STRPAA of claim 7, wherein the at least one MMIC is physically configured in a flip-chip configuration.

10. The STRPAA of claim 2, further including a plurality of vias, wherein each via, of the plurality of vias, passes through the MLPWB and is configured as a signal path between a T/R module, of the plurality of T/R modules, on the bottom surface of the MLPWB and a radiating element, of the plurality of radiating elements, located on the top surface of the MLPWB opposite the T/R module.

11. The STRPAA of claim 10, wherein the MLPWB includes two printed wire board (“

PWB”

) sub-assemblies.

12. The STRPAA of claim 11, wherein the two PWB sub-assemblies are bonded together by a bonding layer having a bonding material that forms both a mechanical and electrical connection between the two PWB sub-assemblies.

13. The STRPAA of claim 12, wherein each PWB sub-assembly includes a plurality of substrates with a corresponding plurality of metallic layers.

14. The STRPAA of claim 8, wherein each T/R module includes a T/R module ceramic package that includes a plurality of ceramic substrates with a corresponding plurality of metallic layers.

15. The STRPAA of claim 14, wherein the T/R module ceramic package includes a top surface in signal communication with the plurality of high performance signal contacts and a bottom surface in signal communication with the at least three MMICs.

16. The STRPAA of claim 15, further including a plurality of vias, wherein each via, of the plurality of vias, passes through the T/R module ceramic package and is configured as a signal path between a MMIC, of the at least three MMICs, on the bottom surface of the T/R module ceramic package and a conductive metallic pad located on the top surface of the T/R module ceramic package opposite the MMIC.

17. The STRPAA of claim 1, wherein the STRPAA is configured to operate at K-band.

18. The STRPAA of claim 1, wherein each radiating element of the plurality of radiating elements is a signal aperture for each corresponding T/R module.

20. The T/R module of claim 1, wherein the STRPAA is configured to operate at K-band.

19. A transmit and receive (“

T/R”

) module for use in a switchable transmit and receive phased array antenna (“

STRPAA”

), the T/R module comprising;

a beam processing monolithic microwave integrated circuit (“

MMIC”

);

a first and second power switching MMICs;

a T/R multilayer printed wiring board (“

MLPWB”

) that includes

a plurality of substrates with a corresponding plurality of metallic layers,

a top surface,

a bottom surface, and

a plurality of vias,

wherein the beam processing MMIC and the first and second power switching MMICs are physically configured in a flip-chip configuration in signal communication with the bottom surface of the T/R module ceramic package, and

wherein each via, of the plurality of vias, passes through the T/R module ceramic package and is configured as a signal path between a MMIC, of the beam processing and first and second power switching MMICs, on the bottom surface of the T/R module ceramic package and a conductive metallic pad located on the top surface of the T/R module ceramic package opposite the MMIC.