Antenna with integral tuning element
First Claim
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1. An antenna arrangement, comprising:
- a planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor substrate including first and second broad sides;
a first planar conductive element attached to said first broad side of said substrate;
a second planar conductive element attached to said second broad side of said substrate; and
at least one semiconductor P-N diode having associated capacitance and including first and second adjacent electrodes of opposite conductivity type formed within said substrate, said first electrode being galvanically connected to said first planar conductive element, and said second electrode being glavanically connected to said second planar conductive element for electrically connecting said diode between said first and secondf planar conductive elements.
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Abstract
A patch antenna, which may be one element of an antenna array, is formed on one broad surface of a semiconductor plate. A ground plane is formed on the second broad surface. This semiconductor is doped in regions near a periphery of the patch to define a semiconductor PN junction have electrode contacts to the patch and to the ground plane. The junction has capacitance which tunes the patch antenna. The characteristics of the junction are controlled by bias to selectively tune the patch antenna. The bias is a direct voltage in one embodiment of the invention. In another embodiment, the junction work function itself provides a bias which is controlled by temperature control of the diode.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. An antenna arrangement, comprising:
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a planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor substrate including first and second broad sides; a first planar conductive element attached to said first broad side of said substrate; a second planar conductive element attached to said second broad side of said substrate; and at least one semiconductor P-N diode having associated capacitance and including first and second adjacent electrodes of opposite conductivity type formed within said substrate, said first electrode being galvanically connected to said first planar conductive element, and said second electrode being glavanically connected to said second planar conductive element for electrically connecting said diode between said first and secondf planar conductive elements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An antenna array, comprising:
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a planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor substrate including first and second broad sides; at least first and second separated planar conductive elements attached to said first broad side of said substrate;
; - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26)
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9. a third planar conductive element attached to said second broad side of said substrate;
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10. at least first and second semiconductor P-N diodes, formed within said substrate, each of said first and second semiconductor diodes having associated capacitance and including first and second adjacent electrodes of opposite conductivity type, said first electrodes of said first and second semiconductor diodes being galvanically connected to said first and second planar conductive elements, respectively, and said second electrodes of said first and second semiconductor diodes being galvanically connected at different locations to said third planar conductive element for electrically connecting said first semiconductor diode between said first and third planar conductive elements and for electrically connecting said second semiconductor diode betwen said second and third planar conductive elements.
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17. An antenna arrangement, comprising:
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a planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor substrate including first and second broad sides; a first planar conductive element attached to said first broad side of said substrate; a second planar conductive element attached to said second broad side of said substrate; at least one semiconductor P-N diode having associated capacitance and including first and second adjacent electrodes of opposite conductivity type formed within said substrate, said first electrode being galvanically connected to said first planar conductive element, and said second electrode being galvanically connected to said second planar conductive element for electrically connecting said diode between said first and second planar conductive elements; wherein said semiconductor diode comprises a doped surface portion near the surface of said first broad side of said planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor suhbstrate, said doped surface portion including a first region which is heavily doped with one of n and p impurities, said first region lying under and being in contact with said first planar conductive element for forming an ohmic contact between said first planar conductive element and said doped surface portion; and
a conductive via hole extending between said first and second broad sides of said planar substantially intrinsic semiconductor substrate in a second region of said doped surface portion, said second region being heavily doped with the other of said n and p impurities for forming an ohmic contact between said doped surface portion and said via hole, thereby creating said semiconductor diode as a transverse diode in said doped surface portion. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 24, 27)
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Specification