Dielectric waveguide phase shifter

• US 4,818,963 A
• Filed: 11/12/1985
• Issued: 04/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Green, Jerome J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gensler, Paul
• Application Number:
  US06/796,505
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 333/17 L, 333/24.1, 333/24.2, 333/158, 333/239
• US Class Current: 333/24.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/32 Non-reciprocal transmission devices H01P1/02 - H01P1/30 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/40 with phasing matrix

Abstract

A nonreciprocal latching phase shifter includes a slab of a high dielectric contant material disposed within a closed magnetization path provided in response to a current fed through a ferrite toroid. A substantial portion of the electromagnetic energy is confined to the dielectric slab, with a remaining small portion of such energy leaking from the slab and interacting with the adjacent ferrite whose state of magnetization is varied in response to the current fed through the ferrite to provide a predetermined phase shift to the electromagnetic energy. In one embodiment, a plurality of parallel high dielectric bars is disposed within a ferrite toroid providing the closed magnetization path to provide a low-cost single toroid multi-element phase shifter. In a second embodiment, a plurality of ferrite toroids, each having a second plurality of dielectric members disposed therein, is arranged to provide a low-cost phase shifter array. In an additional alernate embodiment, a pair of orthogonally disposed phase shifter arrays are spaced by a phase rotation array to provide an array antenna with the vertical and horiozntal beam steering segregated between such arrays.

Claims

1. In combination:

means for providing a closed magnetization path;

disposed within said closed path means, for confining a plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves to said dielectric members; and

means for passing a current through said closed path providing means to produce a magnetic field to vary magnetization in said closed path providing means and to provide in response to such current a predetermined phase shift to each one of such plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves.

2. The combination as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

means, including the closed magnetization path means and the confining means, for producing a small predetermined amount of wave leakage from the dielectric of the confining means; and

wherein said wave leakage and said varied magnetization provide the predetermined phase shift to each of said plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves.

3. The combination as recited in claim 2 wherein said dielectric members are dielectrically spaced one from the other by a predetermined distance related to the wavelength of the propagating electromagnetic wave.

4. The combination as recited in claim 2 wherein said closed path means is a toroidal member, with said toroidal member comprising a ferrimagnetic material.

5. The combination as recited in claim 4 wherein said toroidal member comprises a pair of sheets of said ferrimagnetic material and a pair of longitudinal members of ferrimagnetic material arranged to provide the toroidal member.

6. The combination as recited in claim 5 wherein said dielectrical members are dielectrically spaced one from the other by a predetermined distance related to the wavelength of the propagating electromagnetic wave.

8. The phase shifter of claim 4 wherein said means for directing a current includes a wire disposed through the region confined by said toroid, said wire being fed by a current which changes the magnetization in said ferrimagnetic toroid.

9. The phase shifter of claim 8 wherein said ferrimagnetic toroid has a relative dielectric constant of about 18.

7. A phase shifter comprising:

a ferrimagnetic toroid;

at least one dielectric waveguide disposed within said ferrimagnetic toroid comprising;

dielectric means, including a dielectric member, for confining an electromagnetic wave fed to the member substantially to the member, and for producing a small predetermined amount of wave leakage from the member into adjacent portions of the toroid, said dielectric member having a dielectric constant of about 50 with respect to the dielectric constant of air and having a cross-sectional dimension in the range of 0.25 to 0.6 of the free space wavelength of said electromagnetic wave divided by the square root of the dielectric constant of said member;

wherein said electromagnetic wave propagating along the member is confined to said member solely by the dielectric member and dielectric media including said ferrimagnetic toroid surrounding said member; and

means for directing a current through a region confined by said ferrimagnetic toroid to provide a magnetization in said ferrimagnetic toroid and to interact with said wave leakage to control the phase of the electromagnetic wave.

10. In combination:

a pair of sheets each comprising a ferrimagnetic material;

a pair of longitudinal members each comprising a ferrimagnetic material disposed between a pair of opposing facial surface portions of said sheets, said pair of sheets and pair of longitudinal members arranged to provide a toroidal member; and

a plurality of dielectrics spaced apart one from the other and disposed between the pair of longitudinal members and the ferrimagnetic sheets, said dielectrics each having a dielectric constant selected to confine substantially to said dielectric an electromagnetic signal fed to said dielectric as said signal propagates along said dielectric.

11. The combination of claim 10 further comprising:

a pair of dielectric substrates with each ferrimagnetic sheet disposed over a surface of a corresponding one of said substrates; and

means for passing a current through said closed path providing means to produce a magnetic field to vary magnetization in said closed path providing means and to provide in response to such current a predetermined phase shift to each one of such plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves.

20. The phase shifter of claim 11 wherein said means for providing a predetermined phase shift to the electromagnetic wave energy and for providing a magnetization includes a wire disposed through the region disposed around by the ferrite material, said wire being fed by a current which changes the magnetization in said ferrite material.

21. The phase shifter of claim 20 wherein said magnetically permeable material has a relative dielectric constant of about 18.

12. The combination of claim ii wherein the spacing of said dielectrics is related to the wavelength of signals propagating along said dielectrics.

13. An array comprising:

(a) a plurality of elements, each element comprising;

(i) means for providing a closed magnetization path;

(ii) means including said closed path means and a plurality of dielectrics disposed within said closed path means for guiding a plurality of electromagnetic waves along such plurality of dielectrics; and

(b) means for independently controlling the phase shift of the plurality of electromagnetic waves in each one of such elements.

14. The array of claim 13 wherein each of said closed path means is a toroidal member comprising a ferrimagnetic material.

15. The array of claim 14 further comprises:

means, producing a predetermined amount of wave leakage from the surface of said dielectric members;

wherein said phase shift controlling means further comprises;

(i) means for passing a current through said toroidal member to vary the magnetization in said toroidal member; and

wherein said wave leakage and said varied magnetization provide the predetermined phase shift to each of said plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves.

16. The array of claim 15 wherein said toroidal member comprises a pair of sheets of said ferrimagnetic material and a pair of longitudinal members of ferrimagnetic material arranged to provide the toroidal member.

17. The array of claim 16 wherein each path means further comprises:

a pair of dielectric sheets and wherein each one of the pair of ferrimagnetic sheets is disposed over a surface of a corresponding one of said dielectric sheets.

18. The combination as recited in claim 17 wherein said dielectric members are dielectrically spaced one from the other by a predetermined distance related to the wavelength of the propagating electromagnetic waves.

19. A phase shifter comprising:

(a) a ferrite material disposed about a region;

(b) dielectric means, including a dielectric member disposed within said region, for confining electromagnetic wave energy fed to the means substantially to the dielectric member as such energy passes through the dielectric member with a minor portion of said energy leaking into the ferrite material and with said electromagnetic wave energy being confined to said member solely by the dielectric member and dielectric media including said ferrite material surrounding said member, with said dielectric member having a dielectric constant of about 50 with respect to the dielectric constant of air and having a cross-sectional dimension in the range of 0.25 to 0.6 of the free space wavelength of said electromagnetic wave divided by the square root of the dielectric constant of said member; and

(c) means, including said energy leaking into the ferrite material for providing a predetermined phase shift to the propagating energy as it passes through the dielectric member.

22. An array comprising:

means for providing a plurality of closed, substantially independent magnetization paths, each path further comprising;

(i) means, including a plurality of dielectric members disposed within said path, for confining substantially to said dielectric members, a corresponding plurality of electromagnetic signals fed to said dielectric members;

(ii) means, including said magnetization path for providing a selectable phase shift to the electromagnetic signals fed to said dielectric members; and

wherein the phase shift provided to signals in each one of said closed paths is substantially independent from the phase shift provided to signals in remaining ones of said paths.

23. The combination as recited in claim 22 wherein each of the closed paths further comprises:

means, including the closed magnetization path and the dielectric members disposed in said path, for producing a predetermined amount of wave leakage from the surface of said members;

wherein said phase shift means comprises means for passing a current through said closed path to vary the magnetization in said closed path; and

wherein said wave leakage and said varied magnetization provide the predetermined phase shift to each of said plurality of propagating electromagnetic waves.

24. The combination as recited in claim 23 wherein said dielectric members are dielectrically spaced one from the other by a predetermined distance related to the wavelength of the propagating electromagnetic signal.

25. The combination as recited in claim 23 wherein each closed path is a toroidal member, with said member comprising a ferrimagnetic material.

26. The combination as recited in claim 25 wherein said toroidal member comprises a pair of sheets of said ferrimagnetic material and a pair of longitudinal members of ferrimagnetic material arranged to provide the toroidal member.

27. The combination as recited in claim 26 wherein said dielectric members are dielectrically spaced one from the other by a predetermined distance related to the wavelength of the propagating electromagnetic signal.