Radiator bandwidth enhancement using dielectrics with inverse frequency dependence

• US 5,497,168 A
• Filed: 08/04/1994
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Aircraft Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Tran, Allen M., Thomas, Michael D., Hunter, Shane H., Glaser, Jerome I., Wolfson, Ronald I., Smalanskas, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wimer, Michael C.
• Application Number:
  US08/286,105
• Time in Patent Office: 579 Days
• Field of Search: 343/909, 343/872, 343/846, 343/848, 343/789, 343/754, 343/834, 343/767
• US Class Current: 343/834
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 17/00 Devices for absorbing waves radiated from an antenna; Combinations of such devices with active antenna elements or systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/44 varying the electric or magnetic characteristics of reflecting, refracting, or diffracting devices associated with the radiating element
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0407 Substantially flat resonant element parallel to ground plane, e.g. patch antenna dipole H01Q9/285; monopole H01Q9/40

Abstract

A dielectric material having a dielectric constant which varies inversely with frequency, and preferably with the second power of frequency, fills the space between a radiator and a reflecting groundplane. The back-directed wave is reflected back to the radiator in phase with the directly radiated wave over a wide frequency band, increasing the radiator efficiency.

Claims

1. A frequency independent radiating element having a signal operating frequency band, said radiating element comprising a radiator which launches a forward-directed wave and a back-directed wave, a reflecting groundplane separated from said radiator by nominal constant spacing distance equivalent to one quarter wave-length at a nominal frequency within said frequency band, and a dielectric material structures disposed between said radiator and said groundplane, said dielectric material structure having an intrinsic, frequency-dependent relative dielectric constant that varies in monotonically decreasing function with inverse frequency dependence for signals within said frequency band, said variation of said dielectric constant occurring intrinsically without application of control signals such that said dielectric material structure simultaneously present different dielectric constants to multi-frequency RF signals propagating through said structure, wherein said back-directed wave passes through said dielectric material structure, is reflected from said group plane, and passes again through said dielectric material structure so that said forward-directed wave and said reflected back-directed wave reinforce one another to improve a radiation efficiency of said radiating element over said frequency band for simultaneous multi-frequency operation, wherein said radiating efficiency is substantially independent of frequency for operation over said frequency band.

2. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said monotonically decreasing function is 1/f², wherein f represents operating frequency, whereby an effective electrically path length of about one-quarter wavelength is maintained between said radiator and said groundplane over said frequency band, and said band is a wide-octave band, wherein said forward-directed and reflected waves reinforce one another to substantially maximize and radiation efficiency.

3. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said nominal frequency is a mid-band frequency of said frequency band.

4. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said dielectric material structure comprises a low loss dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of substantially unity in said frequency band, said substrate being loaded with dielectric inclusions.

5. The radiating element of claim 4 wherein said inclusions have a largest diameter approximately less than 0.01 times the smallest free-space wave-length within said frequency band.

6. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said dielectric material structure is characterized by a relative dielectric constant that varies inversely with the second power of frequency over said frequency band.

7. The radiating element of claim 6 wherein said dielectric material structure comprises a low loss dielectric having relative dielectric constant of substantially unity in said frequency band, said substrate being loaded with small metal inclusions.

8. The radiating element of claim 7 wherein said inclusion has a largest diameter approximately less than 0.01 the smallest free-space wavelength within said frequency band.

9. The radiating a element of claim 1 wherein said dielectric material structure comprises a low loss dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of substantially unity in said frequency band, said substrate being located with metal inclusions.

10. The radiating element of claim 6 wherein said dielectric material structure comprises a low dielectric having a relative dielectric constant of substantially unity in said frequency band of antenna, said substrate being loaded with metal inclusions.

11. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said radiation is a planar radiator structure.

12. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said groundplane is a planar structure.

13. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said dielectric material structure is a multilayer structure comprising altering layers of low-loss dielectric materials and thin perforated metallic mesh sheets.

14. The radiating element of claim 13 wherein said monotonically deceasing function is 1/f², where f represents operative frequency, whereby an effective electrical path length of about one-quarter wavelength is maintained between said radiator and said groundplane over said frequency band.

15. The radiating element of claim 1 wherein said dielectric material structure comprises a dielectric substance loaded uniformly with inclusion particles, said dielectric substrate fabricated of a low-RF-loss material having a relative dielectric constant which is nominally unity over said operating frequency band.

16. The radiating element of claim 15 wherein said inclusion particles are fabricated of a material comprising aluminum, cooper, silver, alumina or barium strontium titanate.

17. The radiating element of claim 16 wherein said inclusions have a largest diameter approximately less than 0.01 times the smallest free-space wavelength within said frequency band.