Variable shape antenna etching system and antenna formed thereby

• US 6,891,502 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mems Optical, Inc. (Jenoptik AG)
• Original Assignee: Mems Optical, Inc. (Jenoptik AG)
• Inventors: Harchanko, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hoanganh
• Application Number:
  US10/339,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20040061658A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q00.1/38, 343/700.MS, 343/795, 343/793, 343/757, 296/00
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/30 varying the relative phase between the radiating elements of an array H01Q3/2605, H01Q3/2658, H01Q3/2682, H01Q3/44 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/005 for radiating non-sinusoidal waves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making

Abstract

An antenna formation device/method has been developed to create variable shaped antennas using predetermined interference patterns to expose and develop a photoresist layer that is etched on a substrate to form the structure corresponding to the desired variable shaped antenna.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming various shape antennas comprising:

a light source;

a moveable support for receiving a substrate covered by a photoresist layer; and

an interference aid element containing openings that act as Huygen sources when illuminated by said light source, the Huygen sources interfering to form a predetermined interference pattern, said interference aid element being positioned between said light source and said support, the interference pattern produced by said interference aid element exposing the photoresist layer enabling patterning of the substrate with a pattern defined by the predetermined interference pattern, the exposed photoresist layer being used to form a structure with a desired antenna contour of the antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the structure forms a mold, which is filled with a material used to form the antenna.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the developed photoresist contains a negative relief image of the desired antenna shape, the developed photoresist is coated with a removable layer, a layer of second photoresist being deposited, exposed and developed on the removable layer in a pattern of the desired antenna shape, and the second photoresist, the removable layer, and the developed photoresist are etched to form a structure from the removable layer, where the structure forms the antenna and is removable from the oter layers through chemical processes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the interference pattern is changed by moving the support.

5. An apparatus for forming various shape antennas comprising:

a light source;

a multiple beam formation device receiving light from said light source and forming multiple beams therefrom;

a moveable support for receiving a substrate covered by a photoresist layer;

an interference device operatively disposed between said formation device and said support for receiving said multiple beams and directing them to interfere to produce a desired pattern on said photoresist layer when said substance is mounted on said support;

the interference pattern produced by said interference device exposing the photoresist layer enabling patterning of the substrate with a pattern defined by the predetermined interference pattern, the exposed photoresist layer being used to form a structure with a desired antenna contour of the antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the structure forms a mold, which is filled with a material used to form the antenna.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the developed photoresist contains a negative relief image of the desired antenna shape, the developed photoresist being coated with a removable layer, a layer of second photoresist is deposited/exposed and developed on the removable layer in a pattern of the desired antenna shape, and the second photoresist, the removable layer, and the developed photoresist are etched to form a structure from the removable layer, where the structure forms the antenna and is removable from the other layers through chemical processes.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the interference pattern is changed by moving the support.

9. A method for forming various shape antennas comprising:

depositing a photoresist layer on a substrate on a moveable support;

illuminating the photoresist with light intensity from plural sources producing a predetermined interference pattern thereon to expose said photoresist;

developing the photoresist;

etching the photoresist and substrate to form a structure having a contour corresponding to the interference pattern; and

using the structure to form an antenna.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

making a mold from said structure; and

molding or stamping a material using said mold to form an antenna element; and

forming an antenna from said antenna element.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said antenna element is molded by said step of molding is conductive and is used as an active antenna surface.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising coating said antenna element with a conductive coating as the active antenna surface.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the developed photoresist contains a negative relief image of the desired antenna shape, and further comprises:

coating the developed photoresist with a removable layer;

depositing a layer of second photoresist on the removable layer; and

exposing and developing the second photoresist in a pattern of the desired antenna shape, where the etching step etches the second photoresist, the removable layer, and the developed photoresist to form a structure from the removable layer, where the structure forms the antenna; and

removing the structure from the substrate and photoresist layers through chemical processes.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the plural sources utilized in said step of illuminating are produced by shining illumination through an interference aid element, where the interference aid element contains openings that act as Huygen sources, the method comprising the additional steps of:

producing said light sources by illuminating the interference aid element with light from at least one light source so that the openings from Huygen sources that interfere forming the predetermined interefernce pattern.

15. An antenna produced by the method of claim 9.

16. An antenna produced by the method of claim 10.

17. An antenna produced by the method of claim 11.

18. An antenna produced by the method of claim 12.

19. An antenna produced by the method of claim 13.

20. An antenna produced by the method of claim 14.