Wideband antenna array

• US 7,109,939 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Colburn, Joseph S., Lynch, Jonathan J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MANCUSO, HUEDUNG XUAN CAO
• Application Number:
  US10/407,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20030214450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 343/771, 343/772, 343/776, 343/789, 343/770, 343/725, 343/767, 343/705
• US Class Current: 343/771
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0006 Particular feeding systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/0087 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00

Abstract

An antenna array comprises a substrate; a plurality of projecting, tapering structures disposed in an array and attached to a first major surface of said substrate, the plurality of projecting, tapering structures defining a plurality of waveguides therebetween; and a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array and attached to a second major surface of the substrate, the plurality of box-shaped structures defining a plurality of waveguides therebetween, the plurality of waveguides defined by the plurality of projecting, tapering structures aligning with the plurality of waveguides defined by the plurality of box-shaped structures. The substrate includes a plurality of probes for feeding the plurality waveguides.

Claims

1. An antenna array comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of substrate to freespace transitions disposed in an array and attached to a first major surface of said substrate, the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions defining a first plurality of parallel plate waveguides therebetween; and

a plurality of probes parallel to said substrate for feeding said first plurality of waveguides.

2. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises:

a ground plane disposed on said substrate;

at least one co-planer waveguide (CPW) transmission line disposed on said substrate, where said CPW transmission line is for connecting said ground plane to one of said plurality of probes; and

at least one via for connecting said ground plane to said plurality of substrate to freespace transitions.

3. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the parallel plate waveguides are perpendicular to said substrate.

4. The antenna array of claim 1, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.

11. The antenna array of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array and attached to a second major surface of said substrate, the plurality of box-shaped structures defining a second plurality of waveguides therebetween, wherein the second plurality of waveguides align with said first plurality of waveguides and said plurality of probes being for feeding said first and second plurality of waveguides.

12. The antenna array of claim 11, wherein each box-shaped structure in said plurality of box-shaped structures has four sides, said four sides defining a quadrilateral.

13. The antenna array of claim 12, wherein said quadrilateral is a square.

14. The antenna array of claim 11, wherein the plurality of box-shaped structures are metal.

15. The antenna array of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of box-shaped structures comprises a plastic body covered by a layer of conductive material.

16. The antenna array of claim 11, wherein said substrate comprises:

a ground plane disposed on said substrate;

at least one co-planer waveguide (CPW) transmission line disposed on said substrate, where said CPW transmission line is for connecting said ground plane to one of said plurality of probes; and

at least one via for connecting said ground plane to said plurality of substrate to freesp ace transitions.

17. The antenna array of claim 16, wherein at least one of said plurality of box-shaped structures contains a notch for preventing at least one CPW transmission line from shorting to at least one of said plurality of box-shaped structures.

18. The antenna array of claim 11, wherein said second plurality of waveguides defined by the plurality of box-shaped structures is terminated by a short-circuit.

5. An antenna array comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of substrate to freesp ace transitions disposed in an array and attached to a first major surface of said substrate, the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions defining a first plurality of waveguides therebetween; and

a plurality of probes for feeding said first plurality of waveguides, wherein said substrate to freespace transitions comprise projecting, tapering structures.

6. The antenna array of claim 5, wherein each projecting, tapering structure includes a first portion defining a box-shaped structure and an adjacent second portion defining a conical-shaped structure having a wide end and a narrow end, the wide end of the conical-shaped structure mating with the box-shaped structure.

7. The antenna array of claim 5, wherein each projecting, tapering structure includes a first portion defining a box-shaped structure and an adjacent second portion defining a quadrilateral having four sloping sides, the four sloping sides of the quadrilateral mating with four sides of the box-shaped structure.

8. The antenna array of claim 7, wherein the size of each sloping side of each projecting, tapering structure in said plurality of projecting, tapering structures is essentially the same size.

9. The antenna array of claim 5, wherein each projecting, tapering structure is solid metal.

10. The antenna array of claim 5, wherein each projecting, tapering structure comprises a plastic body covered by a layer of conductive material.

19. The antenna array of claim 5, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.

20. A method for making a wideband antenna array, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate;

attaching a plurality of substrate to freepace transitions disposed in an array to a first major surface of said substrate, the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions defining a first plurality of parallel plate waveguides therebetween; and

placing a plurality of probes parallel to said substrate over said plurality of first waveguides.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of providing a substrate comprises the steps of:

depositing a ground plane on said substrate;

etching said ground plane to provide at least one co-planer waveguide (CPW) transmission line; and

creating at least one via through said substrate.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of attaching a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array to a second major surface of said substrate, the plurality of box-shaped structures defining a second plurality of waveguides therebetween, the second plurality of waveguides being aligned with said first plurality of waveguides.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of attaching a plurality of box-shaped structures comprises the step of preventing said CPW transmission line from shorting to said plurality of box-shaped structures by providing a notch in said plurality of box-shaped structures.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of attaching a plurality of substrate to freespace transitions to a first major surface of said substrate, and the step of attaching a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array to a second major surface of said substrate comprise the steps of:

placing a solder preform in contact with the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions and the first major surface of the substrate;

placing a solder preform in contact with the plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array and the second major surface of the substrate; and

heating the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions, the substrate and the plurality of box-shaped structures to flow the solder.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of attaching a plurality of substrate to freespace transitions to a first major surface of said substrate, and the step of attaching a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array to a second major surface of said substrate comprise the steps of:

placing a conductive adhesive in contact with the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions and the first major surface of the substrate; and

placing a conductive adhesive in contact with the plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array and the second major surface of the substrate.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein said plurality of box-shaped structures are metal.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein each one of said plurality of box-shaped structures comprises a plastic body covered by a layer of conductive material.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of covering the second plurality of waveguides with a conductive material, wherein the second plurality of waveguides is terminated by a short-circuit.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein each one of said plurality of substrate to freespace transitions is solid metal.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein each one of said plurality of substrate to freespace transitions comprises a plastic body covered by a layer of conductive material.

31. The method of claim 20, wherein the parallel plate waveguides are perpendicular to said substrate.

32. The wideband antenna array of claim 21, wherein the parallel plate waveguides are perpendicular to said substrate.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.

34. A method for making a wideband antenna array, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a substrate;

attaching a plurality of substrate to freespace transitions disposed in an array to a first major surface of said substrate, the plurality of substrate to freespace transitions defining a first plurality of waveguides therebetween; and

placing a plurality of probes over said plurality of first waveguides, wherein said plurality of substrate to freespace transitions are projecting, tapering structures.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.

36. A wideband antenna array comprising:

a plurality of subarrays, each subarray comprising;

a substrate having a plurality of probes parallel to said substrate; and

wherein said plurality of probes feeds a first plurality of parallel plate waveguides and wherein at least one of said plurality of subarrays is attached to at least another subarray of said plurality of subarrays by connecting at least one of said plurality of probes of the at least one subarray to at least one of said plurality of probes of the at least another subarray.

37. The wideband antenna array of claim 36, wherein each subarray further comprises a plurality of box-shaped structures disposed in an array and attached to a second major surface of said substrate, the plurality of box-shaped structures defining a second plurality of waveguides therebetween, the second plurality of waveguides aligning with the first plurality of waveguides.

38. The array of claim 36, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.

39. A antenna array comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of co-planer waveguide transmission lines and a plurality of probes;

a first plurality of box-shaped structures having walls disposed in an array and attached to a first major surface of said substrate, the first plurality of box-shaped structures defining a first plurality of waveguides therebetween, at least one wall of said first plurality of box-shaped structures having a notch; and

a plurality of tapered structures disposed in an array and attached to a second major surface of said substrate, the plurality of tapered structures defining a second plurality of waveguides therebetween, the second plurality of waveguides aligning with the first plurality of box-shaped structures, wherein said plurality of probes aligning with said first and second plurality of waveguides.

40. The array of claim 39, wherein the substrate is a microwave substrate.