High frequency electrical signal control device and sensing system

• US 7,630,588 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2004
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ouchi, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): LEPISTO, RYAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/541,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20060085160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,083 Days
• Field of Search: 385/4, 385/8, 385/12, 385/40, 385/41, 385/45, 359/331, 359/332, 250/358.1, 250/393, 250/227.12
• US Class Current: 385/8
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3581 using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/032 Constructional details for solid-state radar subsystems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• 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 9/27 Spiral antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/28 Conical, cylindrical, cage, strip, gauze, or like elements having an extended radiating surface; Elements comprising two conical surfaces having collinear axes and adjacent apices and fed by two-conductor transmission lines waveguide horns or mouths H01Q13/00; slot antennas H01Q13/00

Abstract

A high frequency electrical signal control device comprises a transmitter for generating a high frequency electrical signal, a receiver, a transmission line for propagating the electrical signal, and a structure for radiating the electrical signal propagated through the transmission line to the space or receiving a signal from the space. The degree of coupling of the electrical signal between the space and the transmission line provided by the structure can be variably controlled.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic wave generating device for generating an electromagnetic wave having a frequency ranging from 30 GHz to 30 THz, including:

a laser device;

an optical waveguide for propagating a laser beam emitted from the laser device;

a photoconductive switch for converting the laser beam propagated through the optical waveguide to the electromagnetic wave; and

a transmission line comprising a conductor for propagating the electromagnetic wave converted by the photoconductive switch,

wherein the laser device, the optical waveguide, the photoconductive switch and the transmission line are integrated on a substrate and arranged in a plane of the substrate,

wherein a first electrode and a second electrode are provided on an upper surface of the photoconductive switch such that a gap is formed between the electrodes at an end of the upper surface, which end is closer to the optical waveguide, and

wherein the optical waveguide is arranged such that the laser beam propagated through the optical waveguide irradiates a lateral surface of the photoconductive switch, which lateral surface is closer to the optical waveguide, at a portion corresponding to the gap.

2. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein an insulator is provided between the substrate and the conductor of the transmission line and the insulator is made of the same material as the optical waveguide.

3. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein an insulator is provided between the substrate and the conductor of the transmission line, the insulator and the optical waveguide being made of one and the same material having photosensitivity and being formed in a plane;

and wherein the optical waveguide is formed by mask patterning and light exposure techniques such that the optical waveguide has a higher refractive index than the insulator.

4. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are connected to the conductor of the transmission line.

5. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein the generating device further includes a detection means for detecting the electromagnetic wave propagated through the transmission line as an electrical signal.

6. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 5, wherein the detection means is selected from a Schottky barrier diode, a second photoconductive switch, and a combination of an EO crystal and a photodetector.

7. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 5, wherein the conductor of the transmission line extends from the photoconductive switch to the detection means.

8. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein the laser device comprises two laser devices having different oscillation wavelengths and the optical waveguide is a Y-branch optical waveguide, the generating device being capable of operate such that two lights emitted from the two laser devices are mixed with eat other in the Y-branch optical waveguide and introduced into the photoconductive switch and the photoconductive switch generates an electrical signal corresponding to a differential frequency of the two laser devices.

9. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein the laser device is capable of emitting a laser pulse, wherein the optical waveguide is capable of propagating the laser pulse emitted from the laser device and dividing the laser pulse into two laser pulses, one of the two laser pulses being converted to the electromagnetic wave in the photoconductive switch while the other being guided to detection means, wherein an optical delay unit for delaying a laser pulse is provided in the optical waveguide extending to the detection means, and wherein a time waveform of a short pulse electrical signal is measured while the optical delay unit varies a delay amount.

10. An electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, wherein the generating device further includes an antenna formed on the substrate, the antenna being capable of radiating an electromagnetic wave propagated through the transmission line to an outer space and receiving an electromagnetic wave from an outer space to propagate it through the transmission line to detection means.

11. A high frequency sensing method comprising,

using the electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 10, to measure information of an object spaced from the transmission line by detecting the electromagnetic wave propagated through the transmission line as an electric signal using the detection means.

12. A high frequency sensing method comprising,

using the electromagnetic wave generating device according to claim 1, to measure information of an object placed on the transmission line by detecting an electromagnetic wave propagated through the transmission line as an electric signal using a detection means.