Three-dimensional spiral antenna and applications thereof

• US 9,147,933 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2012
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alexopoulos, Nicolaos G., Yoon, Seunghwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoang V
• Application Number:
  US13/720,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20130194159A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 343/895
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/0006 Devices acting selectively as reflecting surface, as diffracting or as refracting device, e.g. frequency filtering or angular spatial filtering devices H01Q15/12, H01Q15/22, H01Q15/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/27 Spiral antennas

Abstract

A three-dimensional spiral antenna includes a substrate, a spiral antenna element, and a feed point. The substrate includes a three-dimensional shaped region. The spiral antenna element is supported by and conforms to the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating a three-dimensional shape. The feed point is coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:

a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;

a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers;

a spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and

a feed point coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element and coupled to at least one of the plurality of circuit components.

2. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:

an Archimedean spiral shape; and

an equiangular spiral shape, wherein gain of the three-dimensional spiral antenna has a spiral gain component and a three-dimensional gain component.

3. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:

a symmetric spiral pattern; and

an eccentric spiral pattern.

4. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one of:

one or more printed circuit boards;

or

one or more integrated circuit package substrates.

5. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises:

a substantially solid conducive material with a multiple turn spiral slot, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of;

a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.

6. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises:

a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of;

a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.

7. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional shaped region comprises one of:

a cup shape;

a conical shape;

a cylindrical shape;

a pyramid shape;

a box shape;

a spherical shape;

a parabolic shape; and

a hyperbolic shape.

8. A three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:

a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;

a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers;

a first spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region;

a second spiral antenna element interwoven with the first spiral antenna element, wherein the second spiral antenna element is formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements have an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and

a feed point coupled to a connection point of at least one of the first and second spiral antenna elements and coupled to at least one of the plurality of circuit components.

9. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises one of:

an Archimedean spiral shape; and

an equiangular spiral shape, wherein gain of the three-dimensional spiral antenna has a spiral gain component and a three-dimensional gain component.

10. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises one of:

a symmetric spiral pattern; and

an eccentric spiral pattern.

11. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein the substrate comprises one of:

one or more printed circuit boards;

or

one or more integrated circuit package substrates.

12. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises:

a substantially solid conducive material, wherein a multiple turn spiral slot separates the first and second spiral antenna elements, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of;

a radius of an inner coil of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and a radius of the feed point.

13. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises:

a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of;

a radius of an inner coil of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and a radius of the feed point.

14. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8, wherein the three-dimensional shaped region comprises one of:

a cup shape;

a conical shape;

a cylindrical shape;

a pyramid shape;

a box shape;

a spherical shape;

a parabolic shape; and

a hyperbolic shape.

15. A radio frequency (RF) front-end module comprises:

a three-dimensional spiral antenna operable to transceive an inbound RF signal and an outbound RF signal, the three-dimensional spiral antenna includes;

a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;

a spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and

a feed point coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element;

a receive-transmit isolation module operably coupled to the three-dimensional spiral antenna, wherein the receive-transmit isolation module is operable to isolate the inbound RF signal and the outbound RF signal;

a tuning module operable to tune the receive-transmit isolation module; and

a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers coupled to at least one of the receive-transmit isolation module and the tuning module.

16. The RF front-end module of claim 15 further comprises at least one of:

a power amplifier operably coupled to the receive-transmit isolation module, wherein the power amplifier amplifies an up-converted outbound signal to produce the outbound RF signal; and

a low noise amplifier operably coupled to the receive-transmit isolation module, wherein the low noise amplifier amplifies the inbound RF signal.

17. The RF front-end module of claim 15 further comprises:

an integrated circuit (IC) die that includes the tuning module; and

an IC package substrate that supports the IC die and is the substrate that includes the three-dimensional cup shaped region, wherein the receive-transmit isolation module is on the IC die or on the IC package substrate.

18. The RF front-end module of claim 15, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:

an Archimedean symmetric spiral shape;

an Archimedean eccentric spiral shape;

an equiangular symmetric spiral shape; and

an equiangular eccentric spiral shape.

19. The RF front-end module of claim 15, wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:

a substantially solid conducive material with a multiple turn spiral slot; and

a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of;

a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.

20. The RF front-end module of claim 15, wherein the three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:

a second spiral antenna element interwoven with first spiral antenna element, wherein the second spiral antenna element is supported by and conforms to the three-dimensional shaped region such that the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements have an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shape; and

the feed point is coupled to a connection point of the second spiral antenna element.