Programmable antenna having metal inclusions and bidirectional coupling circuits

• US 9,203,158 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• 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., Grau Besoli, Alfred, Kyriazidou, Chryssoula
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dawkins, Collin
• Application Number:
  US13/600,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20130200947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,188 Days
• Field of Search: 343/749, 343/750, 343/909
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 15/006 Selective devices having photonic band gap materials or materials of which the material properties are frequency dependent, e.g. perforated substrates, high-impedance surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/008 said selective devices having Sievenpipers' mushroom elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces

Abstract

A programmable antenna includes a substrate, metallic inclusions, bidirectional coupling circuits, and a control module. The metallic inclusions are embedded within a region of the substrate. The bidirectional coupling circuits are physically distributed within the region and are physically proximal to the metallic inclusions. The control module activates a set of bidirectional coupling circuits, which, when active, the set of interconnects a set of metallic inclusions to provide a conductive area within the region. The conductive area functions an antenna.

Claims

1. A programmable antenna comprises:

a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;

a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions are, in a non-conductive state, not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region;

a plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions; and

a control module operable to activate a set of bidirectional coupling circuits of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits, wherein, when the set of bidirectional coupling circuits is active, the set of bidirectional coupling circuits provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions within the at least one semi-conductor region to collectively provide a conductive area within the region, wherein the conductive area provides an antenna.

2. The programmable antenna of claim 1, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:

metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;

the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes;

or

the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.

3. The programmable antenna of claim 1, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:

metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.

4. The programmable antenna of claim 1, wherein a bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits comprises:

a bidirectional current amplifier.

5. The programmable antenna of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises one of:

an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of;

silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;

an IC package substrate including at least one of;

a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material;

or

a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of;

a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.

6. The programmable antenna of claim 1 further comprises:

an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.

7. The programmable antenna of claim 1 further comprises:

a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples the control module and to the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.

8. A radio front-end comprises:

a low noise amplifier;

a power amplifier;

a programmable antenna; and

an antenna interface operable to couple the programmable antenna to at least one of the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier, wherein the programmable antenna includes;

a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;

a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region of the substrate, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions, in a non-conductive state, are not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region;

a plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions; and

a control module operable to activate a set of bidirectional coupling circuits of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits, wherein, when the set of bidirectional coupling circuits is active, the set of bidirectional coupling circuits provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions within the at least one semi-conductor region to collectively provide a conductive area within the region, wherein the conductive area provides an antenna.

9. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:

metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;

the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes;

or

the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.

10. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:

metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.

11. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein a bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits comprises:

a bidirectional current amplifier.

12. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein the substrate comprises one of:

an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of;

silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;

an IC package substrate including at least one of;

a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material;

or

a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of;

a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.

13. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:

an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.

14. The radio front-end of claim 8, wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:

a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples the control module and to the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.

15. A programmable antenna comprises:

a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;

a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region of the substrate, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions, in a non-conductive state, are not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region; and

a plurality of bidirectional amplifiers supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions, wherein, when a set of bidirectional amplifiers is active, the set of bidirectional amplifiers provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions to collectively provide an antenna.

16. The programmable antenna of claim 15, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:

metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;

the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes;

or

the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.

17. The programmable antenna of claim 15, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:

metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.

18. The programmable antenna of claim 15, wherein the substrate comprises one of:

an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of;

silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;

an IC package substrate including at least one of;

a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material;

or

a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of;

a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.

19. The programmable antenna of claim 15, wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:

an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional amplifiers of the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers.

20. The programmable antenna of claim 15, wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:

a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples a control module to the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers.