Programmable antenna having a programmable substrate

• US 9,281,570 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• 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:
  US13/600,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20130201068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 343/749, 343/750, 343/700.MS
• 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 15/0066 said selective devices being reconfigurable, tunable or controllable, e.g. using switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/008 said selective devices having Sievenpipers' mushroom elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/10 using reflecting surfaces

Abstract

An antenna circuit includes a substrate, an antenna, and a projected artificial magnetic mirror (PAMM). The antenna is fabricated on the substrate and is positioned in a region of the substrate that has a high permittivity. The PAMM produces an artificial magnetic conductor at a distance above a surface of the substrate to facilitate a radiation pattern for the antenna.

Claims

1. A circuit comprises:

a printed inductor;

a printed antenna; and

a substrate that supports the printed inductor in a first region of the substrate with non-magnetic metallodielectric inclusions and the printed antenna in a second region of the substrate with high permittivity metallodielectric inclusions, separate from the first region and wherein the substrate further includes a third region outside the first region and the second region, wherein the first region has a higher permeability relative to the third region and the second region has a higher permittivity relative to the third region.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises:

a substrate material;

wherein the non-magnetic metallodielectric inclusions are embedded in the substrate material in the first region; and

wherein the high permittivity metallodielectric inclusions are embedded in the substrate material in the second region.

3. The circuit of claim 2 further comprises:

first variable impedance circuits to tune the permeability of the first region; and

second variable impedance circuits to tune the permittivity of the second region.

4. The circuit of claim 1 further comprises:

a projected artificial magnetic mirror (PAMM) that produces an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC), at a distance above a surface of the substrate.

5. The circuit of claim 4, wherein the PAMM further comprises:

a plurality of artificial magnetic mirror (AMM) cells, wherein an AMM cell of the plurality of AMM cells includes;

a conductive element forming a lumped resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) circuit; and

an impedance element coupled to the conductive element, wherein an impedance of the impedance element and an impedance of the RLC circuit establish an electromagnetic property for the AMM cell within the given frequency range that contributes to the AMC.

6. The circuit of claim 1 further comprises:

a capacitor supported in a third region of the substrate, wherein, as permittivity of the third region is varied, capacitance of the capacitor is varied thereby providing a radio frequency (RF) varactor.

7. The circuit of claim 1 further comprises one of:

a duplexer supported in a third region of the substrate, wherein the third region has at least one of a high permittivity and a high permeability;

a diplexer supported in a third region of the substrate, wherein the third region has at least one of a high permittivity and a high permeability;

a load line for a power amplifier supported in a third region of the substrate, wherein the third region has at least one of a high permittivity and a high permeability; and

a phase shifter supported in a third region of the substrate, wherein the third region has at least one of a high permittivity and a high permeability.

8. The circuit of claim 1 further comprises:

a plurality of metallodielectric cells, wherein a cell of the plurality of metallodielectric cells includes;

a conductive element forming a lumped resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) circuit; and

an impedance element coupled to the conductive element, wherein an impedance of the impedance element and an impedance of the RLC circuit establish an electromagnetic property for the cell within the given frequency range;

wherein at least some of the plurality of metallodielectric cells are tuned to steer an electromagnetic signal through the plurality of metallodielectric cells via a distinct path to effectively provide a radio frequency (RF) switch.

9. An antenna circuit comprises:

a programmable frequency selective surface having a semiconductor material and having metallodielectric inclusions embedded in the semiconductor material that contribute to an electromagnetic characteristic;

a high impedance surface having a surface substantially parallel to, and at a distance from, the programmable frequency selective surface;

an antenna source that radiates an electromagnetic signal, wherein the electromagnetic signal reflects off of the high impedance surface and radiates through the programmable frequency selective surface; and

one or more variable impedance circuits that tune the electromagnetic characteristic of the programmable frequency selective surface for desired performance of the antenna circuit.

10. The antenna circuit of claim 9, wherein the metallodielectric inclusions provide permittivity, permeability, and conductivity characteristics that contribute to the electromagnetic characteristic.

11. The antenna circuit of claim 10, wherein the one or more variable impedance circuits that tune the permittivity, permeability, and conductivity characteristics.

12. The antenna circuit of claim 9 further comprises:

a dielectric cover having a surface juxtaposed to another surface of the programmable frequency selective surface.

13. The antenna circuit of claim 9, wherein the antenna source comprises:

a dipole antenna.

14. The antenna circuit of claim 9, wherein the high impedance surface comprises:

a substrate having a surface substantially parallel to, and at the distance from, the programmable frequency selective surface; and

a ground plane having a surface juxtaposed to another surface of the substrate.

15. The antenna circuit of claim 9, wherein the high impedance surface comprises:

a semiconductor material; and

substrate inclusions embedded within the semiconductor material, wherein the substrate inclusions provide permittivity, permeability, and conductivity characteristics for the high impedance surface.

16. An antenna circuit comprises:

a substrate;

an antenna printed on a single surface of the substrate, wherein the antenna is positioned in a region of the substrate that has a high permittivity relative to areas of the substrate outside of the region, wherein the region of the substrate includes metallodielectric inclusions embedded in substrate material in the region of the substrate;

a projected artificial magnetic mirror (PAMM) that produces an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) at a distance above a surface of the substrate to facilitate a radiation pattern for the antenna; and

a control module configured to control a shape of the AMC via one or more variable impedance circuits by tuning a permittivity of the region of the substrate that has the high permittivity.

17. The antenna circuit of claim 16, wherein the metallodielectric inclusions are embedded in the substrate material to produce desired permittivity, permeability, and conductivity characteristics of the substrate.

18. The antenna circuit of claim 17 wherein the shape of the AMC is controlled to one of a plurality of parabolic shapes.

19. The antenna circuit of claim 16, wherein the PAMM further comprises:

a plurality of artificial magnetic mirror (AMM) cells, wherein an AMM cell of the plurality of AMM cells includes;

a conductive element forming a lumped resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) circuit; and

an impedance element coupled to the conductive element, wherein an impedance of the impedance element and an impedance of the RLC circuit establish an electromagnetic property for the AMM cell within the given frequency range that contributes to the AMC.

20. The antenna circuit of claim 16, wherein a geometric shape of the AMC comprises one of:

a sphere;

a partial sphere;

a cylinder;

a partial cylinder;

a plane;

a textured surface;

a concaved surface;

or

a convex surface.