Dielectric waveguide with non-planar interface surface and mating deformable material

• US 9,350,063 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Herbsommer, Juan Alejandro, Schuppener, Gerd, Payne, Robert Floyd
• Primary Examiner(s): POOS, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US13/854,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20140240187A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: 333/208, 333/209, 333/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/04 Fixed joints
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/121 integrated in a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/00 Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0239 Signal transmission by AC coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/024 Dielectric details, e.g. changing the dielectric material around a transmission line
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0187 with regions of different dielectrics in the same layer, e.g. in a printed capacitor for locally changing the dielectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0195 Dielectric or adhesive layers comprising a plurality of layers, e.g. in a multilayer structure
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09618 Via fence, i.e. one-dimensional array of vias
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10098 Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49908 Joining by deforming

Abstract

A dielectric wave guide (DWG) has a dielectric core member having that has a first dielectric constant value. A cladding surrounding the dielectric core member has a second dielectric constant value that is lower than the first dielectric constant. A mating end of the DWG is configured in a non-planer shape for mating with a second DWG having a matching non-planar shaped mating end.

Claims

1. A dielectric wave guide (DWG) comprising:

a dielectric core member, wherein the core member has a first dielectric constant value; and

a cladding surrounding the dielectric core member, wherein the cladding has a second dielectric constant value that is lower than the first dielectric constant;

wherein a mating surface on an end of the DWG core member is configured in a non-planer shape for mating with a second DWG having a matching non-planar shaped mating surface on an end of its core member; and

a deformable material disposed on the surface of the mating end of the DWG, such that when mated to the second DWG, the deformable material fills a gap region between the mating ends of the DWG and the second DWG.

2. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the non-planar shape is a V shape.

3. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the non-planar shape is a pyramid shape.

4. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the non-planar shape is a conical shape.

5. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the non-planar shape is a vaulted shape.

6. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the deformable material has a dielectric constant value that is selected from a range between approximately the dielectric constant value of the cladding and the dielectric constant value of the core.

7. The DWG of claim 1, wherein the deformable material has a core region with a dielectric constant value approximately equal to the dielectric constant value of the core member, and the deformable material has a cladding region with a dielectric constant value approximately equal to the dielectric constant value of the cladding.

8. The DWG of claim 1, further comprising a coupling mechanism attached to the mating end, wherein the coupling mechanism is configured to retain a complimentary coupling mechanism on the mating end of the second DWG.

9. The DWG of claim 8, wherein the coupling mechanism is an RJ45 compatible connector.

10. A system comprising:

a substrate;

an electronic device mounted on the substrate, the integrated circuit having radio frequency (RF) circuitry for processing a radio frequency signal;

a launching structure coupled to the RF circuitry; and

a dielectric wave guide (DWG) mounted on the substrate and interfaced to the launching structure, the DWG comprising;

a dielectric core member, wherein the core member has a first dielectric constant value;

a cladding surrounding the dielectric core member, wherein the cladding has a second dielectric constant value that is lower than the first dielectric constant;

wherein a mating surface on an end of the DWG core member is configured in a non-planer shape for mating with a second DWG having a matching non-planar shaped mating surface on an end of its core member; and

a deformable material disposed on the surface of the mating end of the DWG, such that when mated to the second DWG, the deformable material fills a gap region between the mating ends of the DWG and the second DWG.

11. The DWG of claim 10, wherein the non-planar shape is a V shape.

12. The DWG of claim 10, wherein the non-planar shape is a pyramid shape.

13. The DWG of claim 10, wherein the non-planar shape is a conical shape.

14. The DWG of claim 10, wherein the non-planar shape is a vaulted shape.

15. A method for connecting two dielectric waveguides (DWG), the method comprising

mating a first connecter mounted on an end of a first DWG with a second connector mounted on an end of a second DWG,

wherein a mating surface on an end of a core member of the first DWG is configured in a non-planer shape, and a mating surface on an end of a core member of the second DWG is configured in a matching non-planar shape;

and

applying pressure while mating the first connector to the second connector so that a deformable material disposed on the surface of the mating end of the DWG is deformed to fill a gap region between the mating ends of the first DWG and the second DWG.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the non-planer shape is selected from a group consisting of a V shape, a pyramid shape, a conical shape, and a vaulted shape.