Millimeter-wave waveguide communication system

• US 9,520,942 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute of Microelectronics Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Original Assignee: Institute of Microelectronics Chinese Academy of Sciences
• Inventors: Cao, Liqiang, Wang, Qidong, Guidotti, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rachedine, Mohammed
• Application Number:
  US14/379,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20150215042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25 Arrangements specific to fibre transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2589 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/90 Non-optical transmission systems, e.g. transmission systems employing non-photonic corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0218 by printed shielding conductors, ground planes or power plane H05K1/0236 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0239 Signal transmission by AC coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/037 Hollow conductors, i.e. conductors partially or completely surrounding a void, e.g. hollow waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0715 provided by an outer layer of PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10098 Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a millimeter-wave waveguide communication system. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system may comprise: a clock component, and at least two sets of millimeter-wave receiving/transmitting channels. The clock component is configured to provide a clock signal to sending ends and receiving ends of the two sets of millimeter-wave receiving/sending channels respectively. Each set of millimeter-wave receiving/sending channels comprises: a transmitter component, a receiver component and a transmission waveguide. The transmission waveguide is located between the transmitter component and the receiver component and is configured to provide a channel for millimeter-wave transmission. The top face, side face and/or bottom face of the transmission waveguide, except for active devices and accessories thereof, are plated with a metal conductive wall to form an electromagnetic shield from a transmission waveguide in an adjacent millimeter-wave receiving/sending channel. The metal conductive wall can minimize the crosstalk between the channels during high-speed communications, thereby improving data bandwidth and data throughput of the millimeter-wave communication system.

Claims

1. A millimeter-wave waveguide communication system, comprising a clock component and at least two sets of millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels,

wherein the clock component is configured to provide a synchronization carrier signal to sending ends and receiving ends of the at least two sets of millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels, respectively;

and

each set of millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels comprises;

a transmitter component, a transmission waveguide, and a receiver component, wherein;

the transmitter component is configured to modulate a synchronization carrier signal of a sending end by using a signal to be transmitted so as to generate a millimeter-wave signal, and to couple the millimeter-signal to the transmission waveguide;

the receiver component is configured to detect, from the transmission waveguide, the millimeter signal carrying the signal to be transmitted, to demodulate the millimeter signal by using a synchronization carrier signal of a receiving end, and to obtain the signal to be transmitted;

the transmission waveguide is located between the transmitter component and the receiver component and configured to provide a channel for millimeter-wave transmission;

a top face, at least one of a side face and a bottom face of the transmission waveguide, except for active devices and accessories thereof, being plated with a metal conductive all to form an electromagnetic shield from a transmission waveguide in an adjacent millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channel;

wherein the clock component comprises;

a global optical clock, configured to generate a synchronization optical clock signal, and to transmit synchronization optical clock signal to the sending ends and the receiving ends of the millimeter-wave waveguide communication system, respectively, over an optical fiber;

a sending end optical detector, located at the sending ends of the millimeter-wave waveguide communication system, and configured to generate a synchronization carrier signal in a form of an electrical signal by using the synchronization optical clock signal, and to transmit the synchronization carrier signal to the transmitter component of the at least two sets of millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels; and

a receiving, end optical detector, located at the receiving ends of the millimeter-wave waveguide communication system, and configured to generate a synchronization carrier signal in a form of an electrical signal by using the synchronization optical clock signal, and to transmit the synchronization carrier signal to the receiver component of the at least two sets of millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels.

2. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein the metal conductive wall is made of gold, copper, or aluminum.

3. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein one or both end-faces of the transmission waveguide comprises a reflection suppressed structure, for suppressing reflection of millimeter-wave within the transmission waveguide.

4. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 3, wherein the reflection suppression structure is:

a wave-absorbing layer;

or a cone structure having a end pointing to a far end of the transmission waveguide.

5. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein the metal conductive wall is made of Si, AL₂O₃ or SiO₂.

6. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 5, wherein the transmission waveguide is a rectangular waveguide having a width between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, which is two to five times its height.

7. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein the global optical clock comprises:

an input optical fiber, configured to input continuous optical signals;

a first set of coupling prisms, located behind light path of the input optical fiber, and configured to project an optical signal inputted via the input optical fiber onto a polarizer;

the polarizer, located behind the first set of coupling prisms in a light path, and configured to filter out optical signals in polarization directions other than a preset polarization direction, so that the continuous optical signals are converted into continuous polarized optical signals;

a gyrotropic crystal, located behind the polarizer along the light path and configured to convert the continuous polarized optical signals to pulsed polarized optical signals, and deflect a polarized direction of the polarized optical signals 90 degrees;

a polarizer located behind the gyrotropic crystal in the light path, and configured to filter out lights other than that polarized light of the polarizer having a polarization direction as 90 degrees;

a second set of coupling prisms, configured to project optical signals outputted from the polarizer onto an output optical fiber; and

the optical fiber, configured to output the optical signals as the synchronization optical clock signal.

8. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein

the transmitter component comprises a millimeter-wave transmitter and a signal transmitting antenna, wherein the millimeter-wave transmitter is configured to module the synchronization carrier signal of the sending end by using the signal to be transmitted, so as to generate a millimeter-wave signal;

and

the signal transmitting antenna is connected to the millimeter-wave transmitter and configured to couple the millimeter-wave signal to the transmission waveguide; and

the receiver component comprises a signal receiving antenna and a millimeter-wave receiver, wherein the signal receiving antenna is configured to detect, from the transmission waveguide, the millimeter signal carrying a signal; and

the millimeter-wave receiver is configured to demodulate the millimeter-wave signal by using the synchronization carrier signal of the receiving end, so as to obtain the signal to be transmitted.

9. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 8, wherein

the signal transmitting antenna and the signal receiving antenna are integrated within the transmission waveguide;

and

the transmitter component and the receiver component are integrated onto the transmission waveguide with a flip chip bonding process, or are integrated within the transmission waveguide with a CMOS process.

10. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 9, wherein

the signal transmitting antenna comprises:

a first conductive part configured to couple the millimeter-wave signal into the transmission waveguide; and

a first isolating part arranged on a periphery of the first conductive part and configured to implement an electrical isolation between the first conductive part and the transmission waveguide; and

the signal receiving antenna comprises;

a second conductive part configured to detect, from the transmission waveguide, the millimeter-wave signal carrying a signal; and

a second isolating part arranged on a periphery of the second conductive part and configured to implement an electrical isolation between the second conductive part and the transmission waveguide.

11. The millimeter-wave waveguide communication system of claim 1, wherein the millimeter-wave waveguide communication system comprise 2-100 millimeter-wave receiving and transmitting channels for data transmission between a processor and a memory.