Single-layer metalization and via-less metamaterial structures

• US 9,887,465 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Services GmbH (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Gummalla, Ajay, Achour, Maha, Lee, Cheng Jung, Pathak, Vaneet, Poilasne, Gregory
• Primary Examiner(s): Levi, Dameon E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Davis, Walter
• Application Number:
  US13/932,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022133A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 343745, 343911
• 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 15/08 formed of solid dielectric material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/307 Individual or coupled radiating elements, each element being fed in an unspecified way

Abstract

Techniques and apparatus based on metamaterial structures provided for antenna and transmission line devices, including single-layer metallization and via-less metamaterial structures.

Claims

1. A metamaterial device, comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second, different surface;

a first metallization layer formed on the first surface; and

a second metallization layer formed on the second surface,

wherein the first and second metallization layers are patterned to have two or more conductive parts including one or more cell patches on the first metallization layer to form a composite left and right handed (CRLH) metamaterial structure that comprises one or more unit cells, each of which is free of a conductive via structure traversing the dielectric substrate to connect the first metallization layer and the second metallization layer, and wherein the second metallization layer includes;

a bottom ground electrode located outside a footprint of the one or more cell patches;

a cell ground electrode located underneath a first cell patch amongst the one or more cell patches and electromagnetically coupled to the first cell patch without being connected to the first cell patch by a conductor that penetrates through the substrate, the cell ground electrode separated from the bottom ground electrode; and

a conductive line that connects the cell ground electrode to the bottom ground electrode;

wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a curved or bent shape of another structure.

2. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is attached to the structure to which the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform.

3. The device as in claim 2, wherein the dielectric substrate is not flat.

4. The device as in claim 2, wherein the dielectric substrate is flexible.

5. The device as in claim 1, wherein:

the first metallization layer comprises a launch pad positioned close to and spaced from the first cell patch amongst the one or more cell patches, to electromagnetically couple to the first cell patch, and a feed line connected to the launch pad to direct a signal to or receive a signal from the first cell patch via the launch pad;

wherein the first cell patch, the launch pad and the cell ground electrode form a first unit cell amongst the one or more unit cells.

6. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts are configured to generate two or more frequency resonances.

7. The device as in claim 6, wherein the two or more frequency resonances include a first frequency resonance in a low band and a second frequency resonance in a high band, the first frequency resonance being a left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonance and the second frequency resonance being a right-handed (RH) mode frequency resonance.

8. The device as in claim 6, wherein at least two out of the two or more frequency resonances are sufficiently close to collectively produce a broadband.

9. The device as in claim 1, wherein the cell ground electrode comprises a truncated ground formed on the second surface underneath the first cell patch amongst the one or more cell patches, the truncated ground electromagnetically coupled to the first cell patch through a portion of the dielectric substrate sandwiched between the first cell patch and the truncated ground;

where the conductive line comprises a via line formed on the second surface, the via line coupling the truncated ground with the bottom ground electrode; and

wherein the device includes a feed line electromagnetically coupled to the first cell patch through a gap to direct an antenna signal to or from the first cell patch.

10. The device as in claim 9, wherein the bottom ground electrode includes an extended portion added to be closer to the first cell patch than the bottom ground electrode without the extended portion.

11. The device as in claim 10, wherein the bottom ground electrode, the first cell patch, the truncated ground, the feed line, the via line, and the gap are configured to generate frequency resonances for a quad-band operation.

12. The device as in claim 9, wherein the first cell patch is shaped and configured to increase a length of the gap.

13. The device as in claim 9, wherein a location where the via line is attached to the bottom ground electrode is determined with respect to a feed location to enhance matching.

14. The device as in claim 9, wherein the bottom ground electrode includes an extended portion configured to enhance matching.

15. The device as in claim 9, further comprising a conductive line attached to the feed line on the first surface,

wherein the bottom ground electrode, the first cell patch, the truncated ground, the via line, the gap, the feed line, and the conductive line are configured to generate frequency resonances for a penta-band antenna operation.

16. The device as in claim 15, wherein the conductive line has a meander shape.

17. The device as in claim 15, wherein the conductive line has a spiral shape.

18. The device as in claim 9, further comprising a capacitor that couples the first cell patch and the feed line, wherein one or more of a width of the gap is increased or a length of the gap is decreased as compared to one or more of the width or the length of the gap in the absence of the capacitor based on a capacitance value of the capacitor.

19. The device as in claim 9, further comprising an inductor inserted in the via line, wherein a length of the via line is shortened as compared to the length of the via line in the absence of the inductor based on an inductance value of the inductor.

20. The device as in claim 1, further comprising a lumped element coupled to the two or more conductive parts.

21. The device as in claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive parts include:

a top ground electrode formed on the first surface;

a via line formed on the first surface, the via line coupling the first cell patch amongst the one or more cell patches with the top ground electrode; and

a feed line formed on the second surface, the feed line electromagnetically coupled to the first cell patch through a portion of the dielectric substrate sandwiched between the feed line and the first cell patch to direct an antenna signal to or from the first cell patch.

22. The device as in claim 21, wherein the top ground electrode, the first cell patch, the via line, and the feed line are configured to generate frequency resonances suited for a quad-band operation.

23. The device as in claim 22, wherein the frequency resonances include an LH mode frequency resonance in a low band of the quad-band.

24. The device as in claim 1, wherein the one or more cell patches includes the first cell patch and a second cell patch spaced from each other by a gap and electromagnetically coupled to each other over the gap;

a top ground electrode comprising a main ground electrode area and a ground electrode extension connected to the main ground electrode area as an extension of the main ground electrode, the ground electrode extension being shaped and positioned to have a first part spaced from the first cell patch by a distance and a second part spaced from the second cell patch by substantially the same distance;

in the first metallization layer, a first via line coupling the first cell patch to the first part of the ground electrode extension;

in the first metallization layer, a second via line coupling the second cell patch to the second part of the ground electrode extension with a length substantially equal to the first via line; and

in the first metallization layer, a feed line electromagnetically coupled to one of the first and second cell patches through a gap to direct a signal to or from the one of the first and second cell patches.

25. The device as in claim 24, wherein the single-layer CRLH MTM structure is configured to generate two left-handed (LH) mode frequency resonances.

26. The device as in claim 24, wherein the two or more conductive parts of the metamaterial structure are structured to form a metamaterial transmission line and are positioned and sized to generate two or more frequency resonances at which the metamaterial transmission line operates.

27. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a curved shape of another structure.

28. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a bent shape of another structure.

29. The device as in claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is shaped to conform to a wall of a housing of a product, a surface of an antenna carrier, or a contour of a device package.