Kymeta Corporation

Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

University of Washington

Cagdas Varel

Steven Howard Linn

Ryan Allan Stevenson

Mohsen Sazegar

Seyed Mohamad Amin Momeni Hasan Abadi

Felix Chen

Hussein Esfahlani

Colin Stuart Short

Yoshinori Tanaka

Takeshi Hara

Steve Linn

Witold Teller

Susumu Nakano

Michael Severson

Mohammad Ranjbarnikkhah

Brian Otis

Yoji Taniguchi

Buddy D Ratner

Kenichi Kitoh

Paul Klassen

Karl F Bohringer

Tung Pham

Tueng T Shen

Koji Yasuda

Antennas with integrated varactor circuits are described. The antenna may comprise metasurface antennas. In some embodiments, an antenna comprises an array of antenna elements, wherein each antenna element comprises a iris and a varactor diode integrated on an integrated circuit (IC) chip coupled across a portion of the iris. The antenna can also comprise a plurality of transistors, each transistor coupled to a distinct one of the varactor diodes in the array of antenna elements to provide a tuning voltage to the one varactor diode.

Metasurface antenna with integrated varactor circuits

Routing and layout for an antenna are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises an aperture having a plurality of radio-frequency (RF) radiating antenna elements, wherein each antenna element of the plurality of RF radiating antenna elements comprises an iris slot opening and an electrode over the iris slot opening; a plurality of drive transistors coupled to the plurality of antenna elements; and a plurality of storage capacitors, each storage capacitor coupled to the electrode of one antenna element of the plurality of antenna elements. The aperture also comprises at least one of: the drive transistor for the one antenna element is located under the electrode of the antenna element, the storage capacitor for the one antenna element is located under the electrode of the antenna element, and the metal routing to the one antenna element for a first voltage overlaps, in an overlap region, a common voltage routing that routes the common voltage to the one antenna element to form a storage capacitance.

Routing and layout in an antenna

Processes and apparatuses for antenna frequency matching are disclosed. In one embodiment, a calibration process for an antenna having radio-frequency (RF) radiating antenna elements comprises: determining resonance frequencies of RF radiating antenna elements in a group of RF radiating antenna elements; selecting voltages to apply to the RF radiating antenna elements to cause resonance frequencies to match between the RF radiating antenna elements in the group of RF radiating antenna elements when the voltages are applied; and storing, in memory of the antenna, voltage information indicative of the voltages for driving the RF radiating antenna elements in the group.

RF metamaterial antenna frequency matching method

Antennas having iris and/or cell rotation and/or with frequency compensation in solid state device (e.g., diode) designs and methods of using the same are described. In some embodiments, the antenna comprises: an antenna aperture having a plurality of RF radiating antenna elements that each include an iris and a solid state device coupled across the iris, wherein the plurality of antenna elements are located in rings with orientation of each of the irises of the antenna elements in at least a portion of each ring rotated with respect to adjacent irises in the portion of each ring while orientation of corresponding solid state devices is uniform; and a controller coupled to control the array of RF radiating antenna elements to tune RF radiating antenna elements to generate one or more beams using the plurality of RF radiating antenna elements.

Cell rotation and frequency compensation in diode designs

A unit cell can be used for a metasurface, metamaterial, or beamforming antenna. The unit cell includes a metal layer attached to a substrate. The metal layer defines an iris opening for the unit cell. One or more tunable capacitance devices are positioned within or across the iris opening. Each tunable capacitance device is to tune resonance frequency of the unit cell. Mass transfer technologies or self-assembly processes may be used to position the tunable capacitance devices.

Metasurface antennas manufactured with mass transfer technologies

Methods and apparatuses for performing optical inspection of varactor diodes in an antenna are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method of testing an antenna having varactor diodes comprises: selecting a plurality of varactor diodes to be placed in a light emitting state; forward biasing the selected varactor diodes to a magnitude at which the selected varactor diodes are to emit light; and detecting one or more faulty varactor diodes of the selected varactor diodes based on their emitted light intensity.

Optical inspection of the varactor diodes in varactor metasurface antenna

A scanning antenna includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna units and a non-transmission and/or reception region other than the transmission and/or reception region. The scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate, a seal portion provided in the non-transmission and/or reception region and surrounding the liquid crystal layer, a reflective conductive plate disposed opposing a second main surface of a second dielectric substrate with a dielectric layer interposed between the reflective conductive plate and the second main surface, a first spacer structure defining a first gap between a first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate in the transmission and/or reception region, and a second spacer structure defining a second gap between the first dielectric substrate and the second dielectric substrate in the non-transmission and/or reception region, the second gap being wider than the first gap. The second spacer structure is disposed within the seal portion or within a region surrounded by the seal portion.

Scanning antenna and method for manufacturing scanning antenna

An apparatus for exchanging liquid crystal (LC) between two areas of an antenna array and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises an antenna element array having a plurality of radiating radio-frequency (RF) antenna elements formed using portions of first and second substrates with a liquid crystal (LC) therebetween, and a structure between the first and second substrates and outside the area of the RF antenna elements to collect LC from an area between the first and second substrates forming the RF antenna elements due to LC expansion.

LC reservoir

A method and apparatus for electrical addressing for an antenna (e.g., a metamaterial radio-frequency (RF) antenna are described. In one embodiment antenna comprising: a plurality of radio-frequency (RF) radiating antenna elements located in a plurality of rings; and matrix drive circuitry coupled to the plurality of RF radiating antenna elements to drive the antenna elements, wherein the matrix drive circuitry to uniquely address each of the antenna elements using a matrix of a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns with a non-grid-based addressing structure.

Electrical addressing for a metamaterial radio-frequency (RF) antenna

An antenna has radio-frequency (RF) antenna elements and two substrates. A heater structure is connected to at least one of the two substrates, for heating the RF antenna elements. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises: a physical antenna aperture having an array of radio frequency (RF) antenna elements formed with patch and iris substrates, the iris substrate having a plurality of layers including an iris metal layer; and a heater structure coupled to one or more of the plurality of layers of the iris substrate for heating the RF antenna elements.

Iris heater structure for uniform heating

A scanning antenna includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna units and a non-transmission and/or reception region other than the transmission and/or reception region. The scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate, a seal portion provided in the non-transmission and/or reception region and surrounding the liquid crystal layer, and a reflective conductive plate disposed opposing a second main surface of a second dielectric substrate with a dielectric layer interposed between the reflective conductive plate and the second main surface. The slot electrode includes an opening or a recessed portion formed in the non-transmission and/or reception region and in the region surrounded by the seal portion.

A scanning antenna includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna units and a non-transmission and/or reception region other than the transmission and/or reception region. The scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a seal portion surrounding the liquid crystal layer, a wall structure (additional seal portion) disposed in a region surrounded by the seal portion in the non-transmission and/or reception region, a reflective conductive plate, a first spacer structure defining a first gap between a first dielectric substrate and a second dielectric substrate in the transmission and/or reception region, and a second spacer structure disposed in the wall structure and defining a second gap wider than the first gap. The wall structure includes a first main side face and a second main side face that intersect a surface of the first dielectric substrate, and at least one of the first main side face and the second main side face includes a plurality of recessed portions and/or a plurality of protruding portions when viewed from a normal direction of the first dielectric substrate.

An antenna with a heater and method for using the same are disclosed. The antenna may comprise: an antenna aperture having a plurality of radio-frequency radiating antenna elements, the antenna aperture having a ground plane and a material for tuning permittivity or capacitance; and a heater structure in thermal contact with the material.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Cagdas Varel