Antenna integrated display

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated antenna and visual display device, or one of an antenna device and a visual display device that can be integrated with each other. An aperture is formed in a visual display screen (e.g., an OLED display screen). The aperture formed in the conductive layer serves as a radiator for an antenna array. A subset of sub-pixels of the visual display screen can be removed along with the aperture. An optically transparent substrate is located above the visual display screen, and an array of additional conductive elements (which may be optically transparent elements) are arranged outside the substrate. The additional conductive elements are coupled to the radiating aperture in an impedance matching manner to guide the antenna signal through the substrate.

Description

[0001] Related Applications Cross-Application

[0002] This application claims the priority of the prior application of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 915,099 filed on October 15, 2019, entitled “Antenna Integrated Display Screen” and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 065,166 filed on October 7, 2020, entitled “Antenna Integrated Display Screen”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to antennas, and more particularly to antennas integrated with display screens such as organic light emitting diode (OLED) display screens of mobile devices or other electronic devices. Background Art

[0004] Future electronic and mobile devices, such as 5G smartphones and laptops, are expected to incorporate high-gain millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave phased arrays. These high-frequency antennas are currently used mainly for high data rate communications or close-range imaging. Antennas for such applications require relatively large aperture areas due to the high antenna gain and wide angular coverage requirements. However, most of the available substrate real estate, such as the bezel area on smartphones, is already occupied by multiple antennas with different types of communication bands. This makes it difficult to incorporate such antennas into devices, especially when the device size is limited.

[0005] Currently, both organic light emission display (OLED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) are in use. However, OLED is expected to surpass LCD technology in the near future. There is a type of OLED technology called active matrix OLED (AMOLED) technology. AMOLED is likely to become the technology of choice in the future due to its excellent color, contrast, low power consumption and low cost.

[0006] As mentioned above, the area available for antennas in modern electronic devices is limited. Therefore, there is a need to incorporate high frequency antennas into devices to eliminate or mitigate one or more limitations of the prior art.

[0007] This background information is provided for the purpose of disclosing information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. It is not necessarily acknowledged, nor should it be considered, that any of the above information constitutes prior art against the present invention. Summary of the invention

[0008] An object of embodiments of the present invention is to provide an antenna and a visual display device, an antenna device that can be integrated with a visual display device, a visual display device that can be integrated with an antenna device, or a combination thereof.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an antenna and visual display device is provided. The device includes an antenna feeder layer, the antenna feeder layer including an antenna feeder array for a corresponding antenna array. The device also includes a visual display layer, located outside the antenna feeder layer and adjacent to the antenna feeder layer. The visual display layer includes an array of light-emitting diodes and a control element coupled to the array of light-emitting diodes, for operating the light-emitting diodes to provide a visual display. The visual display layer also includes an aperture array, the aperture array having a size and spacing configured according to the operating wavelength of the antenna array, for coupling with a corresponding antenna feeder in the antenna feeder to facilitate the emission (electromagnetic radiation) of the antenna signal of the antenna array. The device also includes an optically transparent substrate, located outside the visual display layer and adjacent to the visual display layer. The device also includes an array of conductive optically transparent elements, located outside the optically transparent substrate and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate. The conductive element array is used to couple with the aperture array to guide the antenna signal through the optically transparent substrate, for example, by size, shape, spacing or a combination thereof.

[0010] In various embodiments, the aperture array is formed by omitting a subset of the array of LEDs in an otherwise regular array. In some further embodiments, the array of LEDs includes red, green, blue, and white LEDs, and omitting the subset of the array of LEDs includes omitting the subset of white LEDs. In other further embodiments, the array of LEDs includes red, green, and blue LEDs, and omitting the subset of the array of LEDs includes omitting the subset of green LEDs.

[0011] In various embodiments, the array of conductive optically transparent elements is a periodic array, and each conductive element is a small charged patch (relative to the operating wavelength). For example, the patch can be rectangular, circular, elliptical or cross-shaped.

[0012] In various embodiments, the aperture array may be considered to form the primary radiating antenna element of the antenna array. The aperture array may be formed by slots in an anode conductive layer and a cathode conductive layer or both, wherein the anode conductive layer and the cathode conductive layer are used to electrically interact with the light emitting diode to operate the light emitting diode. For example, the anode layer and the cathode layer may be components of an OLED display screen. The cathode conductive layer (or the anode conductive layer if the charge flow is reversed) may also serve as a ground plane for the antenna array.

[0013] In various embodiments, the operating wavelength corresponds to an operating frequency between 10 GHz and 650 GHz. The operating frequency may cover millimeter waves (mmWave) and THz frequencies. For example, the operating wavelength may be between 2.9 mm and 12.5 mm, or between 0.1 mm and 1 mm.

[0014] In various embodiments, at least the antenna feed layer is provided using an on-chip antenna or a packaged antenna structure. The antenna array may be configured to operate as a phased array. The antenna array may span the entire area of ​​the visual display screen. The antenna array may span an area that is less than the entire area of ​​the visual display screen, and the area is co-located with one or more edges of the visual display screen, or the area is co-located with a central portion of the visual display screen.

[0015] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a visual display device is provided. The display screen device may not have a corresponding antenna device, but may work with an antenna device, which allows or even potentially promotes the emission of antenna signals (electromagnetic radiation) by itself. The device may include a visual display layer, the visual display layer including an array of light-emitting diodes and a control element coupled to the array of light-emitting diodes for operating the light-emitting diodes to provide a visual display. The device may also include an aperture array formed in the visual display layer, having a size and spacing configured according to the operating wavelength of the antenna array, for coupling with a set of antenna feed lines to promote the emission of antenna signals of the antenna array. In addition or alternatively, the aperture array may have a size and spacing for passing electromagnetic radiation at a predetermined operating frequency.

[0016] In some embodiments of the visual display device, the aperture array is formed by omitting a subset of the LED array in an otherwise regular array, for example by omitting white LEDs or green LEDs as described above for the antenna and visual display device.

[0017] In any of the above embodiments, the visual display device further comprises: an optically transparent substrate located outside and adjacent to the visual display layer; and an array of conductive elements located outside and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate. The array of conductive elements has a size and spacing coupled to the array of apertures for directing the antenna signal through the optically transparent substrate. In some embodiments, the array of conductive elements is used as a component of a touch-sensitive control surface user interface. In some embodiments, the array of conductive elements is integrated with a touch-sensitive control surface user interface.

[0018] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, an antenna device is provided that can operate or be integrated with a visual display screen without necessarily including components of the visual display screen. The antenna device includes an antenna feed layer, the antenna feed layer including an antenna feed array for a corresponding antenna array. The antenna device also includes a substrate located external to the antenna feed layer. The antenna device also includes an array of conductive optically transparent elements located external to and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate, the array of conductive elements having a size and spacing to couple directly or indirectly to the antenna feed array for directing antenna signals through the substrate.

[0019] In various embodiments of the antenna device, the substrate is an optically transparent substrate. In various embodiments, the antenna device further comprises a visual display layer located between the antenna feed layer and the substrate. The visual display layer comprises an array of light emitting diodes and a control element coupled to the array of light emitting diodes for operating the light emitting diodes to provide a visual display. The visual display layer comprises an aperture array having a size and spacing configured according to an operating wavelength of the antenna array for coupling with corresponding ones of the antenna feeds to facilitate transmission of antenna signals of the antenna array.

[0020] In any of the above embodiments of the antenna device, the array of conductive optically transparent elements is used as a component of a touch-sensitive control surface user interface. In some embodiments, the array of conductive elements is integrated with a touch-sensitive control surface user interface.

[0021] In any of the above embodiments of the antenna device, the substrate has an electrical thickness or electromagnetic thickness with a high dielectric constant, such as silicon material. This may cause the substrate to be lossy and directional. In various embodiments, the antenna device also includes an array of primary radiating antenna elements located between the antenna feed layer and the substrate. In various embodiments, the primary radiating antenna elements are slots or dipoles. The slots or dipoles can be small charged elements with an electrical length less than half the free space operating wavelength of the antenna array. In various embodiments, each of the conductive elements is a small charged element, for example, having an electrical length approximately equal to or less than one quarter of the free space operating wavelength of the antenna array. For example, the conductive element can be a rectangular patch, a circular dipole, an elliptical dipole, or a cross dipole.

[0022] Embodiments are described above in conjunction with aspects of the present invention, and these embodiments can be implemented according to aspects of the present invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these embodiments can be implemented in conjunction with the described aspects, but can also be implemented by other embodiments in conjunction with the aspect. If the embodiments are mutually exclusive or otherwise incompatible with each other, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Some embodiments can be described in conjunction with an aspect, but can also be applied to other aspects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Further, the features and advantages of the present invention will be easily understood by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1A A visual display screen including a periodic aperture array and a matching metasurface provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0025] Figure 1B The aperture, RF patch and antenna feed line provided by the embodiment of the present invention are shown;

[0026] Figure 2 A conventional antenna within a display screen in a smart phone structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0027] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an antenna device within a display screen using a bottom-emitting AMOLED display screen pixel structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0028] Figure 4A The dimensions of a typical high-resolution color RGB sub-pixel OLED are shown;

[0029] Figure 4B An alternative to the modified RGB sub-pixel scheme provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0030] Figure 5 An RGBW sub-pixel scheme including red, green, blue and white sub-pixels is shown;

[0031] Figure 6 The diagram shows the arrangement of the phased array in a millimeter wave display screen provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 and 8 An example of a color pixel unit of an antenna pixel in a display screen using a coupling groove in a cathode layer of an OLED structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0033] Fig.9A A simplified exploded view of an antenna and a visual display device provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0034] Fig. 9B Shown assembled Fig.9A a side view of the antenna and visual display device shown;

[0035] Fig. 10A A top view of a first layer of an antenna device in a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein an RF feed line adjacent to a coupling slot used as an antenna radiating element is shown;

[0036] Fig. 10B Shows Fig. 10A A top view of the second (anode) layer of an antenna arrangement in a display screen according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, showing a gap in the OLED anode layer;

[0037] Fig. 10C Shows Fig. 10A A top view of the third (matching metasurface) layer of the in-display antenna arrangement is shown, showing the patch array of the matching metasurface layer;

[0038] Fig.11 A typical radiation pattern for a short slot antenna is shown (compared to the radiation pattern of a typical patch with the same size ground plane);

[0039] Fig. 12A A smartphone device with an antenna device in a display screen having different possible edge positions provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0040] Fig. 12B An antenna array provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0041] Fig.13 , 14 15 show simulated radiation patterns of a 28×4 antenna array provided by an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] It should be noted that throughout the drawings, like features are identified with like reference numerals. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The term "about" as used herein should be understood to include variations from the nominal value, such as variations of + / -10% from the nominal value. It should be understood that such variations are always included in the given values ​​provided herein, whether specifically mentioned or not.

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna inside an OLED display screen. The proposed antenna inside the display screen concept is implemented by integrating antenna technology with an LED display screen (e.g., an active matrix light emission display (AMOLED)). Although this article focuses on AMOLED displays, other types of LED displays may also be used, such as other OLED displays, particularly passive matrix organic light emitting diode (PMOLED) displays. The antenna technology may be millimeter wave, terahertz, or a combination thereof. For example, terahertz frequency antennas may be used for close-range imaging. Embodiments may be able to solve current problems associated with 5G communication system requirements and antenna congestion due to limited substrate real estate on devices such as mobile electronic devices. LED, LED display, and OLED (OLED may include AMOLED and PMOLED) display arrays may be included in the visual display layer described in the embodiments of the present invention together with a control element, and the control element is used to control the LED, LED display, and OLED display array to provide a visual display.

[0045] Embodiments or the present invention are capable of transmitting both optical display signals and high frequency (mm-wave and THz) RF data simultaneously over a common display screen area. Some such embodiments are capable of transmitting high data rate, steerable, high gain RF beams over a large display screen area while being constrained not to interfere with optical display components, or constrained not to interfere with the normal function of the optical display screen.

[0046] Embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna and visual display (antenna in display) device, wherein the antenna structure coexists with a visual display such as an AMOLED display and is integrated into the display. The antenna can be an array operating at mmWave frequencies, THz frequencies, or both frequencies, which are considered radio frequencies for instantaneous application scenarios. Both RF and light emissions can be transmitted through an optically transparent anode layer (conductive indium tinoxide (ITO)), a TFT thin film structure, and a thick glass substrate. The metal cathode of the OLED display can also be used as a ground plane for the RF portion. RF radiators can be integrated into the OLED structure using existing AOC and AIP technologies. A phased array approach can be used to control the RF beam. For mmWave high data rate transmission, this type of array can be arranged along the edge of a visual display or a corresponding device such as a smartphone. For other application scenarios such as THz imaging, the array can be applied to the middle part of the display area, and possibly to the entire display area.

[0047] Embodiments of the present invention provide a modified color sub-pixel scheme that allows integration of high-frequency RF and light emitting structures. The scheme may be a modified RGB or RGBW scheme. The modified sub-pixel scheme allows the RF radiator to be directly integrated with the OLED structure without affecting the color pixel of the light emission. In particular, the modified sub-pixel scheme may involve omitting a subset of sub-pixels to form an aperture aligned with the RF feed line of the antenna array. Thus, when an aperture is formed in one or more layers of conductive material, a slot-shaped radiating antenna body may be formed. In some embodiments, a subset of white (W) sub-pixels may be omitted. In some embodiments, a subset of green (G) sub-pixels may be omitted. This may involve providing two green sub-pixels in each pixel and omitting only one of the two green sub-pixels. Other layouts may also be employed, for example, sub-pixels of other colors may be omitted, or sub-pixels of multiple colors may be omitted, for example, alternately omitted.

[0048] Embodiments of the present invention provide a high-gain, wide-angle scanning, short-slot antenna array with a matching metasurface. The method utilizes a metasurface to convert a relatively inefficient RF radiation environment into a more efficient radiating structure with a relatively wide scanning angle. The radiating structure utilizes a short radiation slot (electrical length less than λ / 2, where λ is the antenna operating wavelength) by utilizing the high directivity and thickness of an external substrate (e.g., thick glass or other substrate with a high dielectric constant). A metasurface consisting of charged small patches (electrical length less than λ / 4) is arranged at the air-substrate interface to achieve high radiation efficiency. The metal pattern on the metasurface can also be used as part of a device touch screen. A charged small (e.g., electrically short) component can be defined as a component having a physical size plane that is significantly smaller than the operating wavelength of its operating signal. For example, the component can have one or more relevant dimensions (e.g., length, width, and thickness) that are less than one-quarter of the operating wavelength.

[0049] In some embodiments, instead of using slot radiators, alternative types of radiators can be used. For example, slot radiators can be replaced with electrically short dipoles. The dipole can be formed on the same layer as the RF feed (e.g., printed), such as the top metal layer in the back end of line (BEOL) process. A matching metasurface with small charged patches of a given shape can be provided and tuned to the dipole radiator in a similar manner to the slot radiator. The electrical length of the electrically short dipole can be less than half the free space operating wavelength of the antenna array because the physical size of the electrically short dipole is significantly smaller than the operating wavelength of the signal.

[0050] According to various embodiments, electromagnetic power (antenna signal) is initially coupled from an RF feed system through a glass or silicon substrate using a short radiation slot disposed in a visual display layer (e.g., a cathode layer, an anode layer, and an OLED layer of a visual display screen). Therefore, these functional layers of the visual display screen may also include an antenna assembly. In order to prevent the RF power from being absorbed and dissipated by the glass or silicon substrate, an impedance matching metasurface is disposed on the outer surface of the substrate. The metasurface is used in combination with the slot radiator and the anode layer as a coherent matching structure to promote the radiation of electromagnetic power outward from the device (for transmitting antennas). The short slot can be considered as an antenna radiating element, and the matching metasurface is used in combination with the anode surface as a radiation enhancement structure.

[0051] Figure 1AA visual display screen 100 is shown, which may include an antenna device, wherein the antenna may be integrated with the visual display screen, the visual display screen may be integrated with the antenna, or a combination thereof. The visual display screen may also be free of a corresponding antenna device, and may work with an antenna device to facilitate the emission of RF energy by itself. The visual display screen and antenna device may include a plurality of light emitting diodes 110 (e.g., OLEDs), an array of periodic apertures 120, and may also include a matching metasurface with an array of RF patches 130. Figure 1B An enlarged view of the aperture 120, the RF patch 130, and the antenna feed 140 is shown. The antenna feed 140 may include an antenna feed array (not shown). Since the visual display layer of the visual display screen can be located outside and adjacent to the antenna feed 140, an aperture 120 may be included to couple with the corresponding antenna feed 140 to promote RF energy radiation. A plurality of apertures 120 organized into an ordered series in a regular pattern may include an aperture array formed in the visual display layer. The size and spacing of the aperture array can be adjusted to allow antenna feed coupling. For example, the aperture can be aligned with the antenna feed in the antenna feed array. The apertures can have a size that allows them to pass or guide electromagnetic energy. At this point, the size of the aperture can be adjusted to act as a reflective or guiding slot electromagnetic element.

[0052] As the number of apertures 120 comprising the aperture array increases, more RF energy can be radiated from the antenna feed 140 and coupled with the optically transparent substrate. The apertures 120 of the aperture array can be formed by omitting a subset of the light emitting diode array in the other regular array of light emitting diodes. The apertures 120 of the aperture array can also be formed from grooves in one or both of the anode conductive layer or the cathode conductive layer that electrically interact with the light emitting diode 110. The size of the apertures 120 and the spacing between the apertures 120 can be configured according to the operating wavelength of the antenna feed 140 comprising the antenna array. The configuration of the size and spacing of the apertures 120 coupled to the corresponding antenna feed 140 can be adjusted to facilitate the transmission of RF energy to or the reception of RF energy from the antenna feed 140 comprising the antenna array. In a conventional phased array, the more the size and spacing of the apertures 120 match the operating wavelength, the more RF energy is radiated from the antenna feed 140. In contrast, in an embodiment of the present invention, the radiating aperture is kept at a relatively small size compared to the operating wavelength to facilitate wide beam scanning. For example, the aperture size can be less than one quarter of the operating wavelength. The RF patch 130 is used to couple with the aperture 120 and help guide the RF energy radiation through the optically transparent substrate, which can be located outside and adjacent to the visual display layer. The optically transparent substrate can be, for example, glass or other transparent material that covers and protects the visual display layer. A separation distance is also provided so that a matching metasurface can be provided at a desired distance from the antenna feed layer and the visual display layer.

[0053] Since a significant portion of the area of ​​many handheld devices may include a visual display screen, embodiments of the present invention provide a visual display screen adapted to cooperate with one or more antennas included in an antenna array of a handheld device. Such cooperation may increase the amount of RF energy that may be emitted and / or received by the antenna included in the handheld device, while the amount detectable by the user of the handheld device does not reduce the resolution of the visual display screen. The visual display screen is used to cooperate with the antenna device by allowing or even assisting in transmitting RF energy through the antenna device (e.g., as described above). This may include providing a matching metasurface in the visual display screen, including an aperture for transmitting RF energy in the visual display screen, and the like. The aperture may be provided by omitting certain light-emitting diodes and adjusting the visual display screen to compensate. Other integrations may also be performed, such as reusing a suitable layer of an OLED structure as an antenna ground plane. A non-limiting example of reusing a suitable layer of an OLED structure may include further configuring a cathode conductive layer to serve as a ground plane for an antenna array. According to various embodiments, an antenna array is similarly provided, which is located in a plane parallel to the visual display screen and is adapted to transmit RF energy through the visual display screen. According to various embodiments, a device comprising both an antenna array and a visual display screen is provided.

[0054] Figure 2 A conventional antenna in display (AID) in a smartphone structure is shown. Multiple high-frequency planar antennas can be integrated with the OLED 235 structure using antenna-on-chip (AOC) and silicon CMOS technology. The RF connection to the AID radiator can be fed by plate metal traces through standard wire bonds or flip chip connections at the back end of the device. The resulting AID display structure is substantially transparent to both light emission and high-frequency electromagnetic emission, at least within a given frequency band. The OLED 235 structure includes complex materials, including color emitters, conductive indium tin oxide (ITO) anode and metal cathode layers, active matrix transistor layers, and a silicon substrate.

[0055] Figure 2 Basically, all relevant layers of a smartphone device from the front cover to the back cover are shown. Other figures described in this article show a limited number of layers, which can be Figure 2 A subset of the layers shown.

[0056] As will be readily appreciated, OLED 235 drives color pixels using a voltage difference between cathode 240 and anode 230 layers. The cathode 240 may be entirely metallic (eg, aluminum) and the anode 230 may be optically transparent, such as formed from ITO.

[0057] In more detail, a packaged antenna (antenna-in-package, AIP) printed circuit board (printed circuit board, PCB) 255 containing a radio frequency type antenna assembly is arranged inside the device. Radio frequency (RF) used in this article includes mmWave and THz frequency ranges. Outside the AIP PCB (the top cover of the device represents the outermost position) is the (antenna in the display) antenna feed layer 245. The antenna feed layer 245 is electrically coupled to the AIP PCB 255. A glass passivation layer 250 is located between the PCB 255 and the antenna feed layer 245. The silicon substrate 220 can be arranged at an external position adjacent to the antenna feed layer 245. Adjacent to the antenna feed layer 245 and outside it is an OLED 235 and an associated thin-film transistor (thin-film transistor, TFT) 225 display structure. This can include an active matrix TFT 225 control layer (e.g., including transistors and control lines), a cathode layer 240, a layer containing a color OLED 235, and an ITO anode layer 230. The cathode layer 240, the anode layer 230, or both may include apertures (e.g., RF coupling slots) formed therein for use as part of the antenna array by allowing RF energy to couple between the antenna feed layer 245 and the exterior of the structure. Adjacent to and outside the anode layer 230 is an (active matrix) TFT display screen structure layer 225. Adjacent to and outside the TFT display screen structure layer 225 is a silicon substrate layer 220. Adjacent to and outside the silicon substrate layer 220 may be arranged a touch screen layer 215, which may additionally or alternatively be used as an impedance matching metasurface. The metasurface includes an array of conductive elements, such as patches that help guide RF energy. A front cover 210 is located above the touch screen / metasurface layer 215. RF energy is guided through the OLED 235 and the front cover 210. The conductive elements of the matching metasurface are optically transparent elements so as not to interfere with the use of a visual display screen located below it. The conductive elements are electromagnetically coupled to the antenna elements and the aperture array associated therewith.

[0058] The antenna feed layer 245 may include an antenna feed array, which may be connected to one or more radiating elements to form an antenna array. The radiating elements may be used to radiate RF energy, and the RF energy may be coupled to the exterior of the structure. The antenna feed array may also be used to convert the impedance of the RF PCB 255 to match the inherent impedance of the radiating elements. The antenna feed array may also be used to perform a balanced to unbalanced conversion between the RF PCB 255 and the radiating elements.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present invention, the primary radiating antenna element array may be located between the antenna feed layer and the substrate.

[0060] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an AID device using a bottom-emitting AMOLED display pixel structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Except for the multi-layer metal antenna structure, all high-frequency RF components will be mounted on the external RF PCB 255. Note that the total thickness of the OLED 235 and the TFT layer 225 is typically less than 0.4 μm. The thickness of the silicon substrate 220 is less than 500 μm. The total thickness of the device is about 1 mm. Figure 3 The RF (AIP) PCB 255, the passivation layer 250 and the metal interconnect layer 320 are shown. For example, these interconnect layers 320 may include a multilayer RF radiating element 330. The OLED layer is located outside and adjacent to the metal interconnect layer 320. The OLED layer includes a cathode layer 240, an OLED layer 235 and an anode layer 230, and a TFT control layer 225 located outside the anode layer 230. The cathode layer 240 can also be used as an RF ground layer. Apertures can be formed in the cathode 240, OLED 235 and anode 230 layers. Located outside and adjacent to the OLED layer 235 is a glass substrate layer 220. Located outside and adjacent to the glass substrate layer 220 is a matching metasurface layer (not shown).

[0061] exist Figure 3 In the bottom emission AMOLED configuration shown, the color spectrum is emitted through the bottom of the wafer through the highly transparent ITO anode 230, the TFT structure 225 and the glass substrate 220. A metal cathode 240 is located on top of the OLED structure 235. This cathode layer 240 also serves as the RF ground plane for the AID RF elements. The multi-layer radiating antenna element is then built with interconnect metal layers 320 in the back-of-the-line (BOEL) process using AOC technology. The RF feed source and the external RF source are interconnected to the AID antenna using AIP technology, which is a recently developed technology for integrating highly integrated wireless chips into standard surface mount chip-scale packaging devices. In this concept, high-frequency EM radiation 340 is transmitted through the OLED layer 235, the optically transparent ITO anode 230 and the CMOS TFT layer 225 to the free space at the bottom (in the same direction as the light emission). The color spectrum emitted through the anode 230 is light emission 350. The EM radiation can be radio frequency (RF).

[0062] Some EM apertures are provided in the visual display screen (OLED) layer 235 to allow efficient electromagnetic radiation 340. Because the frequency of EM emission is significantly lower than the frequency of light emission 350, it is not necessary to have an EM aperture in every single color pixel of the visual display screen. Furthermore, it may be desirable to limit or minimize the number of these apertures to maintain the quality of the display screen, such as the quality of the pixel color.

[0063] The frequency of the EM apertures in the visual display layer (ie, related to the spacing of the apertures) is determined based on the operating wavelength of the RF radiation 340. Table 1 gives an estimate of the operating wavelength for a glass-filled silicon material having an effective relative permittivity of 4.5.

[0064] Table 1

[0065] Frequency (GHz) Free space λ(mm) Free space λ / 2(mm) λ / 2 in glass (mm) 24 12.5 6.25 2.95 28 10.7 5.35 2.52 39 7.7 3.85 1.81 58 5.2 2.60 1.23 70 4.3 2.15 1.01 94 3.2 1.60 0.75 100 3.0 1.50 0.71

[0066] The actual frequency of the EM apertures in terms of the number of pixels in the display also depends on the resolution of the display. Depending on the actual resolution, the typical size of a color pixel can be between 14μm and 56μm. Today's typical smartphones have a high-resolution screen with a typical 400ppi to 450ppi. Therefore, each color pixel size is between 24μm and 22μm, or a three-color pixel size between 72μm and 66μm. Figure 4A The dimensions of a typical RGB sub-pixel OLED with an aspect ratio of 16:9 are shown. This is typical for 1920×1080 pixels with a resolution of 450ppi. Each color pixel is 22μm wide and about 67μm high, with three color pixels per tri-color pixel.

[0067] In the traditional RGB scheme, all three color sub-pixels are of the same size. However, in this format, it is impossible for EM radiation to pass through the OLED structure (without removing pixels). Figure 5 An alternative RGBW subpixel scheme is shown, which includes red 505, green 510, blue 515, and white 520 subpixels. In this case, the white "W" subpixel 520 can be used for temporary EM coupling when needed. That is, some white subpixels in the OLED structure can be omitted, such as according to a periodic grid aligned with the RF feed line. In this case, the color pixels aligned with the EM feed line can be treated as regular RGB pixels because only the "W" subpixel is omitted. However, the resolution of the RGBW scheme is 25% lower than that of the regular RGB scheme.

[0068] To achieve higher resolution without noticeable loss of color quality, Figure 4BAn alternative modified RGB subpixel scheme is shown. In this scheme, it is proposed to split the green subpixel into two smaller units (subpixels) 460, 465. Then, one of the two green units 460 and 465 in a given pixel can be omitted. Red 455 and blue 470 units are also shown. This may only occur in some pixels in the OLED structure, for example according to the periodic grid aligned with the RF feed line. This allows one of the two green units (460 or 465) that require EM coupling to be omitted. This approach is based on the assumption that omitting the green subpixel will limit the degradation of the overall display quality due to the higher sensitivity of the human eye to green and the lower frequency of RF radiation. In width, the pixel 455 is about 18μm, the subpixel 460 is about 11μm, and the subpixel 465 is about 20μm. The height of the pixel is about 67μm.

[0069] Figure 6 One possible arrangement of a mmWave AID phased array using this color sub-pixel scheme is shown. In this case, the array spacing is assumed to be 2.4mm for a center frequency of EM radiation close to 60GHz. Each RF unit spans 36 color pixels. More specifically, Figure 6 A 5×5 arrangement of RF units 610 is shown aligned with a 180×180 arrangement of color pixels. Each RF unit includes a slot radiator 615 aligned with a patch 620, for example, the patch is formed of an ITO material on a matching metasurface. There is a layer of glass between the slot radiator and the patch. The slot radiators can be located in the anode and cathode layers of the OLED display and fed by the underlying RF feed line structure. Although not shown in the figure, a rectangular grid array of 36 pixels wide and 36 pixels high is set above each RF unit 610. In general, although a rectangular grid of RF units and pixels is specified, other regular or irregular geometric shapes of RF units and pixels (e.g., a hexagonal grid) may also be used.

[0070] Generally, apertures such as radiative slots may be arranged in the OLED structure, including in the OLED and its anode layer. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the apertures may be used as antenna radiators. Figure 7 and 8 An example of a color pixel unit of an AID pixel using a coupling slot 120 in the cathode layer 240 of an OLED structure 235 is shown. Figure 7As shown, a portion of the "green" sub-pixel including the TFT matrix 225 and the anode patch 230 is also omitted, which are aligned with (or will be aligned with) the coupling slot 120. The resulting space can be left empty or filled with RF material to allow efficient EM radiation to pass through the OLED structure. Therefore, a coupling slot is also formed in the OLED material and the anode layer, which enables RF power to be coupled from the RF feed line 140 to the glass substrate 220 and the free space at the bottom of the figure. Although some EM power may be lost in the lossy OLED material, since the overall thickness of the OLED material is less than 0.1μm, it is expected that most of the RF power will be coupled through the narrow slot 120. In this way, RF power can be effectively fed from the top feed line 140 to the bottom glass substrate 220. However, due to the thickness and high dielectric constant of the glass substrate, the RF signal tends to be trapped and lost in the glass substrate. To mitigate this, a boundary matching layer (matching metasurface) is provided at the air-glass interface. The matching layer includes an RF patch 130 that is aligned with and electromagnetically coupled to the coupling slot 120 to guide wireless signals (electromagnetic radiation) through the glass substrate 220. This configuration will be described in detail below.

[0071] The glass substrate 220 can be an optically transparent substrate that can be located outside and adjacent to the TFT layer 225 (the TFT layer 225 can be included in the visual display layer) or outside the antenna feed layer. The matching layer can include a matching metasurface layer that can include one or more RF patches 130 that are organized into an aperture array or aligned with an aperture array, wherein the RF patch 130 can be a charged small patch because the RF patch 130 can have one of more relevant physical dimensions (such as length, width, and thickness) that is less than one quarter of the operating wavelength. The metasurface layer and its RF patch 130 can be a conductive optically transparent element that can be located outside and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate (glass substrate 220). The antenna feed source array can be used to directly or indirectly couple with the RF patch 130 to guide the radiated RF energy through the optically transparent substrate. Non-limiting examples of configurations of the conductive optically transparent RF patches 130 may include sizes and shapes of the conductive optically transparent RF patches 130 and spacing of the conductive optically transparent RF patches 130 to direct radiated RF energy through the optically transparent substrate. The optically transparent substrate may have an electromagnetically thick dielectric constant with a high dielectric constant.

[0072] Embodiments of the present invention may include conductive optically transparent elements that may be integrated into a touch-sensitive control surface user interface (non-limiting examples of conductive optically transparent elements may include metasurface layer elements such as RF patch 130). Some or all of the conductive elements are electrically small elements, in that the conductive elements may have one of more relevant dimensions (e.g., length, width, and thickness) that is less than one quarter of the operating wavelength.

[0073] Figure 8 Shown with Figure 7 A similar layout includes an RF feed line 140 coupled to the RF PCB 255 through a passivation and grounding layer, a coupling slot 120 formed in the cathode 240 and / or anode layer 230 of the OLED structure 235, a gap in the OLED layer that does not contain an OLED, a TFT matrix layer 225, a glass substrate 220, and an RF patch 130. Also noteworthy are the RF ground layers on both sides of the RF feed line 140, one of which can also serve as the cathode layer 240 of the OLED structure. Forming a gap in the OLED layer can include omitting a portion of the OLED pixels, such as a green or white sub-pixel.

[0074] Embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna array for high data rate communication (e.g., in a 5G wireless communication environment). The antenna array can be integrated into a mobile device, a UE terminal, or a smart phone. The antenna array can be used to generate a relatively high gain, controllable beam with a wide scanning angle from the front to the back of the device. The antenna array can be provided as an array of short radiation slots coupled to a matching metasurface. Fig.9A , 9B , 10A, 10B and 10C are further described in detail.

[0075] The antenna array may include a group of multiple connected antennas that can be used as a single antenna for transmitting and / or receiving RF energy. In an embodiment of the present invention, these multiple connected antennas may include short radiating slots that can be coupled to a matching metasurface. These slots may include slots in the cathode layer 240 and / or the anode layer 230, wherein the cathode layer 240 and the anode layer 230 can electrically interact with the LED. Antenna arrays are preferable to single antenna elements because antenna arrays can achieve higher gain and directivity than single antenna elements. The greater the number of single antenna elements used in the antenna array, the higher the gain and the narrower the wireless beam that can be received and / or transmitted.

[0076] Fig.9A A simplified exploded view of an antenna and a visual display device provided by one embodiment of the present invention is shown. Fig. 9B Shown assembled Fig.9AA side view of the antenna and visual display device shown. For clarity, some components or layers may be omitted. The layers shown in the figure are assembled adjacent to each other, and the bottom layer is considered to be the outer layer. A rear metal cover 260 and a silicon substrate layer 250 are provided to form a rear cavity 912. An AID feeder substrate 245 including an RF (antenna) feed line 917 and associated conductive traces 140 is provided, adjacent to the conductive layer 240. A coupling slot 922 is formed in the conductive layer 240 and aligned with the antenna feed line. The conductive layer 240 also serves as a cathode layer for a visual display screen (e.g., OLED). An OLED film 235 is adjacent to the conductive layer 240 and includes a gap 927, in which OLED pixels or sub-pixels are omitted, and the gap is aligned with the coupled slot 922. An anode layer 230 is adjacent to the OLED film 235 and also includes a gap 932 aligned with the coupling slot 922. A glass (or other transparent material) substrate 220 is adjacent to the anode layer 230. A plurality of RF patches 130 are adjacent to the glass substrate 220. A matching metasurface layer 940 may include a conductive patch that couples with the coupling slot 922 to help guide antenna signals through the glass substrate. In some embodiments, the matching metasurface layer may be formed of a material such as ITO and may also be used as part of a touch screen, i.e., a touch-sensitive control surface user interface.

[0077] Fig. 10A A top view of an RF feed line 917 is shown adjacent to a coupling slot 922, which serves as an antenna radiating element. In this embodiment, the RF feed line is perpendicular to the coupling slot. Fig. 10B A gap 932 is shown in the anode layer 230, which in some embodiments may also serve as part of the antenna radiating element and / or coupling slot. Fig. 10C An array of RF patches 130 is shown matching the metasurface layer 940. These patches are coupled to the coupling slot to facilitate transmission of antenna signals, such as by providing an impedance matching antenna structure and / or directing RF energy of the antenna signal outward from the coupling slot 922. The size and spacing of the patches can be used to provide the desired electromagnetic behavior and corresponding antenna radiation pattern.

[0078] According to various embodiments, a typical slot radiator has a slot length of about λ / 2 in free space, where λ represents the operating wavelength of the antenna array (e.g., inversely proportional to the center radio frequency). In an embodiment, the radiating slot is embedded between two layers of silicon material with a thick glass substrate on one side. Therefore, the radiating slot length can be significantly less than λ / 2. These short radiating slots (<λ / 2) are electromagnetically fed by an RF feed line (e.g., a microstrip line) on the top layer of the back-end structure. Due to their relatively small aperture, the short radiating slots have a significantly wider radiation pattern compared to typical radiating elements (e.g., patches). When RF power is fed into the slots from the microstrip feed line, the EM field radiates from these slots through the thick protective glass layer through the front of the visual display screen. However, due to the relatively high dielectric constant of the glass substrate (εr≈4.5), most of the EM power may be trapped in the form of surface waves and will be lost in the thick lossy protective (and electrically thick) glass substrate layer. This is caused, for example, by the low resistivity and high dielectric constant of the silicon substrate, which tends to result in high resistive losses and surface wave losses. In this case, if no further measures are taken to address it, only a small portion (e.g., less than a few percentage points) of the total RF power will be transmitted via the glass substrate. To address this issue, a proton implantation process was implemented to increase the resistivity of the base silicon from approximately 10 ohm-cm to over 1 kΩ-cm. In addition, a matching metasurface layer is provided on the outer surface (air-glass interface) of the glass substrate, the metasurface layer comprising a periodic array of small metal patches with a size less than λ / 4. The metasurface can significantly improve the radiation efficiency without reducing the scanning range of the short radiation slot. This can be attributed to the relatively small patch size (less than λ / 4) and the relatively large cell spacing. For a given glass substrate thickness and slot geometry, the metal pattern on the metasurface is designed to match the radiation slot impedance. In some embodiments, the metasurface is also used as part of a touch screen.

[0079] In various embodiments, the (e.g., glass) substrate has electromagnetic thickness. A dielectric substrate is considered to have electromagnetic thickness when the thickness is relatively large compared to the operating wavelength in the substrate material, which is also a function of the dielectric constant. For example, an electromagnetic thick substrate may have a thickness between 100 μm and 700 μm. A substrate may have a high dielectric constant in the sense of an electromagnetic dielectric constant, which is readily understood by those skilled in the art. For example, a substrate may have a dielectric constant of about 11.7 farads per meter (for silicon material).

[0080] Fig.11Typical radiation patterns of short slots 1110 and 1120 are shown compared to the radiation patterns of typical patches 1130 and 1140 with the same size ground plane (approximately one lambda ground plane). It can be seen that the short slot radiator allows beam scanning at a wider angle with less scanning loss than a typical high gain radiator (such as a patch antenna). The vertical axis shows directivity in dBi units, while the horizontal axis shows the angle from the boresight in degrees.

[0081] In some embodiments, the antenna and display device (e.g., short slot AID array) described above can be implemented over the entire display screen (known to those skilled in the art as a visual display screen) area of ​​the device. However, for data communications, arranging the radiator array only along the edge of the display screen can provide suitable performance while also mitigating direct interference with other functions (e.g., screen control operations). For close-range imaging, the radiator array can be located below the center portion of the display screen without extending to some or all of the edges. Fig. 12A A smartphone device with an antenna-in-display (AID) device in a display screen with different possible edge positions 1210, 1230 provided by an embodiment of the present invention is shown. These edge positions may be suitable for mmWave application scenarios and may allow for better radiation performance in the rear direction. The figure also shows the center position 1220 of the antenna-in-display (AID) device in a display screen provided by an embodiment of the present invention, which may be suitable for THz imaging application scenarios. A representation of the antenna array is also shown, including a metasurface patch on top of the pixel array.

[0082] Fig. 12B A non-limiting exemplary antenna array 1215 for edge location 1210 is shown.

[0083] In an exemplary embodiment, a 28×4 high-gain AID phased array with an overall size of approximately 51 mm×8.5 mm (10λ×1.7λ) can be provided. That is, the array includes 4 rows of 28 antenna elements each. The unit pitches of the E-plane and H-plane are 1.8 mm and 2.0 mm, respectively. The radiation slot is 0.05 mm×0.5 mm, and the size of the matching patch on the metasurface is 0.3 mm×0.4 mm. This array size can fit into the top of a typical 5-inch smartphone device.

[0084] Table 2 shows the estimated antenna spacing and directivity of an antenna array of form 1215 located at edge location 1210 provided by an exemplary embodiment. The antenna size is assumed to be 10 mm x 60 mm.

[0085] Table 2

[0086] Frequency (GHz) Free space λ(mm) Pitch λ / 2(mm) Directivity(dBi) 24 12.5 6.25 21 28 10.7 5.35 22 39 7.7 3.85 25 58 5.2 2.60 28 70 4.3 2.15 30 94 3.2 1.60 32 100 3.0 1.50 33

[0087] Fig.13 , 14 The simulated radiation patterns of the 28×4 antenna array described above are shown in Figures 1 and 15. These figures show that such an array is capable of generating a high gain beam that can be steered over a very large angular range of more than ±80 degrees in the E plane and more than ±60 degrees in the H plane, which is significantly greater than the angular range of any typical phased array. Fig.13 The directionality of the E-plane 1310 and the H-plane 1320 is shown. Fig.14 The directivities of the 0 degree 1410, 15 degree 1415, 30 degree 1420, 45 degree 1425, and 60 degree 1430 phased array are shown. Fig.15 The directivities of the 0 degree 1510, 15 degree 1520, 30 degree 1530, 45 degree 1540, 60 degree 1550 and 85 degree 1560 phased array are shown.

[0088] Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments of the present invention, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations of the present invention may be made without departing from the present invention. The specification and drawings are to be regarded only as an illustration of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents falling within the scope of this specification are contemplated.

Claims

1. An antenna and a visual display device, characterized in that, include: an antenna feeder layer, comprising an antenna feeder array for a corresponding antenna array; a visual display layer, the visual display layer being located outside the antenna feed layer and adjacent to the antenna feed layer, comprising an array of light emitting diodes and a control element coupled to the array of light emitting diodes, the control element being used to operate the light emitting diodes to provide a visual display, the visual display layer further comprising an aperture array, the aperture array being formed by omitting a subset of the array of light emitting diodes in an otherwise regular array, the aperture array having a size and spacing configured according to an operating wavelength of the antenna array, and being used to couple with corresponding antenna feed lines in the antenna feed lines to facilitate transmission of antenna signals of the antenna array; wherein the array of light emitting diodes comprises red, green, blue and white light emitting diodes, and wherein omitting the subset of the array of light emitting diodes comprises omitting the subset of the white light emitting diodes; or wherein the array of light emitting diodes comprises red, green and blue light emitting diodes, and wherein omitting the subset of the array of light emitting diodes comprises omitting the subset of the green light emitting diodes; an optically transparent substrate located outside of and adjacent to the visual display layer; and A conductive optically transparent element array is located outside the optically transparent substrate and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate, wherein the conductive optically transparent element array is used to couple with the aperture array to guide the antenna signal through the optically transparent substrate.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The conductive optical transparent element array is a periodic array, and each conductive optical transparent element is a charged small patch.

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that The aperture array is formed by slots in an anode conductive layer and a cathode conductive layer for electrically interacting with the light emitting diode to operate the light emitting diode.

4. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that The cathode conductive layer also serves as a ground layer for the antenna array.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The antenna array spans the entire area of ​​the visual display screen, or wherein the antenna array spans an area that is less than the entire area of ​​the visual display screen and the area is co-located with one or more edges of the visual display screen, or the area is co-located with a central portion of the visual display screen.

6. A visual display device, characterized in that: include: a visual display layer, the visual display layer comprising an array of light emitting diodes and a control element coupled to the array of light emitting diodes for operating the light emitting diodes to provide a visual display; as well as An aperture array, wherein the aperture array is formed in the visual display layer, the aperture array is formed by omitting a subset of the LED array in an otherwise regular array, and has a size and spacing configured according to the operating wavelength of the antenna array, and is used to couple with a set of antenna feed lines to facilitate the transmission of antenna signals of the antenna array; wherein the LED array includes red, green, blue and white LEDs, and wherein omitting the subset of the LED array includes omitting the subset of the white LEDs; or, the LED array includes red, green and blue LEDs, and wherein omitting the subset of the LED array includes omitting the subset of the green LEDs.

7. The device according to claim 6, characterized in that Also includes: an optically transparent substrate located outside the visual display layer and adjacent to the visual display layer; and an array of conductive optically transparent elements located outside and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate, the array of conductive optically transparent elements having a size and spacing coupled to the array of apertures for directing the antenna signal through the optically transparent substrate.

8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that The array of electrically conductive optically transparent elements is integrated with a touch-sensitive control surface user interface.

9. An antenna device, characterized in that: include: an antenna feeder layer, comprising an antenna feeder array for a corresponding antenna array; A substrate, located outside the antenna feeder layer; as well as an array of conductive optically transparent elements, located outside and adjacent to the optically transparent substrate, the array of conductive optically transparent elements having a size and spacing to couple directly or indirectly with the antenna feed line array for directing antenna signals through the substrate; A visual display layer, the visual display layer is located between the antenna feed layer and the substrate, including a light emitting diode array and a control element coupled to the light emitting diode array, the control element is used to operate the light emitting diodes to provide a visual display, the visual display layer also includes an aperture array, the aperture array is formed by omitting a subset of the light emitting diode array in an otherwise regular array, the aperture array has a size and spacing configured according to the working wavelength of the antenna array, and is used to couple with corresponding antenna feed lines in the antenna feed lines to facilitate the transmission of antenna signals of the antenna array; wherein the light emitting diode array includes red, green, blue and white light emitting diodes, and wherein omitting the subset of the light emitting diode array includes omitting the subset of the white light emitting diodes; or, the light emitting diode array includes red, green and blue light emitting diodes, and wherein omitting the subset of the light emitting diode array includes omitting the subset of the green light emitting diodes.

10. The antenna device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The substrate is an optically transparent substrate.

11. The antenna device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The array of electrically conductive optically transparent elements is optically transparent and integrated with a touch-sensitive control surface user interface.

12. The antenna device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The substrate has an electromagnetic thickness with a high dielectric constant.

13. The antenna device according to claim 12, characterized in that: Also included is an array of primary radiating antenna elements located between the antenna feed layer and the substrate.

14. The antenna device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The primary radiating antenna elements in the array of primary radiating antenna elements are slots or dipoles, and wherein the slots or dipoles are small electrically charged elements having an electrical length less than half of a free space operating wavelength of the antenna array.

15. The antenna device according to claim 14, characterized in that: Some or all of the conductive optically transparent elements in the conductive optically transparent element array are electrically charged small elements.

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