An on-chip encoding phase shifter

Abstract

This invention discloses an on-chip coded phase shifter, belonging to the technical field of electromagnetic wave transmission functional devices. It solves the problem that existing research on SSPP transmission lines, which to date remains limited to single-coded state control, resulting in very limited control range, accuracy, and flexibility. The device includes a dielectric substrate, two transition structures, and an SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line is disposed on the dielectric substrate, with the two transition structures located on both sides of the SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line includes multiple digital coded control units. Each digital coded control unit includes a horizontal metal plate, a vertical metal plate, a diode, and a metal resonant ring patch connected sequentially at its ends. Each metal resonant ring patch has a voltage control line. This invention connects each metal resonant ring patch using diodes. The basic digital coded control unit structure undergoes a phase shift as the state of the electrically controlled diode changes, achieving dynamic control of electromagnetic waves.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the technical field of electromagnetic wave transmission functional devices, specifically relating to an on-chip coded phase shifter. Background Technology

[0002] Artificial surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) can effectively confine electromagnetic waves propagating on surfaces and can also modify transmission characteristics using artificial microstructures. SSPP transmission lines can reduce crosstalk between adjacent channels, facilitating the design of multi-channel devices at the subwavelength scale. This is of significant value for the development of high-frequency millimeter-wave active beam scanning phased arrays and also offers possibilities for addressing the post-Moore's Law challenge in chip design.

[0003] Traditional phase shifters lack the characteristics of SSPP (Self-Containing Power Line), while SSPP-based devices can incorporate these characteristics, broadening their application areas. For example, in circuit communication systems, the strong confinement of SSPP transmission lines can effectively reduce interference between adjacent channels, maximizing the number of channels within a chip. In the detection field, the field enhancement properties of SSPP can significantly improve detection sensitivity. Furthermore, SSPP exhibits different electrical characteristics for different analytes due to the influence of transmission structure size parameters and material properties. In addition, there is extensive research on microwave and terahertz devices based on SSPP, such as filters, frequency multipliers, and power dividers.

[0004] Traditional SSPP transmission lines rely on a grooved structure for surface wave transmission. This fixed structure limits their transmission characteristics, hindering the control of signal amplitude and phase. Recently, digital coding has been introduced into SSPP transmission lines. Unlike traditional electronic circuits, it utilizes a reconfigurable periodic structure to control electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, unlike traditional SSPPs, it overcomes the limitations of a fixed structure, enabling dynamic control of electromagnetic waves through digital coding of the structure. However, current research on digitally coded SSPP transmission lines remains limited to control within a single coding state, resulting in very limited control range, accuracy, and flexibility, failing to meet the increasingly diverse application needs of today. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides an on-chip coded phase shifter to enable transmission line units to independently change the phase shift state of the unit's electromagnetic waves under voltage control, thereby achieving a wider control range and a more flexible control method, which can meet the broader and more diverse application needs of today's intelligent communication devices.

[0006] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0007] An on-chip coded phase shifter includes a dielectric substrate, two transition structures, and an SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line is disposed on the dielectric substrate, and the two transition structures are disposed on both sides of the SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line includes a plurality of digital coding control units arranged in sequence. Each digital coding control unit includes a horizontal metal plate, a vertical metal plate, a diode, and a metal resonant ring patch connected in sequence at their ends. The ends of two adjacent horizontal metal plates are connected, and each metal resonant ring patch is provided with a voltage control line.

[0008] In this technical solution, it should be noted that the width of the digital encoding control unit is t, the width of the horizontal metal plate is t and the height is b, the distance between one edge of the substrate and the metal resonant ring patch is a, the distance between the other edge of the dielectric substrate and the horizontal metal plate is a, the height of the vertical metal plate is h1 and the width is w2, the length of the diode is p, the height of the metal resonant ring patch is h2 and the width is 2*w1, and the thickness of the dielectric substrate is w; where t=0.6mm, h1=0.54mm, b=0.14mm, w2=0.2mm, p=0.08mm, h2=0.54mm, w1=0.2mm, and w=0.5mm; there are 7 digital encoding control units, each with the same structure, and each is independently controlled by voltage to change its phase shift state. Furthermore, this scheme connects the SSPP transmission line to the metal resonant ring patch of each digital coding control unit via diodes. The basic digital coding control unit structure undergoes a phase shift as the state of the electrically controlled diodes loaded on it changes, instead of relying solely on reshaping the groove depth to achieve fixed transmission characteristic control as in traditional SSPP transmission lines. This significantly reduces the difficulty of controlling the transmission line and enables dynamic control of electromagnetic waves. Secondly, PIN diodes are introduced into each digital coding control unit. The anode voltage of the diode in each digital coding control unit in the phase shifter is connected to the voltage control line through an external upper-layer wire, enabling independent control of the reflection phase shift state of each digital coding control unit. The design scheme of this invention achieves a wider control range and a more flexible control method. Furthermore, by introducing a metal ring... The resonant ring patch not only achieves the effect of digital coding to control the phase, but also enables the invention to achieve additional filtering functions. When the coding state of the control part is "0000000", the PIN diodes of all digital coding control units are disconnected, the resonant ring fails, and electromagnetic waves can be transmitted smoothly. When the coding state is "0000001", the PIN diode of the seventh digital coding control unit is turned on, connecting the open resonant ring to the main transmission line. Due to the filtering effect of the resonant circuit formed by the open resonant ring, a good stopband is generated at the target frequency of 38GHz. Finally, based on the artificial surface plasmon polariton digital coding phase shifter, SSPP can reduce crosstalk between adjacent channels, which is beneficial for designing multi-channel devices at the subwavelength scale and realizing the design of higher frequency phase shifters.

[0009] Preferably, the diode is a PIN diode, which enables more precise digital encoding control.

[0010] Preferably, the metal resonant ring patch is U-shaped, and the middle of the metal resonant ring patch is broken. This not only achieves the effect of digitally encoded phase control, but also enables the present invention to achieve additional filtering functions.

[0011] Preferably, the metal resonant ring patch is provided with a through hole for connecting a voltage control line, so as to facilitate the connection of an external voltage to control the switching on and off of the diode.

[0012] Preferably, the dielectric substrate is made of F4B.

[0013] Preferably, the longitudinal and transverse metal plates are made of copper.

[0014] Preferably, each of the transition structures includes a plurality of grooves arranged in sequence, the depth of which gradually decreases from one end near the SSPP transmission line.

[0015] In this technical solution, it should be noted that the grooves are metal grooves, and the depth of the multiple grooves gradually decreases from the end near the SSPP transmission line. This structure can successfully realize the transmission of surface waves.

[0016] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] 1) By connecting the SSPP transmission line to the metal resonant ring patch on the upper layer of each unit through PIN diodes, the basic digital coding control unit structure undergoes phase shift as the state of the electronic control diode loaded on it changes, instead of relying on recreating the groove depth to achieve fixed transmission characteristic control as in traditional SSPP transmission lines. This greatly reduces the difficulty of controlling the transmission line and realizes dynamic control of electromagnetic waves.

[0018] 2) By introducing PIN diodes into each digital coding control unit, the anode voltage of the diode in each digital coding control unit in the phase shifter is connected to the voltage control line through the upper external wire, realizing independent control of the reflected phase shift state of each digital coding control unit. The design scheme of the present invention achieves a wider control range and a more flexible control method.

[0019] 3) By introducing a resonant ring patch, not only can the phase control effect of digital encoding be achieved, but the invention can also achieve additional filtering function: when the encoding state of the control part is "0000000", the PIN diodes of all digital encoding control units are disconnected, the resonant ring fails, so the electromagnetic wave can be transmitted smoothly; when the encoding state is "0000001", the PIN diode of the seventh digital encoding control unit is turned on, connecting the open resonant ring with the main transmission line. Due to the filtering effect of the resonant circuit formed by the open resonant ring, a good stopband is generated at the target frequency of 38GHz.

[0020] 4) Based on artificial surface plasmon polaritons, digital coded phase shifters (SSPPs) can reduce crosstalk between adjacent channels, which is beneficial for designing multi-channel devices at the subwavelength scale and enables higher frequency phase shifter designs. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The present invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the SSPP (Self-Structured Partial Component) on the front side of the phase shifter;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the front resonant ring structure of the phase shifter;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the dielectric substrate structure in the side view direction of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the overall digital coding control section of the phase shifter;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a single digital code control unit with added switching diodes;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the transition structure of the phase shifter;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a dispersion characteristic curve based on the simulation results of the digital coding control unit of the SSPP phase shifter;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a phase modulation curve based on the simulation calculation results of the SSPP phase shifter;

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 1-Metal resonant ring patch, 2-Diode, 3-Vertical metal plate, 4-Horizontal metal plate, 5-Dielectric substrate, 6-Transition structure. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0033] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0034] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this invention can be combined with each other.

[0035] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0036] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product of this invention is in use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are only used for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention. In addition, the terms "first," "second," etc., are only used to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] In the description of this invention, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set," "install," "connect," and "link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0038] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0039] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this invention can be combined with each other. Example

[0040] This embodiment provides an on-chip encoded phase shifter, such as... Figures 1-5 As shown, it includes a dielectric substrate 5, two transition structures 6, and an SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line is disposed on the dielectric substrate 5, and the two transition structures 6 are disposed on both sides of the SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line includes multiple digital encoding control units arranged in sequence; as shown... Figure 5 As shown, each of the digital encoding control units includes a horizontal metal plate 4, a vertical metal plate 3, a diode 2, and a metal resonant ring patch 1 connected sequentially at their ends; the ends of two adjacent horizontal metal plates 4 are connected, and each of the metal resonant ring patches 1 is provided with a voltage control line.

[0041] It should be noted that the width of the digital encoding control unit is t, the width of the horizontal metal plate 4 is t and the height is b, the height of the vertical metal plate 3 is h1 and the width is w2, the length of the diode 2 is p, the height of the metal resonant ring patch 1 is h2 and the width is 2*w1, and the thickness of the dielectric substrate 5 is w; where t=0.6mm, h1=0.54mm, b=0.14mm, w2=0.2mm, p=0.08mm, h2=0.54mm, w1=0.2mm, and w=0.5mm; there are 7 digital encoding control units, each with the same structure, which are independently controlled by voltage to change the phase shift state. Furthermore, this scheme connects the SSPP transmission line to the metal resonant ring patch 1 of each digital coding control unit via diode 2. The basic digital coding control unit structure undergoes a phase shift as the state of the electrically controlled diode 2 loaded on it changes, instead of relying solely on reshaping the groove depth to achieve fixed transmission characteristic control as in traditional SSPP transmission lines. This significantly increases the control difficulty of the transmission line and achieves dynamic control of electromagnetic waves. Secondly, PIN diodes 2 are introduced into each digital coding control unit. The anode voltage of diode 2 in each digital coding control unit in the phase shifter is connected to the voltage control line through an external upper-layer wire, realizing independent control of the reflection phase shift state of each digital coding control unit. The design scheme of this invention achieves a wider control range and a more flexible control method. Furthermore, by introducing metal... The SSPP (Segmented Surface Plasma Patch) not only achieves digital coding phase control but also enables additional filtering functionality. When the coding state of the control section is "0000000", all PIN diodes 2 of the digital coding control units are disconnected, the resonant ring fails, and electromagnetic waves can be transmitted smoothly. When the coding state is "0000001", the PIN diode 2 of the seventh digital coding control unit is turned on, connecting the open resonant ring to the main transmission line. Due to the filtering effect of the resonant circuit formed by the open resonant ring, a good stopband is generated at the target frequency of 38GHz. Finally, based on the artificial surface plasmon polariton (ASPP) digital coding phase shifter, the SSPP can reduce crosstalk between adjacent channels, which is beneficial for designing multi-channel devices at the subwavelength scale and realizing higher frequency phase shifter design.

[0042] The diode 2 is a PIN diode, model MA4AGBL912, which enables more precise digital encoding control.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, the metal resonant ring patch 1 is U-shaped, and the middle of the metal resonant ring patch 1 is broken. This not only enables digital encoding to control the phase, but also allows the invention to achieve additional filtering functions.

[0044] like Figure 2As shown, the metal resonant ring patch 1 has a through hole for connecting a voltage control line, so as to conveniently connect an external voltage to control the switching on and off of the diode.

[0045] Preferably, the dielectric substrate 5 is made of F4B.

[0046] Preferably, the longitudinal metal plate 3 and the transverse metal plate 4 are made of copper.

[0047] like Figure 6 As shown, each of the transition structures 6 includes a plurality of grooves arranged in sequence, the depth of which gradually decreases from the end closest to the SSPP transmission line.

[0048] It should be noted that the grooves are metal grooves, and the depth of the multiple grooves gradually decreases from the end near the SSPP transmission line. This structure can successfully realize the transmission of surface waves.

[0049] Figure 7 The dispersion characteristics are obtained based on simulation calculations of the SSPP phase shifter digital coding control unit. Dispersion curves under different coding states were obtained through high-frequency electromagnetic simulation software CST: When PIN diode 2 is in the off state (setting this coding state as "state 0"), the SSPP digital coding control unit and the upper metal resonant ring are also in the off state, and the corresponding groove depth of the SSPP transmission line is only h2; when PIN diode 2 is in the on state (setting this coding state as "state 1"), the SSPP digital coding control unit and the upper metal resonant ring are in the connected state, and the corresponding groove depth of the SSPP transmission line is the sum of h1 and h2. After simulation and normalization, it can be seen that: when the coding state is 1, the cutoff frequency of the dispersion curve is around 27 GHz; while when the coding state is adjusted to 0, the cutoff frequency of the dispersion curve increases to 45 GHz, and a significant phase difference can also be seen in the two dispersion curves after changing the coding state. Therefore, by changing the coding state of PIN diode 2, we can successfully control the dispersion characteristics of the reconfigurable unit.

[0050] Figure 8This is a phase modulation curve based on the simulation results of the SSPP phase shifter. Based on dispersion control theory, changes in dispersion characteristics can affect the transmission characteristics of the SSPP transmission line. Furthermore, when electromagnetic waves couple to the input, they propagate along the transmission line as surface waves. The perturbations created by this coupling cause local resonance in the electromagnetic waves, thereby achieving phase modulation. Therefore, combining the above theory, by changing the on / off state of the PIN diodes 2 in multiple units, we can generate diverse phase perturbations, achieving digitally encoded phase shift control of the SSPP transmission line. In our designed structure, we connect seven reconfigurable units in series as the phase modulation structure, such as... Figure 1 As shown, each digital code control unit is independently controlled by an externally applied bias voltage to be in a "set to 0" or "set to 1" state. By connecting multiple digital code control units in series, we can achieve greater flexibility and overall control range.

[0051] The phase shifter operates at a frequency of 29.6 GHz, below the resonant peak. Each digital coding control unit transitions from a "0" state to a "1" state, achieving a phase shift of approximately 30 degrees. By cascading multiple digital coding control units, the phase shifts generated by each unit are accumulated, significantly improving the overall phase shift accuracy of this invention. Although the mutual coupling between these units leads to nonlinearity in the overall phase shift—meaning the phase shifts of individual digital coding control units do not simply add up—this effect can still be utilized to achieve a larger phase shift control range. Theoretically, our control structure can achieve a total of 128 coding states and obtain the values ​​of all these phase shifts. This paper selects 14 coding states for illustration. The results show that quasi-continuous phase shift control capability can be obtained within a 200° phase range at the operating frequency of 29.6 GHz, with a phase shift accuracy of 9.0° and an average insertion loss of approximately 0.6 dB, demonstrating ideal performance.

[0052] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0053] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An on-chip coded phase shifter, characterized in that, It includes a dielectric substrate (5), two transition structures and an SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line is disposed on the dielectric substrate (5), and the two transition structures (6) are disposed on both sides of the SSPP transmission line. The SSPP transmission line includes a plurality of digital coding control units arranged in sequence. Each of the digital coding control units includes a transverse metal plate (4), a longitudinal metal plate (3), a diode (2), and a metal resonant ring patch (1) connected sequentially at the ends. The ends of two adjacent transverse metal plates (4) are connected, and each of the metal resonant ring patches (1) is provided with a voltage control line; The diode (2) is a PIN diode. The PIN diode is introduced into each digital coding control unit. The anode voltage of the diode (2) in each digital coding control unit in the phase shifter is connected to the voltage control line through the upper external wire, realizing the independent control of the reflection phase shift state of each digital coding control unit. Each of the transition structures (6) includes a plurality of grooves arranged in sequence, the depth of which gradually decreases from one end near the SSPP transmission line. The number of digital coding control units is 7.

2. An on-chip coding phase shifter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The metal resonant ring patch (1) is concave in shape, and the middle part of the metal resonant ring patch (1) is broken.

3. An on-chip coding phase shifter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The metal resonant ring patch (1) is provided with a through hole for connecting voltage control lines.

4. An on-chip coding phase shifter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The dielectric substrate (5) is made of F4B.

5. An on-chip coding phase shifter as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The longitudinal metal plate (3) and the transverse metal plate (4) are made of copper.

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