Phase shifter and preparation method thereof, phased array antenna

Abstract

A phase shifter and a preparation method thereof and a phased array antenna, the phase shifter comprising: a substrate (5); two ground wires (1) located on the substrate (5); a signal wire (2) located on the substrate (5) and between the two ground wires (1), the signal wire (2) and the ground wire (1) having a spacing therebetween; a dielectric layer (3) located on a side, away from the substrate (5), of the signal wire (2) and the ground wire (1); and at least one electric bridge (8) located on a side, away from the substrate (5), of the dielectric layer (3), a projection of the ground wire (1) and the signal wire (2) on the substrate (5) overlapping a projection of the electric bridge (8) on the substrate (5), the electric bridge (8) and the dielectric layer (3) having a spacing therebetween.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The embodiment of the present disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, the technical field of phase shifter, and in particular to a phase shifter and a preparation method thereof, and a phased array antenna. BACKGROUND

[0002] The phased array antenna is a mainstream satellite communication antenna, wherein the phase shifter is a very key element in the phased array antenna. Common phase shifters include transmission line phase shifters, variable capacitance phase shifters, liquid crystal phase shifters, ferroelectric phase shifters, and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) phase shifters, etc. The MEMS phase shifter gradually enters the field of vision due to its advantages of short response time (~μs), good temperature stability, wide operating bandwidth, etc. SUMMARY

[0003] The following is a summary of the subject matter described in detail herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0004] The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a phase shifter, comprising: a substrate; two ground wires located on the substrate; a signal wire located on the substrate and between the two ground wires, the signal wire and the ground wire having a spacing therebetween; a dielectric layer located on a side of the signal wire and the ground wire away from the substrate; at least one electric bridge located on a side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, a projection of the ground wire and the signal wire on the substrate overlapping a projection of the electric bridge on the substrate, the electric bridge and the dielectric layer having a spacing therebetween.

[0005] In an example embodiment, each of the electric bridges comprises two connecting portions and a cantilever portion disposed between and connected to the two connecting portions, the projection of the ground wire on the substrate overlapping the projection of the connecting portion on the substrate, the projection of the signal wire on the substrate overlapping the projection of the cantilever portion on the substrate, the connecting portion being configured to support the cantilever portion so that the cantilever portion is located on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate.

[0006] In an example embodiment, the number of the electric bridges is a plurality, and the plurality of electric bridges are arranged at intervals along a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to a first direction, the first direction being parallel to a direction in which the ground wire points to the signal wire.

[0007] In an example embodiment, the number of the electric bridges is 2 N N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

[0008] In an example embodiment, the phase shifter comprises (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures, of which 2N Each of the CPW transmission line structures includes a bridge, the first (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on one side of the 2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on one side of the 2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on one side of the 2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on one side of the 2

[0009] In an example embodiment, the ground line has a width along the first direction that is 5 to 6 times a width of the signal line along the first direction.

[0010] In an example embodiment, the dielectric layer includes a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer located above the first dielectric layer, the signal line, and the ground line.

[0011] The first dielectric layer is located in a space between the signal line and the ground line, and a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate overlaps a projection of the bridge on the substrate.

[0012] The second dielectric layer includes two first branches, a second branch arranged between the two first branches, and a plurality of third branches, the first branch and the second branch have a space therebetween, the third branches are arranged between the first branch and the second branch, the third branches are respectively connected to the first branch and the second branch, a projection of the first branch on the substrate at least partially overlaps a projection of the ground line on the substrate, a projection of the signal line on the substrate is located in a projection of the second branch on the substrate, and a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate at least partially overlaps a projection of the third branch on the substrate.

[0013] In an example embodiment, a projection of the ground line on the substrate is located in a projection of the first branch on the substrate.

[0014] The phase shifter further includes a lead electrode and a bridge bias line, the bridge is connected to the lead electrode, and the lead electrode is connected to the bridge bias line to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the bridge bias line.

[0015] In an example embodiment, the bridge includes a plurality of bridges, the plurality of bridges are divided into a plurality of groups, each group includes at least one bridge, and each group of bridges is connected through the bridge bias line.

[0016] In an example embodiment, the number of bridges in the i-th group is wherein i is an integer between 1 and N+1, N i N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

[0017] In an example embodiment, a projection of the first branch under the bridge on the substrate and a projection of the ground line on the substrate have a non-overlapping region;

[0018] The bridge and the ground line are connected in the non-overlapping region to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the ground line.

[0019] In an example embodiment, the dielectric layer includes two first branches and a second branch disposed between the two first branches, the first branch and the second branch have a spacing therebetween, a projection of the first branch on the substrate and a projection of the ground line on the substrate have an overlapping region, and a projection of the signal line on the substrate is located in a projection of the second branch on the substrate.

[0020] In an example embodiment, a projection of the ground line on the substrate is located in a projection of the first branch on the substrate.

[0021] The phase shifter further includes a lead electrode and a bridge bias line, the bridge is connected to the lead electrode, and the lead electrode and the bridge bias line are connected to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the bridge bias line.

[0022] In an example embodiment, a projection of the first branch under the bridge on the substrate and a projection of the ground line on the substrate have a non-overlapping region;

[0023] The bridge and the ground line are connected in the non-overlapping region to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the ground line.

[0024] In an example embodiment, the phase shifter further includes a signal line bias line, the signal line bias line is located on one side of the bridge along a second direction or on one side of the phase shifter along a second direction, and the signal line and the signal line bias line are connected to provide a second control voltage for the signal line through the signal line bias line.

[0025] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a phased array antenna including the phase shifter according to any one of the preceding embodiments.

[0026] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a preparation method of a phase shifter, the preparation method including:

[0027] forming two ground lines and one signal line on a substrate, the signal line is located between the two ground lines, and the signal line and the ground line have a spacing therebetween;

[0028] a dielectric layer is formed on the side of the signal line and the ground line away from the substrate;

[0029] at least one electric bridge is formed on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, the projection of the ground line and the signal line on the substrate overlaps with the projection of the electric bridge on the substrate, and the electric bridge has a spacing with the dielectric layer.

[0030] Other aspects can be apparent after reading the specification and accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the technical solutions of the present disclosure together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of the present disclosure. The shapes and sizes of the components in the drawings do not reflect the true proportions, and the purpose is only to schematically illustrate the present disclosure.

[0032] Figure 1 a structural schematic diagram of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0033] Figure 2a a structural schematic diagram of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 1 a structural schematic diagram of a single phase shift unit in the phase shifter;

[0034] Figure 2b a sectional view of the AA direction in the phase shifter; Figure 2a

[0035] Figure 3 a structural schematic diagram of another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 4a a structural schematic diagram of another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 a structural schematic diagram of a single phase shift unit in the phase shifter;

[0037] Figure 4b a sectional view of the BB direction in the phase shifter; Figure 4a

[0038] Figure 5a a structural schematic diagram of two bias lines according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5b

[0039] a structural schematic diagram of a test structure of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6

[0040] a structural schematic diagram of a test structure of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7a Figure 7b Figure 6 a structural schematic diagram of a test structure of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 8 a structural schematic diagram of another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;​​​​

[0042] Figure 9a FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a single phase shifter unit in the phase shifter of FIG. 1.

[0043] Figure 9b FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the CC direction in the phase shifter of FIG. 1. Figure 9a

[0044] FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of another phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 10

[0045] FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a single phase shifter unit in the phase shifter of FIG. 4. Figure 11a Figure 10 FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the DD direction in the phase shifter of FIG. 4.

[0046] Figure 11b Figure 11a FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a manufacturing method of a phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 12 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the objects, technical solutions, and advantages of the present disclosure clearer, the following will be used to specifically describe embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiments can be implemented in multiple different forms. It should be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments and contents can be changed into various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. The embodiments in the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined with each other as long as they are not in conflict.

[0049] In the drawings, the size, the thickness, or the region of each constituent element shown is sometimes exaggerated for the sake of clarity. Thus, one embodiment of the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to such a scale. The shapes and the sizes of the components shown in the drawings and the relative arrangement thereof are not necessarily limited to those shown in the drawings. For example, the omitted components can be included in the embodiments, or a plurality of components can be integrated into one component.

[0050] The ordinal numbers "first", "second", "third", and the like in the present specification are used for the purpose of avoiding confusion with the constituents, and are not intended to be limiting in number.

[0051] ​​​In this specification, the words "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer" and the like used in relation to the position, orientation, and alignment of constituent elements are used to facilitate the description of the present specification and simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present disclosure. The positional relationship of the constituent elements is appropriately changed according to the direction in which each constituent element is described. Therefore, it is not limited to the words described in the specification, and can be appropriately changed according to the situation.

[0052] In this specification, unless explicitly defined and limited otherwise, the terms "mount", "connect", "connection" should be broadly understood. For example, it can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate piece, or connected inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0053] In this specification, "electrically connected" includes the case where the constituent elements are connected together by an element having a certain electrical effect. The "element having a certain electrical effect" is not particularly limited as long as it can perform the transmission and reception of electrical signals between the connected constituent elements. Examples of the "element having a certain electrical effect" include not only electrodes and wiring, but also switching elements such as transistors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, other elements having various functions, and the like.

[0054] In this specification, "parallel" means that the angle formed by two straight lines is -10° or more and 10° or less, so it also includes the case where the angle is -5° or more and 5° or less. In addition, "perpendicular" means that the angle formed by two straight lines is 80° or more and 100° or less, so it also includes the case where the angle is 85° or more and 95° or less.

[0055] In the present disclosure, "about" means not strictly limited to the limit, allowing values within the range of process and measurement error.

[0056] In the present disclosure, two structures "disposed in the same layer" means that both are formed from the same material layer, so they are in the same layer in a stacked relationship, but it does not mean that the distance between them and the substrate is equal, nor does it mean that the other layer structure between them and the substrate is completely the same.

[0057] In the present disclosure, the "patterning process" refers to a step of forming a structure with a specific pattern, which can be one or more steps of a photolithography process including forming a material layer, coating a photoresist, exposure, development, etching, photoresist stripping, etc. Of course, the "patterning process" can also be an imprinting process, an inkjet printing process, or other processes.

[0058] Figure 1 and Figure 3 The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2a The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 1 The structure of the single phase shift unit 4 in the AA direction, Figure 2b The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 2a The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4a The structure of the single phase shift unit 4 in the BB direction, Figure 3 The structure of the single phase shift unit 4 in the BB direction, Figure 4b The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 4a The structure of the two phase shifters provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 1 , Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 3 , Figure 4a and Figure 4b The present disclosure provides a phase shifter, comprising: a substrate 5; two ground wires 1 located on the substrate 5; a signal wire 2 located on the substrate 5 and between the two ground wires 1, the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1 having a spacing therebetween; a dielectric layer 3 located on the side of the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1 away from the substrate 5; at least one electric bridge 8 located on the side of the dielectric layer 3 away from the substrate 5, the projection of the ground wire 1 and the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 overlapping the projection of the electric bridge 8 on the substrate 5, and the electric bridge 8 and the dielectric layer 3 having a spacing therebetween.

[0059] Optionally, the phase shifter of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) phase shifter.

[0060] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new type of phase shifter structure, and the working principle is as follows: the two ground wires 1 and the signal wire 2 form a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line, when there is no voltage difference between the electric bridge 8 and the signal wire 2, the electric bridge 8 is in a suspended state, and when a large enough direct current voltage is applied between the electric bridge 8 and the signal wire 2, the electric bridge 8 is pulled down to the surface of the dielectric layer 3 under the action of electrostatic force, the capacitance changes, causing the change of electromagnetic wave transmission characteristics, and then realizing the function of phase shift.

[0061] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase shift unit 4 of the phase shifter is a MEMS electric bridge, and a single phase shift unit 4 includes a substrate 5, a CPW transmission line (including two ground wires 1 and a signal wire 2), a dielectric layer 3, an electric bridge 8, and a lead electrode 7.

[0062] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 4a and Figure 4b , each of the electric bridges 8 comprises two connecting portions 82 and a cantilever portion 81 disposed between and connected to the two connecting portions 82, the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5 overlaps the projection of the connecting portions 82 on the substrate 5, the projection of the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 overlaps the projection of the cantilever portion 81 on the substrate 5, the connecting portions 82 are used to support the cantilever portion 81 so that the cantilever portion 81 is located on the side of the dielectric layer 3 away from the substrate 5.

[0063] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the number of the electric bridges 8 can be multiple, and the multiple electric bridges 8 are arranged at intervals along a second direction Y, the second direction Y is perpendicular to a first direction X, and the first direction X is parallel to the direction in which the ground wire 1 points to the signal wire 2.

[0064] In some example embodiments, the number of the electric bridges is 2 N , and N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

[0065] Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the phase shifter comprises 32 phase shift units, and the 32 phase shift units can realize a 5-bit digital phase shifter. In other example embodiments, 16 phase shift units 4 can be used to realize a 4-bit digital phase shifter, or 64 phase shift units 4 can be used to realize a 6-bit digital phase shifter, and the number of the phase shift units is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0066] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 , Figure 2a and Figure 2b , the dielectric layer 3 comprises a first dielectric layer 31 and a second dielectric layer 32 located above the first dielectric layer 31, the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1.

[0067] The first dielectric layer 31 is located in the interval region between the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1, and the projection of the first dielectric layer 31 on the substrate 5 overlaps the projection of the electric bridge 8 on the substrate 5.

[0068] The second dielectric layer 32 includes two first branches 321, a second branch 322 arranged between the two first branches 321, and a plurality of third branches 323, the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 have a spacing therebetween, the third branch 323 is arranged in the spacing region between the first branch 321 and the second branch 322, the third branch 323 is connected with the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 respectively, the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the first branch 321 on the substrate 5, the projection of the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the second branch 322 on the substrate 5, and the projection of the first dielectric layer 31 on the substrate 5 overlaps or at least partially overlaps with the projection of the third branch 323 on the substrate 5.

[0069] In the embodiment, the dielectric layer 3 is designed in two layers, i.e., the first dielectric layer 31 and the second dielectric layer 32, which fill the gap between the ground wire 1 and the signal wire 2 in a single phase-shifting unit, so that the planarization of the sacrificial layer is easier to achieve, and an electric bridge with better performance can be obtained. The second dielectric layer 32 mainly plays the following roles: 1. The first part 32a is used to isolate the electric bridge 8 and the ground wire 1; 2. The second part 32b is used to increase the dielectric constant of the capacitive dielectric layer between the electric bridge 8 and the signal wire 2; 3. The third part 32c is used to enhance the insulation between the ground wire 1 and the signal wire 2; 4. The fourth part 32d is used as an adhesion layer to enhance the stability of the suspended structure of the metal electric bridge. The first dielectric layer 31 is mainly used to fill the spacing region between the ground wire 1 and the signal wire 2, reduce the height difference between the structure film layers, facilitate the planarization of the sacrificial layer, and ensure the performance of the electric bridge.

[0070] In some example embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, Figure 3 、 Figure 4a and Figure 4b As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the dielectric layer 3 includes two first branches 321 and a second branch 322 arranged between the two first branches 321, the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 have a spacing therebetween, the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the first branch 321 on the substrate 5, and the projection of the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the second branch 322 on the substrate 5.

[0071] In the embodiment, the dielectric layer 3 is designed in a single layer, and the spacing region between the ground wire 1 and the signal wire 2 is not filled with a dielectric layer.

[0072] In some example embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, Figure 1 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 5a and Figure 5bAs shown, the phase shifter further comprises a signal line bias line 62 located at one side of the bridge 8 along the second direction Y or at one side of the phase shifter along the second direction Y, and the signal line 2 is connected with the signal line bias line 62 to provide the second control voltage for the signal line 2 through the signal line bias line 62.

[0073] In some example embodiments, the phase shifter comprises (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures, among which 2 N CPW transmission line structures each comprise a bridge, the (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged at one side of the 2 N CPW transmission line structures along the first direction, the (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are free of bridges, the (2 N +1) CPW transmission line structures are configured to be connected with a signal line bias line, and N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 , a bridge-free CPW transmission line structure of one unit can be arranged at the left or right side of the 32 phase shift units, which can be used for leading out the signal line bias line 62. In example embodiments, as shown in Figure 5a , to enhance reliability, two signal line bias lines 62 can be led out. In addition to the signal line bias line structure distribution shown in Figure 5a , the signal line bias line structure distribution shown in Figure 5b may also be used. In Figure 5b , the signal line bias line 62 is led out from the signal line in the leftmost CPW transmission line of the entire phase shifter.

[0075] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 2a , Figure 2b , Figure 4a and Figure 4b , the phase shifter further comprises a lead electrode 7 and a bridge bias line 61, the bridge 8 is connected with the lead electrode 7, and the lead electrode 7 is connected with the bridge bias line 61 to provide the first control voltage for the bridge 8 through the bridge bias line 61.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the lead electrode 7 is connected with the bridge 8, and the bridge bias line 61 can be led out from the center of the lead electrode 7. The disclosure leads out the bridge bias line 61 by using the lead electrode 7, because the bridge 8 is usually made of aluminum Al, and the bridge bias line is usually made of indium tin oxide (ITO), which has poor contact with Al and is prone to peeling. Therefore, by adding a layer of transition metal as the lead electrode 7, better contact can be achieved, and the lead electrode 7 is usually made of copper Cu.

[0077] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 The bridge 8 can include multiple bridges 8, and the multiple bridges 8 are divided into multiple groups, each group including at least one bridge 8, and the bridges 8 in each group are connected by the bridge bias line 61.

[0078] In some example embodiments, the number of bridges in the i-th group is , i is an integer between 1 and N+1, N i is an integer between 0 and N-1, and N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

[0079] In some example embodiments, the bridge 8 includes six groups, wherein the first and second groups each include one bridge 8, the third group includes two bridges 8, the fourth group includes four bridges 8, the fifth group includes eight bridges 8, and the sixth group includes sixteen bridges 8.

[0080] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 5a and Figure 5b The sixth group of bridges 8 can be connected with two parallel bridge bias lines 61 to enhance reliability.

[0081] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 3 The 32 phase shift units are not individually controlled by each bridge, but one, one, two, four, eight, and sixteen bridges are connected by the bridge bias line 61, respectively, and then each is led out, a total of six bridge bias lines 61 are led out, and in an example embodiment, a total of seven bridge bias lines 61 can also be led out, wherein the 16 bridges are led out by two bridge bias lines 61 to avoid open circuit due to too long wiring. The direct current voltage is applied between the signal line bias line 62 and the bridge bias line 61. As shown in Figure 5a and Figure 5bAs shown, finally all the signal line bias lines 62 and bridge bias lines 62 are connected to the bonding pads, two signal line bias lines 62 are connected together, and two bridge bias lines 61 of 16 bridges are also connected together, finally a total of 7 control lines are connected to the flexible printed circuit (FPC) through bonding, and the control circuit controls the application of the direct current control voltage through the FPC.

[0082] As shown in Figure 6 As shown, symmetric first test structure 16, second test structure 17 and third test structure 18 are added on both sides of the 32 phase shift units, so as to be connected to the external test port for testing, the first test structure 16 is a 100Ω CPW transmission line structure, the second test structure 17 is a 70.7Ω CPW transmission line structure, and the third test structure 18 is a 50Ω CPW transmission line structure. In an exemplary embodiment, the width of a single bridge 8 is 30um, the width d1 of the signal line 2 is 20um, the width d2 of the ground line 1 is 100um, and the spacing between the signal line 2 and the ground line 1 is 34um, and the scattering parameter (i.e. S parameter) simulation results are as shown in Figure 7a and Figure 7b As shown, wherein, Figure 7a S21 (i.e. S(port2, port1), port2 and port1 represent the test ports on the left and right sides of the phase shifter respectively) corresponding to the size of the down pull of different numbers of metal bridges, 1# represents the down pull of a single bridge of "1" on the left side of "1 1 2 4 8 16", 1' # represents the down pull of a single bridge of "1" on the right side of "1 1 2 4 8 16", 2# represents the down pull of two connected bridges of "2" in "1 1 2 4 8 16", and similarly to 16#, 0# and 32# represent the full non-down pull and full down pull of the bridges, Figure 7b corresponding to the phase (cang_degS21) of S21 when different numbers of metal bridges are down pulled.

[0083] The simulation results show that for the phase shifter, at 17.7GHz frequency point, 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 bridges are down pulled respectively, and the corresponding phase shift degree changes by 0-716.65°, with an average of 22.4° per phase shift, and the insertion loss changes by -3.08-7.27dB. Therefore, according to the parameter setting (bridge width of 30um, CPW transmission line structure of 20um / 34um / 100um) of the aforementioned phase shifter, only 16 units are needed, and "1 1 2 4 8" bridge distribution can be used to realize 4-bit digital phase shift function. By reducing the bridge width or reducing the width of the signal line in the CPW transmission line, the single phase shift unit phase shifts by 11.25°, so that Figure 6The 32 phase-shifting units of the "1 1 2 4 8 16" distribution can realize 5-bit digital phase-shifting function.

[0084] In some example embodiments, the width d2 of the ground line 1 along the first direction X is 5 to 6 times the width d1 of the signal line 2 along the first direction X.

[0085] Compared with the existing MEMS bridge design, the width of the ground line 1 in the MEMS bridge in the present disclosure is reduced. In example embodiments, the width d1 of the signal line 2 along the first direction X can be 20 um, and the width d2 of the ground line 1 along the first direction X can be 100 um to 200 um. For example, the width d2 of the ground line 1 along the first direction X can be only 100 um, which reduces the size of the phase-shifting unit and facilitates the array design of the phase shifter in the phased array antenna.

[0086] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, in addition to controlling the number of pull-downs of the bridge to realize a digital phase shifter, the size of the direct current voltage can also be controlled to realize an analog phase shifter. The corresponding phase shifter structure is as shown in Figure 8 、 Figure 9a 、 Figure 9b 、 Figure 10 、 Figure 11a and Figure 11b , Figure 9a is a structure schematic diagram of a single phase-shifting unit in Figure 8 , Figure 9b is a cross-sectional view of the CC direction in Figure 9a , Figure 11a is a structure schematic diagram of a single phase-shifting unit in Figure 10 , Figure 11b is a cross-sectional view of the DD direction in Figure 11a .

[0087] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 8 、 Figure 9a and Figure 9b , the dielectric layer 3 includes a first dielectric layer 31 and a second dielectric layer 32 located above the first dielectric layer 31, the signal line 2 and the ground line 1;

[0088] The first dielectric layer 31 is located in the spacing region between the signal line 2 and the ground line 1, and the projection of the first dielectric layer 31 on the substrate 5 overlaps the projection of the bridge 8 on the substrate 5;

[0089] The second dielectric layer 32 comprises two first branches 321, a second branch 322 arranged between the two first branches 321, and a plurality of third branches 323, the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 have a spacing therebetween, the third branch 323 is arranged in the spacing region between the first branch 321 and the second branch 322, the third branch 323 is connected with the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 respectively, the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5 partially overlaps the projection of the first branch 321 on the substrate 5, the projection of the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the second branch 322 on the substrate 5, and the projection of the first dielectric layer 31 on the substrate 5 overlaps or at least partially overlaps the projection of the third branch 323 on the substrate 5.

[0090] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 8 , Figure 9a and Figure 9b , the projection of the second dielectric layer 32 (the first branch 321) under the connecting portion 82 of the bridge 8 on the substrate 5 has a non-overlapping region with the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5;

[0091] The bridge 8 is connected with the ground wire 1 in the non-overlapping region to provide the bridge 8 with the first control voltage through the ground wire 1.

[0092] In other example embodiments, Figure 10 , Figure 11a and Figure 11b , the dielectric layer 3 comprises two first branches 321 and a second branch 322 arranged between the two first branches 321, the first branch 321 and the second branch 322 have a spacing therebetween, the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5 partially overlaps the projection of the first branch 321 on the substrate 5, and the projection of the signal wire 2 on the substrate 5 is located in the projection of the second branch 322 on the substrate 5.

[0093] In some example embodiments, as shown in Figure 10 , Figure 11a and Figure 11b , the projection of the dielectric layer 3 (the first branch 321) under the connecting portion 82 of the bridge 8 on the substrate 5 has a non-overlapping region with the projection of the ground wire 1 on the substrate 5;

[0094] The bridge 8 is connected with the ground wire 1 in the non-overlapping region to provide the bridge 8 with the first control voltage through the ground wire 1.

[0095] In the analog phase shifter, the bridge 8 is directly connected to the ground wire 1 in the CPW transmission line, and the direct current voltage is applied between the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1 in the CPW transmission line, but a part of the insulating medium layer is arranged on the side of the ground wire 1 close to the signal wire 2, so that the adhesion between the bridge 8 and the CPW transmission line is enhanced, and the insulating effect between the signal wire 2 and the ground wire 1 is better. Similarly, in the analog phase shifter, the medium layer 3 can also be designed in two layers to achieve better planarization of the sacrificial layer and performance of the bridge. After a given voltage is applied, all the bridges are moved at the same time and the pull-down height is the same, the pull-down height is controlled by controlling the voltage size, different pull-down heights correspond to different capacitance sizes, and different phase shift sizes. The analog phase shifter can select to use 16 or 32 phase shift units to realize continuous phase shift of 0-360°.

[0096] As shown in Figure 12 The present disclosure also provides a preparation method of a phase shifter, for preparing the phase shifter in the foregoing embodiments, the preparation method comprising:

[0097] Step 101, forming two ground wires and a signal wire on a substrate, the signal wire being located between the two ground wires, and the signal wire and the ground wires having a spacing therebetween.

[0098] Optionally, before step 101, the preparation method can further comprise:

[0099] forming a bias line layer on the substrate, the bias line layer being used to provide a control voltage for the signal wire and the bridge.

[0100] In the phase shifter, all the bias lines are located in the bottom layer, so that the risk of short circuit caused by creeping wave and other factors can be avoided.

[0101] Optionally, after the bias line layer is formed, the preparation method can further comprise:

[0102] forming a first medium layer on the bias line layer.

[0103] Optionally, a metal layer can be formed on the substrate, and the metal layer is patterned to simultaneously form the ground wires and the signal wire, the two ground wires and the signal wire being arranged with a spacing therebetween on the substrate, the signal wire being located between the two ground wires, to form a CPW (coplanar waveguide) transmission line.

[0104] Step 102, forming a medium layer on the side of the signal wire and the ground wire away from the substrate.

[0105] Optionally, the medium layer can cover all the exposed surfaces of the signal wire and the ground wire.

[0106] Optionally, the medium layer can be an insulating medium layer.

[0107] Step 103, forming at least one electric bridge on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, the projection of the ground wire and the signal wire on the substrate overlaps with the projection of the electric bridge on the substrate, and there is a gap between the electric bridge and the dielectric layer.

[0108] Optionally, step 103 can include:

[0109] S1031, forming a sacrificial layer on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, the sacrificial layer corresponds to the position of the subsequently formed suspension beam part.

[0110] S1032, forming an electric bridge on the side of the sacrificial layer away from the substrate, the electric bridge includes two connecting parts and a suspension beam part arranged between and connected to the two connecting parts, and the connecting part is connected to the lead electrode or the ground wire.

[0111] S1033, removing the sacrificial layer.

[0112] The phase shifter of the embodiments of the present disclosure can implement a 4-bit / 5-bit digital phase shifter, or can implement analog continuous phase shifting. The phase shifter can be used in a phased array antenna to implement satellite communication functions.

[0113] The embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a phased array antenna, which includes the phase shifter of any of the preceding embodiments.

[0114] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure are as described above, the content described is only the embodiments adopted for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any person skilled in the art can make any modification and change in the form and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, but the patent protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A phase shifter, comprising: a substrate; two ground lines on the substrate; a signal line on the substrate and between the two ground lines, the signal line and the ground lines having a spacing therebetween; a dielectric layer on a side of the signal line and the ground lines away from the substrate; a plurality of bridges on a side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, projections of the ground lines and the signal line on the substrate and projections of the bridges on the substrate overlap, the bridges and the dielectric layer having a spacing therebetween, the bridges are arranged in a second direction, the second direction is perpendicular to a first direction, the first direction is parallel to a direction of the ground lines pointing to the signal line; The phase shifter comprises +1) CPW transmission line structures, in which Each of the CPW transmission line structures comprises a bridge, the first The +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on the side of the The +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on the side of the The +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on the side of the The +1) CPW transmission line structures are arranged on the side of the 2. The phase shifter of claim 1, wherein, each of the bridges comprises two connection portions and a beam portion disposed between and connected to the two connection portions, the projections of the ground lines on the substrate and the projections of the connection portions on the substrate overlap, the projections of the signal line on the substrate and the projections of the beam portion on the substrate overlap, the connection portions are configured to support the beam portion so that the beam portion is on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate.

3. The phase shifter of claim 1, wherein, The number of the electric bridges is N is the number of bits of the phase shifter. 4.The phase shifter of claim 1, a width of the ground lines along the first direction is 5 to 6 times a width of the signal line along the first direction.

5. The phase shifter of claim 1, wherein, the dielectric layer comprises a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer on the first dielectric layer, the signal line and the ground lines; the first dielectric layer is in a spacing region between the signal line and the ground lines, the projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate and the projections of the bridges on the substrate overlap; the second dielectric layer comprises two first branches, a second branch disposed between the two first branches, and a plurality of third branches, the first branches and the second branch have a spacing therebetween, the third branches are disposed between the first branches and the second branch, the third branches are connected to the first branches and the second branch respectively, the projection of the first branch on the substrate at least partially overlaps the projection of the ground line on the substrate, the projection of the signal line on the substrate is in the projection of the second branch on the substrate, the projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate at least partially overlaps the projection of the third branch on the substrate.

6. The phase shifter of claim 5, wherein, the projection of the ground line on the substrate is in the projection of the first branch on the substrate; the phase shifter further comprises a lead electrode and a bridge bias line, the bridges are connected to the lead electrode, the lead electrode and the bridge bias line are connected to provide a first control voltage to the bridges through the bridge bias line.

7. The phase shifter of claim 6, wherein, the bridges comprise a plurality of bridges, the plurality of bridges are divided into a plurality of groups, each group comprises at least one bridge, each group of bridges is connected through the bridge bias line.

8. The phase shifter of claim 7, wherein, The number of said bridges of the i-th group is one, i is an integer between 1 and N+1, N-1, N being the number of bits of said phase shifter.

9. The phase shifter of claim 5, wherein, the first branch under the bridge has a non-overlapping region with the projection of the ground line on the substrate; the bridge and the ground line are connected in the non-overlapping region to provide a first control voltage to the bridge through the ground line.

10. The phase shifter of claim 1, wherein, The dielectric layer includes two first branches and a second branch disposed between the two first branches, the first branch and the second branch have a spacing therebetween, a projection of the first branch on the substrate has an overlapping area with a projection of the ground line on the substrate, a projection of the signal line on the substrate is located in a projection of the second branch on the substrate.

11. The phase shifter of claim 10, wherein, The projection of the ground line on the substrate is located in a projection of the first branch on the substrate. The phase shifter further includes a lead electrode and a bridge bias line, the bridge is connected with the lead electrode, and the lead electrode is connected with the bridge bias line to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the bridge bias line.

12. The phase shifter of claim 10, wherein, The first branch under the bridge has a non-overlapping area with the projection of the ground line on the substrate. The bridge is connected with the ground line in the non-overlapping area to provide a first control voltage for the bridge through the ground line.

13. The phase shifter of any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a signal line bias line, the signal line bias line is located on one side of the bridge along a second direction or on one side of the phase shifter along a second direction, and the signal line is connected with the signal line bias line to provide a second control voltage for the signal line through the signal line bias line.

14. A phase shifter, comprising: a substrate; two ground lines located on the substrate; a signal line located on the substrate and between the two ground lines, the signal line and the ground line have a spacing therebetween; a dielectric layer located on a side of the signal line and the ground line away from the substrate; at least one bridge located on a side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, a projection of the ground line and the signal line on the substrate overlaps with a projection of the bridge on the substrate, and the bridge and the dielectric layer have a spacing therebetween; the dielectric layer includes a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer located above the first dielectric layer, the signal line and the ground line; the first dielectric layer is located in the spacing area between the signal line and the ground line, and a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate overlaps with a projection of the bridge on the substrate; the second dielectric layer includes two first branches, a second branch disposed between the two first branches, and a plurality of third branches, the first branch and the second branch have a spacing therebetween, the third branches are disposed between the first branch and the second branch, the third branches are respectively connected with the first branch and the second branch, a projection of the first branch on the substrate at least partially overlaps with a projection of the ground line on the substrate, a projection of the signal line on the substrate is located in a projection of the second branch on the substrate, and a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate at least partially overlaps with a projection of the third branch on the substrate.

15. A phased array antenna comprising the phase shifter of any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. A method for manufacturing a phase shifter, the method comprising: forming two ground lines and one signal line on a substrate, the signal line being located between the two ground lines, the signal line and the ground lines having a spacing therebetween; forming a dielectric layer on a side of the signal line and the ground lines away from the substrate; Multiple electrical bridges are formed on the side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate. The projections of the ground line and the signal line onto the substrate overlap with the projections of the electrical bridges onto the substrate. There is a gap between the electrical bridges and the dielectric layer. The multiple electrical bridges are arranged at intervals along a second direction, which is perpendicular to a first direction. The first direction is parallel to the direction from the ground line to the signal line. The ground line, signal line, and electrical bridges constitute (…). +1) CPW transmission line structures, in which In each CPW transmission line structure, each CPW transmission line structure includes a bridge, the ( ) +1) CPW transmission line structures are set in the The CPW transmission line structure along one side of the first direction, the ( The +1) CPW transmission line structure has no bridge, the ( )th +1) CPW transmission line structures are configured to be connected to signal line bias lines, where N is the number of bits of the phase shifter.

17. A method of manufacturing a phase shifter, the method comprising: forming two ground lines and one signal line on a substrate, the signal line being located between the two ground lines, the signal line and the ground lines having a spacing therebetween; forming a dielectric layer on a side of the signal line and the ground lines away from the substrate; the dielectric layer comprises a first dielectric layer and a second dielectric layer located above the first dielectric layer, the signal line and the ground lines; the first dielectric layer is located in the spacing region between the signal line and the ground lines; the second dielectric layer comprises two first branches, a second branch disposed between the two first branches, and a plurality of third branches, the first branch and the second branch having a spacing therebetween, the third branch being disposed between the first branch and the second branch, the third branch being connected with the first branch and the second branch respectively, a projection of the first branch on the substrate at least partially overlaps a projection of the ground line on the substrate, a projection of the signal line on the substrate is located in a projection of the second branch on the substrate, a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate at least partially overlaps a projection of the third branch on the substrate; forming at least one electrical bridge on a side of the dielectric layer away from the substrate, a projection of the ground line and the signal line on the substrate overlaps a projection of the electrical bridge on the substrate, the electrical bridge and the dielectric layer having a spacing therebetween; a projection of the first dielectric layer on the substrate overlaps a projection of the electrical bridge on the substrate.

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