Time-encoded artificial surface plasmon polariton based multi-bit digital phase shifter

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of multi-bit digital phase shifters based on time coding artificial surface plasmon, belong to novel microwave device field, partial above dielectric substrate includes two groups of phase shift units, two bias circuits and first and last two microstrip lines, the part below dielectric substrate is a layer of metal ground.The phase shift unit is periodically arranged by the U-shaped artificial surface plasmon unit structure loaded with PIN tube, and the two groups of phase shift units are loaded with patch capacitors.The multi-bit digital phase shifter of the application only needs two control signals and two kinds of phase shift units to realize the function of arbitrary bit digital phase shifter, with the characteristics of less control signal, small size, simple structure, easy to design, and high practical value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of novel microwave device technology, and in particular to a multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons. Background Technology

[0002] Phase shifters are devices that control the phase change of signals and are widely used in radar systems, microwave communication systems, and measurement systems. Electrically controlled phase shifters can be divided into two categories: analog and digital. Analog phase shifters are driven by a control signal to continuously change the phase shift; although the phase change is relatively precise, their control circuitry is more complex. Digital phase shifters, on the other hand, quantize the phase shift, meaning the phase shift can only change in steps of 180°, 90°, 45°, etc. An N-bit digital phase shifter has a phase shift range of 0° to 360°. N Digital phase shifters typically consist of multiple cascaded phase shift units to achieve high phase shift accuracy over a wide phase shift range. However, as the number of phase shift units increases, the number of control signals increases, the device size increases, and the design difficulty increases. Therefore, small-size, high-phase-resolution, and wide-phase-shifting-range digital phase shifters are a key research focus and challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons to solve the problems of existing high-phase-resolution digital phase shifters, such as numerous cascaded units, the need for multiple control signals, and large size.

[0004] This invention provides a multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons, comprising:

[0005] metal ground;

[0006] A dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate is located above the metal ground;

[0007] The dielectric substrate includes a first phase-shifting unit, a second phase-shifting unit, a first bias circuit, a second bias circuit, and two microstrip lines above it.

[0008] The first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are connected by a surface-mount capacitor, and the control signals of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are isolated by the surface-mount capacitor;

[0009] The two microstrip lines are disposed at the beginning and end of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit, respectively, and are used to power the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit.

[0010] The first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit are periodically arranged from U-shaped artificial surface plasmon units with loaded PIN diodes;

[0011] The first bias circuit and the second bias circuit provide control signals to the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit, respectively. By switching the potential state and duty cycle of the control signals, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be switched.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first bias circuit and the second bias circuit are composed of metal patches and metal wires connected in series.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the metal patch is a square metal patch with a side length of one-quarter of the working wavelength.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, in a U-shaped artificial surface plasmon unit with a loaded PIN diode, the negative electrode of the PIN diode is connected to a parallel stub containing a metal via, and the positive electrode of the PIN diode is connected to a U-shaped main microstrip line. When the PIN diode is at a high potential, the corresponding PIN diode is turned on, and when the PIN diode is at a low potential, the corresponding PIN diode is turned off.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, by designing the size and number of U-shaped artificial surface plasmon units, the first phase-shifting unit achieves a 180° phase shift under a control signal, and the second phase-shifting unit achieves a 90° phase shift under a control signal.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first bias circuit and the second bias circuit are used to form four control states: 00, 01, 10, and 11. The four control states correspond to phase shifts of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. By switching the potential and duty cycle of the control signal, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be switched.

[0017] The multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons in this invention achieves the effect of multiple control signals with only two, facilitating real-time control. It requires only two phase shifting units to achieve any phase shift value within the range of 0° to 360°, effectively reducing the size of the phase shifter. The phase shifter of this invention has a simple structure and is easy to design, making it promising for application in next-generation radar and communication systems.

[0018] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0020] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a multi-bit digital phase shifter structure based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a U-shaped artificial surface plasmon unit structure with a loaded PIN diode provided according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 The phase shift curve test results and attenuation curve test results are provided under the four control potential states of "00", "01", "10" and "11" according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 The test results of a digital phase shifter, taking a 7-bit example, are provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, this multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons includes:

[0027] metal ground ( Figure 1 (Not shown);

[0028] dielectric substrate ( Figure 1 (Not shown), the dielectric substrate is located above the metal ground;

[0029] The dielectric substrate includes a first phase-shifting unit, a second phase-shifting unit, a first bias circuit, a second bias circuit, and two microstrip lines.

[0030] The first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are connected by a surface-mount capacitor, and the control signals of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are isolated by the surface-mount capacitor;

[0031] Two microstrip lines are placed at the beginning and end of the first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit to supply power to the first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit;

[0032] The first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit are periodically arranged from U-shaped artificial surface plasmon units with loaded PIN tubes;

[0033] The first bias circuit and the second bias circuit provide control signals to the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit, respectively. By switching the potential state and duty cycle of the control signals, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be switched.

[0034] The U-shaped artificial surface plasmon resonance (ASPR) unit has more design parameters, making it easier to tune the phase shifter to a specific phase shift value and improve the narrowband characteristics of the phase shifter. By loading a PIN diode into the ASPR unit and switching the control signal potential, different phase shift states can be achieved: when the control signal is low, the phase shift is 0° ("0" state); when the control signal is high, the phase shifter performs the phase shift function ("1" state). A surface-mount capacitor is loaded between two phase shifters to isolate their control signals.

[0035] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first bias circuit and the second bias circuit are composed of metal patches and metal wires connected in series.

[0036] Understandably, the bias circuit uses a structure of a metal sheet connected in series with an extremely fine metal wire, which can effectively prevent radio frequency signals from leaking into the control signal port.

[0037] In one specific embodiment, the metal patch is a square metal patch with a side length of one-quarter of the working wavelength.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, in a U-shaped artificial surface plasmon cell with a PIN diode, the negative terminal of the PIN diode is connected to a parallel stub containing a metal via, and the positive terminal of the PIN diode is connected to the U-shaped main microstrip line. The metal via is connected to the metal ground. The dispersion characteristics of the cell structure differ when the PIN diode is in the "on" and "off" states, meaning the wavenumber K of the cell differs at the operating frequency, thus achieving the phase-shifting function. The control signal for the PIN diode requires only two potentials: a high potential corresponds to the PIN diode being on ("1"), and a low potential corresponds to the PIN diode being off ("0"). Thus, by controlling the on / off state of the PIN diode, the function of a digital phase shifter is achieved.

[0039] The size and number of artificial surface plasmon units in the phase-shifting unit should be designed appropriately (e.g., Figure 2The dimensions of h1, h2, w1, w2, l1, and p in the circuit are used to enable the first phase-shifting unit to shift the phase by 180°, and the second phase-shifting unit to shift the phase by 90°. The control signals of the two bias circuits can form four control states: "00", "01", "10", and "11", which correspond to phase shifts of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°, respectively. By adjusting the potential state and duty cycle of the two control signals, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be achieved, realizing the effect of a multi-bit digital phase shifter.

[0040] like Figure 3 The figure shows the phase shift curve test results and attenuation curve test results of the present invention in four states. It can be seen that at the center frequency of 5GHz, the four states "00", "01", "10" and "11" respectively achieved phase shifts of 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°.

[0041] like Figure 4 The diagram shown illustrates the results of testing the 7-bit digital phase shifter functionality of this invention. By adjusting the state and duty cycle of the two control signals, 128 phase shift values ​​were achieved between 0° and 360°, with the minimum phase shift being approximately 2.8°.

[0042] The multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmon polaritons (ASPs) proposed in this invention includes two sets of phase-shifting units, two bias circuits, and two microstrip lines above the dielectric substrate, while the portion below the substrate is a metal ground layer. The phase-shifting units are periodically arranged from U-shaped ASPs with loaded PIN diodes, and surface-mount capacitors are loaded between the two sets of phase-shifting units. This invention requires only two control signals and two types of phase-shifting units to achieve the function of an arbitrary-bit digital phase shifter, featuring fewer control signals, small size, simple structure, and ease of design, thus possessing high practical value.

[0043] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with that embodiment or example, which are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0044] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "N" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

Claims

1. A multi-bit digital phase shifter based on time-coded artificial surface plasmons, characterized in that, include: metal ground; A dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate is located above the metal ground; The dielectric substrate includes a first phase-shifting unit, a second phase-shifting unit, a first bias circuit, a second bias circuit, and two microstrip lines above it. The first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are connected by a surface-mount capacitor, and the control signals of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit are isolated by the surface-mount capacitor; The two microstrip lines are disposed at the beginning and end of the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit, respectively, and are used to power the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit. The first phase-shifting unit and the second phase-shifting unit are periodically arranged from U-shaped artificial surface plasmon units with loaded PIN diodes; The first bias circuit and the second bias circuit provide control signals to the first phase shifting unit and the second phase shifting unit, respectively. By switching the potential state and duty cycle of the control signals, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be switched.

2. The multi-bit digital phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first bias circuit and the second bias circuit are composed of metal patches and metal wires connected in series.

3. The multi-bit digital phase shifter according to claim 2, characterized in that, The metal patch is a square metal patch with a side length of one-quarter of the working wavelength.

4. The multi-bit digital phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, In a U-shaped artificial surface plasmon unit with a loaded PIN diode, the negative terminal of the PIN diode is connected to a parallel stub containing a metal via, and the positive terminal of the PIN diode is connected to a U-shaped main microstrip line. When the PIN diode is at a high potential, it is turned on; when the PIN diode is at a low potential, it is turned off.

5. The multi-bit digital phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, By designing the size and number of U-shaped artificial surface plasmon units, the first phase-shifting unit can achieve a 180° phase shift under a control signal, and the second phase-shifting unit can achieve a 90° phase shift under a control signal.

6. The multi-bit digital phase shifter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first bias circuit and the second bias circuit are used to form four control states: 00, 01, 10, and 11. The four control states correspond to phase shifts of 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°. By switching the potential and duty cycle of the control signal, any phase shift value between 0° and 360° can be switched.

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