Compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna

Abstract

A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna provided by the present invention comprises an LTCC substrate, a radiation patch, feed patches and a grounding layer, the radiation patch is arranged on the upper surface of the LTCC substrate, the grounding layer is arranged on the lower surface of the LTCC substrate, the feed patches are arranged in the LTCC substrate corresponding to the radiation patch, one radiation patch is correspondingly provided with two feed patches distributed at intervals, and the other radiation patch is correspondingly provided with two feed patches distributed at intervals. A metalized via hole communicated with the feed patch and the grounding layer is formed in the position, corresponding to the feed patch, of the LTCC substrate, the feed patch and the grounding layer are electrically connected through the metalized via hole, and the feed patch is coupled with the radiation patch. One radiation patch is correspondingly provided with two feed patches which are distributed at an interval, so that the unit antenna realizes dual-port feed. While high gain and high efficiency are ensured, the design of the double-feed patch can provide wider bandwidth, and the antenna is suitable for broadband application. And the antenna finished product is easy to produce, and the production cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of antenna technology, and in particular to a compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna. Background Art

[0002] Existing millimeter wave antennas mainly have three designs: magnetoelectric dipole, ridge gap waveguides (RGW) and metasurface.

[0003] Magnetoelectric dipole antennas are widely used in millimeter wave systems due to their stable gain, broadband and easy integration. Substrate integrated coaxial lines are usually used as the feeding method to achieve a wider impedance bandwidth.

[0004] Ridge slot waveguide is a microwave transmission technology developed from a variation of rectangular waveguide. Ridge slot waveguide works by adding one or two protruding ridges to the wide wall of the rectangular waveguide, which affect the electromagnetic field distribution within the waveguide. This design can reduce the main mode cutoff frequency of the waveguide, allowing signals to be transmitted over a wider frequency band while maintaining a low characteristic impedance, making it easier to match with other circuit components, which makes them widely used in radar engineering and other high-frequency communication applications.

[0005] The principle of using metasurface to realize millimeter-wave microstrip antenna mainly involves using the special electromagnetic properties of metasurface to control the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Metasurface is a two-dimensional planar material composed of subwavelength structural units, which can accurately control the phase, amplitude, polarization and propagation direction of incident electromagnetic waves.

[0006] However, although the substrate-integrated coaxial line technology of magnetoelectric dipole antennas is beneficial for enhancing the impedance bandwidth of antenna elements, the number of PCB layers will also increase, which increases the design cost. Ridge slot waveguides involve computer numerical control technology, which increases manufacturing cost and complexity. They are generally more suitable for high-gain antenna arrays designed as fixed beams rather than beam scanning. Metasurface millimeter-wave microstrip antenna technology involves complex processing technology, which leads to increased production costs and difficulties in mass production, and there will be efficiency and bandwidth limitations in specific applications. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a compact LTCC millimeter-wave patch antenna with high gain, high efficiency, wide bandwidth and easy production.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0009] A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna comprises an LTCC substrate, a radiation patch, a feeding patch and a grounding layer, wherein the radiation patch is arranged on the upper surface of the LTCC substrate, the grounding layer is arranged on the lower surface of the LTCC substrate, the feeding patch is arranged inside the LTCC substrate corresponding to the radiation patch, two feeding patches distributed at intervals are arranged corresponding to the radiation patch, the LTCC substrate is provided with a metallized via connecting the feeding patch and the grounding layer at the position corresponding to the feeding patch, the feeding patch and the grounding layer are electrically connected through the metallized via, and the feeding patch is coupled with the radiation patch.

[0010] Optionally, the feeding patch is arranged corresponding to a transverse center line of the ground layer, and the radiation patch is arranged corresponding to one side of the center line.

[0011] Optionally, the number of the radiation patches is more than two, the number of the feeding patches is twice the number of the radiation patches, and the more than two radiation patches are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

[0012] Optionally, the number of the radiation patches is 4, the number of the feeding patches is 8, and the 4 radiation patches are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

[0013] Optionally, the radiation patches are evenly distributed.

[0014] Optionally, the thickness of the radiation patch, the feeding patch and the ground layer are all 10 μm.

[0015] Optionally, the LTCC substrate consists of two or more layers of LTCC substrates, and the thickness of the LTCC substrate is 0.106 mm.

[0016] Optionally, the ground layer is provided with a through hole at a middle position corresponding to the two feed patches distributed at intervals.

[0017] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that two feed patches spaced apart are arranged corresponding to one radiation patch, so that the unit antenna is fed with two ports. While ensuring high gain and high efficiency, the dual feed patch design can provide a wider bandwidth, which is suitable for broadband applications. The finished antenna is easy to produce, which reduces the production cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Shown is an exploded view of a compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 Shown is a cross-sectional view of a compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 Shown is an exploded view of a compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 Shown is a cross-sectional view of a compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 Shown is the S-parameter simulation result of the compact LTCC millimeter-wave patch antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 6a-6c Shown is the radiation pattern of the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna in the N257 frequency band according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 7a-7c Shown is the radiation pattern of the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna in the N258 frequency band according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 8a-8c Shown is the radiation pattern of the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna in the N261 frequency band according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Fig. 9 Shown is an efficiency diagram of the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Fig.10 Shown is a gain comparison diagram of the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to more clearly understand the technical content, achieved purposes and effects of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the implementation methods of the present invention and the features in the implementation methods can be combined with each other. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present invention. The described implementation methods are only part of the implementation methods of the present invention, not all implementation methods. Based on the implementation methods in the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1-4 As shown, the technical solution provided by the present invention is:

[0030] A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna comprises an LTCC substrate, a radiation patch, a feeding patch and a grounding layer, wherein the radiation patch is arranged on the upper surface of the LTCC substrate, the grounding layer is arranged on the lower surface of the LTCC substrate, the feeding patch is arranged inside the LTCC substrate corresponding to the radiation patch, two feeding patches distributed at intervals are arranged corresponding to the radiation patch, the LTCC substrate is provided with a metallized via connecting the feeding patch and the grounding layer at the position corresponding to the feeding patch, the feeding patch and the grounding layer are electrically connected through the metallized via, and the feeding patch is coupled with the radiation patch.

[0031] It should be noted that LTCC in the present invention refers to low temperature co-fired ceramics.

[0032] From the above description, it can be seen that the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna of the embodiment of the present invention adopts a dual-feed patch design, which has a wider bandwidth while ensuring high gain and high efficiency. It is easy to produce and reduces production costs. By adjusting the size and position of the radiation patch and the feed patch, different impedance bandwidths and different frequency bands can be achieved.

[0033] Optionally, the feeding patch is arranged corresponding to a transverse center line of the ground layer, and the radiation patch is arranged corresponding to one side of the center line.

[0034] From the above description, it can be seen that by setting the positions of the above-mentioned feeding patch and the radiation patch, a millimeter wave antenna for the N257, N258, and N261 frequency bands can be realized.

[0035] Optionally, the number of the radiation patches is more than two, the number of the feeding patches is twice the number of the radiation patches, and the more than two radiation patches are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

[0036] Optionally, the number of the radiation patches is 4, the number of the feeding patches is 8, and the 4 radiation patches are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

[0037] Optionally, the radiation patches are evenly distributed.

[0038] It can be seen from the above description that by providing multiple radiation patches, preferably 4 radiation patches, the antenna gain can be made higher.

[0039] Optionally, the thickness of the radiation patch, the feeding patch and the ground layer are all 10 μm.

[0040] Optionally, the LTCC substrate consists of two or more layers of LTCC substrates, and the thickness of the LTCC substrate is 0.106 mm.

[0041] From the above description, it can be seen that the antenna achieves the best performance through the above thickness setting combined with the position setting of the radiation patch and the feeding patch. Specifically, the LTCC substrate uses DuPont's GreenTape9KC (dielectric constant DK=7.1) material.

[0042] Optionally, the ground layer is provided with a through hole at a middle position corresponding to the two feed patches distributed at intervals.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 1 and 2 , Embodiment 1 of the present invention is:

[0044] A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna includes an LTCC substrate 1, a grounding layer 2, a radiation patch 3 and two feeding patches 4. The LTCC substrate 1 is composed of two or more layers of LTCC substrate, and the LTCC substrate is made of DuPont's GreenTape 9KC (dielectric constant DK=7.1) material with a thickness of 0.106 mm. The thickness of the radiation patch 3, the feeding patch 4 and the grounding layer 2 are all 10 μm.

[0045] The radiation patch 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the LTCC substrate 1, and the ground layer 2 is disposed on the lower surface of the LTCC substrate 1. The radiation patch 3 is disposed on one side corresponding to the horizontal center line of the ground layer 2.

[0046] The feeding patch 4 is arranged inside the LTCC substrate 1 corresponding to the radiation patch 3 , one radiation patch 3 corresponds to two feeding patches 4 distributed at intervals, and each feeding patch 4 is arranged corresponding to the horizontal center line of the ground layer 2 .

[0047] The LTCC substrate 1 is provided with a metallized via 5 connecting the feed patch 4 and the ground layer 2 at a position corresponding to the feed patch 4 . The feed patch 4 and the ground layer 2 are electrically connected through the metallized via 5 , and the feed patch 4 is coupled with the radiation patch 3 .

[0048] The ground layer 2 is provided with a through hole at a middle position corresponding to the two spaced feed patches 4. The ground layer 2 is provided with a via hole at a position corresponding to the metallized via hole 5, and the metallized via hole 5 is connected to the via hole in the ground layer 2.

[0049] The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna of this embodiment is implemented using LTCC technology and adopts a dual-port feeding method. The feeding patch is located in the middle layer of the antenna for coupling feeding, which increases the working bandwidth. The thickness of the radiation patch, feeding patch and ground layer is 10μm, and the thickness of each layer of LTCC substrate is 0.106mm. This structural design enables the antenna to work effectively in the N257, N258, and N261 frequency bands, and achieves the best performance by precisely adjusting the parameters of each layer.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 3-9 , Embodiment 2 of the present invention is:

[0051] A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna, which is different from the above-mentioned embodiment 1 in that the number of the radiation patches 3 is 4 and the number of the feed patches 4 is 8. The 4 radiation patches 3 are arranged in a uniform interval in the direction in which the horizontal center line of the ground layer 2 extends. The 8 feed patches 4 are divided into 4 groups, which are arranged corresponding to the 4 radiation patches 3. The antenna of this embodiment is a 4-array antenna, such as Figure 3 and 4 The finished antenna of this embodiment can be made into a size of 5.5mm×14mm×0.95mm, which is convenient for integration.

[0052] This embodiment adopts a 4-array antenna form, which further improves the performance of the antenna such as gain.

[0053] like Figure 5 The figure shows the S parameter simulation result of the antenna of this embodiment. Figure 6a-6c , 7a-7c, 8a-8c show the radiation patterns of the antenna of this embodiment in the N257, N258, and N261 frequency bands, respectively. Fig. 9 The efficiency diagram of the compact antenna of this embodiment is shown in FIG. Fig.10 The figure shows a gain comparison diagram of the antenna (4 array antennas) of this embodiment and the antenna (unit antenna) of the above-mentioned embodiment 1, where the upper curve in the figure is the antenna gain of this embodiment, and the lower curve is the antenna gain of embodiment 1. It can be seen from the figure that the impedance bandwidth of the antenna of this embodiment covers the N257, N258, and N261 frequency bands, and the gain reaches about 9dBi, and the efficiency is about 80%.

[0054] The fifth generation of telecommunications systems will use millimeter wave frequencies, and the operating bandwidth is several orders of magnitude larger than previous generations, which increases the demand for high-performance, low-cost, reliable, and large-scale electronic products. Multi-band antennas can communicate in more than two operating frequency bands, which will greatly reduce manufacturing costs. Aperture-coupled microstrip antennas are commonly used in consumer electronics. First of all, considering the loss effect, in order to meet the application requirements of different scenarios, both long-distance and short-distance transmissions need to be met. Short-distance communication is easier to meet. For long-distance communication, the designed RF system needs to provide sufficient transmission signals. In this way, the antenna can play a role as a whole and the efficiency of the antenna can be guaranteed to be the same as the design purpose. Furthermore, the antenna needs to cover multiple frequency bands. Therefore, unlike the antenna designed in general, the bandwidth at multiple frequency bands must meet the design requirements to complete the design. The increase in antenna radiation efficiency can ensure low loss and high utilization. Considering factors such as cost, coupled microstrip antennas are used to reduce costs.

[0055] The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna proposed in this invention has a unit antenna based on stacked patches and dual coupled feeding for bandwidth extension. The unit antenna can achieve an impedance bandwidth of 24.25-29.5GHz. The overall size of the 4-array antenna is only 5.5mm×14mm×0.95mm, which can be applied to new communication systems.

[0056] In summary, the compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna of the present invention has the advantages of high gain, high efficiency, wide bandwidth and low cost.

[0057] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the technical solution of the present invention are still within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna, comprising an LTCC substrate, a radiation patch, a feed patch and a ground layer, characterized in that: The radiation patch is arranged on the upper surface of the LTCC substrate, the grounding layer is arranged on the lower surface of the LTCC substrate, the feeding patch is arranged inside the LTCC substrate corresponding to the radiation patch, two feeding patches distributed at intervals are arranged corresponding to the radiation patch, and the LTCC substrate is provided with a metallized via connecting the feeding patch and the grounding layer at the feeding patch corresponding to the feeding patch, the feeding patch and the grounding layer are electrically connected through the metallized via, and the feeding patch is coupled with the radiation patch.

2. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding patch is arranged at a position corresponding to the transverse center line of the ground layer, and the radiation patch is arranged at one side of the center line.

3. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the radiation patches is more than two, the number of the feeding patches is twice the number of the radiation patches, and the more than two radiation patches are sequentially spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

4. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the radiation patches is 4, the number of the feeding patches is 8, and the 4 radiation patches are arranged in sequence and spaced apart along the direction in which the center line extends.

5. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The radiation patches are evenly distributed.

6. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the radiation patch, the feeding patch and the grounding layer are all 10 μm.

7. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The LTCC substrate is composed of more than two layers of LTCC substrates, and the thickness of the LTCC substrate is 0.106 mm.

8. The compact LTCC millimeter wave patch antenna according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ground layer is provided with a through hole at a middle position corresponding to the two feed patches distributed at intervals.

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