Liquid crystal phase shifter and phased array antenna

Abstract

The invention provides a liquid crystal phase shifter which comprises a first substrate, a second substrate and a liquid crystal layer, the first substrate and the second substrate are oppositely arranged in a spaced mode, the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate in a clamped mode, and the liquid crystal phase shifter comprises a plurality of phase shifting units. Each phase shifting unit comprises a first vertical electrode arranged on one side, facing the second substrate, of the first substrate; the second vertical electrode is arranged on the side, facing the first substrate, of the second substrate, and the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode on the first substrate and the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode on the first substrate are at least partially overlapped; the at least one pair of transverse electrodes is arranged on the side, facing the liquid crystal layer, of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and the orthographic projection of the at least one pair of transverse electrodes on the first substrate does not overlap the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode and the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode on the first substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of electronic devices, and in particular to a liquid crystal phase shifter and a phased array antenna. Background Art

[0002] Microwave millimeter wave phased array antennas can change the shape of the radiation pattern by controlling the feeding phase of the radiating unit in the array antenna. They have important application value in military radars, civilian radars, satellite communications and other wireless systems. At present, there is an urgent need for a low-cost, miniaturized microwave millimeter wave phased array antenna solution. Mechanical phased array antennas are large in size and have a high profile, which is limited in many application scenarios. They also require a high-precision servo system to achieve satellite tracking, resulting in high costs. Each channel of the active phased array antenna is equipped with an independent T / R component, which results in high power consumption and high cost, which is not conducive to the realization of low-cost phased array antennas. Liquid crystal is a dielectric anisotropic material. The dielectric constant changes continuously under the action of an external field, and the loss of liquid crystal to microwaves does not change significantly with the increase of the operating frequency. The use of liquid crystal as an electrically adjustable medium in phased array antennas has the advantages of low cost and low power consumption.

[0003] The beam switching time of phased array antennas is an important indicator of phased array systems, especially in low-orbit satellite communications. The beam switching time needs to match the satellite's moving speed to ensure normal communication. For liquid crystal phased array antennas, their beam switching time is limited by the response speed of the liquid crystal phase shifter itself. Improving its response speed is conducive to the industrialization and application of phased array antennas. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a liquid crystal phase shifter is provided, comprising a first substrate and a second substrate arranged relative to each other and spaced apart, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the liquid crystal phase shifter comprises a plurality of phase shifting units, each of which comprises: a first vertical electrode arranged on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate; a second vertical electrode arranged on a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate, wherein the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode on the first substrate; and at least one pair of transverse electrodes arranged on a side of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, wherein the orthographic projection of the at least one pair of transverse electrodes on the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode on the first substrate, and wherein the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode are used to control the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along a first direction, and the at least one pair of transverse electrodes are used to control the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along a second direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate, and the second direction is parallel to the first substrate and the second substrate.

[0005] In some embodiments, the liquid crystal phase shifter further includes: a first transmission line and a second transmission line, wherein the first transmission line is arranged on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate, including a first main body extending along the second direction and a plurality of first protrusions protruding toward a third direction, and the second transmission line is arranged on a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate, including a second main body extending along the second direction and a plurality of second protrusions protruding toward a fourth direction, the third direction and the fourth direction are both perpendicular to the second direction, and the third direction and the fourth direction are in opposite directions, the plurality of first protrusions correspond one-to-one to the plurality of second protrusions, and an area of ​​each first protrusion overlapping with the corresponding second protrusion on the first substrate constitutes a first vertical electrode, and an area of ​​each second protrusion overlapping with the corresponding first protrusion on the first substrate constitutes a second vertical electrode.

[0006] In some embodiments, the at least one pair of horizontal electrodes includes two pairs of horizontal electrodes, the first pair of horizontal electrodes includes a first horizontal electrode and a second horizontal electrode, the second pair of horizontal electrodes includes a third horizontal electrode and a fourth horizontal electrode, the first horizontal electrode and the second horizontal electrode are arranged on a side of the first vertical electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, the third horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode are arranged on a side of the second vertical electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, the orthographic projections of the first horizontal electrode and the third horizontal electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap.

[0007] In some embodiments, each phase shift unit further includes: a first insulating layer disposed between the first vertical electrode and the first pair of transverse electrodes; and a second insulating layer disposed between the second vertical electrode and the second pair of transverse electrodes.

[0008] In some embodiments, when no voltage is applied, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the first direction; during the rising process, a high voltage is applied to the first horizontal electrode and the third horizontal electrode, and a negative high voltage is applied to the second horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode, and under the action of the electric field in the second direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the second direction; during the falling process, a high voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode, the first horizontal electrode, and the second horizontal electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the second vertical electrode, the third horizontal electrode, and the fourth horizontal electrode, and under the action of the electric field in the first direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the first direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, when no voltage is applied, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the second direction; during the rising process, a high voltage is applied to the second vertical electrode, the third lateral electrode and the fourth lateral electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode, the first lateral electrode and the second lateral electrode, and under the action of the electric field in the first direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the first direction; during the falling process, a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode, a high voltage is applied to the first lateral electrode and the third lateral electrode, and a negative high voltage is applied to the second lateral electrode and the fourth lateral electrode, and under the action of the electric field in the second direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the second direction.

[0010] In some embodiments, in a cross section perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate, a spacing between each pair of transverse electrodes is greater than a width of the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode.

[0011] In some embodiments, the response time of the liquid crystal phase shifter is controlled by adjusting the width of each transverse electrode and the spacing between each pair of transverse electrodes.

[0012] In some embodiments, the width of each lateral electrode is 1±0.5 μm, and the spacing between each pair of lateral electrodes is in the range of 3 μm-9 μm.

[0013] In some embodiments, the spacing between each pair of lateral electrodes is 6±0.5 μm.

[0014] In some embodiments, the spacing between each pair of transverse electrodes is 6±0.5 μm, and the width of each transverse electrode is in the range of 1 μm-4 μm.

[0015] In some embodiments, each lateral electrode is formed of ITO material.

[0016] In some embodiments, a thickness of each lateral electrode in the first direction is in a range of 0.07 μm-0.14 μm.

[0017] In some embodiments, the liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 1.5 μm-4.6 μm.

[0018] In some embodiments, the liquid crystal layer uses liquid crystal with a viscosity-elasticity ratio of 1-100.

[0019] In some embodiments, the first transmission line is a microstrip line, and the second transmission line is a metal ground line.

[0020] In some embodiments, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are differential signal transmission lines, and a phase difference between the first transmission line and the second transmission line is 180°.

[0021] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a phased array antenna is provided, comprising a power division network layer, a phase shifter layer, a phase shifter to antenna layer, and an antenna array layer stacked in sequence, wherein the phase shifter layer comprises a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters arranged in an array as described above.

[0022] In some embodiments, the antenna array layer includes a plurality of array-arranged antenna structures, and the plurality of array-arranged antenna structures are arranged one-to-one with a plurality of array-arranged liquid crystal phase shifters, and the spacing between adjacent antenna structures is 0.5λ-0.6λ, where λ is the wavelength of the beam transmitted by the antenna.

[0023] In some embodiments, the phased array antenna further includes: a drive control structure, wherein each of the first vertical electrodes is connected to a first vertical electrode binding area via a lead, each of the second vertical electrodes is connected to a second vertical electrode binding area via a lead, each of the at least one pair of transverse electrodes is connected to a corresponding transverse electrode binding area, and the drive control structure applies voltage to the corresponding electrodes through each binding area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram showing two states of a liquid crystal phase shifter in the related art during operation;

[0026] Figure 2 A schematic top view of a liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 3 Shown along Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a phase shift unit of a liquid crystal phase shifter taken along line AA;

[0028] Figure 4 A cross-sectional schematic diagram showing two states of a liquid crystal phase shifter during operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 5(a)-Figure 5(d) Shows Figure 4 The simulation results of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules of the embodiment shown;

[0030] Figure 6 The simulation results of response time are shown;

[0031] Figure 7 A cross-sectional schematic diagram showing two states of a liquid crystal phase shifter during operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 8 The simulation results of the response time corresponding to the spacing between different lateral electrodes are shown;

[0033] Fig. 9 The simulation results of the response time corresponding to different lateral electrode widths are shown;

[0034] Fig.10 The simulation results of the response time corresponding to different lateral electrode thicknesses are shown;

[0035] Fig.11 The calculation results and simulation results of the response time corresponding to various liquid crystals are shown;

[0036] Fig.12 The calculation results and simulation results of the response time corresponding to different liquid crystal layer thicknesses are shown;

[0037] Fig.13 A cross-sectional schematic diagram showing two states of a liquid crystal phase shifter during operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 14(a)-14(c) Shows Fig.13 The simulation results of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules of the embodiment shown;

[0039] Fig.15 A schematic structural diagram of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of a power supply method for a liquid crystal phase shifter in a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0041] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are only schematic illustrations of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than limitations of the present disclosure, and need not be drawn strictly to scale. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0043] Liquid crystal is a uniaxial crystal with a fixed orientation of its molecular long axis. The orientation of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecule will deflect under the action of an external electric field, so the dielectric constant will also change. Figure 1 FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a liquid crystal phase shifter in the related art. Figure 1 As shown, the liquid crystal phase shifter includes a first substrate 100, a second substrate 200, and a liquid crystal layer 103 sandwiched between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. A vertical electrode P1 is provided on the side of the first substrate 100 facing the liquid crystal layer 103, and a vertical electrode P2 is provided on the side of the second substrate 200 facing the liquid crystal layer 103. By applying voltage to the vertical electrode P1 and the vertical electrode P2, an electric field perpendicular to the direction of the substrate can be provided. When the applied bias voltage is less than the threshold voltage of the liquid crystal, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is usually perpendicular to the electric field direction ( Figure 1 Left), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ⊥ ; When the applied bias voltage is equal to or greater than the saturation voltage of the liquid crystal, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the direction of the electric field ( Figure 1 Right), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε || Therefore, within the threshold voltage and saturation voltage range, as the bias voltage continues to increase, the liquid crystal dielectric constant changes from ε ⊥ and ε || Continuous adjustment within a certain range causes the wavelength of microwaves in the RF transmission line to change, which in turn causes a phase difference at the signal output port.

[0044] The response time formula of liquid crystal in the rising and falling process is as follows:

[0045] Fall time

[0046] Rise time

[0047] Where γ is the rotational viscosity; K 11 is the elastic modulus; γ / K 11 is the viscoelastic ratio; d is the thickness of the liquid crystal layer; V is the applied voltage.

[0048] During the rising process, due to the existence of the electric field, t on The time is usually short. When the electric field is removed, the system returns to the initial parallel arrangement by relying on the anchoring effect of the upper and lower orientation layers during the descent process. Therefore, t off When the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is 4.6 μm, microwave liquid crystal SAT446 (a microwave liquid crystal label used by BOE) is used, t off The time is usually higher than 60ms.

[0049] Liquid crystal phase shifters are used in phased array antennas with advantages such as low cost and low power consumption. The beam switching time of phased array antennas is an important indicator of phased array systems, especially in low-orbit satellite communications. The beam switching time needs to match the moving speed of the satellite to ensure normal communication. However, the beam switching time of phased array antennas is limited by the response speed of the liquid crystal phase shifter itself.

[0050] In view of this, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a liquid crystal phase shifter, which is provided with a plurality of electrodes, and the liquid crystal molecules are driven by an electric field during both the rising process and the falling process, so the rising time t on and the fall time t off Both can be significantly reduced, and the sum of the two can be less than 5ms, which has the advantage of fast response.

[0051] Figure 2 A schematic top view of a liquid crystal phase shifter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 Shown along Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of a phase shift unit of a liquid crystal phase shifter taken along line AA. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the present disclosure includes a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200 arranged relatively spaced apart, and a liquid crystal layer 103 sandwiched between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. A liquid crystal phase shifter may include a plurality of phase shift units 10, each of which may include: a first vertical electrode P1 arranged on a side of the first substrate 100 facing the second substrate 200; a second vertical electrode P2 arranged on a side of the second substrate 200 facing the first substrate 100, the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode P1 on the first substrate 100 at least partially overlaps with the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode P2 on the first substrate 100, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Exemplarily, the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode P1 on the first substrate 100 and the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode P2 on the first substrate 100 are shown to overlap; and at least one pair of lateral electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) disposed on the side of at least one of the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200 facing the liquid crystal layer 103, the orthographic projection of the at least one pair of lateral electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) on the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2 on the first substrate 100. Figure 3As shown, applying voltage to the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2 can generate an electric field along the first direction D1, which can control the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along the first direction D1. Applying voltage to at least one pair of transverse electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) can generate an electric field along the second direction D2, which can control the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along the second direction D2. The first direction D1 is perpendicular to the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and the second direction D2 is parallel to the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. By setting the above-mentioned multiple electrodes in the liquid crystal phase shifter, the liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field in both the rising process and the falling process, so the rising time t on and the fall time t off Can be significantly reduced, with the advantage of fast response

[0052] In some embodiments, reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the present disclosure may further include: a first transmission line 110 and a second transmission line 120, wherein the first transmission line 110 is arranged on a side of the first substrate 100 facing the second substrate 200, and includes a first main body portion 111 extending along the second direction D2 and a plurality of first protrusions 112 protruding toward a third direction D3, and the second transmission line 120 is arranged on a side of the second substrate 200 facing the first substrate 100, and includes a second main body portion 121 extending along the second direction D2 and a plurality of second protrusions 112 protruding toward a fourth direction D4. The third direction D3 and the fourth direction D4 are both perpendicular to the second direction D2, and the third direction D3 and the fourth direction D4 are in opposite directions. The plurality of first protrusions 112 and the plurality of second protrusions 122 correspond to each other one by one. An area where each first protrusion 112 overlaps with the corresponding second protrusion 122 in an orthographic projection on the first substrate 100 constitutes a first vertical electrode P1, and an area where each second protrusion 122 overlaps with the corresponding first protrusion 112 in an orthographic projection on the first substrate 100 constitutes a second vertical electrode P2.

[0053] It should be noted that in order to clearly show the positional relationship between the first transmission line, the second transmission line and the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode, the top view Figure 2 The other components of the liquid crystal phase shifter are omitted. Figure 2 It is shown that the first transmission line 110 includes three first protrusions 112, and the second transmission line 120 includes three second protrusions 122. Accordingly, the liquid crystal phase shifter includes three phase shifting units 10. This is only schematic and does not represent a limitation on the number of phase shifting units in the liquid crystal phase shifter. In practical applications, those skilled in the art can design the number of phase shifting units according to actual needs.

[0054] In some embodiments, reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the at least one pair of transverse electrodes may include two pairs of transverse electrodes (H1-H2 and H3-H4), the first pair of transverse electrodes includes a first transverse electrode H1 and a second transverse electrode H2, the second pair of transverse electrodes includes a third transverse electrode H3 and a fourth transverse electrode H4, the first transverse electrode H2 and the second transverse electrode H2 are arranged on a side of the first vertical electrode P1 facing the liquid crystal layer 103, the third transverse electrode H3 and the fourth transverse electrode H4 are arranged on a side of the second vertical electrode P2 facing the liquid crystal layer 103, the orthographic projections of the first transverse electrode H1 and the third transverse electrode H3 on the first substrate 100 at least partially overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second transverse electrode H2 and the fourth transverse electrode H4 on the first substrate 100 at least partially overlap. Optionally, as Figure 2 As shown, the orthographic projections of the first horizontal electrode H1 and the third horizontal electrode H3 on the first substrate 100 overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second horizontal electrode H2 and the fourth horizontal electrode H4 on the first substrate 100 overlap. With such a configuration, when a voltage is applied to the horizontal electrodes, the rotation of the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules can be more effectively controlled.

[0055] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, each phase shift unit 10 may further include: a first insulating layer 101 disposed between the first vertical electrode P1 and the first pair of transverse electrodes (H1-H2); and a second insulating layer 102 disposed between the second vertical electrode P2 and the second pair of transverse electrodes (H3-H4).

[0056] In some embodiments, the initial liquid crystal alignment is vertical alignment. Figure 4 As shown, when no voltage is applied, under the vertical alignment, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the normal direction of the substrate ( Figure 4 Left), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε || During the rising process, a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the first transverse electrode H1 and the third transverse electrode H3, and a negative high voltage (e.g., -8V) is applied to the second transverse electrode H2 and the fourth transverse electrode H4. At this time, under the action of the transverse electric field, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the transverse electric field direction (i.e., the second direction D2) ( Figure 4 Right), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ⊥During the descending process, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1, the first horizontal electrode H1, and the second horizontal electrode H2, and a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the second vertical electrode P2, the third horizontal electrode H3, and the fourth horizontal electrode H4. At this time, under the action of the vertical electric field, the liquid crystal molecules quickly return to the initial vertical arrangement, and their long axes are parallel to the vertical electric field direction (i.e., the first direction D1) ( Figure 4 Left), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε || The simulation results of liquid crystal molecular arrangement are as follows: Figure 5(a)-Figure 5(d) As shown, FIG5(a) is the simulation result of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when the lateral voltage is 0V, FIG5(b) is the simulation result of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when the lateral voltage is 4V, FIG5(c) is the simulation result of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when the lateral voltage is 8V, and FIG5(d) is the simulation result of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules when the vertical voltage is 8V. As the lateral voltage increases, the liquid crystal molecules gradually align in parallel, and after the vertical electric field is applied, the liquid crystal molecules quickly return to the initial vertical arrangement. By setting a plurality of electrodes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field during both the rising process and the falling process, so the rising time t on and the fall time t off It can be significantly reduced and has the advantage of fast response.

[0057] Response time t on and t off The simulation results are as follows Figure 6 As shown in the simulation results, the liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field during the rising and falling processes. on +t off can be significantly reduced to 8.6ms. The simulation is performed under the conditions that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is 4.6μm and the spacing between the lateral electrodes is 3μm. Figure 6 In the curve of capacitance versus time shown in the figure, the time period between the time point when the capacitance reaches 10% of the maximum value and the time point when the capacitance reaches 90% of the maximum value on the rising edge of the curve is the so-called rise time t on The time period between the time point when the capacitance reaches 90% of the maximum value and the time point when the capacitance reaches 10% of the maximum value on the falling edge of the curve is called the falling time t off .

[0058] In some embodiments, the initial liquid crystal arrangement is parallel arrangement. Figure 7 As shown, when no voltage is applied, under the horizontal alignment, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the substrate direction ( Figure 7 Left), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε ⊥During the rising process, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the second vertical electrode P2, the third horizontal electrode H3, and the fourth horizontal electrode H4, and a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1, the first horizontal electrode H1, and the second horizontal electrode H2. At this time, under the action of the vertical electric field, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the vertical electric field direction (i.e., the first direction D1) ( Figure 7 Right), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε || During the descending process, a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the first transverse electrode H1 and the third transverse electrode H3, and a negative high voltage (e.g., -8V) is applied to the second transverse electrode H2 and the fourth transverse electrode H4. At this time, under the action of the transverse electric field, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the transverse electric field direction (i.e., the second direction D2) ( Figure 7 Left), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is restored to ε ⊥ By providing a plurality of electrodes according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field during both the rising process and the falling process, so the rising time t on and the fall time t off It can be significantly reduced and has the advantage of fast response.

[0059] By properly setting the voltage applied to each electrode, the liquid crystal phase shifter proposed in the present disclosure can achieve the same effect for liquid crystal molecules whose initial liquid crystal arrangement is parallel arrangement and whose initial liquid crystal arrangement is vertical arrangement, and significantly reduce the rise time t on and the fall time t off .

[0060] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, in a cross section perpendicular to the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, the spacing G between each pair of lateral electrodes is greater than the width W1 of the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2. According to specific design requirements, the width W of the lateral electrode and the spacing G between the lateral electrodes can be adjusted to control the response time of the liquid crystal phase shifter to obtain the optimal response time suitable for the corresponding application scenario. For example, the lateral electrode width W is kept unchanged and set to 1um (for actual products, considering the errors in the manufacturing process, the lateral electrode width can be, for example, 1um±0.5μm), and the spacing G between the lateral electrodes is changed so that it increases from 3um to 9um every 3um, Figure 8The simulation results of the response time corresponding to different spacings between the horizontal electrodes are shown. It can be seen from the simulation results that the response time shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. When the spacing G between the horizontal electrodes is small, the voltage difference between the horizontal electrode and the vertical electrode is large, resulting in serious mutual coupling between the two electrodes and chaotic liquid crystal orientation. When the spacing G between the horizontal electrodes is large, the larger spacing between the horizontal electrodes causes the electric field to weaken, and the response time increases accordingly. Therefore, it is necessary to finely control the size of the horizontal electrode width W and the spacing G between the horizontal electrodes to achieve the optimal response time. In this embodiment, when the spacing G between the horizontal electrodes is 6μm, the response time t on +t off As low as 4.9ms, it has the advantage of fast response.

[0061] The size of the lateral electrode width W and the spacing G between the lateral electrodes can also be regulated, for example, by keeping the spacing G between the lateral electrodes unchanged and setting it to 6um (for actual products, considering the errors in the manufacturing process, the spacing between the lateral electrodes can be, for example, 6um±0.5μm), and changing the size of the lateral electrode width W so that it increases from 1um to 4um every 1.5um. Fig. 9 The simulation results of the response time corresponding to different transverse electrode widths are shown. From the simulation results, it can be seen that the change in the transverse electrode width has a small change in the response time, which means that compared with the spacing G between the transverse electrodes, the transverse electrode width has a small effect on the response time.

[0062] By regulating the size of the transverse electrode width W and the spacing G between the transverse electrodes, for example, the sizes of the transverse electrode width W and the spacing G between the transverse electrodes can be changed simultaneously, for example, the spacing G between the transverse electrodes increases and the transverse electrode width W decreases, or the spacing G between the transverse electrodes decreases and the transverse electrode width W increases, or the spacing G between the transverse electrodes and the transverse electrode width W increase or decrease simultaneously. In practical applications, the optimal response time can be achieved by finely regulating the width of the transverse electrode width W and the spacing G between the transverse electrodes.

[0063] In some embodiments, each lateral electrode can be formed of ITO material. The spacing G between the lateral electrodes is set to 3 μm, the lateral electrode width W is set to 1 μm, and the thickness d1 of the four lateral electrodes H1, H2, H3, and H4 is changed (such as Figure 3 As shown), it increases from 0.07um to 0.14um at intervals of 0.035um. Fig.10 The simulation results of the response time corresponding to different lateral electrode thicknesses are shown. From the response time simulation results, the response time changes slightly, indicating that the lateral electrode thickness has little effect on the response time. However, in practical applications, thicker electrodes are prone to short circuits between the upper and lower substrates, so the thickness of the electrode material should be as small as possible.

[0064] From the above liquid crystal response time formula, we can know that the rise time t on and the fall time t off They are all proportional to the viscosity-elastic ratio of the liquid crystal, so a low viscosity-elastic ratio liquid crystal can be selected to achieve the purpose of fast response. In some embodiments, the liquid crystal layer can use a liquid crystal with a viscosity-elastic ratio in the range of 1-100, wherein the rotational viscosity of the liquid crystal can be in the range of 50mPa·s-500mPa·s. The present disclosure selects four liquid crystals for simulation, namely microwave liquid crystal SAT446, microwave liquid crystal 1032, microwave liquid crystal 1046 and display liquid crystal BY18, whose viscosity-elastic ratios are approximately 23, 13, 11, and 8, respectively. The names of the four liquid crystals are internal labels of BOE. Fig.11 The calculation results and simulation results of the response time corresponding to various liquid crystals are shown, where the dots represent the simulation results and the straight lines represent the calculation results. It can be seen from the results that the response time is proportional to the viscosity-elastic ratio of the liquid crystal. Among the existing microwave liquid crystals, the microwave liquid crystal 1046 has the lowest viscosity-elastic ratio and the shortest response time. Selecting a low viscosity-elastic ratio liquid crystal can achieve a fast response. Although the response time corresponding to the display liquid crystal BY18 is shorter, the dielectric loss of the display liquid crystal is too large and is not suitable for use in liquid crystal phase shifters.

[0065] From the above liquid crystal response time formula, we can know that the rise time t on and the fall time t off The thickness of the liquid crystal layer is proportional to the square of the thickness of the liquid crystal layer. Therefore, reducing the thickness of the liquid crystal layer can significantly reduce the response time and achieve the purpose of fast response. The present disclosure selects three liquid crystal layer thicknesses d2 (such as Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the simulation was carried out, which are 4.6um, 3um, 1.5um, Fig.12 The calculation results and simulation results of the response time corresponding to different liquid crystal layer thicknesses are shown, where the dots represent the simulation results and the curves represent the calculation results. It can be seen from the results that the theoretical calculation is consistent with the simulation results. The response time is proportional to the square of the liquid crystal layer thickness. With the microwave liquid crystal 1046, the liquid crystal layer thickness is reduced from 4.6um to 1.5um, and the response speed is increased by 9.2 times. Therefore, a low liquid crystal layer thickness can achieve fast response. Considering the yield and consistency, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer cannot be continuously reduced. For the LCD production line, the current minimum liquid crystal layer thickness is 1.5um. The specific process flow for preparing the liquid crystal box is: select a suitable glue, apply glue, expose and develop on the glass to form a PS (Polystyrene polystyrene) column, and then dry it. The drying temperature and time are preferably 230°C and 1 hour. The drying time can be appropriately extended according to the drying situation. Finally, the upper and lower layers of glass are aligned and pressed together to prepare the required liquid crystal box. In the actual preparation process, different liquid crystal layer thicknesses can be achieved by changing the height of the PS column of the liquid crystal box.

[0066] In some embodiments, the first transmission line is a microstrip line, and the second transmission line is a metal ground line. In some embodiments, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are differential signal transmission lines, and the phase difference between the first transmission line and the second transmission line is 180°. The material of the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be a low-resistance, low-loss metal such as copper, gold, and silver, and can be prepared by magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, electroplating, etc.

[0067] In some embodiments, the material of the first substrate and the second substrate can be commonly used PCB insulating materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene glass fiber pressboard, phenolic paper laminate, phenolic glass cloth laminate, or can be a hard material with low microwave loss such as quartz and glass.

[0068] In some embodiments, only one pair of transverse electrodes is provided. In the case of small angle scanning, the phased array antenna does not require a high phase shift amount of the phase shifter. At the same time, in order to simplify the electrode preparation process, a pair of transverse electrodes is proposed. Fig.13 Schematic diagram of a cross section showing two states of a liquid crystal phase shifter in operation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and the simulation results of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules are shown in FIG. Figure 14(a)-14(c) As shown. Fig.13 As shown, only one pair of transverse electrodes (third transverse electrode H3 and fourth transverse electrode H4) is provided. When no voltage is applied, under the effect of vertical alignment, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the normal direction of the substrate ( Fig.13 Left, Figure 14 (a)); during the rising process, a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the third transverse electrode H3, and a negative high voltage (e.g., -8V) is applied to the fourth transverse electrode H4. At this time, under the action of the transverse electric field, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules near the second substrate 200 is parallel to the electric field direction (i.e., the second direction D2). In the direction perpendicular to the second substrate 200 and away from the second substrate 200, the transverse electric field decays exponentially. Therefore, the liquid crystals near the first substrate 100 cannot be arranged in parallel, and the liquid crystal dielectric constant cannot fully reach ε ⊥ (Figure 14(b)); During the descending process, a high voltage (e.g., 8V) is applied to the first vertical electrode P1, and a low voltage (e.g., 0V) is applied to the second vertical electrode P2, the third transverse electrode H3, and the fourth transverse electrode H4. At this time, under the action of the vertical electric field, the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules is parallel to the direction of the electric field (i.e., the first direction D1) ( Fig.13 Right, Figure 14(c)), the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal is ε || In this embodiment, only one pair of lateral electrodes is provided to simplify the electrode preparation process. The dielectric constant of the liquid crystal cannot completely reach ε ⊥ , so the adjustable range of dielectric constant is small.

[0069] At present, low-orbit satellite communications are being actively deployed at home and abroad. China has launched a number of test satellites to conduct technical verifications such as low-orbit satellite Internet and integrated space-ground networks. There is a huge demand for satellite ground terminal equipment. Liquid crystal phase shifters are used in phased array antennas with advantages such as low cost and low power consumption. The beam switching time of phased array antennas is an important indicator of the phased array system, especially in low-orbit satellite communications. The beam switching time needs to match the moving speed of the satellite to ensure normal communication. The liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the present disclosure has the advantage of fast response speed and is applied to phased array antennas to meet communication needs.

[0070] In view of this, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a phased array antenna. Fig.15 FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.15 As shown, the phased array antenna includes a power division network layer 01, a phase shifter layer 02, a phase shifter to antenna layer 03, and an antenna array layer 04, which are stacked in sequence, wherein the phase shifter layer 02 includes a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters arranged in an array. Figure 2 and Figure 3 , each liquid crystal phase shifter may include a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200 that are arranged relative to each other and spaced apart, and a liquid crystal layer 103 sandwiched between the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. A liquid crystal phase shifter may include a plurality of phase shift units 10, each of which includes: a first vertical electrode P1 disposed on the side of the first substrate 100 facing the second substrate 200; a second vertical electrode P2 disposed on the side of the second substrate 200 facing the first substrate 100, the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode P1 on the first substrate 100 coincides with the orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode P2 on the first substrate 100; and at least one pair of transverse electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) disposed on the side of at least one of the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2 facing the liquid crystal layer 103, the orthographic projection of the at least one pair of transverse electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) on the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2 on the first substrate 100. Figure 3As shown, applying voltage to the first vertical electrode P1 and the second vertical electrode P2 can generate an electric field along the first direction D1, which can control the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along the first direction D1. Applying voltage to at least one pair of transverse electrodes (H1-H2 and / or H3-H4) can generate an electric field along the second direction D2, which can control the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along the second direction D2. The first direction D1 is perpendicular to the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200, and the second direction D2 is parallel to the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 200. By setting a plurality of electrodes according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the liquid crystal molecules are driven by the electric field during both the rising process and the falling process, so the rising time t on and the fall time t off Both can be significantly reduced, and the sum of the two can be less than 5ms. The liquid crystal phase shifter has the advantage of fast response. Accordingly, the beam switching time of the phased array antenna including the liquid crystal phase shifter according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is short, and it can match the moving speed of the satellite in low-orbit satellite communication to ensure normal communication.

[0071] In some embodiments, Fig.15 As shown, the antenna array layer 04 includes a plurality of antenna structures arranged in an array. Fig.15 2x2 antenna structures are schematically shown in FIG. Multiple array-arranged antenna structures are arranged one-to-one with multiple array-arranged liquid crystal phase shifters, and the spacing between adjacent antenna structures is 0.5λ-0.6λ, where λ is the wavelength of the beam transmitted by the antenna.

[0072] It should be noted that Fig.15 A 2x2 antenna structure is schematically shown in FIG. 1 , which does not limit the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can set the required number of antennas arranged in the array according to actual needs.

[0073] In some embodiments, the power division network layer includes a microstrip power division structure. To realize a low-loss liquid crystal phase shifter feeding design, a waveguide feeding structure is preferably used, that is, a power divider is prepared using a hollow waveguide.

[0074] In some embodiments, the phased array antenna further includes: a drive control structure. Fig.16 A schematic diagram of a power supply method for a liquid crystal phase shifter in a phased array antenna according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Fig.16The phased array antenna in FIG. 1 schematically shows 2 x 2 liquid crystal phase shifters, and each liquid crystal phase shifter schematically shows 3 phase shifting units. The first vertical electrode P1 in each phase shift unit is connected to the first vertical electrode binding area through a lead, the second vertical electrode P2 is connected to the second vertical electrode binding area through a lead, the first transverse electrode H1 is connected to the first transverse electrode binding area through a lead, the first transverse electrode H2 is connected to the second transverse electrode binding area through a lead, the third transverse electrode H3 is connected to the third transverse electrode binding area through a lead, and the fourth transverse electrode H4 is connected to the fourth transverse electrode binding area through a lead. The driving control structure applies a voltage to the first vertical electrode P1 in each phase shift unit through the first vertical electrode binding area, applies a voltage to the second vertical electrode P2 in each phase shift unit through the second vertical electrode binding area, applies a voltage to the first transverse electrode H1 in each phase shift unit through the first transverse electrode binding area, applies a voltage to the second transverse electrode H2 in each phase shift unit through the second transverse electrode binding area, applies a voltage to the third transverse electrode H3 in each phase shift unit through the third transverse electrode binding area, and applies a voltage to the fourth transverse electrode H4 in each phase shift unit through the fourth transverse electrode binding area.

[0075] It should be noted that Fig.16 Each dotted box in the figure shows the approximate position of the overlapping first vertical electrode P1 and second vertical electrode P2. The reason why the lead of the first vertical electrode P1 is connected to the first transmission line and the lead of the second vertical electrode P2 is connected to the second transmission line is that the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode are parts of the first transmission line and the second transmission line respectively. Fig.16 The first horizontal electrode H1, the second horizontal electrode H2, the third horizontal electrode H3, and the fourth horizontal electrode H4 are indicated in slightly different shades of color, which is only for the convenience of showing the connection relationship between each lead and each horizontal electrode, and does not mean that the horizontal electrodes are not overlapped in the top view. In fact, the orthographic projections of the first horizontal electrode and the third horizontal electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap. Optionally, as Figure 2 As shown, the orthographic projections of the first lateral electrode and the third lateral electrode on the first substrate overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second lateral electrode and the fourth lateral electrode on the first substrate overlap. The specific arrangement of each phase shift unit can be seen in Figure 2 and Figure 3 and the corresponding description in the instruction manual. Fig.16 The power supply method of each electrode is shown only schematically.

[0076] The phased array antenna according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has the fast response advantage of the liquid crystal phase shifter provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, thereby being able to provide a sufficiently short beam switching time, being able to match the moving speed of the satellite in low-orbit tracking communications, and ensuring normal communication.

[0077] In the accompanying drawings, for clarity, the thickness of certain regions and layers may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same or similar structures, and thus their detailed descriptions will be omitted. The described features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the description of the present disclosure, many specific details are provided so as to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, materials, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring the main technical ideas of the present disclosure.

[0078] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts in this article, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed above may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or part without departing from the teaching of the present disclosure.

[0079] Spatially relative terms such as "row", "column", "under...", "above...", "left", "right", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element or feature and another (some) element or feature as illustrated in the figure for ease of description. It will be understood that these spatially relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, the element described as "under other elements or features" will be oriented as "above other elements or features". Therefore, the exemplary term "under..." can cover both the orientations of above and below. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used in this article are interpreted accordingly. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as "between two layers", it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intermediate layers can also be present.

[0080] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing a specific embodiment and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "one", "one" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or parts when used in this specification, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups or add one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. In the description of this specification, the description of the reference terms "one embodiment", "another embodiment" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily have to be directed to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may combine different embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification without mutual contradiction.

[0081] It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on another element or layer," "connected to another element or layer," "coupled to another element or layer," or "adjacent to another element or layer," it may be directly on another element or layer, directly connected to another element or layer, directly coupled to another element or layer, or directly adjacent to another element or layer, or there may be intermediate elements or layers. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on another element or layer," "directly connected to another element or layer," "directly coupled to another element or layer," or "directly adjacent to another element or layer," there are no intermediate elements or layers. However, in no case should "on" or "directly on" be interpreted as requiring that one layer completely cover the layer below.

[0082] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to schematic illustrations (and intermediate structures) of idealized embodiments of the present disclosure. As such, variations in the illustrated shapes, for example as a result of manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances, should be expected. Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific shapes of the zones illustrated herein, but should include shape deviations, for example, due to manufacturing. Therefore, the zones illustrated in the figures are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shapes of the zones of the device and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0083] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the relevant art and / or the context of this specification, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0084] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, although the various steps of the method in the present disclosure are described in a particular order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in this particular order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally or alternatively, multiple steps may be combined into one step for execution, and / or a step may be decomposed into multiple steps for execution. In addition, other method steps may be inserted between steps. The inserted steps may represent improvements to the method such as described herein, or may be unrelated to the method. In addition, a given step may not be fully completed before the next step begins.

[0085] The above is only a specific implementation of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure, which should be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal phase shifter, comprising a first substrate and a second substrate arranged relative to each other and spaced apart from each other, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, in, The liquid crystal phase shifter includes a plurality of phase shift units, each of which includes: A first vertical electrode is disposed on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate; a second vertical electrode disposed on a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate, wherein an orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlaps with an orthographic projection of the second vertical electrode on the first substrate; and At least one pair of lateral electrodes is disposed on a side of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, wherein the orthographic projection of the at least one pair of lateral electrodes on the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode on the first substrate, And wherein, the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode are used to control the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along a first direction, and the at least one pair of lateral electrodes are used to control the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged along a second direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate, and the second direction is parallel to the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, further comprising: A first transmission line and a second transmission line, wherein The first transmission line is arranged on a side of the first substrate facing the second substrate, and includes a first main body extending along the second direction and a plurality of first protrusions protruding toward a third direction. The second transmission line is arranged on a side of the second substrate facing the first substrate, and includes a second main body extending along the second direction and a plurality of second protrusions protruding toward a fourth direction. The third direction and the fourth direction are both perpendicular to the second direction, and the third direction and the fourth direction are in opposite directions. The plurality of first protrusions correspond to the plurality of second protrusions one by one. The area where each first protrusion overlaps with the corresponding second protrusion on the first substrate constitutes a first vertical electrode, and the area where each second protrusion overlaps with the corresponding first protrusion on the first substrate constitutes a second vertical electrode.

3. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one pair of transverse electrodes includes two pairs of transverse electrodes, the first pair of transverse electrodes includes a first transverse electrode and a second transverse electrode, the second pair of transverse electrodes includes a third transverse electrode and a fourth transverse electrode, the first transverse electrode and the second transverse electrode are arranged on a side of the first vertical electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, the third transverse electrode and the fourth transverse electrode are arranged on a side of the second vertical electrode facing the liquid crystal layer, the orthographic projections of the first transverse electrode and the third transverse electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap, and the orthographic projections of the second transverse electrode and the fourth transverse electrode on the first substrate at least partially overlap.

4. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 3, wherein: Each phase shift unit also includes: a first insulating layer disposed between the first vertical electrode and the first pair of lateral electrodes; and A second insulating layer is disposed between the second vertical electrode and the second pair of transverse electrodes.

5. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 3, wherein: When no voltage is applied, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are aligned along the first direction. During the rising process, a high voltage is applied to the first horizontal electrode and the third horizontal electrode, a negative high voltage is applied to the second horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode, so that under the action of the electric field in the second direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the second direction; During the descending process, a high voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode, the first transverse electrode and the second transverse electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the second vertical electrode, the third transverse electrode and the fourth transverse electrode. Under the action of the electric field in the first direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the first direction.

6. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 3, wherein: When no voltage is applied, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are aligned along the second direction. During the rising process, a high voltage is applied to the second vertical electrode, the third horizontal electrode and the fourth horizontal electrode, and a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode, the first horizontal electrode and the second horizontal electrode, so that the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the first direction under the action of the electric field in the first direction; During the descending process, a low voltage is applied to the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode, a high voltage is applied to the first transverse electrode and the third transverse electrode, and a negative high voltage is applied to the second transverse electrode and the fourth transverse electrode. Under the action of the electric field in the second direction, the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged along the second direction.

7. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein: In a cross section perpendicular to the first substrate and the second substrate, a distance between each pair of transverse electrodes is greater than a width of the first vertical electrode and the second vertical electrode.

8. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 7, wherein: The response time of the liquid crystal phase shifter is controlled by adjusting the width of each transverse electrode and the distance between each pair of transverse electrodes.

9. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 8, wherein: The width of each lateral electrode is 1±0.5 μm, and the spacing between each pair of lateral electrodes is in the range of 3 μm-9 μm.

10. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 9, wherein: The spacing between each pair of lateral electrodes is 6±0.5 μm.

11. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 8, wherein: The spacing between each pair of lateral electrodes is 6±0.5 μm, and the width of each lateral electrode is in the range of 1 μm-4 μm.

12. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein: Each lateral electrode is formed of ITO material.

13. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12, wherein: The thickness of each lateral electrode in the first direction is in the range of 0.07 μm-0.14 μm.

14. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the liquid crystal layer is 1.5 μm-4.6 μm.

15. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1, wherein: The liquid crystal layer uses a liquid crystal with a viscosity-elasticity ratio of 1-100.

16. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 2, wherein: The first transmission line is a microstrip line, and the second transmission line is a metal ground line.

17. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 2, wherein: The first transmission line and the second transmission line are differential signal transmission lines, and a phase difference between the first transmission line and the second transmission line is 180°.

18. A phased array antenna, comprising a power division network layer, a phase shifter layer, a phase shifter to antenna layer, and an antenna array layer stacked in sequence, wherein: The phase shifter layer includes a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters arranged in an array as described in any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. The phased array antenna according to claim 18, wherein: The antenna array layer includes a plurality of antenna structures arranged in an array, and the plurality of antenna structures arranged in an array are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of liquid crystal phase shifters arranged in an array, and a spacing between adjacent antenna structures is 0.5λ-0.6λ, where λ is the wavelength of a beam transmitted by the antenna.

20. The phased array antenna according to claim 18, further comprising: A driving control structure, wherein each of the first vertical electrodes is connected to a first vertical electrode binding area via a lead, each of the second vertical electrodes is connected to a second vertical electrode binding area via a lead, each of the at least one pair of horizontal electrodes is connected to a corresponding horizontal electrode binding area, and the driving control structure applies voltage to the corresponding electrodes via each binding area.

Images