Test device, test system, and test method

Abstract

The invention provides a testing device, a testing system and a testing method, belongs to the technical field of antennas, and aims to improve the testing accuracy of a liquid crystal phase shifter, the testing device comprises at least one testing unit, the testing unit comprises a phase shifting structure and a testing structure, the test structure and the phase shift structure are stacked to form a stacked structure; wherein the phase shifting structure comprises two substrates arranged oppositely and liquid crystals arranged in the two substrates, an electrode is arranged on the side, close to the liquid crystals, of each substrate, and the electrodes are used for providing driving voltage for deflection of the liquid crystals; the test structure comprises two radio frequency interfaces and is configured to couple an electromagnetic wave signal input by one radio frequency interface into the phase shifting structure, and the other radio frequency interface is used for outputting the electromagnetic wave signal subjected to phase shifting by the phase shifting structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of antenna testing, and in particular to a testing device, a testing system and a testing method. Background Art

[0002] Antennas are essential devices in communication technology. Phase shifters are often used in antennas. Phase shifters are devices that can adjust the phase of waves. They are widely used in radar, accelerators, communications, instrumentation and even music.

[0003] With the development of phase shifter technology, liquid crystal phase shifters have emerged. The performance of liquid crystal phase shifters will affect the performance of antennas. In related technologies, the performance of phase shifters is generally tested separately. However, after the phase shifter is assembled in the antenna, its separate test result cannot accurately evaluate its performance in the antenna. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on the content of the background technology, the present disclosure proposes a testing device, a testing system and a testing method.

[0005] First, a testing device is provided, comprising: at least one testing unit, the testing unit comprising a phase-shifting structure and a testing structure, the testing structure and the phase-shifting structure are stacked to form a stacked structure; wherein:

[0006] The phase shift structure comprises two substrates arranged opposite to each other, and liquid crystals arranged in the two substrates, each substrate is provided with an electrode on a side close to the liquid crystal, and the electrode is used to provide a driving voltage for the deflection of the liquid crystal;

[0007] The test structure includes two radio frequency interfaces, and is configured to couple an electromagnetic wave signal input by one of the radio frequency interfaces into the phase shift structure, and to output the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shift structure through the other radio frequency interface.

[0008] Exemplarily, the test structure includes two test circuit boards, which are stacked on the same side of the phase-shifting structure, or the two test circuit boards are respectively located on opposite sides of the phase-shifting structure; wherein the two RF interfaces are respectively located in the two test circuit boards.

[0009] Exemplarily, the test structure includes a test circuit board, the test circuit board is stacked on one side of the phase-shifting structure, and the two radio frequency interfaces are respectively located on two opposite sides of the test circuit board.

[0010] Exemplarily, the test circuit board includes a substrate, metal layers located on both sides of the substrate, and a first transmission line, wherein a coupling hole is provided in the metal layer on a side close to the substrate, and an electromagnetic wave signal is transmitted between the test circuit board and the phase shift structure through the first transmission line and the coupling hole;

[0011] The orthographic projections of the metal layers in the two test circuit boards on the same substrate cover the orthographic projections of each electrode on the substrate, and the orthographic projections of the coupling holes on the substrate are covered by the orthographic projections of the electrodes on the substrate.

[0012] Exemplarily, a plurality of the test units are included, wherein there are at least two adjacent first test units, and there is a gap between the metal layers located on the same layer in the two first test units, and the orthographic projection of the gap on the substrate is located between the orthographic projections of the electrodes in the two first test units on the substrate.

[0013] Exemplarily, the metal layer of each of the test circuit boards in the first test unit includes a first metal area and a second metal area connected to the first metal area;

[0014] wherein the size of the second metal area in the target direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the target direction, the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate have a first overlapping area, and the orthographic projection of the second metal area on the substrate forms a second overlapping area; the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are combined to fully cover the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate;

[0015] The target direction includes a first direction and / or a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

[0016] Exemplarily, the orthographic projections of the first metal areas of the two test circuit boards on the substrate are respectively located on two opposite sides of the orthographic projections of the electrodes on the substrate.

[0017] Exemplarily, the orthographic projections of the two electrodes in the same first test unit on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area, and the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are merged to form a second merged area; wherein the vertical distance between the first edge of the first merged area and the second edge of the second merged area is 0 to 2 mm;

[0018] The first edge and the second edge are located on the same side of the first merging area.

[0019] Exemplarily, a plurality of the test units are arranged in an array, and the orthographic projections of two electrodes in the phase-shifting structure on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area;

[0020] Among the plurality of test units arranged in the column direction, there are at least two adjacent second test units, and the areas of the first merging regions in the two second test units are not equal.

[0021] Exemplarily, the first overlapping region and the second overlapping region are merged to form a second merged region, and areas of the second merged regions in two second test units are not equal.

[0022] Exemplarily, the plurality of test units are arranged in an array, and there are at least two adjacent third test units among the plurality of test units arranged in a column direction;

[0023] The first metal regions located in the same layer in the two third test units are connected to each other or not connected to each other.

[0024] Exemplarily, a hollow area is provided on the metal layer on the side of the test circuit board facing away from the substrate, one end of the first transmission line extends into the hollow area, and the other end is located outside the hollow area; wherein,

[0025] A plurality of spaced shielding holes are also provided in the metal layer, and the plurality of shielding holes are located outside the hollow area and surround the first transmission line.

[0026] Secondly, a test system is also provided, which includes a TRL calibration piece and the test device, wherein the TRL calibration piece is configured to calibrate the error of the test device during the test.

[0027] Exemplarily, the test circuit board in the test structure includes a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is used to transmit an electromagnetic wave signal to the phase shift structure; the phase shift structure includes a second transmission line connected to the electrode, and the second transmission line is used to couple the electromagnetic wave signal fed into the test circuit board in the test device through the coupling hole;

[0028] Wherein, the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is located at the end of the first transmission line; or, the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is located at the end of the second transmission line.

[0029] Secondly, a testing method is also provided accordingly, which is applied to the testing device or the testing system, and the method comprises:

[0030] Inputting a first electromagnetic wave signal to a radio frequency interface of a test structure in the test unit, wherein the first electromagnetic wave signal is coupled to the phase shift structure and coupled to another radio frequency interface in the test structure after being phase shifted by the phase shift structure;

[0031] Receiving a second electromagnetic wave signal output by the other radio frequency interface;

[0032] Based on the first electromagnetic wave signal and the second electromagnetic wave signal, obtaining a performance index of the phase shift structure in the test unit;

[0033] The performance index includes at least one of loss, phase shift and coupling matching, and the coupling matching is the coupling matching between the phase shift structure and the test structure.

[0034] The test device provided by the present disclosure includes at least one test unit, the test unit includes a phase shift structure and a test structure, and the test structure and the phase shift structure are stacked to form a stacked structure; wherein the phase shift structure includes two substrates arranged opposite to each other, and liquid crystals arranged in the two substrates, each substrate is provided with an electrode on a side close to the liquid crystal, and the electrode is used to provide a driving voltage for the deflection of the liquid crystal; the test structure includes two radio frequency interfaces, which are configured to couple an electromagnetic wave signal input by one radio frequency interface into the phase shift structure, and the other radio frequency interface is used to output the electromagnetic wave signal after being phase-shifted by the phase shift structure.

[0035] Since the electromagnetic wave signal input by one RF interface in the test structure is coupled into the phase shift structure, and the other RF interface is used to output the electromagnetic wave signal after the phase shift structure has been phase-shifted, the coupled-in electromagnetic wave signal and the output electromagnetic wave signal can be used to determine the performance of the phase shift structure, thereby achieving the purpose of testing the performance of the phase shift structure. In addition, since the test structure and the phase shift structure constitute a stacked structure, the stacked structure can simulate the stacked environment of the phase shift structure working in the antenna, so that the basic performance indicators such as the total loss of the phase shift structure and the feed coupling, the total phase shift amount, etc. of the phase shifter in the stacked state can be accurately tested, so that the obtained performance can more accurately restore its performance in the antenna, that is, the performance of the phase shift structure measured by the test device when it is working has a strong reference significance for the performance of the phase shift structure working in the antenna.

[0036] The present disclosure also discloses an electronic device, including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the test method when executed.

[0037] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present disclosure. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present disclosure, it can be implemented according to the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present disclosure are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or related technologies, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. It should be noted that the proportions in the drawings are only for illustration and do not represent the actual proportions.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a testing device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Figure 2a A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a testing device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0041] Figure 2b A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Figure 3a A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Figure 3b A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0044] Figure 4 A schematic top view of a test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic top view of a testing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0046] Figure 6a A top plan view of a first test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0047] Figure 6b Shows Figure 6a The cross-sectional structure diagram of

[0048] Figure 7a A top plan view of yet another first test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0049] Figure 7b Shows Figure 7a The cross-sectional structure diagram of

[0050] Figure 8 A schematic top view of another testing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0051] Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of another test unit in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0052] Fig.10a A schematic diagram of the structure of a TRL calibration component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0053] Fig.10b A schematic diagram of the structure of another TRL calibration component according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0054] Fig.11 A flowchart of the steps of another testing method in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] Description of reference numerals:

[0056] 100, phase shift structure; 200, test structure; 101, substrate; 1011, upper substrate; 1012, lower substrate; 102, electrode; 1021, electrode on the upper substrate; 1022, electrode on the lower substrate; 103, liquid crystal; 201, first test circuit board; 202, second test circuit board; 21 / 22, substrate; 311 / 312 / 321 / 322, metal layer; 41 / 42, coupling hole; 51 / 52, first transmission line; 61 / 62, radio frequency interface; 70, hollow area; 81, shielding hole; 400, interval; 1023, first merged area; 1024, second merged area; 241, first overlapping area; 242, second overlapping area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all 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.

[0058] In the related art, the performance test of the phase shifter in the antenna device is generally performed on the phase shifter alone, that is, the performance of the phase shifter is tested before the phase shifter is assembled to the antenna device. However, in this case, the performance of the phase shifter tested alone cannot accurately reflect its performance when assembled in the antenna. For example, taking the liquid crystal phased array antenna as an example, it is generally necessary to test the phased array antenna as a whole and each component, such as the phase shifter, separately; however, the result of the phase shifter test alone cannot be used as a reference for the performance of the phase shifter in the antenna as a whole, because when the phase shifter is assembled in the antenna, its performance will be affected by other components in the antenna.

[0059] In view of this, in order to solve the above technical problems, the following concept is proposed: when the phase shifter is tested separately, the stacking environment in which the phase shifter is located when working in the antenna can be simulated, such as attaching a test structure to the upper and lower sides or one side of the phase shifter to form an integral test device, and feeding an electromagnetic wave signal to the phase shifter through the test structure, and then receiving the electromagnetic wave signal output by the phase shifter from the test structure. As a result, when the phase shifter is tested, its working environment is also a stacking environment. Therefore, its performance test results can more accurately reflect the performance of the phase shifter when working in the antenna device.

[0060] Reference Figure 1 As shown, a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a testing device provided by the present disclosure is shown, such as Figure 1 As shown, the test device includes at least one test unit, and the test unit includes a phase-shifting structure 100 and a test structure 200, wherein the test structure 200 and the phase-shifting structure 100 are stacked to form a stacked structure;

[0061] The phase shift structure 100 includes two substrates 101 disposed opposite to each other, and liquid crystals 103 disposed between the two substrates 101. Each substrate 101 is provided with an electrode 202 on a side close to the liquid crystal, and the electrode is used to provide a driving voltage for the deflection of the liquid crystal.

[0062] The test structure 200 includes two RF interfaces 61 / 62, which are configured to couple the electromagnetic wave signal input by one RF interface into the phase shift structure, and the other RF interface is configured to output the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shift structure.

[0063] The testing device may include one testing unit or multiple testing units. When the testing device includes multiple testing units, the multiple testing units may be arranged in an array.

[0064] In this example, the phase shift structure can be a liquid crystal phase shifter based on any form such as CPW (coplanar waveguide) and differential double wire. The phase shift structure includes two substrates, which can be arranged opposite to each other, and liquid crystal can be sandwiched between the two substrates. Electrodes can be arranged on the side of one substrate close to the liquid crystal, and electrodes can also be arranged on the side of the other substrate close to the liquid crystal. One of the two electrodes is used as a positive electrode and the other electrode is used as a negative electrode. During testing, a driving voltage can be provided to the liquid crystal through the two electrodes to form an electric field on both sides of the liquid crystal, so that the liquid crystal is deflected under the action of the electric field. Figure 2a As shown, an electrode is disposed on a side of the upper substrate of the phase-shift structure close to the liquid crystal, and an electrode is also disposed on a side of the lower substrate of the phase-shift structure close to the liquid crystal.

[0065] In this example, the phase shift structure and the test structure in each test unit can be stacked on each other. Specifically, the test structure can be attached to the side of the substrate of the phase shift structure away from the liquid crystal, so as to form a stacked structure with the phase shift structure. Thus, the test unit can provide a stacked environment similar to an antenna device for the phase shift structure.

[0066] Among them, two RF interfaces are arranged on the test structure, one RF interface is used to input electromagnetic wave signals to the test circuit board, and the other RF interface is used to output the electromagnetic wave signals after phase shifting by the phase shifting structure to the external test equipment. Generally speaking, the test structure also has a transmission structure for electromagnetic wave signals, such as a transmission structure is arranged corresponding to each RF interface, and the transmission structure is mainly used to transmit electromagnetic wave signals between the RF interface and the phase shifting structure, such as transmitting the electromagnetic wave signal of the RF interface to the phase shifting structure, and transmitting the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shifting structure to the RF interface.

[0067] Among them, when the test device is working, an electromagnetic wave signal can be input into one of the RF interfaces 61. The electromagnetic wave signal is fed into the phase shift structure through the transmission structure in the test structure. After the phase of the electromagnetic wave signal is modulated by the phase shift structure, it is transmitted to another RF interface 62 of the test structure by another transmission structure and output. The test equipment connected to the other RF interface can determine the performance indicators of the phase shift structure based on the electromagnetic wave signal input to the test circuit board and the electromagnetic wave signal output. The performance indicators of the phase shift structure may include the phase shift amount and loss.

[0068] With the test device of the present embodiment, since the test structure and the phase-shifting structure form a laminated structure, when the phase-shifting structure is tested by the test device, the working environment in which the phase-shifting structure is tested is also a laminated environment, which is similar to the laminated environment in which the phase-shifting structure works in the antenna. Therefore, the performance test result can more accurately restore the performance of the phase-shifting structure in the antenna, which has a strong reference significance for the performance of the phase-shifting structure in the test device working in the antenna.

[0069] In one embodiment, the test structure 200 may include two test circuit boards, one of which is used as a circuit board for inputting electromagnetic wave signals to the phase shift structure, and the other test circuit board is used for receiving and outputting electromagnetic wave signals after phase shifting by the phase shift structure. Accordingly, the two test circuit boards may be stacked on the same side of the phase shift structure, or located on opposite sides of the phase shift structure.

[0070] Specifically, refer to Figure 2a As shown, a cross-sectional structure diagram of a test unit is shown, such as Figure 2a As shown, the test structure 200 includes two test circuit boards 201 / 202 , which form a stacked structure with the phase shift structure 100 ; wherein two RF interfaces are respectively located in the two test circuit boards, that is, one RF interface is provided on each test circuit board.

[0071] Among them, one test circuit board 201 in the test circuit boards is used to couple electromagnetic wave signals into the phase shift structure, and another test circuit board 202 is provided with a radio frequency interface 62, which is used to output the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shift structure.

[0072] In this example, the phase-shifting structure and the two test circuit boards in each test unit can be stacked on each other. Specifically, the two test circuit boards can be stacked on one side of the phase-shifting structure, or the two test circuit boards can be stacked on both sides of the phase-shifting structure. Thus, the test unit can provide a stacking environment similar to that of an antenna device for the phase-shifting structure.

[0073] Among them, the two test circuit boards can be PCB boards (Printed Circuit Boards), the two test circuit boards can be symmetrical structures or asymmetrical structures, and the two test circuit boards can be attached to the side of the substrate of the phase shift structure away from the liquid crystal, thereby forming a stacked structure with the phase shift structure.

[0074] Specifically, refer to Figure 2b As shown, Figure 2b FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional structural diagram of another test unit. Figure 2a As shown, in the test unit, two test circuit boards 201 / 202 are respectively located on the side of the two substrates in the phase shift structure away from the liquid crystal, such as one test circuit board 201 is located on the side of the upper substrate 1011 away from the liquid crystal 103, and the other test circuit board 202 is located on the side of the lower substrate 1012 away from the liquid crystal 103; wherein, for the test device, if it includes multiple test units, the stacked structures of the multiple test units can be Figure 2aThe structure shown uses this test unit to simulate the performance of the phase-shifting structure in the first antenna device, which is a device in which the feed source and the electromagnetic wave emission direction are located on opposite sides.

[0075] like Figure 2b As shown, in the test unit, two test circuit boards are stacked on the side of any one substrate of the phase-shift structure away from the liquid crystal, such as both test circuit boards are located on the side of the upper substrate 1011 away from the liquid crystal 103, or both are located on the side of the lower substrate 1012 away from the liquid crystal 103; wherein, for the test device, if it includes multiple test units, the stacked structure of the multiple test units can be the structure shown in FIG. 2, and this test unit can be used to simulate the performance of the phase-shift structure in the second antenna device, which is a device in which the feed source and the electromagnetic wave emission direction are located on the same side.

[0076] In another example, the test structure may include a test circuit board, on which two radio frequency interfaces may be integrated, thereby enabling the test circuit board to both input electromagnetic wave signals to the phase shifting structure and receive electromagnetic wave signals after phase shifting by the phase shifting structure and output them to external test equipment.

[0077] Specifically, the test circuit board is stacked on one side of the phase shift structure, and the two radio frequency interfaces are located on opposite sides of the test circuit board, that is, one test circuit board integrates a structure for inputting electromagnetic wave signals and outputting electromagnetic wave signals.

[0078] Next, the structure of the test unit including two test circuit boards is described in detail.

[0079] In one example, each test circuit board can be a PCB board, which may include a substrate and metal layers located on both sides of the substrate, a first transmission line can be arranged in the metal layer, and a coupling hole is arranged on the metal layer on the side close to the substrate. Through the coupling hole, the first transmission line, the metal layer and the coupling hole can be passed, so that the test circuit board can transmit electromagnetic wave signals between the phase shifting structure.

[0080] For example, refer to Figure 3a and Figure 3b As shown, a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of two test units is shown, such as Figure 3a and Figure 3bAs shown, the test circuit board includes a substrate 21 / 22, metal layers located on both sides of the substrate, and a first transmission line 51 / 52, wherein a coupling hole 41 / 42 is set in the metal layer on the side close to the substrate; wherein the test circuit board is configured to transmit electromagnetic wave signals between the first transmission line and the coupling hole and the phase shifting structure; wherein the orthographic projections of the metal layers in the two test circuit boards on the same substrate cover the orthographic projections of each electrode on the substrate, and the orthographic projections of the coupling holes on the substrate are covered by the orthographic projections of the electrodes on the substrate.

[0081] In this example, the material of the substrate can be a polymer synthetic resin or other polymer materials. Metal layers are applied on both sides of the substrate. One metal layer is away from the substrate and the other metal layer is close to the substrate. The areas of the two metal layers can be consistent or inconsistent. The orthographic projections of the two metal layers on the substrate overlap or partially overlap, or the orthographic projection of one metal layer on the substrate can cover the orthographic projection of the other metal layer on the substrate.

[0082] Among them, a first transmission line is patterned on the metal layer on the side of the test circuit board facing away from the substrate. The first transmission line is made of metal material, such as copper, nickel, aluminum, silver, etc. The metal material used for the first transmission line and the metal material used for the metal layer can be the same or different. Although the first transmission line is located in the metal layer, it is insulated from the metal in the metal layer, such as having a gap between the two or being separated by insulating material. Since each test circuit board is provided with a radio frequency interface, one end of the first transmission line can be connected to the radio frequency interface, and the other end can overlap with the positive projection of the electrode on the substrate. Specifically, the first transmission line can be a microstrip line or a strip line. In the case of a microstrip line, the microstrip line can be set on the metal layer facing away from the substrate. In the case of a strip line, the microstrip line is set in the substrate and is located between the two metal layers.

[0083] Among them, a coupling hole is provided on the metal layer on the side close to the substrate among the two metal layers of the test circuit board, and the orthographic projection of the coupling hole on the substrate is covered by the electrode on the substrate. Specifically, the orthographic projection of the end of the first transmission line close to the substrate on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the coupling hole on the substrate. Specifically, the orthographic projections of the coupling holes on the substrate of the two test circuit boards in the test unit may not overlap.

[0084] The metal layer, the first transmission line and the coupling hole can be used as a transmission structure in the test circuit board, and electromagnetic wave signals can be transmitted between the phase shift structure and the radio frequency interface through the transmission structure.

[0085] Among them, for each metal layer in the test unit (including four metal layers in total), its orthographic projection on the substrate covers each electrode in the phase-shifting structure of the test unit. For example, each metal layer can evenly cover the substrate, or each metal layer does not cover the entire surface of the substrate, but is covered by the substrate.

[0086] Since one of the two test circuit boards (hereinafter referred to as the first test circuit board 201) is used to input an electromagnetic wave signal to the phase shift structure, and the other test circuit board (hereinafter referred to as the second test circuit board 202) is used to couple the electromagnetic wave signal after the phase shift of the phase shift structure and output it, for the first test circuit board 201, the electromagnetic wave signal is input through the radio frequency interface 61 of the first test circuit board and transmitted through the first transmission line 51. The electromagnetic wave signal output by the first transmission line 51 will be fed into the phase shift structure 100 at the coupling hole 41. The liquid crystal 103 in the phase shift structure 100 is deflected due to the driving voltage of the electrode to modulate the phase of the electromagnetic wave signal. Then, the phase-modulated electromagnetic wave is coupled to the first transmission line 52 in the second test circuit board through the coupling hole 42 on the second test circuit board 202, and is transmitted to the radio frequency interface 62 through the first transmission line 52 on the second test circuit board, so that the phase-modulated electromagnetic wave signal is input into the test equipment.

[0087] The test units of the two stacked structures are exemplarily described as follows:

[0088] like Figure 3a As shown, the two test circuit boards in the test unit are respectively located on opposite sides of the phase shift structure. In this test unit, the first test circuit board 201 on the side of the upper substrate 1011 in the phase shift structure is used to feed electromagnetic wave signals to the phase shift structure. The two metal layers 311 and 312 on the first test circuit board both cover the electrode 1021 on the upper substrate 101 and the electrode 1022 on the lower substrate 102. The coupling hole 41 on the first test circuit board 201 can be covered by the electrode 1021 on the upper substrate 101. The first transmission line 51 on the first test circuit board 201 is arranged close to the electrode 1021 and overlaps with the electrode. The radio frequency on the first test circuit board The interface 61 is used to receive electromagnetic wave signals; wherein, the second test circuit board 202 located on one side of the lower substrate 1012 is used to receive the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shifting structure, the two metal layers 321 and 322 on the second test circuit board 202 both cover the electrode 1022 on the lower substrate 203 and the electrode 1021 on the upper substrate 1011, the coupling hole 42 on the second test circuit board can be covered by the electrode 1022 on the lower substrate, the first transmission line 52 on the second test circuit board is arranged close to the electrode on the lower substrate, and overlaps with the electrode 1022, and the radio frequency interface 62 on the second test circuit board is used to transmit the electromagnetic wave signal to the test equipment.

[0089] Reference Figure 3b As shown, the two test circuit boards in the test unit are located on the same side of the phase shift structure. In this test unit, the first test circuit board 201 and the second test circuit board 202 are stacked on one side of the lower substrate in the phase shift structure; wherein the structures of the first test circuit board 201 and the second test circuit board 202 refer to the above Figure 3a In this example, the first transmission line 51 on the first test circuit board and the second transmission line 52 on the second test circuit board can be located on opposite sides of the electrode, respectively. The radio frequency interface 61 on the first test circuit board and the radio frequency interface 62 on the second test circuit board can also be located on opposite sides of the electrode, respectively. The first transmission line 51 and the second transmission line 52 have no overlap between their orthographic projections on the substrate to avoid crosstalk between the input electromagnetic wave signal and the output electromagnetic wave signal. The coupling hole 41 and the coupling hole 42 have no overlap between their orthographic projections on the substrate. The metal layers 311 and 312 on the first test circuit board fully cover the substrate, and the metal layers 321 and 3322 on the second test circuit board fully cover the substrate. This arrangement is more suitable for a test device with a single test unit.

[0090] In the test unit of this example, since a coupling hole and a first transmission line are used as the transmission structure of the electromagnetic wave signal between the test circuit board and the phase-shifting structure, the frequency of the electromagnetic wave can be adjusted by changing the size of the coupling hole. In this way, the phase shifting performance of the phase-shifting structure for electromagnetic waves of a specific frequency can be tested. For example, increasing the size of the coupling hole can test the phase shifting performance of the phase-shifting structure for electromagnetic waves in a low frequency band. For example, reducing the size of the coupling hole can test the phase shifting performance of the phase-shifting structure for electromagnetic waves in a high frequency band.

[0091] The specific arrangement of the metal layer in the test circuit board is described in detail. In one example, a hollow area may be arranged on the test circuit board, and the hollow area may be insulated from the metal layer, and the first transmission line may be partially located in the hollow area and partially located outside the hollow area and connected to the RF interface. Figure 4 As shown, a schematic diagram of a top view of a test unit is shown, such as Figure 4 As shown, one end of the first transmission line 51 extends into the hollow area 70, and the other end is located outside the hollow area 70; wherein the orthographic projection of the hollow area on the substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate.

[0092] In this example, the structure of the metal layer of the first test circuit board and the second test circuit board can be consistent, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process. Wherein, the first transmission line can be a microstrip line, and the hollow area can refer to a hollowed-out area in the metal area. Note that the hollow area does not penetrate the substrate, and is a small area on the substrate where no metal material is applied. Wherein, the orthographic projection of the hollow area on the substrate can overlap with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate.

[0093] The shape of the hollow area can be adapted to the shape of the first transmission line, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first transmission line is L-shaped, and the hollow area is also L-shaped. One end of the first transmission line extends into the hollow area, and the other end is located outside the hollow area. The first transmission line located outside the hollow area can be laid on the metal layer, which is used to connect to the RF interface.

[0094] It should be noted that, in order to achieve impedance matching, the radius of the end of the first transmission line connected to the RF interface should be larger than the radius of the end of the first transmission line close to the electrode. Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, the first transmission line can be L-shaped, and specifically can include a first metal wire 511 and a second metal wire 512. The first metal wire 511 and the second metal wire 512 are connected to form an L-shape, one end of the first metal wire is connected to the RF interface, and the other end extends into the hollow area and is connected to the second metal wire. The second metal wire is entirely located in the hollow area, and the orthographic projection of the second metal wire on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate; wherein the radius of the first metal wire is greater than the radius of the second metal wire, that is, the first transmission line becomes thinner at the corner, so that impedance matching can be achieved while ensuring low-loss transmission of electromagnetic wave signals.

[0095] The hollow area provided in this example can avoid signal crosstalk between the first transmission line and the metal layer, and the first transmission line can achieve impedance matching by becoming thinner at the corners.

[0096] Among them, multiple shielding holes 81 can also be set in the test circuit board to shield the interference between the metal layer and the first transmission line 51. Multiple spaced shielding holes are also set in the metal layer. The multiple shielding holes surround the hollow area and the first transmission line outside the hollow area.

[0097] Among them, the shielding hole can pass through the substrate, and the shielding hole can be used to isolate the crosstalk between the two metal layers in the test circuit board to the first transmission line. Specifically, multiple shielding holes are located outside the hollow area and surround the first transmission line. Then, in the hollow area, outside the first transmission line are the hollow area and the shielding holes in sequence, and outside the first transmission line in the non-hollow area, a circle of shielding holes surrounds the first transmission line. Specifically, the spacing distances between the multiple shielding holes can be the same or different.

[0098] Wherein, a plurality of shielding holes may be arranged on the periphery of the first transmission line, such as Figure 4 As shown, two circles of shielding holes are arranged on the periphery of the first transmission line. In this case, the two circles of shielding holes can be staggered to increase the shielding effect of the first transmission line.

[0099] The spacing distance between the shielding holes and the diameter of the shielding holes can be set as needed, which will not be described in detail here.

[0100] When this example is used, the shielding holes on the test circuit board can shield the interference of the upper and lower metal layers on the first transmission line, thereby optimizing the signal transmission performance of the first transmission line.

[0101] In one example, if the test device includes only one test unit, it can simulate the stacking environment of a single phase-shifting structure in a single antenna unit to achieve performance testing of the single phase-shifting structure. In this case, the metal layer on each test circuit board in the test unit can cover the entire substrate.

[0102] In another example, the testing device may include multiple testing units, in which case it includes multiple phase shifting structures. Thus, the testing device can be used to simulate the working environment of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the phased array antenna, thereby achieving performance testing of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the phased array antenna.

[0103] In this example, if the metal layers of the upper and lower test circuit boards are completely overlapped, that is, the entire surface covers the substrate, then the electrodes of the phase-shifting structures in the two adjacent test units are all covered with metal set on the entire surface, that is, the orthographic projections of the electrodes of the two adjacent test units on the substrate are all covered by a whole surface of the metal layer. Therefore, the metal layer of one test unit will affect the electrodes in the other test unit, thereby causing crosstalk between the phase-shifting structures. In order to avoid crosstalk and influence between phase-shifting structures, the crosstalk and influence between phase-shifting structures can be eliminated through the structural design of the test circuit board. For example, the metal layer on the test circuit board may not completely cover the entire substrate.

[0104] Specifically, there are at least two adjacent first test units among the multiple test units, and there is a gap 400 between the metal layers located on the same layer in the two first test units. The orthographic projection of the gap 400 on the substrate is between the orthographic projections 1023 of the electrodes in the two first test units on the substrate.

[0105] In this example, the two first test units are two adjacent test units, and the metal layer located in the same layer refers to: the metal layer on the same side of the substrate on the test circuit board located on the same side of the phase shift structure in the two first test units, for example, in the two first test units, it is the metal layer 311 on the test circuit board 201 located on the side of the upper substrate 101, which is the farthest from the liquid crystal. There is a gap between the two metal layers 311 in the same layer, and the gap is used to separate the two metal layers 311 in the same layer, and the gap 400 can be located between the orthographic projections 1023 of the electrodes in the two first test units on the substrate, so that the metal layers 311 in the same layer in the two first test units are insulated through the gap, so as to avoid that the electrodes in the two first test units are covered by the metal layer connected on the whole surface, thereby, the electrodes in the two adjacent first test units are covered by two spaced metal areas, such as the electrode of the phase shift structure in one test unit is covered by a metal area 311a, and the electrode of the phase shift structure in the other test unit is covered by another metal area 311b.

[0106] The length of the interval can be consistent with the length of the test circuit board (the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two first test units), so that the two metal layers located in the same layer have the barrier of the interval in any area. Figure 5 As shown, a schematic diagram of a top view of a test device is shown, such as Figure 5 As shown, on the test circuit board 201 on one side of the upper substrate 1011 of the two first test units, there is a gap 400 between the metal layers 311 on the side of the substrate facing away from the liquid crystal, and the gap can be located between the orthographic projections 1023 of the electrodes on the substrate, wherein the gap can extend in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the two first test units. Figure 5 As shown, the length of the interval can be smaller than the length of the test circuit board 201. In this case, for the two metal layers located on the same layer in the two first test units, part of their areas are connected, while another part of their areas are spaced apart to avoid the area directly above the electrodes in the two first test units being a metal layer connected over the entire surface, while the area other than the area directly above can be a metal layer connected over the entire surface, thereby avoiding crosstalk and influence between adjacent phase shifting structures while ensuring the transmission of electromagnetic wave signals on the test circuit board.

[0107] In the case where the length of the interval can be smaller than the length of the test circuit board, in a further example, the metal layers in the two test circuit boards may include a metal area with a smaller area and a metal area with a larger area, wherein the orthographic projection of the metal area with a smaller area in the metal layers of the two test circuit boards on the substrate covers the area where the electrode is located, while the orthographic projection of the metal area with a larger area on the substrate does not overlap with the area where the electrode is located. Thus, through the second metal area with a smaller area, at least the electrodes in the two adjacent first test units are covered by two spaced metal areas, such as the electrode of the phase-shifting structure in one test unit is covered by one metal area, while the electrode of the phase-shifting structure in the other test unit is covered by another metal area. That is to say, it can be achieved that the area directly above the electrode in the two first test units is a metal layer connected on the entire surface, and the area except the area directly above can be a metal layer connected on the entire surface.

[0108] In a specific implementation, the metal layer of each test circuit board in the first test unit includes a first metal area 32 and a second metal area 33; wherein the area of ​​the second metal area 33 is smaller than the area of ​​the first metal area 32, specifically, the size of the second metal area in the target direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the target direction, wherein the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate have a first overlapping area 241, and the orthographic projection of the second metal area on the substrate forms a second overlapping area 242; the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are combined to cover the orthographic projection 1023 of the electrode on the substrate;

[0109] The target direction includes a first direction and / or a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

[0110] In this embodiment, the first transmission line is located in the first metal region, and the coupling hole may also be located in the first metal region.

[0111] Multiple test units can be arranged in an array. In the case of array arrangement, the first direction can be the column direction, and the second direction can be the row direction. The second metal area has a size in the column direction that is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the column direction. In this way, crosstalk between the phase-shifting structure in another first test unit adjacent to the phase-shifting structure in the first test unit in the column direction can be avoided. This situation can be applicable to a test device in which multiple test units are arranged in a single column. If the second metal area has a size in the row direction that is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the row direction, crosstalk between the phase-shifting structure adjacent to the phase-shifting structure in the first test unit in the row direction can be avoided. This situation can be applicable to a test device in which multiple test units are arranged in a single row. If the second metal area has a size in both the row and column directions that is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the row and column directions, this situation can be applicable to a test device in which multiple test units are arranged in a single row, a single column, or multiple rows and columns.

[0112] Wherein, each test unit may have the structure of the first test unit, or some test units may have the structure of the first test unit. In the case where some test units have the structure of the first test unit, the part of the test units may be test units that are not at the edge of the multiple test units. For example, multiple test units are arranged in an array in a column, and the metal layer on the test circuit board in the test units at the head and tail of the column can cover the entire substrate, then the test units except the test units at the head and tail of the column may have the structure of the first test unit. For another example, multiple test units are arranged in an array, and the metal layer on the test circuit board in the test units other than the test units in the first and last columns and the test units in the first and last rows may cover the entire substrate, then the test units except the test units in the first and last columns and the test units in the first and last rows may have the structure of the first test unit.

[0113] In the first test unit, the orthographic projection of each second metal area on the substrate has a second overlapping area, which can be understood as the orthographic projection area of ​​the second metal area on the substrate; the orthographic projection of each first metal area on the substrate can have a first overlapping area with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate, and the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are combined to fully cover the orthographic projection of each electrode in the phase-shifting structure on the substrate, thereby, the upper and lower electrodes in the phase-shifting structure are combined and covered by the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area, and because the size of the second metal area in the row direction and / or the column direction is smaller than the first metal area, there is a gap between the second metal areas of the same layer of two adjacent test units, such as there is a gap between the second metal areas of the same layer in the two adjacent test units in the row direction, and there is a gap between the second metal areas of the same layer in the two adjacent test units in the column direction. In this way, the electrode of the first test unit and the electrode in another adjacent first test unit will not be completely covered by the two connected metal layers 311 at the same time, thereby reducing the crosstalk between the phase-shifting structures caused by the connection of the metal layers between the test units.

[0114] The two metal layers on the same test circuit board have the same shape, and the orthographic projections of the two metal layers on the substrate can completely overlap. When the test circuit board is attached to the substrate, the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of the second metal area on the substrate, and overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the substrate.

[0115] like Figure 6a Figure 6b As shown, Figure 6a shows a top plan view of a first test unit, Figure 6b Shows Figure 6a The cross-sectional structure diagram of Figure 6a As shown, a plurality of test units are arranged in a row, wherein each test unit has the structure of a first test unit, and the two test circuit boards in each first test unit can be located on both sides of the phase-shifting structure, respectively. Each metal layer on each test circuit board in each first test unit can include a first metal area and a second metal area connected to the first metal area, and the size of the second metal area in the column direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the column direction, thereby, through the second metal area, a gap is formed between the metal layer of the first test unit and the metal layer of another adjacent test unit. In the two metal layers 311 and 312 in the first test circuit board 201 on both sides of the phase-shifting structure in the first test unit, the orthographic projection of the second metal area 33 on the upper substrate 1011 has a second overlapping area 242, Figure 6a In the area on the right side of the dotted line frame in the middle outer layer, there is a first overlapping area 241 between the orthographic projection of the first metal area 32 on the upper substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the upper substrate 1011. Figure 6aThe area on the left in the dotted frame of the middle outer layer; similarly, for the two metal layers of the second test circuit board, the orthographic projection of the second metal area on the lower substrate 1012 has a second overlapping area, and the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the lower substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the lower substrate have a second overlapping area.

[0116] like Figure 6a As shown, since the size of the second metal area in the column direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the column direction, there is a gap between the second metal area covered by the electrode in a first test unit and the second metal area covered by the electrode in another adjacent first test unit. The metal layer in the first test unit will not bring signal crosstalk to the electrode in another adjacent first test unit, thereby avoiding the influence between phase shift structures.

[0117] Among them, the size of the first metal area in the row direction (first direction) is larger than the size of the second metal area in the row direction, and the size ratio between the two can be set according to requirements, and the size of the first metal area in the column direction (first direction) is larger than the size of the second metal area in the row direction, and the size ratio between the two can be set according to requirements. Since there is a gap between the metal layers located in the same layer in the two first test units, and the gap is between the orthographic projections of the electrodes in the two first test units on the same substrate, the second metal area can be understood as a protrusion extending in the plane direction from the first metal area.

[0118] By adopting this example, the metal layer does not completely cover the substrate, and the electrodes in two adjacent phase-shifting structures are not covered by a whole metal layer, but there is a separated second metal area between the electrodes, thus avoiding crosstalk between the phase-shifting structures.

[0119] Among them, since the size of the second metal area in the column direction and / or the row direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the column direction and / or the row direction, further, in one example, the area after the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area in the orthographic projection of the metal layer in a test circuit board in the first test unit on the substrate are merged only covers the electrode, for example, it is set that the orthographic projections of the two electrodes on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area, and the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are merged to form a second merged area, wherein the first merged area is surrounded by the second merged area, and the vertical distance d between the first edge of the first merged area and the second edge of the second merged area can be 0 to 2 mm. Among them, the first edge and the second edge are located on the same side of the first merged area.

[0120] In this example, Figure 6aAs shown, after the orthographic projections of the two electrodes located on both sides of the liquid crystal in the first test unit on the substrate are merged, a first merged area is formed, and the first merged area can cover any one of the two electrodes. Then, for the first metal area and the second metal area in each metal layer in the first test unit, the second merged area of ​​the area where the orthographic projections of the two on the substrate overlap with the electrodes only exceeds a smaller range of the first merged area, that is, each second edge of the second merged area exceeds the corresponding first edge of the first merged area by no more than 2 mm. Therefore, the interval between the second metal areas located in the same layer in two adjacent first test units can be increased, thereby improving the suppression of crosstalk between adjacent phase-shifting structures.

[0121] In another example, in order to further reduce the crosstalk and influence between the phase-shifting structures in the test unit, the overlap between the orthographic projections of the first metal areas in the metal layers of the two test circuit boards in the test unit on the substrate may be less or non-overlapping. For example, the orthographic projection of the first metal area in one test circuit board on the substrate has no overlap with the orthographic projection of the first metal area in the other test circuit board on the substrate. In this way, between the two test circuit boards in a test unit, only the orthographic projections of the second metal areas of the two test circuit boards on the substrate overlap. In this case, the first metal area 32 on the first test circuit board 201 may overlap with the electrode 1021 on the upper substrate 1011, and the first metal area 32 on the second test circuit board 202 may overlap with the electrode 1022 on the lower substrate 1012. Thus, crosstalk and influence between the phase-shifting structures can be further effectively avoided.

[0122] In a further example, the first metal areas of the two test circuit boards in the first test unit can be set on different sides of the electrode; specifically, in the first test unit, the orthographic projections of the first metal areas of the two test circuit boards on the substrate are respectively located on opposite sides of the orthographic projections of the electrode on the substrate.

[0123] In this example, for the same first test unit, since each test circuit board included includes a metal layer located on both sides of the substrate, a first test unit can include four first metal areas and four second metal areas, wherein the orthographic projections of the four second metal areas on the same substrate (upper substrate or lower substrate) can overlap, and the overlapping area formed by the overlap can overlap with the orthographic projection of each electrode on the substrate. For two test circuit boards, the orthographic projection of the first metal area on one test circuit on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the other test circuit board on the substrate can be respectively located on opposite sides of the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate.

[0124] In this case, the orthographic projection of the first metal area on one test circuit on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the first metal area on another test circuit board on the substrate both overlap with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate; while the orthographic projection of the first metal area on one test circuit on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the first metal area on another test circuit board on the substrate may not overlap.

[0125] Reference Figure 7a and Figure 7b As shown, Figure 7a shows a top plan view of a first test unit, Figure 7b Shows Figure 7a The cross-sectional structure diagram of Figure 7a and 7b As shown, the first test unit includes a phase-shifting structure and two test circuit boards respectively located on opposite sides of the phase-shifting structure, wherein the first test circuit board 201 on the upper substrate 1011 of the phase-shifting structure includes a base 21 and metal layers 311 and 312 located on both sides of the base 21, and the second test circuit board 202 on the lower substrate 1012 of the phase-shifting structure also includes a base 22 and metal layers 321 and 322 located on both sides of the base 22.

[0126] For the first test circuit board 201, the orthographic projections of the metal layers 311 and 312 on both sides of its substrate 21 on the substrate 21 can completely overlap, and its projection area is set as projection area A. For the second test circuit board 202, the orthographic projections of the metal layers 321 and 322 on both sides of its substrate 22 on the substrate 22 can also completely overlap, and its projection area is set as projection area B. There can be an overlap between the projection area A and the projection area B, thereby forming an overlapping area, wherein the orthographic projections of the first metal areas 32 on both sides of the substrate 21 in the first test circuit board 201 and the orthographic projections of the first metal areas 32 on both sides of the substrate 22 in the second test circuit board 202 are respectively located on both sides of the overlapping area.

[0127] When such a test device is used, the first metal area 32 in one test circuit board 201 in the same test unit may not overlap with the first metal area 32 in another test circuit board 202, thereby avoiding the formation of a large metal overlap area between the upper and lower test circuit boards, which would cause energy diffusion and interference during the testing of each phase-shifting structure. This allows each phase-shifting structure to exist independently without interfering with each other, cutting off the transmission paths other than the test trunk path, thereby improving the test accuracy of the entire test device for the phase-shifting structure.

[0128] In another example, multiple test units are arranged in an array, and the orthographic projections of two electrodes in the phase-shifting structure on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area 1023; wherein, there are at least two adjacent second test units among the multiple test units arranged in the column direction, and the areas of the first merged areas in the two second test units are not equal.

[0129] In this example, for each test unit, the orthographic projections of its two electrodes on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area 1023. The size of the first merged area is related to the operating frequency band of the phase-shifting structure. For example, the larger the area of ​​the first merged area, the lower the operating frequency band of the phase-shifting structure; the smaller the area of ​​the first merged area, the higher the operating frequency band of the phase-shifting structure.

[0130] Then, the multiple test units arranged in the test device may have first merged areas of different sizes, thereby enabling the test device to have phase shift structures of different frequency bands, and the phase shift structures of different frequency bands may be arranged alternately in the test device, so that in two adjacent second test units, the frequency band of the phase shift structure in one second test unit is lower or higher than the frequency band of the phase shift structure in the other second test unit. Specifically, two frequency band phase shift structures may be set in the test device, such as frequency band 1 and frequency band 2, wherein frequency band 1 is a high frequency band and frequency band 2 is a low frequency band, and the test units of frequency band 1 and the test units of frequency band 2 are arranged alternately.

[0131] Reference Figure 8 As shown, a schematic diagram of a top view of a test device is shown, such as Figure 8 As shown, multiple test units are arranged in an array. For a column of test units, among two adjacent second test units, the area of ​​the first merged region 1023 of one second test unit is larger than the area of ​​the first merged region 1023 of the other second test unit. Specifically, the test units in this column may have first merged regions of two areas, and the first merged regions of the two areas are alternately arranged in the column direction, thereby making the test units in the low frequency band and the test units in the high frequency band alternately arranged in the column direction.

[0132] Specifically, the structure of the second test unit may be consistent with the structure of the first test unit. For example, the second test unit is Figure 7a According to the structure shown, the testing device can simultaneously test phase shift structures of multiple frequency bands, and each phase shift structure can exist independently without interfering with each other, thereby improving the testing accuracy of phase shift structures of different frequency bands.

[0133] Further, in this example, since the first overlapping region corresponding to the first metal region and the second overlapping region corresponding to the second metal region are merged to form the second merged region 1024, wherein the second merged region 1024 can cover the first merged region 1023, when the areas of the first merged regions 1023 are not equal, the areas of the second merged regions 1024 in the two second test units can be equal or unequal. In the case of unequal heights, the first merged region with a larger area can have a second merged region with a larger area, and the first merged region with a smaller area can have a second merged region with a smaller area.

[0134] For example, Figure 8 As shown, the area of ​​the second merged area 1024 of the metal layer 311a in the second test unit with a larger first merged area is larger, and the area of ​​the second merged area of ​​the metal layer 311b in the second test unit with a smaller first merged area is smaller. It should be noted that in this case, for each second test unit, the size of its second merged area needs to satisfy that the range exceeding the corresponding first edge of the first merged area is no more than 2 mm.

[0135] When this test circuit board design is adopted, the size of the second merged area can be increased as the merged area increases, and decreased as the merged area decreases. Therefore, while satisfying the covering electrode, the area size of the metal layer covering the electrode can be minimized, and the distance between the second metal areas covering the electrodes in adjacent phase-shifting structures can be increased, so that when testing phase-shifting structures in different frequency bands, the test independence of each phase-shifting structure can be guaranteed as much as possible.

[0136] In another example, multiple test units are arranged in an array, and there are at least two adjacent third test units among the multiple test units arranged in a column direction; wherein the first metal regions located in the same layer of the two third test units are connected or not connected to each other.

[0137] In this example, the structure of the third test unit may be the structure of the first test unit described above, such as Figure 7a In the structure shown, in this case, the first metal areas located on the same layer in two adjacent third test units are connected to each other or not, wherein the metal layer located on the same layer refers to a metal layer that is consistent with the positional relationship of the liquid crystal of the phase-shifting structure, such as metal layers that are located on the test circuit board on the side of the upper substrate and are away from the liquid crystal. In this case, the first metal areas can be connected to each other, that is, in the column direction, the first metal area on the test circuit board on the side of the upper substrate in the previous third test unit and away from the liquid crystal can be connected to the first metal area on the test circuit board on the side of the upper substrate in the next third test unit and away from the liquid crystal. The specific setting can be based on actual conditions.

[0138] Among them, when connected, the first metal layer can extend to the edge of the substrate, which can reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the metal layer of the test circuit board. When not connected, there is a gap between the first metal layers of the same layer in adjacent third test units, which can play a certain role in signal shielding. It should be noted here that after the inventor's test, the test performance results of the phase-shifting structure are not much different whether the first metal areas on the same layer in the two third test units are connected or not connected to each other. In practice, it is only necessary to have a gap between the second metal areas on the same layer in the two third test units to avoid crosstalk between the phase-shifting structures.

[0139] Next, the structure of a test unit including a test circuit board is described in detail.

[0140] As described above, the test structure includes only one test circuit board, which includes two RF interfaces and a set of transmission structures corresponding to each RF interface. Fig. 9 As shown, a cross-sectional structural diagram of another test unit is shown, such as Fig. 9 As shown, a test circuit board is stacked on one side of the phase-shifting structure, and the test circuit board may include a substrate, metal layers located on both sides of the substrate, and two independent first transmission lines;

[0141] The two first transmission lines may be arranged in the same layer; that is, the first transmission line 51 and the first transmission line 52 may be arranged in the same layer; the two first transmission lines may be arranged in the metal layer 312 on the side away from the substrate;

[0142] Among them, two spaced coupling holes are set in the metal layer 311 on the side close to the substrate; the orthographic projection of one coupling hole 41 on the substrate is covered by an electrode 1021 in the phase shift structure, and the orthographic projection of the other coupling hole 42 on the substrate is covered by another electrode 1022 in the phase shift structure.

[0143] There are two RF interfaces, a first transmission line 51 is connected to a RF interface 61 and is disposed near a coupling hole 41, and another first transmission line 52 is connected to another RF interface 62 and is disposed near another coupling hole 42;

[0144] Wherein, the electromagnetic wave signal is transmitted between the test circuit board and the phase shift structure through the first transmission line and the coupling hole;

[0145] The orthographic projection of the metal layer in the test circuit board on the same substrate covers the orthographic projection of each electrode on the substrate.

[0146] When the test unit is working, an electromagnetic wave signal is input from the RF interface 61, and the electromagnetic wave signal is coupled to the phase shifting structure through the first transmission line 51 and the coupling hole 41. The electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shifting structure is transmitted to another RF interface 62 through another coupling hole 42 and the first transmission line 52, and output to the external test equipment.

[0147] In this example, the two metal layers can fully cover the electrodes in the phase-shifting structure, and the orthographic projections of the two metal layers on the substrate can overlap.

[0148] If there are multiple test units using this example test device, the metal layers on the same layer in two adjacent first test units can still be spaced as in the above embodiment to avoid large-area metal overlap and crosstalk between phase-shift structures.

[0149] The following is an exemplary description of the test device of this embodiment. Figure 7a and Figure 7b As shown, specifically, the test device may include a plurality of test units arranged in an array, and each test unit includes the following structure:

[0150] The phase shift structure 100 specifically includes an upper substrate 1011 and a lower substrate 1012 that are arranged opposite to each other, a liquid crystal 103 is sandwiched between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, an electrode 1021 is arranged on the side of the upper substrate close to the liquid crystal, and an electrode 1022 is arranged on the side of the lower substrate close to the liquid crystal, the electrode on the upper substrate is used as a positive electrode, and the electrode on the lower substrate is used as a negative electrode; the upper substrate and the lower substrate are made of glass material, and in the manufacturing process, a certain distance is formed between the upper and lower substrates to form a cavity, and the liquid crystal is filled after the closed cavity is left at one side, and finally a phase shift structure is formed;

[0151] Two test circuit boards 201 / 202 are respectively located on both sides of the phase shift structure, that is, one test circuit board 201 is attached to the side of the upper substrate away from the liquid crystal, and the other test circuit board 202 is attached to the side of the lower substrate away from the liquid crystal. The design of the two test circuit boards is exactly the same. Specifically, the test circuit board 201 may include a substrate 21 and metal layers 311 and 312 located on both sides of the substrate 21. The orthographic projections of the metal layers on both sides of the substrate on the substrate are overlapped, and both include a first metal area 32 and a second metal area 33. The test circuit board 202 may include a substrate 22 and metal layers 321 and 322 located on both sides of the substrate 21. The orthographic projections of the metal layers on both sides of the substrate on the substrate are overlapped, and both include a first metal area 32 and a second metal area 33. The specific structure of each test circuit board may be the same. Taking the first test circuit board 201 as an example:

[0152] A coupling hole 41 is provided in the first metal region 32 of the metal layer 312 on the side close to the substrate 1011, and the orthographic projection of the coupling hole on the substrate 1011 covers the orthographic projection of the electrode 1021 on the substrate 1011; a first transmission line 51 is provided in the first metal region 32 of the metal layer 311 on the side away from the substrate, and the first transmission line is a microstrip transmission line, and the orthographic projection of the first transmission line on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate, and overlaps with the orthographic projection of the coupling hole 41 on the substrate 1011 and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate 1011;

[0153] The size of the second metal area 33 in the column direction and the size of the row direction are both smaller than the size of the first metal area in the column direction and the size of the row direction, the orthographic projection of the second metal area 33 on the substrate forms a second overlapping area 242, the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate have a first overlapping area 241, and the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are combined to fully cover the orthographic projection 1023 of the electrode on the substrate; the coupling hole 41 is located in the first overlapping area 241, and part of the transmission line of the first transmission line is located in the first overlapping area;

[0154] The first overlapping region and the second overlapping region are merged to form a second merged region 1024, the orthographic projections of two electrodes in the same test unit on the substrate are merged to form a first merged region 1023, and the second edge of the second merged region exceeds the first edge of the orthographic projection of the first merged region on the substrate by a dimension d of 0 to 2 mm;

[0155] The orthographic projection of the first metal area in the first test circuit board 201 on the upper substrate side on the upper substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the first metal area in the second test circuit board 202 on the lower substrate side on the upper substrate, and are respectively located on opposite sides of the orthographic projection 1023 of the electrode on the substrate;

[0156] A hollow area is provided on the metal layer on the side of the test circuit board facing away from the substrate, one end of the first transmission line extends into the hollow area, and the other end is located outside the hollow area. A plurality of spaced shielding holes are also provided on the metal layer, the plurality of shielding holes penetrate the substrate and the metal layer, and are located outside the hollow area and surround the first transmission line. The orthographic projection of a portion of the first transmission line extending into the hollow area on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate; wherein the orthographic projection of the coupling hole on the substrate is covered by the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate.

[0157] Among them, among the multiple test units, the first metal areas located in the same layer in the multiple test units arranged in the column direction are connected to each other, and the first merged area is formed by merging the positive projections of the electrodes on the substrate in the phase-shifting structure, then the first merged areas of two areas in the multiple test units arranged in the column direction are arranged alternately, and the second merged area is formed by merging the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area, then the second merged areas of two areas in the multiple test units arranged in the column direction are arranged alternately, and the test unit with a larger first merged area has a larger area of ​​the second merged area.

[0158] The test device in this example can meet the needs of separate testing of the phase-shifting structure in the phased array antenna. Specifically, by attaching the test circuit board above and below the glass box of the phase-shifting structure, the stacking environment of the phase-shifting structure working in the phased array antenna can be simulated, and the basic performance indicators such as the total loss of the phase shifter and the feeding coupling, the total phase shift amount, etc. can be accurately tested when the phase-shifting structure is fed by the lower stacking and output by the upper stacking. In addition, through the structural design of the metal layer on the test circuit board, the crosstalk and influence between multiple phase-shifting structures in the phased array antenna can be solved under the process condition that the substrate cannot be densely punched with metal through holes, and the test design of the phase-shifting structure in multiple frequency bands can be realized at the same time, which reduces the process difficulty and improves the test accuracy.

[0159] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a test system. In an embodiment of the test system, the test system may include a TRL calibration piece and a test device described in any of the above embodiments. The TRL calibration piece is configured to calibrate the error of the test device during the test process.

[0160] Among them, the TRL calibration piece can measure the S parameters of the test device. Through the S parameters, the error caused by the electrochemical characteristics of the components of the test device to the phase-shift structure test can be eliminated, thereby making the test of the phase-shift structure more pure.

[0161] In an example of this embodiment, the test structure may include two test circuit boards, and the test circuit boards may include a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is used to transmit electromagnetic wave signals to the phase shifting structure; wherein the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is at the end of the first transmission line.

[0162] In this embodiment, the first transmission line may be a microstrip line, which is arranged in the metal layer on the side of the substrate of the test circuit board away from the liquid crystal. The end of the first transmission line may be an end of the first transmission line close to the electrode. Fig.10a As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of a TRL calibration component is shown, such as Fig.10aAs shown, the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is at the end of the first transmission line. When this design is adopted, the coupling and matching between the phase-shifting structure in the test device and the test structure can be taken into account, so that the test results can include the loss, phase shift amount and coupling and matching of the phase-shifting structure.

[0163] In an example of this embodiment, the phase-shifting structure in the test device includes a second transmission line connected to the electrode, and the second transmission line is used to couple the electromagnetic wave signal fed into the test circuit board in the test device through the coupling hole; wherein the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is at the end of the second transmission line.

[0164] In this embodiment, the second transmission line may refer to a transmission line for coupling electromagnetic wave signals inside the phase shift structure, which forms a transmission path for electromagnetic wave signals with the first transmission line. For example, the first transmission line on the test circuit board is coupled and matched to the second transmission line inside the phase shift structure through a coupling hole. Generally speaking, it can be located inside the substrate, and the end of the second transmission line can be an end of the second transmission line close to the electrode. Fig.10b As shown, a schematic diagram of the structure of another TRL calibration piece is shown, in which the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is located at the end of the second transmission line, that is, located inside the phase-shifting structure. In this case, during the test, the coupling matching between the phase-shifting structure and the test circuit board can be eliminated, so that the test results can include the loss and phase shift amount of the phase-shifting structure, and only the performance of the phase-shifting structure in the simulated antenna device is considered.

[0165] It should be noted that Fig.10a and Fig.10b In the figure, Thru means through, Line means transmission line, and Reflect means reflection. The TRL calibration parts include through calibration parts, reflection calibration parts, and delay calibration parts.

[0166] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also provides a testing method, which can be applied to the testing device or the testing system, referring to Fig.11 As shown, a schematic diagram of the steps of the test method is shown, such as Fig.11 As shown, the method may specifically include the following steps:

[0167] Step S11: input a first electromagnetic wave signal to a radio frequency interface of a test structure in the test unit, the first electromagnetic wave signal is coupled to the phase shift structure, and coupled to another radio frequency interface in the test structure after being phase shifted by the phase shift structure.

[0168] Specifically, a first electromagnetic wave signal may be input to a radio frequency interface of a test circuit board in the test unit, the first electromagnetic wave signal is coupled to the phase shift structure, and after being phase shifted by the phase shift structure, is coupled to another test circuit board in the test unit;

[0169] Step S12: receiving a second electromagnetic wave signal output by the other radio frequency interface.

[0170] Specifically, when the test structure includes two test circuit boards, the second electromagnetic wave signal output by the radio frequency interface on the other test circuit board may be received.

[0171] Step S13: acquiring a performance index of the phase shift structure in the test unit based on the first electromagnetic wave signal and the second electromagnetic wave signal;

[0172] The performance index includes at least one of loss, phase shift and coupling matching, and the coupling matching is the coupling matching between the phase shift structure and the test structure.

[0173] In which, the test structure may include two test circuit boards, and the two test circuit boards may be arranged on opposite sides of the phase shift structure. Specifically, using the test method of this embodiment, the test process may be: inputting an electromagnetic wave signal to the radio frequency interface of the first test circuit board of the two test circuit boards of each test unit, the electromagnetic wave signal is fed into the phase shift structure via the first transmission line and the coupling hole transmission structure in the first test circuit board, after the phase of the electromagnetic wave signal is modulated by the phase shift structure, it is transmitted to the radio frequency interface of the second test circuit board by the coupling hole and the first transmission line of the second test circuit board and outputted, and the test equipment connected to the radio frequency interface of the second test circuit board can determine the performance index of the phase shift structure based on the electromagnetic wave signal input to the first test circuit board and the electromagnetic wave signal output from the second test circuit board, and the performance index of the phase shift structure may include at least one of the phase shift amount, loss and coupling matching.

[0174] In this embodiment, a TRL calibration piece can be used to calibrate the test device during the process of testing the phase-shifting structure, wherein the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece can be located at the end of the first transmission line or the end of the second transmission line. When the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece can be located at the end of the second transmission line, the performance indicators may include: loss and phase shift; when the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece can be located at the end of the first transmission line, the performance indicators may include: loss, phase shift and coupling matching.

[0175] The embodiment of the present disclosure also provides an electronic device, the computer program stored in the electronic device enables a processor to execute the testing method as described in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0176] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0177] Finally, it should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0178] The above is a detailed introduction to a test device, a test system and a test method provided by the present disclosure. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present disclosure. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present disclosure and its core idea. At the same time, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present disclosure, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and the scope of application. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present disclosure.

[0179] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0180] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

[0181] References herein to "one embodiment," "embodiment," or "one or more embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, please note that examples of the term "in one embodiment" do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0182] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0183] In the claims, any reference signs placed between brackets shall not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present disclosure may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0184] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A testing device, characterized in that: include: At least one test unit, the test unit comprises a phase-shifting structure and a test structure, the test structure and the phase-shifting structure are stacked to form a stacked structure; wherein, The phase shift structure comprises two substrates arranged opposite to each other, and liquid crystals arranged in the two substrates, each substrate is provided with an electrode on a side close to the liquid crystal, and the electrode is used to provide a driving voltage for the deflection of the liquid crystal; The test structure includes two radio frequency interfaces, and is configured to couple an electromagnetic wave signal input by one of the radio frequency interfaces into the phase shift structure, and to output the electromagnetic wave signal after phase shifting by the phase shift structure through the other radio frequency interface.

2. The testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test structure includes two test circuit boards, which are stacked on the same side of the phase-shifting structure, or are located on opposite sides of the phase-shifting structure; wherein the two RF interfaces are located in the two test circuit boards respectively.

3. The testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The test structure includes a test circuit board, which is stacked on one side of the phase-shifting structure. The two radio frequency interfaces are respectively located on two opposite sides of the test circuit board.

4. The testing device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The test circuit board includes a substrate, metal layers on both sides of the substrate, and a first transmission line, wherein a coupling hole is provided in the metal layer on a side close to the substrate, and an electromagnetic wave signal is transmitted between the test circuit board and the phase shift structure through the first transmission line and the coupling hole; The orthographic projection of the metal layer on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate, and the orthographic projection of the coupling hole on the substrate is covered by the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate.

5. The testing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method comprises a plurality of the test units; wherein there are at least two adjacent first test units, and the metal layer in the first test units does not completely cover the substrate; There is a gap between the metal layers located at the same layer in the two first test units, and the orthographic projection of the gap on the substrate is between the orthographic projections of the electrodes in the two first test units on the substrate.

6. The testing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The test structure comprises two test circuit boards, and the metal layer of each test circuit board in the first test unit comprises a first metal area and a second metal area connected to the first metal area; wherein the size of the second metal area in the target direction is smaller than the size of the first metal area in the target direction, the orthographic projection of the first metal area on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate have a first overlapping area, and the orthographic projection of the second metal area on the substrate forms a second overlapping area; the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are combined to cover the orthographic projection of the electrode on the substrate; The target direction includes a first direction and / or a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

7. The testing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The orthographic projections of the first metal areas of the two test circuit boards in the first test unit on the substrate are respectively located on two opposite sides of the orthographic projections of the electrodes on the substrate.

8. The testing device according to any one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that: The orthographic projections of the two electrodes in the same first test unit on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area, and the first overlapping area and the second overlapping area are merged to form a second merged area; The first merged area is enclosed by the second merged area, and a vertical distance between a first edge of the first merged area and a second edge of the second merged area is 0 to 2 mm, and the first edge and the second edge are located on the same side of the first merged area.

9. The testing device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: A plurality of the test units are arranged in an array, and the orthographic projections of two electrodes in the phase-shifting structure on the substrate are merged to form a first merged area; Among the plurality of test units arranged in the column direction, there are at least two adjacent second test units, and the areas of the first merging regions in the two second test units are not equal.

10. The testing device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first overlapping region and the second overlapping region are combined to form a second combined region, and the areas of the second combined regions in two adjacent second test units are not equal.

11. The testing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plurality of test units are arranged in an array, and there are at least two adjacent third test units among the plurality of test units arranged in a column direction; The first metal regions located in the same layer in the two third test units are connected to each other or not connected to each other.

12. The testing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A hollow area is provided on the metal layer on the side of the test circuit board facing away from the substrate, one end of the first transmission line extends into the hollow area, and the other end is located outside the hollow area; wherein, A plurality of spaced shielding holes are also provided in the metal layer, and the plurality of shielding holes are located outside the hollow area and surround the first transmission line.

13. A testing system, characterized in that: The test system comprises a TRL calibration piece and the test device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the TRL calibration piece is configured to calibrate the error of the test device during the test.

14. The test system according to claim 12, characterized in that: The test circuit board in the test structure includes a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is used to transmit an electromagnetic wave signal to the phase shift structure; the phase shift structure includes a second transmission line connected to the electrode, and the second transmission line is used to couple the electromagnetic wave signal fed by the test circuit board in the test device through the coupling hole; Wherein, the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is located at the end of the first transmission line; or, the calibration reference plane of the TRL calibration piece is located at the end of the second transmission line.

15. A testing method, characterized in that: Applied to the test device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 or to the test system according to any one of claims 13 to 14, the method comprising: Inputting a first electromagnetic wave signal to a radio frequency interface of a test structure in the test unit, wherein the first electromagnetic wave signal is coupled to the phase shift structure and coupled to another radio frequency interface in the test structure after being phase shifted by the phase shift structure; Receiving a second electromagnetic wave signal output by the other radio frequency interface; Based on the first electromagnetic wave signal and the second electromagnetic wave signal, obtaining a performance index of the phase shift structure in the test unit; The performance index includes at least one of loss, phase shift and coupling matching, and the coupling matching is the coupling matching between the phase shift structure and the test structure.

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