Plastic metallized waveguide antenna

Abstract

The utility model provides a plastic metallized waveguide antenna, comprising a plurality of metallized substrates, and the metallized substrates comprise: a plastic substrate; the inorganic silicide bottom layer is connected to the surface of the plastic substrate; the metal layer is connected to the surface of the inorganic silicide bottom layer; wherein the plurality of metalized substrates are welded together. By adopting the design of the plastic base material, the problem of high processing cost is solved, and the effects of reducing cost and increasing efficiency are achieved. By adopting the plastic metallization design of the metal layer on the surface of the plastic substrate, the problem that the plastic does not have conductivity and electromagnetic shielding performance is solved, and the weldable effect is achieved.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority from the following prior applications:

[0002] Application No.: 202311089697.X

[0003] Filing Date: August 28, 2023

[0004] Application Title: Preparation Method of a Plastic-Metalized Waveguide Antenna Technical Field

[0005] The present utility model relates to the field of antennas, and specifically, to a plastic-metalized waveguide antenna. Background Art

[0006] Most of the waveguide antennas of existing millimeter-wave radars are mainly microstrip antennas, which have high dielectric losses, cannot improve the gain, and are extremely dependent on PCB boards. In particular, the market for boards above 77 GHz in the high-frequency band is basically monopolized by Rogers and Panasonic. In contrast, most traditional waveguide antennas are made of metal as the base material and processed by precision machining, and their performance can meet the requirements, but the manufacturing cost is high and it cannot meet the manufacturing requirements for mass production.

[0007] The use of plastic metalization can effectively solve the cost problem compared with traditional metal waveguide antennas, and at the same time can effectively reduce the weight of the waveguide antenna. Compared with traditional microstrip antennas, it not only improves the performance but also can get rid of the dependence on imported high-frequency PCB board monopoly suppliers in China. Summary of the Utility Model

[0008] Aiming at the defects in the prior art, the purpose of the present utility model is to provide a plastic-metalized waveguide antenna.

[0009] According to a preparation method of a plastic-metalized waveguide antenna provided by the present utility model, it includes:

[0010] S1. The raw material of the substrate is formed by an injection molding process to obtain the substrate of the waveguide antenna;

[0011] S2. A metal layer is plated on the surface of the obtained substrate to obtain a metalized substrate;

[0012] S3. Then the obtained metalized substrates are welded together to make it finally formed, thus obtaining the plastic-metalized waveguide antenna.

[0013] According to a plastic-metalized waveguide antenna provided by the present utility model, it includes a plurality of metalized substrates, and the metalized substrates include:

[0014] Plastic Substrate 1;

[0015] Inorganic Silicide Bottom Layer 3, connected to the surface of the plastic substrate;

[0016] A metal layer 2, connected to the surface of the underlying inorganic silicide layer;

[0017] Among them, a plurality of the metallized substrates are welded together.

[0018] Further, the thickness of the substrate is 2.5 - 3.5 mm.

[0019] Further, the metal layer includes a copper alloy layer;

[0020] The metallized substrate further includes an inorganic silicide surface layer 4, and the inorganic silicide surface layer 4 is connected to the surface of the copper alloy layer.

[0021] Further, the thickness of the copper alloy layer is 0.5 - 3 μm, and the thickness of the inorganic silicide surface layer is 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

[0022] Further, the metal layer includes a silver alloy layer or an aluminum alloy layer.

[0023] Further, the thickness of the silver alloy layer is 0.5 - 3 μm, and the thickness of the aluminum alloy layer is 3 - 6 μm.

[0024] Further, the thickness of the substrate is 2.5 - 3.5 mm, and the thickness of the underlying inorganic silicide layer is 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

[0025] Further, a plurality of the metallized substrates are welded together by solder paste or ultrasonic welding;

[0026] The height of the solder paste is 0.04 - 0.2 mm.

[0027] Further, the underlying inorganic silicide layer 3 is replaced with a metal bottom layer.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] (1) By adopting the design of a plastic substrate, the problem of high processing costs is solved, and the effect of cost reduction and efficiency improvement is achieved.

[0030] (2) By adopting the plastic metallization design of a plastic substrate with a surface metal layer, the problems that plastic itself does not have electrical conductivity and electromagnetic shielding properties are solved, and the effect of being weldable is achieved.

[0031] (3) By utilizing the design structure of plastic metallization, the defects in the original design field are solved, and the weight and cost are greatly reduced.

[0032] (4) Comparing with the microstrip antenna on the PCB board, the dielectric loss of this antenna has decreased by 90%. The current loss of the best high-frequency PCB board is 100 dB per meter, while the loss of the antenna prepared by the present utility model is 7 to 8 dB per meter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Other features, objects and advantages of the present utility model will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of the non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings:

[0034] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a metallized substrate;

[0035] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of a waveguide antenna;

[0036] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a waveguide antenna. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0037] The present utility model will be described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. The following embodiments will help those skilled in the art to further understand the present utility model, but do not limit the present utility model in any form. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present utility model, several changes and improvements can still be made. These all belong to the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0038] Embodiment 1

[0039] This embodiment provides a preparation method of the waveguide antenna, including the following steps:

[0040] S1. The raw materials of the substrate (PPS-I-(GF+MD)70 or PEI) are formed by injection molding process (injection temperature 300 °C) to obtain the substrate of the waveguide antenna, with a thickness of 2.5 - 3.5 mm, preferably 3 mm. The raw materials of the substrate are modified PPS or PEI, including modified PPS or PEI added with impact-resistant substances, glass fiber, and minerals.

[0041] S2. Through vacuum coating technology, a silver alloy metal layer is coated on the surface of the obtained substrate. The silver alloy metal layer contains metal elements such as silver, chromium, nickel, and iron, with a thickness of 0.5 - 3 μm, to obtain a metallized substrate (PVD). The non-silver metal layer plays a protective role. PPS will release sulfides during the high-temperature process, which will react strongly with the metal layer and cause oxidation of the metal.

[0042] S3. Solder paste printing is performed on the metallized substrate (printing height 0.04 - 0.2 mm), and the metallized substrates are welded together by reflow soldering (welding temperature is 150 - 300 °C) to make it finally formed, thus obtaining a plastic-metallized waveguide antenna.

[0043] Example 2

[0044] This embodiment provides a method for manufacturing the waveguide antenna, including the following steps:

[0045] S1. The raw material of the substrate (PPS-I-(GF+MD)70 or PEI) is formed by injection molding (injection temperature 300°C) to obtain the substrate of the waveguide antenna, with a thickness of 2.5 - 3.5 mm, preferably 3 mm. The raw material of the substrate is modified PPS or PEI, including modified PPS or PEI added with impact-resistant substances, glass fiber, and minerals.

[0046] S2. Through vacuum coating technology, a copper alloy metal layer is deposited on the surface of the obtained substrate. Specifically: an inorganic silicide and a metal layer are used to prime the surface of the substrate, and a bottom layer of inorganic silicide metal with a thickness of 0.05 - 0.5 μm is deposited. Then, a copper alloy metal layer with a thickness of 0.5 - 3 μm is deposited through vacuum coating technology. Finally, a top layer of inorganic silicide with a thickness of 0.05 - 0.5 μm is deposited on the surface of the copper alloy metal layer to obtain a metallized substrate.

[0047] S3. Solder paste printing is performed on the metallized substrate (printing height 0.04 - 0.2 mm), and the metallized substrates are welded together by reflow soldering (welding temperature 150 - 300°C) to make it finally formed, thus obtaining a plastic-metallized waveguide antenna.

[0048] Example 3

[0049] As Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, this embodiment provides a plastic-metallized waveguide antenna, including a plurality of metallized substrates. The metallized substrate includes: a plastic substrate 1, an inorganic silicide bottom layer 3, and a metal layer 2. The inorganic silicide bottom layer 3 is connected to the surface of the plastic substrate 1, and the metal layer 2 is connected to the surface of the inorganic silicide bottom layer 3. The plurality of metallized substrates are welded together by solder paste 5 to form a waveguide antenna, as Figure 3 shown. In this embodiment, the thickness of the substrate is 2.5 - 3.5 mm, and the height of the solder paste is 0.04 - 0.2 mm. A part of the space is left between adjacent metallized substrates to form an antenna cavity 6.

[0050] The metal layer 2 can be a copper alloy layer. The metallized substrate further includes an inorganic silicide top layer 4, and the inorganic silicide top layer 4 is connected to the surface of the copper alloy layer. The thickness of the copper alloy layer is 0.5 - 3 μm, and the thickness of the inorganic silicide top layer 4 is 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

[0051] The metal layer can also be a silver alloy layer, with a thickness of 0.5 - 3 μm and the thickness of the inorganic silicide bottom layer being 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

[0052] Example 4

[0053] This embodiment provides a preparation method for the waveguide antenna, including the following steps:

[0054] S1. The raw material of the substrate (PPS-I-(GF+MD)70 or PEI) is formed by an injection molding process (injection temperature: 300 °C) to obtain the substrate of the waveguide antenna, with a thickness of 2.5 - 3.5 mm, preferably 3 mm. The raw material of the substrate is modified PPS or PEI, including modified PPS or PEI added with impact-resistant substances, glass fibers, and minerals.

[0055] S2. Through vacuum coating technology, a silver alloy metal layer is coated on the surface of the obtained substrate. The silver alloy metal layer contains metal elements such as silver, chromium, nickel, and iron, with a thickness of 0.5 - 3 μm, to obtain a metallized substrate (PVD). The non-silver metal layer plays a protective role. PPS will release sulfides during the high-temperature process, which will react strongly with the metal layer and cause oxidation of the metal.

[0056] S3. The metallized substrate is subjected to ultrasonic welding to make it finally formed, thereby obtaining the plastic-metallized waveguide antenna. In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to this application.

[0057] The specific embodiments of the present utility model have been described above. It should be understood that the present utility model is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present utility model. Without conflict, the embodiments of this application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

Claims

1. A plastic-metallized waveguide antenna, characterized in that Comprising a plurality of metallized substrates, the metallized substrates comprising: A plastic substrate (1); An inorganic silicide bottom layer (3), connected to the surface of the plastic substrate; A metal layer (2), connected to the surface of the inorganic silicide bottom layer; Wherein, a plurality of the metallized substrates are welded together.

2. The waveguide antenna with plastic metallization according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the substrate is 2.5 - 3.5 mm.

3. The plastic-metallized waveguide antenna according to claim 1, wherein, The metal layer comprises a copper alloy layer; The metallized substrate further comprises an inorganic silicide top layer (4), the inorganic silicide top layer (4) being connected to the surface of the copper alloy layer.

4. The plastic-metallized waveguide antenna according to claim 3, wherein The thickness of the copper alloy layer is 0.5 - 3 μm, and the thickness of the inorganic silicide top layer is 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

5. The waveguide antenna with plastic metallization according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal layer comprises a silver alloy layer or an aluminum alloy layer.

6. The plastic-metallized waveguide antenna according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the silver alloy layer is 0.5 - 3 μm, and the thickness of the aluminum alloy layer is 3 - 6 μm.

7. The waveguide antenna with plastic metallization according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the substrate is 2.5 - 3.5 mm, and the thickness of the inorganic silicide bottom layer is 0.05 - 0.5 μm.

8. The plastic-metallized waveguide antenna according to claim 1, wherein, A plurality of the metallized substrates are welded together by solder paste or ultrasonic welding; The height of the solder paste is 0.04 - 0.2 mm.

9. The plastic-metallized waveguide antenna according to claim 8, wherein, The inorganic silicide bottom layer (3) is replaced with a metal bottom layer.

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