Waveguide device and radar device

Abstract

In this waveguide device: a high-frequency circuit having a transmission / reception terminal and an SG terminal is disposed on a lower-surface side of a substrate; a second member having a conductive upper surface in electrical continuity with the SG terminal is disposed on an upper-surface side of the substrate; a third member having a conductive lower surface is disposed on the upper-surface side of the second member; a ridge is disposed on the upper-surface side of the second member; and a second waveguide is formed between a waveguide surface of the ridge and a conductive lower surface of the third member. There is a first waveguide penetrating the substrate in the vertical direction, the first waveguide being formed from a core wire conductor and a peripheral conductor. A lower feed part is disposed on the substrate and connects the transmission / reception terminal and a lower end of the core wire conductor at the electromagnetic-wave level. The waveguide device has an upper feed conductor that is in contact with an upper end of the core wire conductor, extends above the upper end, penetrates the first member and the ridge in a state of non-contact with both, and is in contact with or high-frequency-coupled to a conductive lower surface of the second member.

Description

Waveguide equipment and radar equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a waveguide device and a radar device.

[0002] In recent years, research and development related to sensing and communication using millimeter waves has expanded, and there is a demand for antennas that are high-gain, low-loss, wide-bandwidth, and multi-channel. In response to this, the development of WRG (Waffle iron Ridge waveGuide) technology, which is useful as a next-generation antenna and waveguide, is progressing (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Figure 3 in Patent Document 1 discloses the basic structure of a WRG for the first time in the world. As a subordinate ancillary structure, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which two conductive members constituting this basic structure are fixed outside the waveguide region as one of the structures of a WRG in the high-frequency band such as millimeter waves.

[0003] One of the key features of WRG technology is the formation of isolation walls between adjacent waveguides in the antenna, which are arranged from the millimeter-wave IC (MMIC: Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) to the antenna radiating element that transmits and receives millimeter-wave electromagnetic waves. This prevents leakage of propagating electromagnetic waves, thereby maintaining transmission loss at a level comparable to metal waveguides, and also minimizes interference with electromagnetic waves transmitted from other adjacent waveguides. Conventional microstrip waveguides and microstrip antennas do not have such isolation walls.

[0004] As a main application field of millimeter-wave antennas, there is an application in imaging radar sensing having a plurality of transmission / reception channels. When a microstrip antenna is used for this antenna application, in addition to large losses in the waveguide, interference due to mutual coupling between adjacent waveguides and antenna radiation elements in the antenna may occur, which may cause problems in the detection accuracy of an object or the like. On the other hand, when the WRG technology is used for such a multi-channel antenna, not only can the loss in the waveguide be extremely reduced, but also the mutual coupling between waveguides in the antenna can be greatly suppressed. In addition, mutual coupling can be further suppressed by using an antenna radiation element suitable for WRG such as a mini horn antenna or a slot antenna. As a result, correct signal transmission / reception is performed between the antenna radiation element and the transmission / reception terminals of the millimeter-wave IC that performs these signal transmission / receptions. As a result, for example, in millimeter-wave radar sensing, it is possible to correctly detect the signal of the object included in the received electromagnetic wave from the object and accurately detect the object.

[0005] In the WRG technology, the magnetic walls provided on both sides of the ridge waveguide realize this separation wall, and specifically, for example, it is realized by a structure having periodicity such as a rod array. When this magnetic wall is realized by a single row of rod arrays, the separation effect can be expected to be about 30 dB. In order to further enhance the separation effect, when two rows of rod arrays are provided between two ridge waveguides, the separation effect can be expected to be about 40 dB, and appropriate high separation performance as an array antenna can be realized.

[0006] Such a magnetic wall has a confinement function that stops the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the corresponding frequency band. And the structure constituting this can be realized by other structures than the rod array and is called an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) (for example, Patent Document 2 etc.). Specifically, for example, the description in the middle paragraph of

[0015] of Patent Document 2, "The texture or structure is often periodic or quasi-periodic and can interact with waves so as to operate macroscopically as an artificial magnetic conductor (AMC), an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) surface or a soft surface." is referable.

[0007] Future imaging radars using WRGs will increasingly require a greater number of transmit and receive channels to achieve more accurate object detection. To increase the number of channels, millimeter-wave ICs with a corresponding number of transmit and receive terminals may be used, and waveguides within the antenna may be provided, for example, in a one-to-one connection between these transmit and receive terminals and the transmit and receive holes (antenna radiating elements). Millimeter-wave ICs are usually mounted on a high-frequency substrate and connected to the ridge waveguide of the WRG via waveguides on the substrate (usually microstrip lines). Conventionally, to make this connection, a structure has been used in which transducers etc. are provided on the substrate and connected to a rectangular waveguide, and this rectangular waveguide is further connected to the ridge waveguide of the WRG (see Patent Documents 3 and 4). In experiments with waveguide devices, a structure has also been proposed in which the electromagnetic waves of the experimental subject are guided by a coaxial cable and connected to a coaxial connector formed on the ridge (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0008] WO2003-065497 (EP1331688) Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-527171 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-120155 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-207487

[0009] Per-Simon Kildal, Ashraf Uz Zaman, Eva Rajo-Iglesias, Esperanza Alfonso, Alejandro Valero-Nogueira, "Design and Experimental Verification of Ridge Gap Waveguide in Bed of Nails for Parallel Plate Mode Suppression", IET Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, January 2009

[0010] In the prior art described in Patent Document 3, it is necessary to provide transducers and rectangular waveguides for each waveguide corresponding to each antenna radiating element. When the number of transmit and receive channels increases, the installation space for these components increases, and the waveguide device becomes larger. In the prior art described in Patent Document 4, it is not easy to stably connect the transmit and receive terminals of a millimeter-wave IC placed on a substrate to the ends of waveguides provided within the substrate during mass production. Also, when the number of transmit and receive channels increases, the installation space for waveguides and other components increases, and the substrate area around the millimeter-wave IC increases. Furthermore, in the prior art described in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to place coaxial connectors on the connecting ridge waveguides. When this is applied to a waveguide device with a large number of transmit and receive channels, coaxial connectors must be placed on all corresponding ridge waveguides, and also on the waveguides on the transmit and receive terminal side of the millimeter-wave IC that receive them, resulting in a larger device.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a waveguide device and radar device that enable waveguide wiring between millimeter-wave IC transceiver terminals and antenna radiating elements with low loss, compactness, and high efficiency, and that facilitate space saving when there are many channels.

[0012] The present invention relates to a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface; a high-frequency circuit disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate and having a terminal for transmitting or receiving and a signal ground terminal; a first member disposed along the upper surface side of the substrate and having a conductive upper surface that is in electrical contact with the signal ground terminal of the high-frequency circuit; a second member disposed on the upper surface side of the first member and having a conductive lower surface; a ridge disposed between the first member and the second member and having a waveguide surface which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface of the second member; and a waveguide penetrating the substrate in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor and a peripheral conductor disposed along the core conductor via an insulator and in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface of the first member. A waveguide device comprising: a first waveguide composed of; a second waveguide composed of the waveguide surface of the ridge and the conductive lower surface of the second member; an electromagnetic shielding wall disposed between the first member and the second member and adjacent to the side of the second waveguide; a lower feeding section disposed on the lower surface of the substrate and electromagnetically connecting the transmitting or receiving terminal of the high-frequency circuit to the lower end of the core conductor; and an upper feeding conductor that contacts the upper end of the core conductor, extends above the upper end, penetrates the second member and the ridge in a non-contact state with the first conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the second member and the second conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the ridge, and contacts or high-frequency coupled with the conductive lower surface of the first member. In the above configuration, the core conductor and the upper feeding conductor may be composed of a core extension conductor continuously formed of the same material. In the above configuration, the lower feeding section may be a waveguide composed of a microstrip line, a coplanar line, or a post wall. In the above configuration, a plurality of through-via holes surrounding the microstrip line or the coplanar line may be provided. In the above configuration, the lower end of the core conductor may be formed on the lower surface of the substrate outside the MMIC package constituting the high-frequency circuit.In the above configuration, the lower power supply section may be structured to bring the transmitting or receiving terminal of the high-frequency circuit into contact with the lower end of the core conductor, and to bring the ground used for transmitting or receiving the high-frequency circuit into contact with the surrounding conductor. In the above configuration, the transmitting or receiving terminal and the lower end of the core conductor may be positioned to overlap in a stereoscopic view in the vertical direction. In the above configuration, one end of a pin-shaped conductor may be in contact with the transmitting or receiving terminal, and the pin-shaped conductor may constitute the core conductor and the upper power supply conductor. In the above configuration, the transmitting or receiving terminal may be in contact with one end of a socket pin of an IC socket arranged on the substrate, and the socket pin may constitute the core conductor and the upper power supply conductor. In the above configuration, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor may be placed on the lower surface of the second member, or in a recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member, and may be in contact with or high-frequency coupled to the second member. In the above configuration, the inner diameter of the recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member may be 1 / 2 or less of the free-space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band. In the above configuration, the lower surface of the second member, the upper surface or side surface of the ridge may have a recess or protrusion at a position close to the upper feeding conductor. In the above configuration, the core conductor and the peripheral conductor may each consist of one conductor. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, the peripheral conductors may be two conductors, and the one core conductor may be arranged between the two peripheral conductors. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, and the peripheral conductors may be a plurality of rod-shaped conductors. In the above configuration, the core conductor may be one conductor, and the peripheral conductors may be a plurality of linear conductors or a plurality of plate-shaped conductors arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor. In the above configuration, the core conductor consists of one conductor, and the peripheral conductor may be a cylindrical conductor arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

[0013] The present invention is a radar device comprising: a waveguide device having the above configuration; an antenna radiating element; one or more waveguides that propagate electromagnetic waves between the second waveguide and the antenna radiating element; and a radar calculation unit that calculates the position and relative velocity information of an object to be detected based on the electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna radiating element.

[0014] According to the present invention, waveguide wiring between millimeter-wave IC transceiver terminals and antenna radiating elements can be performed with low loss, compactness, and high efficiency, and space saving is easily achieved when there are many channels.

[0015] This figure schematically shows the basic structure of the present invention. This is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment. This is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A' in Figure 2. (a) is a top view of the WRG structure according to the first embodiment, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B' in (a). This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of each component on the IC mounting substrate 2, and is a partial bottom view of the IC mounting substrate 2 viewed from the bottom side. This figure shows an example of the connection configuration of each component on the IC mounting substrate 2, and is a partial top view of the IC mounting substrate 2 viewed from the top side. (a) is a figure showing the structure of a microstrip line, (b) is a figure showing the structure of a coplanar line, (c) is a figure showing the structure of a post-wall waveguide, and (d) is a figure showing a structure in which through vias are formed around the line. This is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment. This is a partial cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment. Figure 10A(c) is a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of a direct connection configuration using IC pins of the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment. Figures (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a modified waveguide device, and are partial cross-sectional and top views showing the case where the upper end of the upper feed conductor is connected in contact with the conductive lower surface of the second member. Figure 10A(c) is a top view of the WRG structure corresponding to the slit configuration. Figures (a) to (d) are partial cross-sectional views showing an example of a contact configuration according to the modified version. Figures (a) to (c) are partial cross-sectional views showing an example of a contact configuration according to the modified version. Figures (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a modified waveguide device, and are partial cross-sectional and top views showing an example of a coupling configuration when the upper end of the upper feed conductor is high-frequency coupled to the conductive lower surface of the second member. Figures (a) to (c) are partial cross-sectional and top views showing an example of a coupling configuration according to the modified version. (a) and (b) are partial cross-sectional views showing examples of coupling configurations according to modified designs. (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of parts of the waveguide device according to modified designs, and are diagrams showing examples of impedance matching structures using uneven surfaces formed on the ridge 201.Figures (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a modified waveguide device, illustrating an example of impedance matching structure using the uneven portion formed on the ridge 201. Figures (a) to (h) are bottom views showing an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 according to the modified design. Figure 14A(h) is a partial cross-sectional view showing a specific configuration example. Figures (a) to (c) are diagrams showing the schematic configuration of a modified waveguide device, illustrating a partial cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure around the upper feed conductor 31. A partial cross-sectional view of the waveguide device 1 according to the modified design, illustrating an example of a structure that restricts the path of electromagnetic waves with a rod-shaped conductor. A partial cross-sectional view of the waveguide device 1 according to the modified design, illustrating an example of a structure that restricts the path of electromagnetic waves with a rod-shaped conductor. A top view of the WRG structure 4 of the waveguide device 1 according to the modified design, illustrating an example of a structure that restricts the path of electromagnetic waves with a wall portion. A cross-sectional view along line A-A' in Figure 16C. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the radar device 500. A cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration example of the radar device 500.

[0016] The embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples of means for realizing the present invention, and should be modified or changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the present invention is applied and various conditions. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. Furthermore, in the drawings below, identical or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic and conceptual, and the vertical and horizontal dimensions and scale of the members or parts may differ from those of actual parts. Therefore, specific dimensions and scales should be determined by referring to the following explanation. It should also be noted that there are parts where the dimensional relationships and ratios differ between drawings. [Terminology]

[0017] "Millimeter waves" refer to electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging from 30 GHz to 300 GHz. In a vacuum, the wavelength of millimeter waves is in the range of 1 mm to 10 mm. Electromagnetic waves with wavelengths ranging from 10 mm to 30 mm are sometimes called "quasi-millimeter waves." The frequency band handled by the waveguide device in this disclosure may be a band with frequencies lower than millimeter waves, or a band with frequencies even higher than millimeter waves. The waveguide device may be used, for example, for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the terahertz wave band (approximately 300 GHz to 3 THz).

[0018] A "high-frequency circuit" is a semiconductor integrated circuit chip or package that generates or processes high frequencies in the millimeter-wave band. A "package" is a package containing one or more semiconductor integrated circuit chips that generate or process high frequencies in the millimeter-wave band. A millimeter-wave IC in which one or more millimeter-wave ICs are integrated on a single semiconductor substrate is specifically called an MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit). In this disclosure, examples using "MMIC" as "millimeter-wave IC" will be mainly described. Furthermore, "high-frequency circuits" also include, for example, circuits composed of Schottky diodes used in chemical reaction paths and high-power magnetrons used for power transmission.

[0019] The supported packages are surface-mount type packages. These include, for example, L-shaped terminal configurations such as SOP (Small Outline Package) and QFP (Quad Flat Package), and J-shaped terminal configurations such as SOJ (Small Outline J-leaded package) and QFJ (Quad Flat J-leaded package). In addition, they include electrode pad-type terminal configurations such as QFN (Quad Flat Non-leaded package) and LGA (Land Grid Array), and needle-shaped terminal configurations such as PGA (Pin Grid Array). Furthermore, they include solder ball-type terminal configurations such as BGA (Ball Grid Array) and EBGA (Enhanced BGA). "IC mounting board" refers to a mounting board with a millimeter-wave IC mounted on it, and its components are the "millimeter-wave IC" and the "board." "Board" simply refers to a board for mounting, without a millimeter-wave IC mounted on it. [Basic Configuration Diagram]

[0020] Figure 1 schematically shows the basic structure of the waveguide device 1 according to the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the waveguide device 1 has a high-frequency circuit 10 having a transmitting or receiving terminal 11 and a signal ground terminal 12, which is arranged on the lower side of a substrate 100. On the upper side of the substrate 100, a first member 200 having a conductive upper surface 200S that is in conductivity with the signal ground terminal 12 of the high-frequency circuit 10 is arranged along the substrate 100. At least the portion of the first member 200 shown by the thick line in Figure 1 is made up of conductive surfaces. Furthermore, on the upper side of the first member 200, along it, is a second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S shown by the thick line in Figure 1. The waveguide device 1 further has a ridge 201 having a waveguide surface 201S, which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface shown by the thick line in Figure 1, arranged on the lower side of the second member 300, and a plurality of rods 202 that serve as electromagnetic wave shielding walls are arranged on the sides in the direction in which the ridge 201 extends. A second waveguide 5 is formed between the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0021] Furthermore, the substrate 100 has a first waveguide 3 that penetrates vertically, and the first waveguide 3 is composed of a core conductor 30 and peripheral conductors 33 arranged around the core conductor 30 with an insulator in between. A lower power supply section 32 is arranged on the lower surface of the substrate 100 to electromagnetically connect a terminal 11 for transmitting or receiving to the lower end of the core conductor 30. Furthermore, an upper power supply conductor 31 is formed above the core conductor 30, contacting its upper end, extending above its upper end, penetrating the first member 200 and ridge 201 in a non-contact state, and contacting or high-frequency coupled with the lower surface of the first member 200.

[0022] Furthermore, the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole 200h through which the upper power supply conductor 31 is inserted, specifically the portion formed on the first member 200, is conductive as shown by the thick line in Figure 1. This conductive inner circumferential surface is in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface 200S and the ground pattern 101 formed on the upper side of the substrate 100. That is, the conductive upper surface 200S is in electrical contact with the signal ground terminal 12 via the ground pattern 101. As a result, the peripheral conductor 33 and the conductive upper surface 200S on the upper surface of the first member are in electrical contact. In this invention, it is sufficient that the peripheral conductor 33 and the conductive upper surface 200S are in electrical contact, so this electrical contact can be achieved by a structure other than the conductive inner circumferential surface described above. [First Embodiment] [Configuration]

[0023] Next, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figures 2 to 6 show the first embodiment. As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the waveguide device 1 comprises an IC mounting substrate 2, a plurality of first waveguides 3, a WRG structure 4, a second member 300, and a plurality of second waveguides 5 corresponding to the plurality of first waveguides 3. The IC mounting substrate 2 comprises a substrate 100 having an upper surface and a lower surface, and a millimeter-wave IC 10 (hereinafter referred to as "MMIC 10") arranged (mounted) on the lower surface side of the substrate 100.

[0024] Here, "upper surface" refers to the set of surfaces (including single surfaces) that are included in the field of view when viewing an object such as a substrate 100 from the far point above the Z-axis, with the +Z direction of the Z-axis in Figures 2 to 4 being upward and the -Z direction being downward. Similarly, "lower surface" refers to the set of surfaces that are included in the field of view when viewing an object from below the Z-axis. That is, even for objects with complex shapes that have multiple surfaces, such as stepped shapes, the set of these multiple surfaces constitutes the upper or lower surface. Furthermore, whether or not the bottoms of recesses or holes on the surface of each surface are included in the upper and lower surfaces is defined on a case-by-case basis. Also, even if the object is flipped 180° and the upper surface as defined in Figures 2 to 4 faces downward (-Z direction), it is still considered the upper surface, and similarly, even if the lower surface faces upward (+Z direction), it is still considered the lower surface. The same applies to other directions. Therefore, expressions such as "up," "down," and "up and down directions" in this specification and the claims are used for convenience to facilitate understanding and should be interpreted appropriately as appropriate. Furthermore, "upper side" refers to the area above, including the top surface. Similarly, "lower side" refers to the area below, including the bottom surface.

[0025] Furthermore, in Figures 1 and 2 below, the +X direction is defined as the forward direction, the -X direction as the backward direction, the +Y direction as the left direction, and the -Y direction as the right direction. The same applies to subsequent figures with similar viewpoints. The IC mounting substrate 2 further includes ground patterns 101 and 102 provided on the upper and lower sides of the substrate 100, respectively. Here, the substrate 100 can be made of, for example, a dielectric substrate. Note that the substrate 100 is not limited to a flat plate shape, but may have a complex shape such as a 3D shape. In this case, for example, wiring patterns can be formed using MID (Molded Interconnect Device) technology.

[0026] The MMIC 10 has a number of terminals. These terminals are located, for example, on the underside of the MMIC 10. The terminals include multiple sets of transmit / receive terminals 11 and signal ground terminals 12 for transmitting or receiving high-frequency electromagnetic waves. Other terminals may include, for example, one or more antenna input / output terminals, power terminals, control terminals, and shield ground terminals. In the first embodiment, the MMIC 10 is, for example, made up of a BGA package, and the terminals consist of solder ball type terminals.

[0027] The first waveguide 3 comprises a core conductor 30 formed by penetrating the substrate 100 vertically at a position adjacent to the MMIC 10 when viewed from below, for example, adjacent to the outer edge of the MMIC 10's shape, and a peripheral conductor 33 formed by penetrating the substrate 100 vertically around the core conductor 30. Here, "periphery" refers to the distance within which the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 can form a waveguide equivalent to a coaxial waveguide or a triplate strip waveguide. The core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 are made of a conductor such as copper.

[0028] In the first embodiment, the first waveguide 3 is composed, for example, of a core conductor 30 with a substantially circular end face and two peripheral conductors 33 arranged on the side of the core conductor 30. However, the configuration of the first waveguide 3 is not limited to this configuration. Other configuration examples will be described in the modified examples below. The core conductor 30 can be constructed, for example, by embedding a conductor in a through-hole provided in the substrate 100 or by inserting a separate conductor. The lower end 34 of the core conductor 30 is connected to the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 via a power supply waveguide 32 provided on the lower surface of the substrate 100. Specifically, one end of the power supply waveguide 32 is connected to the transmitting / receiving terminal 11, and the other end is connected to the lower end 34 of the core conductor 30.

[0029] The power supply waveguide 32 is composed of a microstrip line formed by a transmission line made of a conductor formed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 and a ground pattern 101 on the upper side of the transmission line, with the substrate 100 in between. In other words, a high-frequency electromagnetic field propagates between the ground pattern 101 and the transmission line. Although a BGA package is given as an example of the MMIC 10 package, the configuration of the first embodiment, which connects via the power supply waveguide 32, can flexibly accommodate other terminal types of packages, not just BGA packages.

[0030] As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the WRG structure 4 comprises a first member 200, a plurality of ridges 201 provided on the upper surface side of the first member 200, and a plurality of rods 202 having conductive surfaces provided adjacent to each ridge 201. In addition, it includes through holes 200h that penetrate vertically through the first member 200 and the ridges 201. The first member 200 has a conductive upper surface 200S, which is a conductive surface formed on at least its upper surface.

[0031] The ridge 201 extends opposite the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 and has a waveguide surface 201S consisting of a band-shaped conductive upper surface. Multiple rods 202 are arranged adjacent to at least the left and right sides of each ridge 201, forming an electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210. In the example shown in Figures 3 and 5(a), the rods 202 are also arranged adjacent to each ridge 201 in the front-to-back direction. The electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 formed by the multiple conductive rods 202 becomes an artificial magnetic wall. The multiple rods 202 that form the artificial magnetic wall are a known technology called artificial magnetic conductors.

[0032] In the first embodiment, leakage of the high-frequency electromagnetic field is suppressed by the confinement effect of the electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 formed by the artificial magnetic conductor. As a result, a second waveguide 5 is formed by the conductive lower surface 300S of the opposing second member 300 and the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201, and the high-frequency electromagnetic field propagates through the second waveguide 5 in the front-rear direction with the upper power supply conductor 31 as the boundary. The multiple rods 202 extend upward from the first member 200. In the examples of Figures 2 to 5, the lengths (heights) of the multiple rods 202 are approximately the same. Also, in the example shown in Figure 5(b), the tips of the multiple rods 202 are on substantially the same plane. This plane forms the surface of the artificial magnetic conductor. Each rod 202 does not need to be conductive throughout; it is sufficient to have a conductive layer extending along at least the upper surface and sides of the rod-shaped structure. This conductive layer may be located on the surface of the rod-shaped structure, but if the surface layer consists of an insulating coating or a resin layer, the conductive layer may not be present on the surface of the rod-shaped structure.

[0033] Furthermore, the first member 200 does not need to be conductive as a whole, as long as it can support the multiple rods 202 and realize an artificial magnetic conductor. It is sufficient that the conductive upper surface 200S of the surface of the first member 200, which is the side on which the multiple rods 202 are arranged, is conductive, and that the surfaces of adjacent multiple rods 202 are electrically connected by a conductor. The conductive layer of the first member 200 may be covered with an insulating coating or a resin layer. In other words, the entire combination of the first member 200 and the multiple rods 202 only needs to have an uneven conductive layer facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. The conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 extends two-dimensionally along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction (Z direction) of the rods 202 (a plane parallel to the XY plane). Its range is at least in the region facing the ridge 201 and the rods 202. In the first embodiment, the conductive lower surface 300S is a smooth plane, but the conductive lower surface 300S does not necessarily need to be a smooth plane.

[0034] The through-hole 200h is a hole provided that penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically. For example, at least the inner circumferential surface of the through-hole portion of the first member 200 is conductive, and this conductive inner circumferential surface is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface 200S and the ground pattern 101 of the substrate 100. This connects the peripheral conductor 33 and the conductive upper surface 200S. In this first embodiment, the space between the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 and the conductive upper surface 200S of the WRG structure 4, and the space within the through-hole 200h, are filled with air, for example. However, it is not limited to air; it may be filled with gas, a vacuum, or at least a part of the space may be filled with a dielectric. Furthermore, the arrangement of ridges, rods, etc., in the drawings in this specification, for example, Figures 2 to 5, are illustrative drawings intended solely to explain the various parts within the waveguide device according to the present invention, and unless explicitly stated, they are not based on arrangements intended to realize a specific function.

[0035] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4, the IC mounting substrate 2 and the WRG structure 4 are positioned such that the core conductor 30 of the first waveguide 3 is concentric with the through hole 200h of the WRG structure 4. The lower end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is connected to the upper end of the core conductor 30. The upper power supply conductor 31 extends upward from the upper end of the core conductor 30 through the through hole 200h, from its lower end to its upper end, without contacting the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h. Furthermore, for example, if the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h is conductive and is in contact with the conductive surface of the first member 200 (e.g., conductive upper surface 200S) and the conductive surface of the ridge 201 (e.g., waveguide surface 201S), the distance between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h and the outer circumferential surface of the upper power supply conductor 31 is configured such that capacitive coupling does not occur between them. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 4, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300. That is, the upper power supply conductor 31 plays the role of a power supply conductor that supplies electromagnetic waves propagating in the first waveguide 3 to the second waveguide 5. Also, in the example shown in Figure 4, the core wire conductor 30 (i.e., the core wire of the substrate portion) and the upper power supply conductor 31 (i.e., the portion from the upper end of the substrate to the conductive lower surface 300S) may be formed continuously from the same material. That is, the core wire conductor 30 and the upper power supply conductor 31 in the first embodiment are composed of core wire extension conductors, and the upper power supply conductor 31 is composed of an extension portion that extends the core wire conductor 30. As will be explained in the embodiments described later, the core wire conductor 30 of the substrate portion and the upper power supply conductor 31 may be made of different conductive materials.

[0036] Furthermore, the means for achieving contact between the upper power supply conductor 31 and the conductive lower surface 300S are not shown in the figures, but can be achieved by soldering, conductive adhesive, etc. In this invention, "contact" refers to a state in which two members having conductive surfaces are in physical contact and fixed with screws, etc., two members having conductive surfaces are formed as a single unit, or two members having conductive surfaces are in contact with each other via a conductive material (including conductive fixings such as metal, conductive adhesives, conductive oils, etc.) and are electrically conductive to each other. Note that the propagation of electromagnetic waves between the first waveguide 3 and the second waveguide 5 does not necessarily have to occur with the upper power supply conductor 31 in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Specifically, the upper power supply conductor and the conductive lower surface 300S may be configured to be high-frequency coupled without contact. Details of the high-frequency coupling configuration will be described in detail in the modified examples described later.

[0037] Here, the first waveguide 3 is configured to have a function equivalent to a coaxial waveguide or a triplate strip waveguide, and propagates electromagnetic waves supplied from the MMIC 10 via the power supply waveguide 32. The same applies to electromagnetic waves supplied from the second waveguide 5 to the first waveguide 3. Furthermore, high-frequency coupling refers to the fact that the upper power supply conductor 31 and the conductive lower surface 300S are in close proximity, even though they are not in contact, resulting in capacitive coupling between them. In the operating frequency band (for example, around 80 GHz in the case of millimeter-wave radar), coupling occurs in the high-frequency range, resulting in an electrically conductive state.

[0038] Next, specific connection configuration examples of each component, including each first waveguide 3, each terminal set of the MMIC 10, each power supply waveguide 32, and the second member 300, in the IC mounting board 2 will be described based on Figures 6A to 6C. As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the IC mounting board 2 has a plurality of first waveguides 3 that penetrate the board 100. For the sake of explanation, three first waveguides 3 are shown in the examples in Figures 6A and 6B, but in reality, many more first waveguides 3 are provided. The lower end 34 of the core wire conductor 30 of each first waveguide 3 is electromagnetically connected to each transmit / receive terminal 11, which is made up of the BGA terminals of the MMIC 10, by each power supply waveguide 32, which is made up of microstrip lines. Here, the power supply waveguide 32 corresponds to the lower power supply section 32 described in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 6C(a), the microstrip line consists of a wiring pattern 32L provided on the lower surface of the substrate 100 and a ground pattern 101 provided on the upper surface of the substrate 100 with the substrate 100 in between.

[0039] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, each signal ground terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 (hereinafter referred to as "SG terminal 12") is connected to the ground pattern 102 via the peripheral conductor 33 of the first waveguide 3 or through-holes 104 provided in the substrate 100. In addition, the upper end of each peripheral conductor 33 of the first waveguide 3 is connected to the ground pattern 101, and the ground pattern 101 is connected to the ground pattern 102 via through-via holes 111. That is, the peripheral conductor 33 and the SG terminal 12 are connected to the ground patterns 101 and 102 and become at the potential of the ground pattern (ground potential). Also, since the ground pattern 101 is conductive to the conductive upper surface 200S via the conductive inner surface of the through-hole 200h, the conductive upper surface 200S and the SG terminal 12 are conductive via the ground pattern 101. On the other hand, the core conductor 30 is at the potential of the electromagnetic waves supplied from the MMIC 10 via the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 or the electromagnetic waves supplied from the second waveguide 5 to the first waveguide 3. As a result, electromagnetic waves can propagate between the core conductor 30 and the surrounding conductor 33 in the first waveguide 3. In order to prevent a short circuit between the core conductor 30 and the ground pattern, a region 110 is provided around the core conductor 30 on the upper surface of the substrate 100 where no ground pattern is formed. In the first embodiment, when forming the ground pattern on the upper surface of the substrate 100 or the lower surface of the first member 200, the region 110 is formed in accordance with the position of each core conductor 30.

[0040] Furthermore, the power supply waveguide 32 is not limited to a microstrip line structure, but may also be a coplanar line as shown in Figure 6C(b) or a post-wall waveguide as shown in Figure 6C(c). In the case of a coplanar line, the power supply waveguide 32 consists of a wiring pattern 32L provided on the lower surface of the substrate 100 and ground patterns 102 provided on both sides of the wiring pattern 32L on the lower surface of the substrate 100. In the case of a post-wall waveguide, the power supply waveguide 32 has a configuration comprising ground patterns 101 and 102 arranged opposite each other with the substrate 100 sandwiched above and below, and two rows of post walls formed by arranging a plurality of through-holes 104 that penetrate the substrate 100 vertically in two parallel rows between them. Each through-hole 104 is electrically connected to the ground pattern 101 on the upper side of the substrate 100 and to the ground pattern 102 on the lower side of the substrate 100. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagate between ground pattern 101 and ground pattern 102 and between the two rows of postwalls.

[0041] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6C(d), the power supply waveguide 32 may have a plurality of through-via holes 105 provided laterally along the longitudinal direction of the wiring pattern 32L in the structure of the microstrip line in Figure 6C(a). Each through-via hole 105 is connected to the ground pattern 101 on the upper surface side of the substrate 100, and each SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 can be connected to the ground pattern 101 via the nearest through-via hole 105. Therefore, it is not necessary to connect to the ground pattern 101 via the peripheral conductor 33 or ground pattern 102 which are located relatively far away, and a compact configuration can be achieved. In addition, the transmission loss of electromagnetic waves can be reduced by providing through-via holes 105 along the longitudinal direction of the power supply waveguide 32. [Effects of the First Embodiment]

[0042] As described above, the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment includes a substrate 100 having an upper surface and a lower surface, an MMIC 10 disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate 100 and having a set of transmitting / receiving terminals 11 and SG terminals 12 for transmitting or receiving, a first member 200 disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate 100 along the substrate 100 and having a conductive upper surface 200S that is in electrical contact with the SG terminals 12 of the MMIC 10, and a conductive A second member 300 having a conductive lower surface 300S, a ridge 201 having a waveguide surface 201S which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, and a waveguide that penetrates the substrate 100 in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor 30 and a conductive upper surface 20 of the first member 200 arranged along the core conductor 30 via an insulator (dielectric of the substrate 100) around the core conductor 30 A first waveguide 3 is composed of a peripheral conductor 33 that conducts with 0S, a second waveguide 5 is composed of the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, an electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 (composed of a plurality of rods 202) is disposed between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and is located adjacent to the side of the second waveguide 5, and a terminal 11 is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate 100 and performs transmission or reception of the MMIC 10. The device includes a power supply waveguide 32 that electromagnetically connects to the lower end of the core wire conductor 30, and an upper power supply conductor 31 that contacts the upper end of the core wire conductor 30, extends above the upper end, penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 in a non-contact state with the conductive surface of the first member 200 (corresponding to the first conductive surface) and the conductive surface of the ridge 201 (corresponding to the second conductive surface), and contacts or high-frequency coupled with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0043] Furthermore, in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, the core wire conductor 30 and the upper power supply conductor 31 are composed of core wire extension conductors formed continuously from the same material. In addition, the SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 is connected to the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200 via the peripheral conductor 33 and the ground pattern 101.

[0044] With the configuration described above, the installation space for the first waveguide 3 on the substrate 100 can be reduced compared to the configuration of forming a rectangular waveguide or the like on a conventional substrate. Specifically, the installation space can be set to be less than or equal to 1 / 2 of the free space wavelength λo of the highest frequency of the electromagnetic wave (millimeter wave) propagating through the first waveguide 3. As a result, even when the number of transmission / reception channels is large, a waveguide device can be provided that can simply, space-savingly, inexpensively, and efficiently connect the transmission / reception terminals 11 of a millimeter wave IC (MMIC) and the antenna radiating element.

[0045] In addition, since the degree of installation freedom is high and the first waveguide 3 can be formed near the MMIC 10, the distance between the transmission / reception terminal 11 and the first waveguide 3 can be shortened compared to the conventional case. As a result, the transmission loss of the electromagnetic wave can be significantly reduced. Also, unlike the configuration of a conventional rectangular waveguide, the first waveguide 3 has a transmission line type power feeding method (non-resonant type), so broadband power feeding is possible. Further, with the configuration of the first waveguide 3, a configuration having a function equivalent to a coaxial waveguide or a triplate strip waveguide can be achieved, so the loss (dielectric loss angle tan δ) due to the material (dielectric) of the substrate 100 can be reduced. As a result, the transmission loss due to the substrate material can be reduced.

[0046] In addition, since the power feeding waveguide 32 composed of a microstrip waveguide forms a power feeding path between the transmission / reception terminal 11 and the first waveguide 3, the formation position of the first waveguide 3 can be designed relatively freely. For example, it can be formed at a position corresponding to the arrangement interval of the ridges 201 of the WRG structure portion 4. As a result, complication and enlargement of the WRG structure portion 4 can be prevented. [Second Embodiment] [Configuration]

[0047] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 7 to 9B are diagrams showing the second embodiment. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the transmission / reception terminal 11 and the SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 and the upper end portions of the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 are connected in a state of being in contact with each other via a connection conductor.

[0048] Hereinafter, the parts different from the first embodiment will be described in detail, and the same parts will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the waveguide device 1A according to the second embodiment includes an IC mounting substrate 2A instead of the IC mounting substrate 2 and a first waveguide 3A instead of the first waveguide 3 in the waveguide device 1 according to the first embodiment. The IC mounting substrate 2A has a plurality of first waveguides 3A provided therethrough the substrate 100, and the MMIC 10 is mounted on the lower surface side of the substrate 100 so as to cover the plurality of first waveguides 3A from above.

[0049] In the second embodiment, the MMIC 10 has terminals provided in a lattice pattern on the lower surface of a package such as a BGA package, for example. In the second embodiment, a BGA package is adopted as an example. The lower ends of the respective core conductors 30 of the plurality of first waveguides 3A are located at positions corresponding to the mounting positions of the respective transmission / reception terminals 11 of the MMIC 10 on the substrate 100. In addition, the lower ends of the respective peripheral conductors 33 are located at positions corresponding to the mounting positions of the respective SG terminals 12 of the MMIC 10 on the substrate 100.

[0050] That is, the MMIC 10 is arranged such that the respective transmission / reception terminals 11 and the respective SG terminals 12 overlap the lower ends of the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 of each first waveguide 3A in a three-dimensional view in the vertical direction. Note that, depending on the configuration and number of the peripheral conductors 33, etc., it may be difficult to arrange all the SG terminals 12 at positions overlapping the lower ends of the peripheral conductors 33. Therefore, a configuration may be adopted in which the SG terminals 12 are connected to each other by a wiring pattern or the like on the substrate 100 so that they can be connected to the peripheral conductors 33 even if they do not overlap. In the second embodiment, the respective transmission / reception terminals 11 and the respective SG terminals 12 and the lower ends of the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33 are connected in a state of being in contact with each other by a connection conductor (corresponding to the lower power supply unit) such as solder. Hereinafter, this connection configuration may be referred to as a "direct connection configuration".

[0051] The MMIC10 uses a BGA package, so each terminal is a solder ball type terminal. Therefore, using these solder balls as connecting conductors, the transmit / receive terminals 11 can be joined to the upper end of the core conductor 30 by reflow soldering while in direct contact with the upper end of the core conductor 30. Similarly, the SG terminal 12 can be joined to the upper end of the peripheral conductor 33 by reflow soldering while in direct contact with the upper end of the peripheral conductor 33. If the upper ends of the core conductor 30 and peripheral conductor 33 can be positioned at each mounting location of each transmit / receive terminal 11 and each SG terminal 12 of the MMIC10, it can be used not only with BGA but also with other terminal shapes such as lead type and pad type packages. However, a configuration in which terminals can be arranged in a grid on the bottom surface of an IC package such as BGA or PGA allows for a compact MMIC10, which is effective in suppressing the increase in device size due to the increase in IC size in multi-channel applications. BGAs have various distances between the centers of their terminals, for example, 0.65 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, etc. To keep the device from becoming too large, it is effective to use a device with the shortest possible center-to-center distance. However, it is necessary to design the diameter of the core conductor 30 to match these center-to-center distances, and to configure the device so that the core conductor 30 and the surrounding conductor 33 are not connected to the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 at the same time.

[0052] Next, based on Figure 9A, an effective direct connection configuration example for a configuration in which terminals can be arranged in a grid pattern on the bottom surface of the package of an MMIC 10 such as a BGA will be described. In this direct connection configuration example, as shown in Figure 9A, IC pins (corresponding to pin-shaped conductors) are attached to the transmit / receive terminals 11 of the MMIC 10 as core wire conductors 30 and upper power supply conductors 31. The IC pins are attached to each transmit / receive terminal 11 before mounting the MMIC 10 to the substrate 100, and these IC pins are inserted into the through holes and through holes 200h of the substrate 100 to form a core wire extension conductor in which the core wire conductor 30 and upper power supply conductor 31 are integrally formed. The SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 may also be configured in a similar way, with IC pins attached as peripheral conductors 33. In this case, IC pins shorter than the core wire extension conductors are attached. In this case as well, similar to the first embodiment described above, the portion of the IC pin above the upper surface of the substrate 100, which serves as the core wire extension conductor, acts as the upper power supply conductor 31, and in the example shown in Figure 9A, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Also, similar to the first embodiment described above, the upper power supply conductor 31 may be positioned in a non-contact and close proximity to the second waveguide 5 to achieve a high-frequency coupled state.

[0053] Next, based on Figure 9B, an effective direct connection configuration example for a configuration in which terminals can be arranged in a grid pattern on the bottom surface of the package of an MMIC 10 such as a BGA will be described. In this direct connection configuration example, as shown in Figure 9B, the MMIC 10 is mounted on a circuit board 100 via an IC socket 14. In addition, IC pins (corresponding to socket pins) as core wire conductors 30 and upper power supply conductors 31 are attached to terminals 11' corresponding to the transmit / receive terminals 11 of the MMIC 10 on the IC socket 14 by soldering or the like. The IC pins are attached to each terminal 11' before mounting the IC socket 14 on the circuit board 100, and these IC pins are inserted into through holes and through holes 200h of the circuit board 100 to be positioned as core wire extension conductors. Similarly, IC pins as peripheral conductors 33 may be attached to terminal 12' corresponding to the SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 on the IC socket 14 by soldering or the like. In this case, IC pins shorter than the IC pins of the core wire extension conductors are attached. In this case as well, similar to the first embodiment described above, the upper side of the IC pin, which serves as the core wire extension conductor, from the upper surface of the substrate 100 acts as the upper power supply conductor 31, and in the example of Figure 9B, the upper end is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Also, similar to the first embodiment described above, the upper end of the core wire extension conductor may be positioned in a non-contacting and close proximity to the second waveguide 5 to achieve a high-frequency coupling state. [Effects of the second embodiment]

[0054] As described above, the waveguide device 1A of the second embodiment includes a substrate 100 having an upper surface and a lower surface, an MMIC 10 disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate 100 and having a set of transmitting / receiving terminals 11 and SG terminals 12 for transmitting or receiving, a first member 200 disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate 100 along the substrate 100 and having a conductive upper surface 200S that is in electrical contact with the SG terminals 12 of the MMIC 10, and a conductive lower surface 300S disposed on the upper surface side along the first member 200 The structure comprises a second member 300, a ridge 201 having a waveguide surface 201S which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 and positioned between the first member 200 and the second member 300, and a waveguide penetrating the substrate 100 in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor 30 and peripheral conductors 33 arranged around the core conductor 30 via an insulator (dielectric material of the substrate 100) and in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200. A first waveguide 3, a second waveguide 5 formed by the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201 and the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, an electromagnetic wave shielding wall 210 (composed of multiple rods 202) positioned between the first member 200 and the second member 300 and adjacent to the side of the second waveguide 5, and a connecting conductor (transmitting / receiving terminal 1) that fixes the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 of the MMIC 10 and the end of the core wire conductor 30 on the lower surface of the substrate in contact with each other on the lower surface of the substrate 100. It comprises a solder ball of a BGA terminal corresponding to 1 (corresponding to the lower power supply section 32 in Figure 1), and an upper power supply conductor 31 that contacts the upper end of the core wire conductor 30, extends above the upper end, penetrates the first member 200 and the ridge 201 in a non-contact state with the conductive surface of the first member 200 (corresponding to the first conductive surface) and the conductive surface of the ridge 201 (corresponding to the second conductive surface), and contacts or high-frequency coupled with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0055] Furthermore, in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, the core wire conductor 30 and the upper power supply conductor 31 are composed of core wire extension conductors formed continuously from the same material. In addition, the SG terminal 12 of the MMIC 10 is connected to the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200 via the peripheral conductor 33.

[0056] With the configuration described above, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 and the first waveguide 3 can be directly connected, thereby significantly reducing the transmission loss of electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, the space required for connecting the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 and the first waveguide 3 can be significantly reduced, enabling further miniaturization of the device. In the second embodiment, IC pins are joined to the solder ball type transmitting / receiving terminal 11 of the BGA package, and these IC pins serve as the core conductor 30. This allows the core conductor 30 of the first waveguide 3A to be configured by a relatively simple procedure, such as inserting the IC pins, which have been previously joined to the ball terminals, into a through-hole provided in the substrate 100. The same applies to a configuration in which IC pins are joined to terminals corresponding to the transmitting / receiving terminal 11 of the IC socket 14, and these IC pins serve as the core conductor 30. [Modifications of the first and second embodiments]

[0057] Next, modifications of the first and second embodiments described above will be explained. In the modifications shown in Figures 10A to 11B, the arrangement configuration of the upper power supply conductor 31 of the first member 200 and an example of a configuration in which the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is in direct contact with the conductive lower surface of the second member 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "contact configuration example") will be explained.

[0058] In the first and second embodiments described above, as shown in Figures 10A(a) and 10A(b), the upper power supply conductor 31 is described as passing through a through-hole 200h formed by penetrating the first member 200 and the ridge 201 vertically from the upper end of the core wire conductor 30, without contacting the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. The configuration is not limited to this, however, as shown in Figures 10A(c) and 10B, the through-hole portion of the through-hole 200h formed in the ridge 201 may be replaced with a slit 203. That is, a slit 203 is formed above the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 in the ridge 201, dividing the ridge 201 into two in the front-rear direction. As a result, a portion of the upper power supply conductor 31 that has passed through the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 passes upward through the slit 203 without contacting the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. Furthermore, in this modified example, the upper power supply conductor 31 extends upward above the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, as shown in Figure 10A(a), and its upper end contacts the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0059] Next, an example of the contact configuration of the upper power supply conductor 31 will be described based on Figures 11A to 11B. Figures 11A to 11B illustrate an example where this modified configuration is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment. However, this modified configuration is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0060] First, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11A(a) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11A(a), the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is fixed to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 by soldering with solder material 350. As the solder material 350, for example, a high-temperature solder material with a relatively high melting point, such as one based on tin and containing silver, antimony, indium, etc., can be used. Here, it is possible to apply soldering with a soldering iron to solder with the solder material 350, but to reduce the heat load on other components due to high-temperature soldering and shorten the soldering time, soldering using a laser beam can be applied. When applying soldering using a laser beam, for example, a through hole is provided in advance at the soldering position of the second member 300. This through hole is configured to have a smaller diameter than, for example, the diameter of the upper power supply conductor 31. That is, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31 is not inserted into the through hole. In the manufacturing process involving high-temperature soldering, a laser beam is precisely irradiated onto the solder material 350 from the upper surface of the second component 300 through a through-hole. This melts the solder material 350, allowing soldering to be performed. This soldering method allows for non-contact soldering, for example. This reduces the heat load on other components through pinpoint irradiation and shortens the physical operation time compared to contact-type soldering methods such as soldering with a soldering iron.

[0061] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11A(b) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11A(b), instead of the upper feeding conductor 31, an upper feeding conductor 31L is provided, which is an extension of the upper feeding conductor 31 upwards. Furthermore, a circular recess 302 is provided in the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 when viewed from below, and the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L is inserted into the recess 302 and fixed. The inner diameter of the recess 302 is set to be 1 / 2 or less of the free space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band. The outer circumference of a part of the insertion portion of the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L is in contact with the inner surface of the recess 302. In addition, the inner surface of the recess 302 has a conductive surface that is in conductivity with the conductive lower surface 300S, so that the upper feeding conductor 31L and the conductive lower surface 300S are in conductivity. The upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L may simply be inserted into the recess 302, or it may be fixed with a conductive adhesive or the like. With this configuration, the propagation direction of the electromagnetic waves can be changed to the second waveguide 5 while the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L is inserted into the recess 302 (i.e., inside the recess 302). This improves the transmission efficiency of electromagnetic waves compared to a configuration in which the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L is simply in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300.

[0062] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11A(c) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11A(c), instead of a single-diameter (cylindrical) upper-feeding conductor 31, a tapered (frustoconical) upper-feeding conductor 31A is provided, which tapers from the lower end to the upper end. In this configuration example, the core conductor 30 and the upper-feeding conductor 31A are configured as separate components. For example, the lower end of the upper-feeding conductor 31A is connected to the upper end of the core conductor 30 by soldering or conductive adhesive, resulting in an electrically conductive state. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the core conductor 30 and the upper-feeding conductor 31A may be configured as core extension conductors. Furthermore, the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31A is inserted into the recess 302, and a part of the outer circumference of the inserted portion is in contact with the inner surface of the recess 302. That is, the upper-feeding conductor 31L and the conductive lower surface 300S are electrically conductive. The upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31A may simply be inserted into the recess 302, but it may also be fixed with a conductive adhesive or the like. With this configuration, in addition to the same functions and effects as in the second contact configuration example described above, the tapered shape of the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31A makes it easier to insert into the recess 302, thus providing additional functions and effects.

[0063] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11A(d) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11A(d), an upper feeding conductor 31B is provided instead of the upper feeding conductor 31. A portion of the upper feeding conductor 31B is positioned inside the upper end and protrudes upward. A portion of the upper feeding conductor 31B is biased upward by an elastic member such as a coil spring. Furthermore, a portion of the upper feeding conductor 31B is supported at the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31B by a stopper (not shown) to prevent it from falling out. An upper feeding conductor 31B with such a configuration can be made from, for example, a spring connector. The upper end of a portion of the upper feeding conductor 31B is pressed into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 by an elastic member. With this configuration, the elastic force of the elastic member can strengthen the contact between the upper power supply conductor 31B and the conductive lower surface 300S, thus eliminating the need for soldering or other processes to fix the upper power supply conductor to the conductive lower surface 300S during the manufacturing process.

[0064] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11B(a) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11B(a), instead of an upper feeding conductor 31 having the same diameter as the core conductor 30, an upper feeding conductor 31C with a larger diameter than the core conductor 30 is provided. The upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31C is fixed to the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 by soldering with solder material 350. The core conductor 30 and the upper feeding conductor 31C may be configured as separate components, or they may be configured as a core extension conductor. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent problems such as the upper feeding conductor 31C being inserted into the hole in which the core conductor 30 is inserted and pushing out the core conductor 30 during the manufacturing process.

[0065] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11B(b) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11B(b), a larger diameter core conductor 30W is provided in place of the core conductor 30, and a longer upper feeding conductor 31L' is provided in place of the upper feeding conductor 31L. The lower end of the upper feeding conductor 31L' is connected concentrically to the upper end of the core conductor 30W by soldering or conductive adhesive, resulting in an electrically conductive state. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the core conductor 30W and the upper feeding conductor 31L' may be configured as core extension conductors. Furthermore, a through hole 304 is provided in the second member 300 at a position opposite to the upper feeding conductor 31L', penetrating the second member 300 vertically. The inner diameter of the through hole 304 is configured to be slightly larger than the upper feeding conductor 31L' within the range of λo / 2 or less.

[0066] The upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L' is inserted into the through hole 304, and its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304. That is, the length of the upper power supply conductor 31L' is the length at which its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304. Furthermore, the outer circumference of the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L' inserted into the through hole 304 is in contact with the inner circumference of the through hole 304. In addition, the inner surface of the through hole 304 has a conductive surface that is in contact with the conductive lower surface 300S, and the upper power supply conductor 31L' and the conductive lower surface 300S are in a state of electrical conductivity. That is, the core wire conductor 30 and the conductive lower surface 300S are in a state of electrical conductivity. With this configuration, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L' is inserted into the through hole 304 (i.e., inside the through hole 304), and the propagation direction of electromagnetic waves can be changed to the direction of the second waveguide 5 and propagated. This improves the electromagnetic wave transmission efficiency compared to simply bringing the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S. Furthermore, since the inner diameter of the through-hole 304 is less than or equal to half the wavelength λo, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagating from the first waveguide 3 from passing through the through-hole 304 and being emitted to the outside.

[0067] Next, an example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11B(c) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this example of a contact configuration, as shown in Figure 11B(c), an upper feeding conductor 31L is provided instead of the upper feeding conductor 31L' in the example of a contact configuration shown in Figure 11B(b). The upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L is inserted into the through hole 304, and its upper end is located below the upper end of the through hole 304. Furthermore, the side surface of the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L inserted into the through hole 304 is in a non-contact state with the inner circumference of the through hole 304 at a position near the inner circumference of the through hole 304. However, the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L is connected to the conductive inner surface of the through hole 304 by solder material 350. That is, the upper feeding conductor 31L and the conductive lower surface 300S are electrically connected, and as a result, the conductive lower surface 300S and the core wire conductor 30 are electrically connected.

[0068] With this configuration, the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L is inserted into the through hole 304 (i.e., inside the through hole 304), and the direction of electromagnetic wave propagation can be changed to the direction of the second waveguide 5. This improves the transmission efficiency of electromagnetic waves compared to simply bringing the upper end of the upper power supply conductor 31L into contact with the conductive lower surface 300S.

[0069] Next, an example of a configuration in which the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 is high-frequency coupled to the conductive lower surface of the second member 300 (hereinafter referred to as the "coupled configuration example") will be described based on Figures 12A to 12C. In Figures 12A to 12C, each coupled configuration example is illustrated as being applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, but each coupled configuration example is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments. Hereinafter, the case in which it is applied to the waveguide device 1 will be described as a representative example. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 12A(b) and 12B(b), the waveguide device 1 can be configured such that the upper feeding conductor 31 passes through the through hole 200h in a non-contact state with the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 12A(c) and 12B(c), the through-hole portion of the ridge 201 can be replaced with a slit 203, and a configuration can be adopted in which the through-hole 200h of the first member 200 and the slit 203 pass through without contact with the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201.

[0070] First, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figure 12A will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figure 12A, instead of the upper feeding conductor 31, an upper feeding conductor 31L is provided, which is an extension of the upper feeding conductor 31 upwards. Furthermore, a circular recess 302W is provided on the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300 when viewed from below, and the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L is inserted into the recess 302W. The inner diameter of the recess 302W is configured to be larger than that of the recess 302 shown in Figure 11A(b) of the above modified example, within a range of λo / 2 or less. The core wire conductor 30 and the upper feeding conductor 31L have the configuration of a core wire extension conductor. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the core wire conductor 30 and the upper feeding conductor 31L may be joined together as separate components, for example, with a conductive adhesive. The upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L inserted into the recess 302W has its outer circumference located near the inner circumference of the recess 302W, and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the upper-feeding conductor 31L and the inner circumference of the recess 302W is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the upper-feeding conductor 31L and the second waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated from the first waveguide 3 can be propagated to the second waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency.

[0071] Next, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figure 12B will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figure 12B, a through hole 304W is provided instead of the recess 302W in the coupling configuration example shown in Figure 12A. The inner diameter of the through hole 304W is set to be larger than the outer diameter of the upper feed conductor 31L in the range of λo / 2 or less, and slightly larger than the through hole 304 in the contact configuration example shown in Figure 11B(b).

[0072] The upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L is inserted into the through-hole 304W, and its upper end reaches an intermediate position near the upper end of the through-hole 304W. In other words, the length of the upper-feeding conductor 31L is the length at which its upper end reaches an intermediate position near the upper end of the through-hole 304W. Furthermore, the outer circumference of the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31L inserted into the through-hole 304W is located near the inner circumference of the through-hole 304W and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the upper-feeding conductor 31L and the inner circumference of the through-hole 304W is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the upper-feeding conductor 31L and the second waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated from the first waveguide 3 can be propagated to the second waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency. Furthermore, since the inner diameter of the through-hole 304W is less than or equal to half the wavelength λo, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagating from the first waveguide 3 from passing through the through-hole 304W and being emitted to the outside.

[0073] Next, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figure 12C(a) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figure 12C(c), in the coupling configuration example shown in Figure 12A, instead of the upper feeding conductor 31L and the recess 302W, an upper feeding conductor 31W with a larger diameter than the upper feeding conductor 31L and a recess 302W' with a larger inner diameter than the recess 302W within a range of λo / 2 or less are provided. That is, the outer diameter of the upper feeding conductor 31W is larger than the outer diameter of the core wire conductor 30. The lower end of the upper feeding conductor 31W is connected concentrically to the upper end of the core wire conductor 30 by soldering or conductive adhesive, and is electrically conductive. Note that the configuration is not limited to this, and the core wire conductor 30 and the upper feeding conductor 31W may be configured as core wire extension conductors. The upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31W is inserted into the recess 302W', and the outer circumference of the inserted portion is located near the inner circumference of the recess 302W', and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the upper-feeding conductor 31W and the inner circumference of the recess 302W' is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the upper-feeding conductor 31W and the second waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated from the first waveguide 3 can be propagated to the second waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency. Furthermore, during the manufacturing process, it is possible to prevent problems such as the upper-feeding conductor 31W being inserted into the hole in which the core wire conductor 30 is inserted, thereby pushing out the core wire conductor 30.

[0074] Next, an example of a coupling configuration shown in Figure 12C(b) will be described. In the waveguide device 1 according to this coupling configuration example, as shown in Figure 12C(b), in the waveguide device 1 according to the coupling configuration example shown in Figure 12B, an upper feeding conductor 31L' is provided in place of the upper feeding conductor 31L, which is an extension of the upper feeding conductor 31L upward. The upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L' is inserted into the through hole 304W, and its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304W. That is, the length of the upper feeding conductor 31L' is the length at which its upper end reaches the upper end of the through hole 304W. Furthermore, the outer circumference of the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L' inserted into the through hole 304W is located near the inner circumference of the through hole 304W and is in close proximity to the inner circumference, although not in contact with it. For example, the distance between the outer circumference of the upper feeding conductor 31L' and the inner circumference of the through hole 304W is approximately 0.1 mm. As a result, the upper feed conductor 31L' and the second waveguide 5 are in a high-frequency coupled state. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves propagated from the first waveguide 3 can be propagated to the second waveguide 5 with sufficient propagation efficiency. In addition, since the inner diameter of the through-hole 304W is less than or equal to half the wavelength λo, it is possible to prevent electromagnetic waves propagated from the first waveguide 3 from passing through the through-hole 304W and being emitted to the outside.

[0075] Next, the impedance matching structure formed by the irregularities in the vicinity of the through-hole 200h or slit 203 of the ridge 201 will be described based on Figures 13A(a) to (c) and 13B(a) to (c). These matching structures can be applied to various configurations of the above embodiment and its modifications. Hereinafter, the case in which they are applied to the configuration shown in Figure 10A will be described as a representative example.

[0076] First, an example of a matching structure shown in Figures 13A(a) and (b) will be described. As shown in Figures 13A(a) and (b), this example of a matching structure applies the impedance matching structure using the uneven portion to a configuration in which the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 is in contact with the center position in the front-rear direction of the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, as shown in Figures 13A(a) and (b). That is, protrusions 201t are formed to project upward at positions close to the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 on the waveguide surface 201S of the ridge 201, in the front and rear directions, respectively. Here, "close to" means that the uneven portion is within a distance range that affects the matching conditions in electromagnetic wave propagation between the first waveguide 3 and the second waveguide 5. In addition, protrusions 201st are formed to project to the left and right, respectively, at positions close to the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 on the left and right sides of the front and rear of the ridge 201, in the left and right directions, respectively. With this configuration, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed by protrusions 201t at positions close to the upper end of the upper feed conductor 31 on the upper surface of the ridge 201 in both the front-rear and rear directions. Furthermore, stepped portions (protrusions and indentations) are formed by protrusions 201st at positions close to the upper end of the upper feed conductor 31 on the left and right sides of the ridge 201 in both the left-right and right directions. As a result, the convex portions 201t on the upper surface and the convex portions 201st on the sides enable impedance matching of the waveguide connections between the two feed paths of the first waveguide 3 and the second waveguide 5.

[0077] Next, an example of a matching structure shown in Figures 13A(a) and (c) will be described. As shown in Figures 13A(a) and (c), this example of a matching structure applies an impedance matching structure using protrusions and recesses to a configuration in which the upper feeding conductor 31 passes through a slit 203 provided at the center position in the X direction of the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. Specifically, protrusions 201t are formed to project upward at positions close to the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 on the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between. In addition, protrusions 201st are formed to project to the left and right at positions close to the protrusions 201t on the left and right sides of the front end of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between. Furthermore, protrusions 201st are formed to project to the left and right at positions close to the protrusions 201t on the left and right sides of the rear end of the ridge 201, with the slit 203 in between.

[0078] With this configuration, a stepped portion (protrusion / recess) is formed by a protrusion 201t at a position close to the upper end of the upper feed conductor 31 in both the front-rear and rear directions on the upper surface of the ridge 201. Furthermore, stepped portions (protrusion / recess) are formed by protrusions 201st at positions close to the upper end of the upper feed conductor 31 in both the left-right and rear directions at both ends of the left-right sides of the ridge 201, with the slits 203 in between. As a result, the connection between the two feed paths of the first waveguide 3 and the second waveguide 5 can be matched (impedance matched) by the protrusion 201t on the upper surface and the protrusions 201st on the left-right sides. Next, an example of a matching structure shown in Figures 13B(a) and (b) will be described. As shown in Figures 13B(a) and (b), this example of a matched structure is a structure in which, in the example of a matched structure shown in Figures 13A(a) and (b), the two protrusions 201t formed on the waveguide 201S are replaced with recesses 201c formed by recessing a part of the waveguide 201S downward. With this structure, stepped portions (recessed / uneven portions) are formed by the recesses 201c at positions close to the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31 in both the front-rear and rear directions on the upper surface of the ridge 201. Furthermore, stepped portions (recessed / uneven portions) are formed by protrusions 201st at positions close to the upper end of the upper-feeding conductor 31 in both the left-right and right-side directions on the left and right sides of the ridge 201. As a result, the recesses 201c on the upper surface and the protrusions 201st on the sides can match (impedance match) the connection between the upper-feeding conductor 31 and the two-way feed paths of the second waveguide 5. In the matching structure examples shown in Figures 13B(a) and (b), an example in which only the convex portion 201t is replaced with a concave portion 201c has been described, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the convex portion 201st is a concave portion instead of or in addition to the convex portion 201t may be used. Next, the matching structure examples shown in Figures 13B(a) and (c) will be described. As shown in Figures 13B(a) and (c), this matching structure example is a configuration in which the two convex portions 201t formed on the waveguide 201S are each replaced with concave portions 201c in the matching structure example shown in Figures 13A(a) and (c). With this configuration, the connection between the upper feed conductor 31 and the two feed paths of the second waveguide 5 can be matched (impedance matched) by the concave portion 201c on the upper surface and the convex portion 201st on the side surface.In the examples of the harmonized structure shown in Figures 13B(a) and (c), an example in which only the convex portion 201t is replaced with the concave portion 201c has been described, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the convex portion 201st may be replaced with a concave portion in addition to the convex portion 201t.

[0079] Next, structural examples of the core conductor 30 and peripheral conductor 33 of the first waveguides 3 and 3A according to the first and second embodiments will be described based on Figures 14A(a) to (h) and Figure 14B. Figures 14A(a) to (h) show an example in which this structural example is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, and the case in which it is applied to the waveguide device 1 will be described below as a representative example. First, the structural example of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(a) will be described. The first waveguide 3 according to this structural example is provided by penetrating the substrate 100 in the vertical direction. The same applies to the structural examples in Figures 14A(b) to (h) below, so explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

[0080] The first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(a) consists of an elliptical core conductor 30 in bottom view and a rectangular peripheral conductor 33 adjacent to the core conductor 30 at a predetermined distance. The peripheral conductor 33 is connected to the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200. That is, the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(a) consists of an elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and a plate-shaped peripheral conductor 33 (corresponding to a plate-shaped conductor) adjacent to it at a predetermined distance with the dielectric of the substrate 100 in between. In the example shown in Figure 14A(a), the core conductor 30 is elliptical with the major axis in the Y direction and the minor axis in the X direction, and the peripheral conductor 33 is rectangular with the long side in the Y direction and the short side in the X direction. Also, the peripheral conductor 33 is adjacent to the core conductor 30 on the -X direction side. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below, but an elliptical shape increases the surface area in contact with the surrounding conductor 33, thus improving transmission efficiency. The predetermined spacing is designed to be appropriate according to impedance matching with the second waveguide 5, etc. This also applies to the structural examples shown in Figures 14A(b) to (h). With this configuration, electromagnetic waves can be propagated between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and a single plate-shaped surrounding conductor 33.

[0081] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(b) will be described. In this example of the structure of the first waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 14A(b), peripheral conductors 33 of the same shape as in the example of the structure of Figure 14A(a) are arranged adjacent to the core conductor 30 on the +X direction side. That is, the core conductor 30 is sandwiched on both sides in the X direction by the two peripheral conductors 33. With this configuration, the first waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the two plate-shaped peripheral conductors 33.

[0082] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(c) will be described. In this example of the structure of the first waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 14A(c), peripheral conductors 33 of the same shape as in the example of the structure in Figure 14A(a) are arranged adjacent to the +Y and -Y directions of the core conductor 30 in the example of the structure in Figure 14A(b), rotated by 90° around the Z axis. That is, the core conductor 30 is sandwiched on both sides in the X direction and both sides in the Y direction by the four peripheral conductors 33. With this configuration, the first waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the four plate-shaped peripheral conductors 33.

[0083] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(d) will be described. As shown in Figure 14A(d), the first waveguide 3 in this example consists of a core conductor 30 that is elliptical in view from below, and six peripheral conductors 33 (corresponding to linear conductors) that are perfectly circular in view from below and arranged along the concentric circles of the core conductor 30. The six peripheral conductors 33 are positioned opposite each other in the X direction, with three on the -X side and three on the +X side of the core conductor 30. With this configuration, the first waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical core conductor 30 and the six perfectly cylindrical peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may also be perfectly circular in view from below.

[0084] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(e) will be described. In this example of the structure of the first waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 14A(e), the number of peripheral conductors 33 is increased from 6 to 10 compared to the example of the structure shown in Figure 14A(d). With this configuration, the first waveguide 3 forms a waveguide that is closer to a coaxial waveguide, and electromagnetic waves can be propagated between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the 10 perfectly cylindrical peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below.

[0085] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(f) will be described. As shown in Figure 14A(f), the first waveguide 3 in this example has the same configuration as the example shown in Figure 14A(d), but with the three peripheral conductors 33 on the +X direction side removed. With this configuration, the first waveguide 3 can propagate electromagnetic waves between the elliptical cylindrical core conductor 30 and the three perfectly cylindrical peripheral conductors 33. The core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from below.

[0086] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(g) will be described. In this example of the structure of the first waveguide 3, as shown in Figure 14A(g), the shape of the core conductor 30 is rectangular when viewed from below, compared to the example of the structure shown in Figure 14A(a). That is, the core conductor 30 is configured in a plate shape. In the example shown in Figure 14A(g), the plate thickness of the core conductor 30 is formed to be thicker than the plate thickness of the surrounding conductor 33. With this configuration, electromagnetic waves can be propagated between the plate-shaped core conductor 30 and one plate-shaped surrounding conductor 33. Furthermore, by making the core conductor 30 plate-shaped, the facing area with the surrounding conductor 33 can be increased, thereby improving transmission efficiency. In addition, the configuration in which the core conductor 30 is plate-shaped can also be applied to other configurations such as those shown in Figure 14A(b).

[0087] Next, an example of the structure of the first waveguide 3 shown in Figure 14A(h) will be described. In this example of structure, as shown in Figure 14A(h), the first waveguide 3 has a configuration in which a core conductor 30, which is elliptical in shape when viewed from below, is placed in the center of a through-hole, which is elliptical in shape when viewed from below, and an elliptical cylindrical peripheral conductor 33 is placed on the inner circumference of the through-hole. A space filled with air (insulator) is formed between the core conductor 30 and the peripheral conductor 33, and a coaxial waveguide can be formed. Note that the through-hole and the core conductor 30 may be perfectly circular when viewed from above.

[0088] Next, a specific configuration example of the structural example shown in Figure 14A(h) will be described based on Figure 14B. This configuration example can be applied to a first waveguide 3A in which IC pins are joined to the solder ball-type transmit / receive terminals 11 of the MMIC 10, as shown in Figure 14B. Specifically, a through hole 100h is formed that penetrates the substrate 100 vertically, and a peripheral conductor 33 is arranged in a cylindrical shape on the inner wall of this through hole 100h by coating or the like. The upper end of the cylindrical peripheral conductor 33 (corresponding to a cylindrical conductor) is electrically connected to the conductive upper surface 200S via the conductive inner surface of the through hole 200h of the first member 200, and the lower end of the peripheral conductor 33 is electrically connected to the ground pattern 102 and the SG terminal 12. Then, the core wire conductor 30 and the IC pin as the upper power supply conductor 31 are inserted through the center of the through hole 100h. At this time, the diameter of the through-hole 100h and the diameter of the IC pins are designed so that the core conductor 30 and the surrounding conductor 33 do not come into contact.

[0089] The structures of the first waveguides 3 and 3A are not limited to those shown in Figures 14(a) to (h). For example, in the structure of Figure 14A(c), one of the four rectangular peripheral conductors 33 facing each other in the X or Y direction may be composed of, for example, a peripheral conductor 33 that is circular or elliptical when viewed from below, thus combining multiple types of conductor shapes.

[0090] Next, the structure surrounding the upper power supply conductor 31 will be described based on Figures 15(a) to (c). This surrounding structure is applicable to both waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where this surrounding structure is applied to waveguide device 1 with the coupling configuration shown in Figure 15(a).

[0091] First, an example of the surrounding structure shown in Figure 15(b) will be described. In this example of the surrounding structure, as shown in Figure 15(b), the space 206, which includes the space within the through-hole 200h and the space between the second member 300 and the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201, is made of air in the coupling configuration of Figure 15(a). In addition, the recess 302W is filled with a dielectric 310 that has a higher dielectric constant than air. With this configuration, high-frequency coupling between the upper feeding conductor 31 in the through-hole 200h and the first member 200 can be prevented, and the high-frequency coupling between the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31L in the recess 302W and the second waveguide 5 can be strengthened.

[0092] Next, an example of a peripheral structure shown in Figure 15(c) will be described. In this example of a peripheral structure, as shown in Figure 15(c), in the coupling configuration of Figure 15(a), the space 206 between the second member 300 and the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201 is made of air, the through hole 200h is filled with dielectric 310, and the area around the upper end of the upper feeding conductor 31 is covered with dielectric 310. With this configuration, there is no variation in the strength of high-frequency coupling by the dielectric 310, but the fixing of the upper feeding conductor 31 by the dielectric 310 can be made firm and stable. Furthermore, by making the distance between the inner circumferential surface of the through hole 200h and the outer circumferential part of the upper feeding conductor 31 a sufficient distance so that high-frequency coupling does not occur between the conductive surface of the first member 200 and the conductive surface of the ridge 201, the electromagnetic wave transmission efficiency can be kept in a good state.

[0093] Next, an example of a path structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted to one direction by a rod-shaped conductor will be described based on Figure 16A. Note that the example shown in Figure 16A illustrates the application of this path structure example to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment; however, this path structure example is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0094] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figure 16A, is configured in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment above, with a WRG structure 4C instead of the WRG structure 4. Furthermore, the second member 300 has an opening 320 formed in the upper rear side of the second member 300, penetrating the second member 300 vertically. The WRG structure 4C has two rod-shaped conductors 202A provided on the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, beyond the ridge front end surface 201a, which is the front end surface of the ridge 201, and facing the ridge front end surface 201a in the X direction. Furthermore, the first member 200 has two rod-shaped conductors 202B provided on the conductive upper surface 200S of the first member 200, beyond the ridge rear end surface 201b, which is the rear end surface of the ridge 201, and facing the ridge rear end surface 201b in the X direction. Specifically, the rod-shaped conductor 202B is positioned opposite the rear end face 201b of the ridge and the opening 320 in the X direction, with the opening 320 in between.

[0095] The rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B are composed of rod-shaped conductors, and their upper surfaces are positioned at the same height as the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. That is, the upper surfaces of the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B are adjacent to the waveguide 201S of the ridge 201. Furthermore, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B may be composed entirely of conductors, or they may be configured, for example, by providing a conductive surface on the surface of a rod-shaped dielectric.

[0096] In the example shown in Figure 16A, there are two rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201, but the configuration is not limited to this; one conductor may be provided for each side, or three or more conductors may be provided for each side. With this configuration, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B form an artificial magnetic wall, preventing electromagnetic waves propagating through the first waveguide 3 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the second waveguide 5 can be prevented from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the rod-shaped conductors 202A and 202B can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path.

[0097] Next, based on Figure 16B, another example of a path structure that restricts the path of electromagnetic waves in one direction using a rod-shaped conductor will be described. Note that the example shown in Figure 16B illustrates a configuration in which this path structure is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment; however, this path structure is applicable to both the waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1.

[0098] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figure 16B, is equipped with a WRG structure 4D in place of the WRG structure 4 in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment described above. The WRG structure 4D is equipped with rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D, respectively, which are extended to a height where their upper ends contact the conductive lower surface 300S of the second member 300, in place of both the rod-shaped conductor 202A on the front side and the rod-shaped conductor 202B on the rear side of the ridge 201. In the example shown in Figure 16B, there are two rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201, but the configuration is not limited to this, and one rod-shaped conductor may be provided for each, or three or more rod-shaped conductors may be provided for each. With this configuration, the sides of the rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D facing the ridge front end face 201a and the ridge rear end face 201b in the X direction each form an electric wall. This prevents electromagnetic waves propagating through the first waveguide 3 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, it prevents electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the second waveguide 5 from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the rod-shaped conductors 202C and 202D on the front and rear sides of the ridge 201 can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path.

[0099] Next, an example of a path structure in which the path of electromagnetic waves is restricted to one direction by a wall will be described based on Figures 16C and 16D. Figures 16C and 16D illustrate a configuration in which this path structure example is applied to the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment, but this path structure example is applicable to both waveguide devices 1 and 1A of the first and second embodiments described above. The following description will focus on the case where it is applied to waveguide device 1 as a representative example.

[0100] The waveguide device 1 according to this path structure example, as shown in Figures 16C and 16D, is equipped with a WRG structure 4E in place of the WRG structure 4 in the waveguide device 1 of the first embodiment described above. The WRG structure 4E is equipped with wall sections 202E and 202F, respectively, which are expanded in width in the front-to-back direction (X direction) and left-to-right direction (Y direction) compared to the WRG structure 4D of the path structure example shown in Figure 16B, replacing both the front-to-back rod-shaped conductor 202C and the rear-to-back rod-shaped conductor 202D of the ridge 201.

[0101] In the examples shown in Figures 16C and 16D, the width of the ridge 201 in the left-right direction is configured to λo / 8. Hereinafter, λo is the free-space wavelength of the electromagnetic wave at the center frequency of the operating frequency band of the waveguide device 1. In addition, in the examples shown in Figures 16C and 16D, the width of the wall sections 202E and 202F in the left-right direction is set to a length of λo / 4 or more. With this configuration, the sides of the wall sections 202E and 202F that face the ridge front end face 201a and the ridge rear end face 201b in the X direction each form an electric wall. This prevents electromagnetic waves propagating through the first waveguide 3 from advancing from the front end of the ridge 201 into the space outside the front. In addition, it prevents electromagnetic waves propagating backward through the second waveguide 5 from advancing into the space beyond the opening 320. In other words, the front and rear walls 202E and 202F of the ridge 201 can restrict the path of electromagnetic waves so that they propagate along a desired path. [Example of application to radar equipment]

[0102] Next, a radar device equipped with a waveguide device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described based on Figures 17 and 18. Waveguide devices according to each of the above embodiments and their modified versions can be made to function as a radar device by adding antenna radiating holes, radar calculation ICs, etc. That is, the radar device 500 includes an array antenna 510 and a radar signal processing device 520, as shown in Figure 17. The array antenna 510 is configured to include any of the above embodiments and their modified versions, and includes a transmitting antenna 511, which is an array antenna for transmission, and a receiving antenna 512, which is an array antenna for reception. The radar signal processing device 520, although not shown, includes an MMIC connected to the array antenna 510 and a signal processing circuit for radar calculations (corresponding to a radar calculation unit) connected to the MMIC. The signal processing circuit performs, for example, processing to estimate the direction of the arriving wave based on the signal received by the MMIC. The signal processing circuit may be configured to execute algorithms such as the MUSIC method, the ESPRIT method, or the SAGE method to estimate the direction of the incoming wave and output a signal indicating the estimation result. The signal processing circuit may also be configured to estimate the distance to the object that is the source of the incoming wave, the relative velocity of the object, and the direction of the object using known algorithms, and output a signal indicating the estimation result.

[0103] When a contact-type waveguide device 1 is applied, the radar device 500 comprises the waveguide device 1 and an antenna member 400, as shown in Figure 18, for example. Although not shown, a radar calculation IC connected to the MMIC 10 is mounted on the lower surface of the substrate 100, for example. The antenna member 400 comprises a third member 410 made of a plate-shaped conductive material and a horn radiation hole 420 provided that penetrates the third member 410 vertically. The second member 300 of the waveguide device 1 has openings 320 above the front side of the front end of the ridge 201 and above the rear side of the rear end. The antenna member 400 is provided on the upper surface of the second member 300, and is positioned so that the horn radiation hole 420 is located directly above the opening 320 of the second member 300 of the waveguide device 1. The openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420 are provided for each ridge 201 of the waveguide device 1. Electromagnetic waves propagating through the first waveguide 3 are branched into two directions, front and back, through the second waveguide 5 via the upper feeding conductor 31 and propagate from there. With this configuration, the two openings 320 of the second member 300 each function as waveguides, allowing electromagnetic waves to propagate between the second waveguide 5 and the horn radiating holes 420. Furthermore, each of the two horn radiating holes 420 forms an array antenna.

[0104] In Figure 18, a configuration with two sets of openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420 is used as an example, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the second member 300 may be provided with three or more openings 320 corresponding to each ridge 201, and the third member 410 of the antenna member 400 may be provided with three or more horn radiating holes 420 corresponding to each ridge 201. Alternatively, an antenna may be configured with one set of openings 320 and horn radiating holes 420, or a slot antenna may be configured in which the openings 320 are approximately oval or rectangular slit radiating holes when viewed from above. Furthermore, a new ridge waveguide layer (not shown) may be provided above the openings 320, and horn radiating holes or slit radiating holes may be placed at the end of the ridge waveguide.

[0105] 1, 1A... Waveguide device, 2, 2A... IC mounting board, 3, 3A... First waveguide, 4, 4C to 4E... WRG structure, 5... Second waveguide, 10... Millimeter wave IC (MMIC), 11... Transceiver terminal, 12... SG terminal, 13... Shield ground terminal, 14... IC socket, 30... Core wire conductor, 31, 31A to 31D, 31L, 31L', 31W... Upper power supply conductor, 32... Lower power supply section, 32L... Wiring pattern, 33... Peripheral conductor, 34... Lower end, 100... Substrate, 101, 102... Ground pattern, 104... Through hole, 105... Through via hole, 200... First component, 100h, 200h, 304, 304W... Through hole, 200S... Conductive upper surface 201...Ridge, 201a...Front end face of ridge, 201b...Rear end face of ridge, 201c, 302, 302W, 302W'...Recess, 201S...Waveguide, 201t, 201st...Convex part, 202...Rod, 202A-202D...Rod-shaped conductor, 202E-F...Wall part, 203...Slit, 206...Space, 210...Electromagnetic wave shielding wall, 300...Second member, 300S...Conductive bottom surface, 310...Dielectric, 320...Opening part, 350...Solder material, 400...Antenna member, 410...Third member, 420...Horn radiation hole, 500...Radar device, 510...Array antenna, 511...Transmitting antenna, 512...Receiving antenna, 520...Radar signal processing device

Claims

1. A substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface; a high-frequency circuit disposed on the lower surface side of the substrate and having a terminal for transmitting or receiving and a signal ground terminal; a first member disposed on the upper surface side of the substrate and having a conductive upper surface that is in electrical contact with the signal ground terminal of the high-frequency circuit; a second member disposed on the upper surface side of the first member and having a conductive lower surface; a ridge disposed between the first member and the second member and having a waveguide surface which is a band-shaped conductive upper surface facing the conductive lower surface of the second member; a waveguide penetrating the substrate in the vertical direction, comprising a core conductor and peripheral conductors disposed around the core conductor via an insulator and in electrical contact with the conductive upper surface of the first member; a second waveguide composed of the waveguide surface of the ridge and the conductive lower surface of the second member; an electromagnetic wave shielding wall disposed between the first member and the second member and adjacent to the side of the second waveguide; Waveguide device comprising: a lower power supply unit disposed on the lower surface of the substrate and electromagnetically connecting the transmitting or receiving terminal of the high-frequency circuit to the lower end of the core wire conductor; and an upper power supply conductor that contacts the upper end of the core wire conductor, extends above the upper end, penetrates the first member and the ridge in a non-contact state with the first conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the first member and the second conductive surface which is the conductive surface of the ridge, and contacts or high-frequency coupled with the conductive lower surface of the second member.

2. The waveguide device according to claim 1, wherein the core wire conductor and the upper power supply conductor are composed of a core wire extension conductor formed continuously from the same material.

3. The waveguide apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower power supply section is a waveguide composed of a microstrip line, a coplanar line, or a post wall.

4. The waveguide apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of through via holes are provided around the microstrip line or the coplanar line, surrounding the microstrip line or the coplanar line.

5. The waveguide device according to claim 3, wherein the lower end of the core conductor is formed on the lower surface of the outer substrate of the MMIC package constituting the high-frequency circuit.

6. The waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower power supply section has a structure that brings into contact the transmitting or receiving terminal of the high-frequency circuit with the lower end of the core conductor, and brings into contact the ground used for transmitting or receiving the high-frequency circuit with the surrounding conductor.

7. The waveguide device according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting or receiving terminal and the lower end of the core wire conductor are positioned to overlap in a stereoscopic view in the vertical direction.

8. Waveguide device according to claim 6, wherein one end of a pin-shaped conductor is in contact with the terminal for transmitting or receiving, and the pin-shaped conductor constitutes the core wire conductor and the upper power supply conductor.

9. The waveguide device according to claim 6, wherein the transmitting or receiving terminal contacts one end of a socket pin of an IC socket arranged on the substrate, and the socket pin constitutes the core wire conductor and the upper power supply conductor.

10. The waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper end of the upper power supply conductor is positioned on the lower surface of the second member, or in a recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member, and is in contact with or high-frequency coupled to the second member.

11. The waveguide device according to claim 10, wherein the inner diameter of the recess or through hole formed on the lower surface of the second member is 1 / 2 or less of the free-space wavelength λo at the center frequency of the operating electromagnetic wave band.

12. Waveguide device according to claim 10, wherein the lower surface of the second member, the upper surface or side surface of the ridge, and a recess or protrusion are located in close proximity to the upper power supply conductor.

13. The waveguide apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core conductor and the peripheral conductor are each a single conductor.

14. Waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core conductor is a single conductor, the peripheral conductors are two conductors, and the single core conductor is arranged between the two peripheral conductors.

15. The waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core conductor is a single conductor and the peripheral conductors are a plurality of rod-shaped conductors.

16. The waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core conductor is a single conductor, and the peripheral conductors are a plurality of linear conductors or a plurality of plate-shaped conductors arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

17. The waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the core conductor consists of a single conductor, and the peripheral conductor is a cylindrical conductor arranged along the outer circumference of the core conductor.

18. A radar device comprising: a waveguide device according to claim 1 or 2; an antenna radiating element; one or more waveguides for propagating electromagnetic waves between the second waveguide and the antenna radiating element; and a radar calculation unit for calculating the position and relative velocity information of an object to be detected based on electromagnetic waves transmitted and received by the antenna radiating element.

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