Additive Manufacturing Millimeter Wave Phased Array

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing processes are costly, time-consuming, and limited in producing small feature sizes, making it difficult to support high-frequency signals above 30 GHz, especially for 5G frequencies, due to the need for multiple complex steps and expensive materials.

Innovation Solution

The use of additive manufacturing technology (AMT) to fabricate wave phased arrays, which includes a radiator, dilation layers, a beamformer, and a substrate support layer, allowing for miniaturized dimensions and reduced costs by employing techniques like milling, conductive ink deposition, and lamination under CAD control, enabling the production of electromagnetic signals in the range of 24 GHz to 75 GHz.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional PCB manufacturing processes are used, then manufacturing experience and standard processes are available, but manufacturing cost increases and turnaround time slows

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing turnaround time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional mechanical PCB manufacturing processes (lamination, electroplating, etching) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables direct fabrication of phased array structures layer-by-layer using digital models, eliminating the need for complex mechanical processing steps while maintaining manufacturing reliability and significantly reducing turnaround time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of manufacture

If conventional PCB manufacturing processes are used, then standard manufacturing procedures are available, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing process availabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional mechanical PCB manufacturing processes (lamination, electroplating, etching) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables direct fabrication of phased array structures layer-by-layer using digital models, eliminating the need for complex mechanical processing steps while maintaining manufacturing reliability and significantly reducing turnaround time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Manufacturing precision

If conventional PCB processes are used, then standard manufacturing is available, but feature size miniaturization is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefeature size capabilityVSAvoidprocess complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional mechanical PCB manufacturing processes (lamination, electroplating, etching) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables direct fabrication of phased array structures layer-by-layer using digital models, eliminating the need for complex mechanical processing steps while maintaining manufacturing reliability and significantly reducing turnaround time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from planar PCB manufacturing to three-dimensional additive manufacturing. This dimensional change allows for complex spatial features and miniaturized structures that cannot be achieved with conventional two-dimensional PCB processes, enabling precise control over feature sizes and geometries in all three dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

4Reliability

If conventional PCB processes are used, then standard manufacturing is available, but high frequency signal support is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal frequency capabilityVSAvoiddimensional precision
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces conventional mechanical PCB manufacturing processes (lamination, electroplating, etching) with additive manufacturing technology. This substitution enables direct fabrication of phased array structures layer-by-layer using digital models, eliminating the need for complex mechanical processing steps while maintaining manufacturing reliability and significantly reducing turnaround time.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transitions from planar PCB manufacturing to three-dimensional additive manufacturing. This dimensional change allows for complex spatial features and miniaturized structures that cannot be achieved with conventional two-dimensional PCB processes, enabling precise control over feature sizes and geometries in all three dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11569574B2Millimeter wave phased array
Publication Date: 2023.01.31 RAYTHEON CO
  • US11569574B2 patent drawing
  • US11569574B2 patent drawing
  • US11569574B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A wave phased array is manufactured using additive manufacturing technology (AMT). The wave phased array includes a radiator, a radiator dilation layer supporting the radiator, a beamformer supporting the radiator dilation layer, a beamformer dilation layer supporting the beamformer, and a substrate support layer supporting the beamformer dilation layer. At least one of the radiator, the radiator dilation layer, the beamformer, the beamformer dilation layer and the substrate support layer is fabricated at least in part by an AMT process.