Stacked Diode Limiter for High-Power EMI Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face damage from high-power interference signals due to the limitations of current power limiter technologies, which struggle to effectively suppress signals above several kW, leading to electrical breakdown and malfunction of semiconductor devices, and are restricted by frequency and size constraints in waveguide structures.
Innovation Solution
A stacked diode limiter is designed with diodes arranged in series and anti-parallel configurations on a coaxial line, using PIN diodes with different operating power limits, and an impedance matching unit with heterogeneous dielectrics to suppress high-power electromagnetic pulses and IEMI signals, allowing for extended power handling and frequency range without increasing the size of the transmission line.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If surface-mount diodes are assembled on a planar board to create a modular limiter device, then the device can operate within several tens of W input power range, but the device cannot handle several kW or more input power due to electrical breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The limiter device is divided into multiple limiter units, each handling a portion of the total power. Each limiter unit contains diodes arranged in series strings, and multiple such strings are connected in parallel. This segmentation allows the device to handle higher total power (several kW) by distributing the power load across multiple units, preventing electrical breakdown in any single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar board arrangement to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. Limiter units are stacked vertically with signal lines extending through multiple layers, allowing better heat dissipation and electrical isolation between units. This vertical stacking enables higher power handling while maintaining compact form factor and preventing electrical breakdown through improved thermal and electrical management.
2Power
If waveguide-type transmission line is used to prevent high-power interference signals, then power handling capability is improved, but the size of the aperture increases when frequency is decreased below several hundreds of MHz to several GHz
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide structure is segmented into multiple limiter units stacked in series, each unit handling a portion of the signal power. This allows the system to maintain compact aperture dimensions while collectively handling several kW of power through the distributed arrangement of diode limiter units across multiple stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction combining waveguide transmission line structure with stacked diode limiter units. The waveguide provides the transmission path while the integrated limiter units (containing diodes, matching networks, and isolation structures) provide power limiting functionality, creating a composite structure that maintains compact size while handling high power.
3Power
If multi-stage series/parallel diodes are assembled in anti-parallel scheme to improve power limitation performance, then the number of diodes required increases to several tens or hundreds, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single complex array of several tens or hundreds of diodes, the patent segments the limiter into multiple limiter units, each containing a manageable number of diodes in series strings. Multiple such units are stacked, achieving the required power handling capability through modular repetition rather than a single large-scale complex arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent reduces device complexity by transitioning from a two-dimensional planar expansion (requiring many diodes spread out on a board) to a three-dimensional stacked configuration. This vertical stacking allows achieving the same power limitation performance with fewer total diodes by utilizing the vertical dimension for signal progression through multiple limiter stages.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively suppresses high-power electromagnetic pulses and IEMI signals up to several kW, protecting electronic devices while maintaining frequency response characteristics, overcoming the limitations of previous technologies by using a coaxial line structure with diodes stacked in series and anti-parallel configurations, and impedance matching units to manage impedance mismatches.
Implementation Method 1
a limiter device capable of non-linearly suppressing signals according to the intensity of input power is required
Implementation Method 2
an impedance matching unit for configuring dielectrics between the connectors and the coaxial line as heterogeneous dielectrics and matching impedances between the connectors and the coaxial line
Data Source
AI summary
A stacked diode limiter, which can suppress and eliminate a malicious high-power electromagnetic pulse signal and an Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI) signal that are input to the antenna line of a wireless system and that include a communication service frequency component having a power of several kW or more, includes a stacked diode unit including one or more diode stack parts formed on a center electrode of a coaxial line formed between an input connector and an output connector, each diode stack part being configured such that a plurality of diodes are arranged in series and stacked on top of one another, and an impedance matching unit for configuring dielectrics between the connectors and the coaxial line as heterogeneous dielectrics and matching impedances between the connectors and the coaxial line.