# US 11,112,454 B2 · Antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) probe with a replaceable tip > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,112,454 B2 - Document ID: US11112454B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/461,208 - Filed: 2017-11-15 - Published: 2019-10-10 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-15 - Assignees: Ohio State Innovation Foundation - Applicants: Ohio State Innovation Foundation - Inventors: Kubilay Sertel - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11112454B2 ## CPC - G01R 31/3025: {Wireless interface with the DUT} - G01R 1/06772: {High frequency probes} - H01Q 19/062: {for focusing} - H01Q 19/06: using refracting or diffracting devices, e.g. lens {(radome H01Q1/42)} - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract Described herein are antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) probes with replaceable tips. In the described embodiments, test signals are coupled onto a probe tip wafer via an on-tip antenna, thus the probe tip is decoupled from the probe body. This allows for separate fabrication of the probe body and the probe tip. As such, the probe tip can be made available as a “commodity” and the user can simply replace a worn-out or damaged probe tip, providing significant savings in per-unit cost and operation cost of the new contact probes. The decoupling of probe tip and probe body allows for manual replacement of probe tip without the need for extremely accurate alignment which is typically required in extremely high frequency probes. Manual replacement of the tips is only possible due to the much less stringent alignment requirements afforded by the antenna coupling from the probe body to the probe tip. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) probe with a replaceable tip comprising: a probe tip; one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip; one or more antenna connected to the one or more transmission lines; and a probe body, wherein the probe body comprises at least a focusing device, wherein the focusing device focuses signals received by the focusing device such that they are routed to a desired location, wherein at least one of the one or more antenna comprise one or more direct-current (DC) bias pads, wherein the DC bias pads of the one or more antenna allow for direct current injection bias to be applied to a device under test. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the probe tip comprises a single-mode probe tip or a differential-mode probe tip. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The RF probe of claim 2, wherein the single-mode probe tip comprises a ground-signal (GS) or a ground-signal-ground (GSG) probe tip and the differential-mode probe tip comprises a ground-signal-ground-signal-ground (GSGSG) probe tip. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the probe body further comprises one or more collimating structures, wherein the one or more collimating structures are used to route the signals to the desired location. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The RF probe of claim 4, wherein the one or more collimating structures comprise at least one 90° off-axis parabolic mirror. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the desired location comprises a horn antenna, a directive aperture, a dielectric rod or a travelling-wave antenna. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, further comprising an antenna wafer, wherein the probe tip, the one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip, and the one or more antennas connected to the one or more transmission lines are located on the antenna wafer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The RF probe of claim 7, wherein the antenna wafer is separate from the probe body such that the probe tip can be replaced without replacing the probe body. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the focusing device comprises one of a hyperhemispherical high-resistivity silicon lens, a convex lens, a Fresnel zone plat or flat lens, a photonic crystal, a horn antenna, and a micro-lens array. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna comprise an antenna array. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna comprise one or more beam-corrected antenna. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the DC current injection can be transferred from the probe body to the probe tip via clamping and/or pin connection. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the one or more antenna comprise one or more of bowtie, self-complementary, square spiral, loop, dual-slot, spiral, dual-folded, sinuous, patch, equiangular spiral, traveling-wave, dielectric resonator or photonic bandgap antenna. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The RF probe of claim 1, wherein the one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip comprise one or more of coplanar waveguides, striplines, microstrips, micro-coaxes, photonic crystal waveguides, Goubau lines, planar corrugated lines, and three-dimensional transmission lines. ### Claim 15 An antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) probe with a replaceable tip comprising: a probe tip; one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip; one or more antenna connected to the one or more transmission lines; and a collimating structure, wherein the collimating structure routes signals from the one or more antenna to a desired location, wherein at least one of the one or more antenna comprise one or more direct-current (DC) bias pads, wherein the DC bias pads of the one or more antenna allow for direct current injection bias to be applied to a device under test. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the probe tip comprises a single-mode probe tip or a differential-mode probe tip. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The RF probe of claim 16, wherein the single-mode probe tip comprises a ground-signal (GS) or a ground-signal-ground (GSG) probe tip and the differential-mode probe tip comprises a ground-signal-ground-signal-ground (GSGSG) probe tip. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the collimating structure comprises one or more mirrors, wherein the one or more mirrors are used to route the signals to the desired location. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The RF probe of claim 18, wherein the one or more mirrors comprise at least one 90° off-axis parabolic mirror. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The RF probe of claim 18, wherein the desired location comprises a horn antenna, a directive aperture, a dielectric rod or a travelling-wave antenna. ### Claim 21 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, further comprising an antenna wafer, wherein the probe tip, the one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip, and the one or more antennas connected to the one or more transmission lines are located on the antenna wafer. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The RF probe of claim 21, wherein the collimating structure comprises a probe body and the antenna wafer is separate from the probe body such that the probe tip can be replaced without replacing the probe body. ### Claim 23 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the DC current injection can be transferred from the probe body to the probe tip via clamping and/or pin connection. ### Claim 24 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the one or more antenna comprise one or more leaky-wave antenna. ### Claim 25 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the one or more antenna comprise an antenna array. ### Claim 26 (depends on 15) The RF probe of claim 15, wherein the one or more transmission lines connected to the probe tip comprise one or more of coplanar waveguides, striplines, microstrips, micro-coaxes, photonic crystal waveguides, Goubau lines, planar corrugated lines, and three-dimensional transmission lines. ### Claim 27 An antenna-coupled radio frequency (RF) probe with a replaceable tip comprising: a plurality of probe tips; one or more transmission lines connected to each of the plurality of probe tips; a plurality of antenna connected to the one or more transmission lines such that each one of the plurality of probe tips are associated with at least one of the plurality of antenna; and a probe body, wherein the probe body comprises at least one focusing device, wherein each of the at least one focusing device focuses signals received by the at least one focusing device such that they are routed through each of the at least one waveguides to one or more desired locations, wherein at least one of the plurality of antenna comprise a direct-current (DC) bias pad, wherein the DC bias pad allows for direct current injection bias to be applied to a device under test. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The RF probe of claim 27, wherein the probe body comprises two or more waveguides and two or more corresponding collimating structures such that the signals are routed to two or more horn antennas, a directive aperture, a dielectric rod or a travelling-wave antenna. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The RF probe of claim 28, wherein the two or more collimating structures each comprise 90° off-axis parabolic mirrors.