# US 12,113,285 B2 · Feed patches for multi-layer dielectric resonator antennas

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- Number: US 12,113,285 B2
- Document ID: US12113285B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/951,877
- Filed: 2022-09-23
- Published: 2024-03-28
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2022-09-23
- Assignees: Apple Inc.
- Applicants: Apple Inc.
- Inventors: Subramanian Ramalingam; David Garrido Lopez; Forhad Hasnat; Harish Rajagopalan; Panagiotis Theofanopoulos
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12113285B2

## CPC

- H01Q 21/065: {Patch antenna array}
- H01Q 21/067: {using endfire radiating aerial units transverse to the plane of the array}
- H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas}
- H01Q 9/0414: {in a stacked or folded configuration}
- H01Q 9/0485: {Dielectric resonator antennas}
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)

## Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array having a dielectric resonator antenna. The antenna may include a first dielectric block on a printed circuit, a second dielectric block on the first dielectric block, and a third dielectric block on the second dielectric block. At least the second and third dielectric blocks may have different dielectric constants. The antenna may be fed by one or more feed probes. Each feed probe may include respective conductive via and a conductive patch coupled to the conductive via. The conductive via may extend through the first dielectric block. The conductive patch may be sandwiched between the first and second dielectric blocks. The conductive patch may have a width that configures the conductive patch to form a smooth impedance transition between the conductive via and each of the dielectric blocks despite the different materials used to form the antenna.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a dielectric cover layer on the housing;
a printed circuit;
a first dielectric resonating element mounted to the printed circuit;
a second dielectric resonating element mounted to the first dielectric resonating element;
a feed probe configured to excite the first and second dielectric resonating elements to convey radio-frequency signals through the dielectric cover layer, the feed probe comprising:
a conductive via extending through the first dielectric resonating element, and
a conductive patch that is disposed between the first dielectric resonating element and the second dielectric resonating element and that is coupled to the conductive via; and
a dielectric layer interposed between the dielectric cover layer and the second dielectric resonating element.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a third dielectric resonating element mounted to the second dielectric resonating element, wherein the feed probe is configured to excite the third dielectric resonating element to convey the radio-frequency signals through the dielectric cover layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the second dielectric resonating element has a first dielectric constant and the third dielectric resonating element has a second dielectric constant that is different from the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the second dielectric constant is less than the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the first dielectric resonating element has the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
an additional feed probe configured to excite the first and second dielectric resonating elements to convey the radio-frequency signals through the dielectric cover layer, the additional feed probe comprising:
an additional conductive via extending through the first dielectric resonating element, and
an additional conductive patch that is disposed between the first dielectric resonating element and the second dielectric resonating element and that is coupled to the additional conductive via.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the feed probe is configured to convey the radio-frequency signals with a first polarization and the additional feed probe is configured to convey the radio-frequency signals with a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the conductive patch has a width that is configured to form a smooth impedance transition for the first and second dielectric resonating elements.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric resonating element has a first width and the second dielectric resonating element has a second width equal to the first width.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a radio-frequency transmission line having a signal conductor that includes a signal trace on the printed circuit, wherein the conducive via is coupled to the signal trace.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:
a display configured to emit light through the dielectric cover layer.

### Claim 12

A dielectric resonator antenna comprising:
a first dielectric block having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface;
a second dielectric block having a third surface and a fourth surface opposite the third surface, wherein the third surface is mounted to the second surface of the first dielectric block;
a conductive via that extends through the first dielectric block from the first surface to the second surface; and
a conductive patch that is sandwiched between the second surface and the third surface and that is coupled to the conductive via, wherein the conductive patch contacts the second surface and the third surface, and the conductive via and the conductive patch are configured to feed the dielectric resonator antenna.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The dielectric resonator antenna of claim 12, further comprising:
a third dielectric block having a fifth surface and a sixth surface opposite the fifth surface, wherein the fifth surface is mounted to the fourth surface of the second dielectric block.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The dielectric resonator antenna of claim 13, wherein the third dielectric block has a first dielectric constant and the second dielectric block has a second dielectric constant that is different from the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The dielectric resonator antenna of claim 14, wherein the second dielectric constant is greater than the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 16 (depends on 14)

The dielectric resonator antenna of claim 14, further comprising:
an additional conductive via that extends through the first dielectric block from the first surface to the second surface; and
an additional conductive patch that is sandwiched between the second surface and the third surface and that is coupled to the additional conductive via, wherein the additional conductive via and the additional conductive patch are configured to feed the dielectric resonator antenna.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The dielectric resonator antenna of claim 16, wherein the conductive patch and the additional conductive patch each have a width that is configured to form an impedance transition from the first dielectric block through the second dielectric block and the third dielectric block.

### Claim 18

An electronic device comprising:
a substrate;
a phased antenna array on the substrate, wherein the phased antenna array has an antenna that comprises:
a first dielectric column,
a second dielectric column on the first dielectric column, and
a feed probe having a conductive via extending through the first dielectric column from the substrate to the second dielectric column and having a conductive structure, the conductive structure being interposed between the first and second dielectric columns and being coupled to the conductive via; and
a dielectric substrate, wherein the first and second dielectric columns are embedded within the dielectric substrate.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the first dielectric column has a first dielectric constant and the second dielectric column has a second dielectric constant that is different from the first dielectric constant.

### Claim 20 (depends on 18)

The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the feed probe is configured to excite resonant modes of the first dielectric column and the second dielectric column.