Method and Apparatus for Integrated Shielded Circulator
AssigneeHRL Laboratories, LLC
InventorsJonathan J. LYNCH, Florian G. Herrault
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An RF circulator in combination with a RF integrated circuit, the RF integrated circuit having a plurality of RF waveguide or waveguide-like structures in or on the RF integrated circuit, the RF circulator comprising a disk of ferrite material disposed on a metallic material disposed on or in the RF integrated circuit, the disk of ferrite material extending away from the RF integrated circuit when disposed thereon, the metallic portion having a plurality of apertures therein adjacent the disk of ferrite material which, in use, are in electromagnetic communication with the disk of ferrite material and with the plurality of RF waveguide or waveguide-like structures, the disk of ferrite material being disposed in a metallic cavity.
Claims15
An apparatus comprising:
- a. an integrated circuit substrate, the substrate having a region upon which metal is disposed, said metal having a plurality of apertures therein, each of said apertures being associated with and, in use, in electromagnetic communication with a corresponding waveguide or waveguide-like structure also disposed (i) on or in said integrated circuit substrate or (ii) on or in the metal disposed on said region;
- b. a body of ferrite material disposed above or below integrated circuit substrate adjacent the region upon which metal is disposed and on, over or under the apertures in the region of metal;
- and
- c. metallic material substantially encapsulating the body of ferrite material.
An RF circulator in combination with a RF integrated circuit, the RF integrated circuit having a plurality of RF waveguide or waveguide-like structures in or on said RF integrated circuit, the RF circulator comprising a body of ferrite material disposed on a metallic material disposed on or in said RF integrated circuit, the body of ferrite material extending away from the RF integrated circuit when disposed thereon, metallic material encapsulating a majority of an exterior surface of the body of ferrite material extending away from the RF integrated circuit, the encapsulating metallic material having a plurality of apertures therein adjacent said body of ferrite material which, in use, are in electromagnetic communication with said body of ferrite material and with said plurality of RF waveguide or waveguide-like structures.
A method of making an RF circulator on a RF integrated circuit substrate, the RF integrated circuit substrate having a plurality of RF waveguide or waveguide-like structures formed thereon or therein, the method comprising:
- applying a first photoresist on said RF integrated circuit substrate, the photoresist being patterned to form a mold defining exterior sidewalls of magnetic material of the RF circulator to be formed;
- immersing at least the mold with an aqueous solution containing magnetic nano (micro) particles, preferably of BaFeO or SrFeO material and setting a pH of the aqueous solution is set such that the surface charge on the magnetic nano (micro) particles causes repulsive forces between the particles thereby allowing the particles to be suspended in the solution;
- controllably changing the pH of the aqueous solution to reduce the surface charge, therefore favoring particle agglomeration and deposition on said RF integrated circuit substrate;
- removing the first photoresist;
- applying a second photoresist on said RF integrated circuit substrate, the second photoresist being patterned to cover areas of said RF integrated circuit substrate adjacent the deposited magnetic nano (micro) particles on said RF integrated circuit substrate thereby exposing at least a majority of an exposed surface area of the deposited magnetic nano (micro) particles to further processing;
- depositing an encapsulating metal on the exposed surface area of the deposited magnetic nano (micro) particles;
- and
- removing the second photoresist.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.