Tunable electromagnetic coupled antenna
AssigneeThe Penn State Research Foundation
InventorsVijay K. Varadan, Peng Thian Teo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multilayer tunable ferroelectric antenna assembly which includes a first laminar structure that includes a tunable ferroelectric substrate positioned on top of a conducting ground plane and a copper radiating sheet on the other side of the substrate. A second laminar structure includes a single-sided copper cladded high dielectric substrate with the copper sheet acting as the radiator. The passive second laminar structure is electromagnetically coupled to the first laminar structure via an air-gap spacing. Application of a bias voltage across the first laminar structure changes the dielectric permittivity and, hence, the resonating frequency of the antenna structure.
Claims18
A tunable antenna comprising:
- a stacked assembly including:
- a feeder-resonator disposed on a layer of ferroelectric material;
- a radiator that includes an electrically conductive layer disposed on a layer of dielectric material and that is disposed above said feeder resonator;
- a support structure that supports said radiator above said layer of ferroelectric material with an air gap therebetween;
- and
- wherein said feeder-resonator is located within said air gap, wherein electromagnetic energy is coupled from said feeder-resonator via said air gap to said radiator, wherein said stacked assembly exhibits a resonant frequency that is tunable in response to a bias voltage applied to said ferroelectric layer, and wherein said layer of dielectric material has a higher permittivity than that of said layer of ferroelectric material.
A tunable antenna that exhibits enhanced gain over a wide frequency band comprising:
- a ferroelectric substrate with a feeder resonator disposed thereon;
- and
- a radiator disposed above said ferroelectric substrate and separated therefrom by an air gap, wherein said air gap is about four times a thickness of said ferroelectric substrate such that an enhanced gain is produced substantially over said wide frequency band.
A tunable antenna that exhibits enhanced gain over a wide frequency band comprising:
- a ferroelectric substrate with a feeder resonator disposed thereon;
- and
- a radiator that includes an electrical conductor disposed on a layer of dielectric material is disposed above said ferroelectric substrate and separated therefrom by an air gap, wherein said dielectric material has a dielectric constant that is at least about 6.25 times that of said ferroelectric substrate such that an enhanced gain is produced substantially over said wide frequency band.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.