Microfluidics-based 3D-Printed 4 × 4 Butler Matrix in Coaxial Technology for Applications up to K Band
Microfluidics-based 3D-Printed 4 × 4 Butler Matrix in Coaxial Technology for Applications up to K Band
复制标题
采用同轴技术的基于微流体的 3D 打印 4 × 4 Butler 矩阵，适用于高达 K 波段的应用
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
L. Roselli
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
V. Palazzi;P. Mezzanotte;F. Alimenti;M. Tentzeris;L. Roselli
这项工作是通过×3D打印和液体金属填充的4 4个Butler矩阵。 ，从formlab的透明树脂V4用一层激光束固化，导致固体对象。 Eutectic Gallium-Indium（增益）合金在室温下是液体，并具有电导率σ= 3.4×106 s/m。在100°C下的3D打印电路和在20 GHz的分支机线杂交连接处进行了测量。直接端口和耦合端口的传输系数等于-6 dB，而它们的相对相约为90°，在12 GHz的完整管家矩阵已使用CST进行了优化，并且已经制造了一个原型这种方法的可行性是-12 dB幅度的传播系数，并且在设计频率下获得了±6°的相位误差，并且与模拟良好一致。尽管初步，但这些结果为通过3D打印和液体金属填充方法获得的新一类同轴毫米波电路和传感器开辟了道路。
This work presents a 4 4 Butler matrix in coaxial technology, realized by combining × 3D printing and liquid metal filling. The dielectric part of the coaxial cables is 3D printed using stereolithography. According to such a technology, a liquid photo-reactive resin (i.e., the clear resin V4 from FormLab) is UV cured with a laser beam layer by layer, leading to a solid object. The inner conductor of the coaxial line is implemented with an eutectic Gallium-Indium (GaIn) alloy which is liquid at room temperature and features a conductivity σ = 3.4 × 106 S/m. The outer conductor, instead, is realized by applying silver nanoparticle ink (σ = 1×106) to the exterior of the 3D-printed circuit and curing the structure at 100°C. Firstly, a branch-line hybrid junction working at 20 GHz has been implemented and measured in order to validate the technology. The magnitudes of the transmission coefficients of direct and coupled ports are equal to about −6 dB, whereas their relative phases are about 90°. Eventually, a complete Butler matrix working at 12 GHz has been optimized with CST and a prototype has been fabricated in order to demonstrate the feasibility of this approach. Transmission coefficients with a magnitude of −12 dB and a phase error of ±6° have been obtained at the design frequency, in good agreement with simulations. Although preliminary, these results open the way to a new class of coaxial millimeter-wave circuits and sensors obtained by 3D printing and liquid metal filling methodologies.