Tunable Gradient-Index Fishnet for Beam Steering Applications at 60 GHz

适用于 60 GHz 波束控制应用的可调谐梯度折射率渔网

• 批准号: 350604071
• 负责人: Professor Dr.-Ing. Christian Damm
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Institut für Mikrowellentechnik (MWT)
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2016-12-31 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/350604071?language=en
• 关键词: Tunable; Gradient; Index; Fishnet; Beam

Modern communication systems need antennas with steerable radiation direction. With that, moving communication partners can always be provided with an optimal signal by redirecting the antenna to the mobile partner. Mechanical antenna steering is unreliable and cost intensive. Therefore, electronic steering is preferred. In this project, a new way of realizing electrically steerable antennas will be developed. For this purpose, liquid crystal (LC) material as it is known from LC displays will be used as tunable material. It will be combined with Metamaterial structures. Metamaterials are artificial periodic structures with arbitrarily tailorable material properties. Their properties can even go beyond material properties of natural materials. By the combination of LC and Metamaterials it is possible to develop lightweight low profile structures which can be arranged like a lens in front of a common antenna. Using the electrical steering of the lens properties, the antenna radiation can be steered as desired.The proof of concept of such structures was done in our previous project. However, the beam steering was only possible in one dimension and with limited scanning angle range. Therefore a new structure will be developed which allows beam steering in two dimensions and with increased scanning range. Furthermore, the frequency of operation will be increased to 60 GHz to be usable for next generations WiFi devices. To this end, extensive research needs to be done regarding the new two-dimensional tuning concept. Likewise, time dependent effects on the antenna characteristics have to be studied. Besides the theoretic aspects, new fabrication techniques have to be developed so that the liquid material can be precisely sealed in several separate thin layers. The inclusion of appropriate electrodes for the LC steering will be studied as well.

现代通信系统需要辐射方向可控的天线。这样，通过将天线重定向到移动的伙伴，移动的通信伙伴总是可以被提供最佳信号。机械天线转向不可靠且成本高。因此，优选电子转向。在这个项目中，将开发一种实现电转向天线的新方法。为此目的，如从LC显示器已知的液晶（LC）材料将被用作可调谐材料。它将与超材料结构相结合。超材料是一种具有任意可剪裁材料特性的人工周期性结构。它们的性能甚至可以超越天然材料的材料性能。通过LC和超材料的组合，有可能开发轻质低轮廓结构，其可以像透镜一样布置在公共天线的前面。利用透镜特性的电转向，天线辐射可以根据需要进行转向。这种结构的概念证明在我们以前的项目中已经完成。然而，波束转向仅在一维中是可能的，并且具有有限的扫描角度范围。因此，将开发一种新的结构，其允许在两个维度上进行光束转向并且具有增加的扫描范围。此外，工作频率将提高到60 GHz，可用于下一代WiFi设备。为此，需要对新的二维调谐概念进行广泛的研究。同样地，必须研究对天线特性的时间依赖性影响。除了理论方面，必须开发新的制造技术，以便液体材料可以精确地密封在几个单独的薄层中。还将研究包括用于LC转向的适当电极。