Linear-to-circular polarizers using cascaded sheet impedances and cascaded waveplates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10784549-B2
Application number	US-201816189602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2018
Priority date	Dec 5, 2017
Publication date	Sep 22, 2020
Grant date	Sep 22, 2020

Abstract

An ultra-wideband linear-to-circular polarizer is disclosed. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, the polarizer includes a plurality of cascaded waveplates having biaxial permittivity or cascaded anisotropic sheet impedances. Each waveplate/sheet has a principal axis rotated at different angles relative to an adjacent waveplate/sheet about a z-axis of a 3-dimensional x, y, z coordinate system. Each waveplate is composed of a unit cell of an artificial anisotropic dielectric. Each sheet impedance is composed of an anisotropic metallic pattern. The polarizer further includes impedance matching layers disposed adjacent the cascaded waveplates/sheets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A linear-to-circular polarizer, comprising:
a plurality of cascaded waveplates having biaxial permittivity, each cascaded waveplate having a principal axis rotated at different angles relative to an adjacent section about a z-axis of a 3-dimensional x, y, z coordinate system, each of the plurality of cascaded waveplates comprising an assembly of printed circuit boards and a unit cell of an artificial anisotropic dielectric, and
impedance matching layers disposed adjacent the cascaded waveplates, the impedance matching layers comprising a first assembly of impedance matching layers and a second assembly of impedance matching layers, each of the first and second assemblies of impedance matching layers comprising a first section having a first permittivity ∈ 1 , a second section having a second permittivity ∈ 2 greater than the first permittivity, and a third section having a third permittivity ∈ 3 greater than the second permittivity.

2. A linear-to-circular polarizer, comprising:
a plurality of cascaded anisotropic sheets, each sheet having a principal axis rotated at different angles relative to an adjacent sheet about a z-axis of a 3-dimensional x, y, z coordinate system; and
impedance matching layers disposed adjacent the cascaded sheets.

3. The linear-to-circular polarizer of claim 2 , where the cascaded sheets comprise anisotropic metallic patterns.

4. The linear-to-circular polarizer of claim 3 , where the anisotropic metallic patterns have meanderline and metallic patch geometries.

5. The linear-to-circular polarizer of claim 2 , where the impedance matching layers comprise a first assembly of impedance matching layers and a second assembly of impedance matching layers, each of the first and second assemblies of impedance matching layers comprising a first section having a first permittivity ∈ 1 , a second section having a second permittivity ∈ 2 greater than the first permittivity, and a third section having a third permittivity ∈ 3 greater than the second permittivity.

6. The linear-to-circular polarizer of claim 5 , where each assembly of impedance matching layers comprises a plurality of different substrates.

7. A linear-to-circular polarizer, comprising:
a plurality of cascaded anisotropic sheets, each sheet having a principal axis rotated at different angles relative to an adjacent sheet about a z-axis of a 3-dimensional x, y, z coordinate system, the cascaded sheets comprising anisotropic metallic patterns having meanderline and metallic patch geometries; and
impedance matching layers disposed adjacent the cascaded sheets, the impedance matching layers comprising a first assembly of impedance matching layers and a second assembly of impedance matching layers, each of the first and second assemblies of impedance matching layers comprising a first section having a first permittivity ∈ 1 , a second section having a second permittivity ∈ 2 greater than the first permittivity, and a third section having a third permittivity ∈ 3 greater than the second permittivity.

8. The linear-to-circular polarizer of claim 7 , further comprising a three dimensional (3D) printed dielectric grating embedded between the impedance matching layers.

Assignees

• Us Gov Air Force
• Us Air Force

Inventors

• Tomasic Boris
• Pfeiffer Carl R
• Steffen Thomas P

Classifications

• H01P1/172 Primary

  using a dielectric element · CPC title

• H01P1/173

  using a conductive element · CPC title

• H01P11/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing waveguides or resonators, lines, or other devices of the waveguide type · CPC title

• H01Q3/40

  with phasing matrix · CPC title

• H01P1/171

  using a corrugated or ridged waveguide section · CPC title