Waveguide comprising an extruded dielectric waveguide core that is coextruded with an outer conductive layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11024933-B2
Application number	US-201616325351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2016
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

A method of making a waveguide, comprises: extruding a first dielectric material as a waveguide core of the waveguide, wherein the waveguide core is elongate; and coextruding an outer layer with the waveguide core, wherein the outer layer is arranged around the waveguide core.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a waveguide, the method comprising:
extruding a first dielectric material as a waveguide core of the waveguide, wherein the waveguide core is elongate; and
coextruding an outer layer that includes an electrically conductive material with the waveguide core, wherein the outer layer is arranged around the waveguide core.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extruding includes extruding the waveguide core to have a cross section that is one of circular, oval, elliptical, square or rectangular, and wherein co-extruding the outer layer includes co-extruding an outer layer having a cross section that is concentric with the cross section of the waveguide core.

3. The method of claim 1 , further including extruding a plurality of waveguide cores, and coextruding an outer layer on each of the plurality of waveguide cores that includes a porogen filled material, embedding the plurality of waveguide cores in a flexible material and heating the embedded plurality of waveguide cores to activate the porogen.

4. The method of claim 3 , including metalizing a respective outer surface of the corresponding outer layers of the plurality of waveguide cores.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the coextruded outer layer includes a blend of metal particles and one of the first dielectric material or a second dielectric material, and wherein the method further includes sintering the waveguide to form a continuous metal outer coating.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer layer includes a metal catalyst, and wherein the method further includes electroplating a metal coating onto the outer layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , further including forming a plurality of waveguides, each waveguide including a respective waveguide core with a corresponding router layer that is coextruded.

8. The method of claim 7 , including embedding the plurality of waveguides in an outer shell of flexible material.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the outer shell includes a porogen material and the method further includes heating the flexible outer shell and porogen material to form void regions to decouple the corresponding outer layers of the respective waveguide core of the plurality of waveguides and the outer shell.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the outer layer includes at least one of copper, gold, silver, or aluminum.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extruding includes extruding the waveguide core to have a hollow center.

12. An apparatus comprises a plurality of waveguides, each waveguide including:
a respective elongate extruded waveguide core including a dielectric material; and
a corresponding outer layer arranged around the respective waveguide core and coextruded with the respective extruded waveguide core, wherein the corresponding outer layer includes an electrically conductive material;
wherein the plurality of waveguides are embedded in an outer shell of flexible material, and wherein the outer shell includes regions void of flexible material between the corresponding outer layers of the plurality of waveguides and the outer shell.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , including a waveguide transceiver circuit operatively coupled to at least one waveguide of the plurality of waveguides.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the respective outside s layer of each waveguide of the plurality of waveguides includes a metal catalyst and a respective surface of the corresponding outer layer includes a metal.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a length of the plurality of waveguides is more than one-half meter (0.5 m).

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the respective elongate extruded waveguide core includes a cross section that is one of circular, oval, elliptical, square or rectangular, and wherein the corresponding outer layer of the respective waveguide core includes a cross section that is concentric with the cross section of the respective waveguide core.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the respective elongate extruded waveguide core includes a hollow center.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the dielectric material of the respective elongate extruded waveguide core includes at least one of polyethylene (PE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), or ethylene-tetraflouroethylene (ETFE).

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the electrically conductive material of the respective outer layer includes a metal on an outer surface of the outer layer.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the electrically conductive material of the respective outer layer includes a conductive polymer.

21. An apparatus comprising: a waveguide, wherein the waveguide includes: a length of a conductive material having an outer surface; a first groove in and including the conductive material extending lengthwise along the outer surface of the waveguide; and at least a second groove in and including the conductive material extending lengthwise along the outer surface of the waveguide, wherein the second groove is arranged opposite the first groove, such that a cross section of the waveguide includes at least a first notch on a first side of the cross section and a second notch in the cross section opposite the first notch.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the conductive material is an outer layer of the waveguide, and wherein the waveguide includes a waveguide core of dielectric material.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the outer layer is a layer coextruded with the waveguide core dielectric.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Rawlings Brandon M
• Liff Shawna M
• Oster Sasha N
• Dogiamis Georgios C
• Kamgaing Telesphor
• Elsherbini Adel A
• Aleksov Aleksandar
• Swan Johanna M
• Dischler Richard J

Classifications

• H01P3/122

  Dielectric loaded (not air) · CPC title

• H01P3/14

  flexible · CPC title

• H01P11/002 Primary

  Manufacturing hollow waveguides · CPC title

• H01P11/006

  Manufacturing dielectric waveguides · CPC title

• H01P3/123

  with a complex or stepped cross-section, e.g. ridged or grooved waveguides (H01P3/14 takes precedence) · CPC title