Liquid crystal phase shifter comprising a liquid crystal cell with first and second substrates separated by a partition plate having first and second microstrips on opposing surfaces of the plate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11264684-B2
Application number	US-201916609819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 4, 2019
Priority date	Apr 13, 2018
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A liquid crystal phase shifter is disclosed. The liquid crystal phase shifter includes a liquid crystal cell, a partition plate, a first microstrip line, a second microstrip line and liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal cell includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other; the partition plate is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; the first microstrip line is disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the second substrate; the second microstrip line is disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the first substrate; and the liquid crystal molecules are provided between the first substrate and the partition plate, and between the second substrate and the partition plate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal phase shifter, comprising:
a liquid crystal cell including a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other;
a partition plate disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
a first microstrip line disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the second substrate;
a second microstrip line disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the first substrate; and
liquid crystal molecules provided between the first substrate and the partition plate, and between the second substrate and the partition plate;
wherein a thickness of the partition plate is less than a thickness of the first substrate, or a thickness of the partition plate is less than a thickness of the second substrate,
the liquid crystal cell further includes ground electrodes respectively disposed on a surface of the first substrate facing to the partition plate and a surface of the second substrate facing to the partition plate, and
the liquid crystal phase shifter further comprises a first alignment layer and a second alignment layer, wherein the first alignment layer is disposed on a surface of the ground electrode on the first substrate away from the first substrate, and the second alignment layer is disposed on a surface of the ground electrode on the second substrate away from the second substrate.

2. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein the partition plate is provided with at least one first through hole, and the first microstrip line is electrically connected to the second microstrip line through the at least one first through hole.

3. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 2 , wherein
an inner diameter of the at least one first through hole is less than or equal to a width of the first microstrip line; or
the inner diameter of the at least one first through hole is less than or equal to a width of the second microstrip line, wherein
the width of the first microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the first microstrip line on the partition plate;
the width the second microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the second microstrip line on the partition plate.

4. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein
a shape of the first microstrip line is the same as a shape of the second microstrip line.

5. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein
a width of the first microstrip line is the same as a width of the second microstrip line, wherein
the width of the first microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the first microstrip line on the partition plate;
the width the second microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the second microstrip line on the partition plate.

6. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein an orthogonal projection of the first microstrip line on the partition plate overlaps or partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the second microstrip line on the partition plate.

7. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein
an input terminal of the first microstrip line is electrically connected to an input terminal of the second microstrip line; and/or
an output terminal of the first microstrip line is electrically connected to an output terminal of the second microstrip line.

8. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein the partition plate is provided with at least one second through hole;
a first liquid crystal cavity between the partition plate and the first substrate is communicated with a second liquid crystal cavity between the partition plate and the second substrate through the at least one second through hole; and
the liquid crystal molecules are provided in the first liquid crystal cavity and the second liquid crystal cavity.

9. An electronic device, comprising the liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 .

10. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line is provided on the partition plate along a curved line.

11. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 1 , wherein
a distance between the partition plate and the first substrate is the same as a distance between the partition plate and the second substrate.

12. A liquid crystal phase shifter, comprising:
a liquid crystal cell including a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite to each other;
a partition plate disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
a first microstrip line disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the second substrate;
a second microstrip line disposed on a surface of the partition plate away from the first substrate; and
liquid crystal molecules provided between the first substrate and the partition plate, and between the second substrate and the partition plate;
a first alignment layer and a second alignment layer, wherein the first alignment layer is disposed on a surface of the first microstrip line away from the partition plate, and the second alignment layer is disposed on a surface of the second microstrip line away from the partition plate.

13. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein
an input terminal of the first microstrip line is electrically connected to an input terminal of the second microstrip line, and/or
an output terminal of the first microstrip line is electrically connected to an output terminal of the second microstrip line.

14. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein
the first microstrip line or the second microstrip line is provided on the partition plate along a curved line, and
a distance between the partition plate and the first substrate is the same as a distance between the partition plate and the second substrate.

15. An electronic device, comprising the liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 .

16. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein
a thickness of the partition plate is less than a thickness of the first substrate, or a thickness of the partition plate is less than a thickness of the second substrate.

17. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 16 , wherein
the liquid crystal cell further includes ground electrodes respectively disposed on a surface of the first substrate facing to the partition plate and a surface of the second substrate facing to the partition plate.

18. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein
a shape of the first microstrip line is the same as a shape of the second microstrip line.

19. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein:
a width of the first microstrip line is the same as a width of the second microstrip line,
the width of the first microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the first microstrip line on the partition plate, and
the width the second microstrip line is a width of an orthogonal projection of the second microstrip line on the partition plate.

20. The liquid crystal phase shifter according to claim 12 , wherein
an orthogonal projection of the first microstrip line on the partition plate overlaps or partially overlaps with an orthogonal projection of the second microstrip line on the partition plate.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Pengju
• Liu Mingxing
• Sun Haiyan
• Li Rui
• Miao Hao
• Zhu Hong

Classifications

• G02F2203/50

  Phase-only modulation · CPC title

• G02F1/292 Primary

  by controlled diffraction or phased-array beam steering (controlled diffraction for optical switching G02F1/31) · CPC title

• H01P1/181 Primary

  using ferroelectric devices · CPC title

• H01P1/184

  Strip line phase-shifters (H01P1/181, H01P1/185, H01P1/19 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01P9/00

  Delay lines of the waveguide type · CPC title