Device emitting or detecting terahertz waves, and manufacturing method for device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11626839-B2
Application number	US-202017027875-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2020
Priority date	Sep 24, 2019
Publication date	Apr 11, 2023
Grant date	Apr 11, 2023

Abstract

A device, comprising: an antenna array provided with a plurality of antennas each having a semiconductor layer having terahertz-wave gain; and a coupling line for mutual frequency-locking of at least two of the antennas at a frequency of the terahertz-wave, wherein the coupling line is connected to a shunt device, and the shunt device is connected in parallel to the semiconductor layer of each of the two antennas.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
an antenna array provided with a plurality of antennas each having a semiconductor layer having terahertz-wave gain; and
a coupling line electrically connecting at least two of the antennas at a frequency of the terahertz waves,
wherein the coupling line is electrically connected to a shunt device,
wherein the shunt device is electrically connected in parallel to the semiconductor layer of each of the two antennas, and
wherein the terahertz waves are electromagnetic waves in a frequency region of at least 30 GHz and not more than 30 THz.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of antennas are each electrically connected to a bias circuit including a power source supplying a bias signal to the semiconductor layer.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the shunt device, a resistor and a capacitor are serially connected.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the resistor and the capacitor in the shunt device are each set to an impedance lower than an impedance of the semiconductor layer in a frequency band lower than the frequency of the terahertz waves.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the shunt device is configured as a resistor.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the shunt device is electrically connected to a node of an electric field of the terahertz waves in the coupling line.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the antenna array is formed to have the antennas in an m×n matrix form (where m≥2 and n≥2).

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the antennas are formed at a pitch of an integer multiple of a wavelength of the terahertz waves.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the antennas are patch antennas.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor layer includes a negative resistance element.

11. The device according to claim 10 , wherein the negative resistance element is a resonant tunneling diode.

12. A manufacturing method for a device provided with an antenna array having a plurality of antennas, the method comprising:
a step of forming, on a substrate, a semiconductor layer having terahertz-wave gain;
a step of forming, on the substrate, a first conductor layer;
a step of forming a shunt device electrically connected in parallel to a semiconductor layer of each of two antennas, and electrically connected to a coupling line for mutual frequency-locking of the plurality of antennas at the frequency of the terahertz waves; and
a step of forming a third conductor layer to form the coupling line that has a structure where a first dielectric layer is sandwiched between the first conductor layer and the third conductor layer.

13. A device comprising:
an antenna array provided with a plurality of antennas each having a semiconductor layer having terahertz-wave gain; and
a coupling line for mutual frequency-locking of at least two of the antennas at a frequency of the terahertz waves,
wherein the coupling line is electrically connected to a shunt device,
wherein the shunt device is electrically connected in parallel to the semiconductor layer of each of the two antennas, and
wherein each of the plurality of antennas includes:
a substrate;
a first conductor layer stacked on the substrate;
the semiconductor layer electrically connected to the first conductor layer;
a second conductor layer electrically connected to the semiconductor layer and facing the first conductor layer across the semiconductor layer; and
a dielectric layer formed between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer.

14. The device according to claim 13 , further comprising a third conductor layer,
wherein the coupling line has a structure where the dielectric layer is sandwiched between the third conductor layer and the first conductor layer.

15. The device according to claim 14 , wherein the dielectric layer is a first dielectric layer,
wherein the second conductor layer is formed in a layer between the third conductor layer and the first conductor layer, and
wherein the second conductor layer and the third conductor layer form a capacitor by sandwiching therebetween a second dielectric layer, which differs from the first dielectric layer.

16. The device according to claim 15 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas further includes a fourth conductor layer formed in a layer between the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, and
wherein in the shunt device, a capacitor, in which a part of the first dielectric layer is sandwiched between the fourth conductor layer and the first conductor layer, and a resistor are serially connected.

17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the shunt device includes at least a resistor.

18. The device according to claim 17 , wherein the coupling line and the resistor are made of different materials.

19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of antennas comprises a terahertz-wave oscillator.

20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the shunt device is configured to shunt to ground.

21. The device according to claim 3 , wherein a value of the resistor is typically set in the range of 0.1 to 1000 Ω, and a value of the capacitor is typically set in the range of 0.1 to 1000 pF.

22. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the capacitor is formed by a MIM capacitor structure.

23. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the shunt device includes a first resistor and a first capacitor that are serially connected, and a second resistor and a second capacitor that are serially connected.

24. The device according to claim 23 , wherein each of the first and the second capacitors is formed by a MIM capacitor structure.

25. The device according to claim 23 , wherein, in a top view, the coupling line extends along a first direction, and the first resistor and the second resistor extend along a second direction crossing the first direction.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Koyama Yasushi

Classifications

• H10W44/20

  at high-frequency [HF] or radio frequency [RF] · CPC title

• H03B9/147 Primary

  the frequency being determined by a stripline resonator (H03B9/141 - H03B9/143, H03B9/148 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01Q1/364

  using a particular conducting material, e.g. superconductor · CPC title

• H03B7/08 Primary

  being a tunnel diode · CPC title

• H01Q23/00

  Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them · CPC title