Phase change tunable capacitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018166220-A1
Application number	US-201615378685-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 14, 2016
Priority date	Dec 14, 2016
Publication date	Jun 14, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A variable capacitor includes a substrate; a plurality of electrodes on the substrate; a phase change material on the plurality of electrodes; and a thermo-modifying element adjacent to the phase change material, wherein the thermo-modifying element changes a temperature of the phase change material. The change in temperature of the phase change material may change a capacitance between the plurality of electrodes. The thermo-modifying element may be integrated into the substrate. The thermo-modifying element may include a heater that raises a temperature of the phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state. The thermo-modifying element may include a layer of metal adjacent to the substrate, and wherein when electrical current flows through the layer of metal, the layer of metal forms a resistive heater and raises a temperature of the phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A variable capacitor comprising:
a substrate; a plurality of electrodes on said substrate; a phase change material on said plurality of electrodes; and a thermo-modifying element adjacent to said phase change material, wherein said thermo-modifying element changes a temperature of said phase change material.

2 . The variable capacitor of claim 1 , wherein the change in temperature of said phase change material changes a capacitance between said plurality of electrodes.

3 . The variable capacitor of claim 1 , wherein said thermo-modifying element is integrated into said substrate.

4 . The variable capacitor of claim 3 , wherein said thermo-modifying element comprises a heater that raises a temperature of said phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state.

5 . The variable capacitor of claim 3 , wherein said thermo-modifying element comprises a layer of metal adjacent to said substrate, and wherein when electrical current flows through said layer of metal, said layer of metal forms a resistive heater and raises a temperature of said phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state.

6 . The variable capacitor of claim 3 , wherein said thermo-modifying element comprises a cooling component that lowers a temperature of said phase change material to below a freezing point of said phase change material.

7 . The variable capacitor of claim 1 , further comprising a well structure adjacent to and confining said phase change material.

8 . The variable capacitor of claim 1 , wherein said phase change material comprises any of water, salt water, erythritol, and sorbitol.

9 . The variable capacitor of claim 4 , further comprising a nucleation agent that triggers a transition of said phase change material from said liquid state back to said solid state.

10 . The variable capacitor of claim 9 , further comprising a device that triggers said nucleation agent.

11 . The variable capacitor of claim 9 , wherein said nucleation agent comprises any of mechanical agitation, acoustic waves, electrical, magnetic or optical excitation, heat/cooling pulse, chemical triggering, and bubble formation.

12 . A variable capacitor comprising:
a substrate; a plurality of electrodes on said substrate; a phase change material on said plurality of electrodes; and a thermo-modifying element, wherein said thermo-modifying element causes a change in a dielectric constant of said phase change material.

13 . The variable capacitor of claim 12 , wherein said thermo-modifying element comprises any of:
a heater that raises a temperature of said phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state; a layer of metal adjacent to said substrate, and wherein when electrical current flows through said layer of metal, said layer of metal forms a resistive heater and raises a temperature of said phase change material to change from a solid state to a liquid state; and a cooling component that lowers a temperature of said phase change material to below a freezing point of said phase change material.

14 . A variable capacitor device comprising:
a substrate; a plurality of insulated wells on said substrate; a plurality of capacitors on said substrate, wherein each well of said plurality of insulated wells contains a phase change material; and a plurality of thermal resistance components that cause a change in a dielectric constant of the phase change material in each insulated well.

15 . The variable capacitor device of claim 14 , wherein said plurality of insulated wells comprise a different phase change material from one another that are configured to freeze at a different temperature from one another.

16 . The variable capacitor device of claim 14 , wherein each well of said plurality of wells corresponds to a unique thermal resistance component of said plurality of thermal resistance components.

17 . The variable capacitor device of claim 16 , wherein a thermal resistance of said plurality of thermal resistance components is equal.

18 . The variable capacitor device of claim 14 , wherein said plurality of capacitors are connected in parallel.

19 . The variable capacitor of claim 14 , wherein said plurality of insulated wells comprise a same phase change material as each other that are configured to freeze at a different temperature from one another.

20 . The variable capacitor device of claim 19 , wherein a thermal resistance of said plurality of thermal resistance components is unequal.

Assignees

• U S Army Res Laboratory Attn Rdrl Loc I

Inventors

• Lazarus Nathan S
• Migliaccio Christopher P
• Kierzewski Iain M

Classifications

• H01G7/04 Primary

  having a dielectric selected for the variation of its permittivity with applied temperature · CPC title