Circuit obfuscation using differing dielectric constants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9565749-B2
Application number	US-201213453814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 23, 2012
Priority date	Jul 16, 2008
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

An obfuscated radio frequency circuit may be manufactured to include a metallization layer, and a dielectric layer under the metallization layer. The dielectric layer may be made up of a plurality of dielectric substrates having different dielectric constants to obfuscate functions of the circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an obfuscated radio frequency circuit comprising:
forming a dielectric layer comprising an overall length dimension perpendicular to an overall width dimension, wherein the dielectric layer comprises a plurality of dielectric substrates having differing dielectric constants in order to achieve a required function of the radio frequency circuit while obfuscating the required function of the radio frequency circuit, wherein each of the plurality of dielectric substrates is disposed adjacent to one another along only one of the length dimension and the width dimension; and
forming a metallization layer disposed on the dielectric layer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the dielectric layer further comprises manufacturing the radio frequency circuit so that the plurality of dielectric substrates are alternatively disposed against one another along only one of the length dimension and the width dimension.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises a same width.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises different lengths.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises a same width and a same height, wherein at least two of the plurality of dielectric substrates comprise different lengths.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the metallization layer comprises a substantially uniform width along an entire length of the metallization layer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises at least one of MgAl 3 O 4 , 2SiO 2 , and Ta 2 O 5 .

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises at least two of MgAl 3 O 4 , 2SiO 2 , and Ta 2 O 5 .

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of dielectric substrates comprises each of MgAl 3 O 4 , 2SiO 2 , and Ta 2 O 5 .

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the metallization layer comprises varying width portions along a length of the metallization layer.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the metallization layer comprises a plurality of varying width portions have varying lengths.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the plurality of varying width portions comprise varying sized rectangles.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency circuit comprises at least one of a filter, a matching network, an LC network, a coupler, a hybrid, a power divider, a termination, and an antenna element.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein forming the dielectric layer further comprises depositing the plurality of dielectric substrates using a direct-write process.

Assignees

• Worl Robert Tilman
• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Worl Robert Tilman

Classifications

• H05K1/024 Primary

  Dielectric details, e.g. changing the dielectric material around a transmission line · CPC title

• Y10T29/49018

  with other electrical component · CPC title

• H05K1/0275

  Security details, e.g. tampering prevention or detection · CPC title

• Y10T29/49117

  Conductor or circuit manufacturing · CPC title

• H01P1/00

  Auxiliary devices (coupling devices of the waveguide type H01P5/00) · CPC title