Reproducible, high performance patch antenna array apparatus and method of fabrication
A reproducible, high-performance patch antenna array apparatus includes a patch antenna array provided on a unitary dielectric substrate, and a feed network provided on the same unitary substrate and proximity coupled to the patch antenna array. The reproducibility is enhanced by using photolithographic patterning and etching to produce both the patch antenna array and the feed network.
1. A patch antenna array apparatus, comprising:
a) a unitary first dielectric substrate having a top and a bottom surface and said unitary first dielectric substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Teflon and Duroid;
b) an array of feed network elements provided on said bottom surface of said first dielectric substrate;
c) an array of patch antenna elements provided on said top surface of said first dielectric substrate,
wherein said array of patch antenna elements and said array of feed network elements are respectively provided on said top surface and said bottom surface of generally oppositely facing surfaces of said first dielectric substrate, and
wherein each element of said array of patch antenna elements is superposed and aligned over a single element of said feed network elements; and
d) a second dielectric substrate having a top and a bottom surface and said second dielectric substrate comprises a material selected from the group consisting of Teflon and Duroid,
wherein no electrically conductive material is provided on said top surface of said second dielectric substrate, and
wherein the top surface of said second dielectric substrate is bonded to the bottom surface of said first dielectric substrate; and
e) an electrically conductive ground plane provided on said bottom surface of said second dielectric substrate.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said array of feed network elements includes a plurality of power dividers which divide power unequally to produce a taper in said feed network.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said power dividers collectively implement weighting to produce said taper in said feed network.
4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein said array of patch antenna elements includes a plurality of groups of patch antenna elements and, within each said group, said feed network elements on said bottom of said first dielectric substrate distribute an approximately equal amount of power to each said patch antenna element of said group.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and said second dielectric substrates are flexible for rendering said patch antenna array apparatus conformable to a non-planar surface.
6. A method of bonding a patch antenna array apparatus, comprising:
a) interposing a dielectric material between the first and second dielectric substrates,
b) pressing the said first and the said second dielectric substrates together with the said dielectric material interposed therebetween, and
c) melting the said dielectric material between the said first and the said second dielectric substrates while the said first and the said second substrates are pressed together.
7. A method of reproducibly fabricating a patch antenna array apparatus, comprising:
a) providing an array of patch antenna elements on the top surface of a first dielectric substrate, wherein the said array of patch antenna elements is photolithographically patterned and etched in a first electrically conductive plating on the said top surface of the said first dielectric substrate, and
b) providing an array of feed network elements on the bottom surface of said first dielectric substrate, wherein the said array of feed network elements is photolithographically patterned and etched in a second electrically conductive plating on the said bottom surface of the said first dielectric substrate.
8. The method of claim 7 , including bonding the said first dielectric substrate to a second dielectric substrate to form a generally planar laminate structure.