Programmable antenna having metal inclusions and bidirectional coupling circuits
View Patent ↗A programmable antenna includes a substrate, metallic inclusions, bidirectional coupling circuits, and a control module. The metallic inclusions are embedded within a region of the substrate. The bidirectional coupling circuits are physically distributed within the region and are physically proximal to the metallic inclusions. The control module activates a set of bidirectional coupling circuits, which, when active, the set of interconnects a set of metallic inclusions to provide a conductive area within the region. The conductive area functions an antenna.
1. A programmable antenna comprises:
a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;
a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions are, in a non-conductive state, not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region;
a plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions; and
a control module operable to activate a set of bidirectional coupling circuits of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits, wherein, when the set of bidirectional coupling circuits is active, the set of bidirectional coupling circuits provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions within the at least one semi-conductor region to collectively provide a conductive area within the region, wherein the conductive area provides an antenna.
2. The programmable antenna of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:
metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;
the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes; or
the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.
3. The programmable antenna of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:
metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.
4. The programmable antenna of claim 1 , wherein a bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits comprises:
a bidirectional current amplifier.
5. The programmable antenna of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises one of:
an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of: silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;
an IC package substrate including at least one of: a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material; or
a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of: a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.
6. The programmable antenna of claim 1 further comprises:
an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.
7. The programmable antenna of claim 1 further comprises:
a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples the control module and to the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.
8. A radio front-end comprises:
a low noise amplifier;
a power amplifier;
a programmable antenna; and
an antenna interface operable to couple the programmable antenna to at least one of the low noise amplifier and the power amplifier, wherein the programmable antenna includes:
a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;
a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region of the substrate, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions, in a non-conductive state, are not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region;
a plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions; and
a control module operable to activate a set of bidirectional coupling circuits of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits, wherein, when the set of bidirectional coupling circuits is active, the set of bidirectional coupling circuits provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions within the at least one semi-conductor region to collectively provide a conductive area within the region, wherein the conductive area provides an antenna.
9. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:
metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;
the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes; or
the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.
10. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:
metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.
11. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein a bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits comprises:
a bidirectional current amplifier.
12. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein the substrate comprises one of:
an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of: silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;
an IC package substrate including at least one of: a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material; or
a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of: a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.
13. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:
an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional coupling circuit of the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.
14. The radio front-end of claim 8 , wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:
a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples the control module and to the plurality of bidirectional coupling circuits.
15. A programmable antenna comprises:
a substrate including at least one semi-conductor region;
a plurality of metallic inclusions interspersed within the at least one semi-conductor region of the substrate, wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions, in a non-conductive state, are not electrically coupled within the at least one semi-conductor region; and
a plurality of bidirectional amplifiers supported by the substrate, wherein the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers is physically distributed within the at least one semi-conductor region and is physically proximal to the plurality of metallic inclusions, wherein, when a set of bidirectional amplifiers is active, the set of bidirectional amplifiers provides a conductive state where an electric field electrically couples a set of metallic inclusions of the plurality of metallic inclusions to collectively provide an antenna.
16. The programmable antenna of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises at least one of:
metallic inclusions of a same conductive material or of different conductive materials;
the metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes; or
the metallic inclusions having a substantially uniform spacing between the metallic inclusions or a random spacing between the metallic inclusions.
17. The programmable antenna of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of metallic inclusions comprises:
metallic inclusions having a similar size or having different sizes, wherein the similar size and different sizes are a fraction of a wavelength of a signal transmitted or received by the antenna.
18. The programmable antenna of claim 15 , wherein the substrate comprises one of:
an integrated circuit (IC) die having a material of one of: silicon germanium, porous alumina, silicon monocrystals, or gallium arsenide;
an IC package substrate including at least one of: a non-conductive material or a semi-conductive material; or
a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate including at least one of: a PCB non-conductive material or a PCB semi-conductive material.
19. The programmable antenna of claim 15 , wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:
an antenna coupling circuit operably coupled to one or more bidirectional amplifiers of the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers.
20. The programmable antenna of claim 15 , wherein the programmable antenna further comprises:
a grid of traces supported by the substrate, wherein the grid of traces couples a control module to the plurality of bidirectional amplifiers.