Three-dimensional spiral antenna and applications thereof
View Patent ↗A three-dimensional spiral antenna includes a substrate, a spiral antenna element, and a feed point. The substrate includes a three-dimensional shaped region. The spiral antenna element is supported by and conforms to the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating a three-dimensional shape. The feed point is coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element.
1. A three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:
a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;
a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers;
a spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and
a feed point coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element and coupled to at least one of the plurality of circuit components.
2. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:
an Archimedean spiral shape; and
an equiangular spiral shape, wherein gain of the three-dimensional spiral antenna has a spiral gain component and a three-dimensional gain component.
3. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:
a symmetric spiral pattern; and
an eccentric spiral pattern.
4. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises one of:
one or more printed circuit boards; or
one or more integrated circuit package substrates.
5. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises:
a substantially solid conducive material with a multiple turn spiral slot, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of: a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.
6. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises:
a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of: a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.
7. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensional shaped region comprises one of:
a cup shape;
a conical shape;
a cylindrical shape;
a pyramid shape;
a box shape;
a spherical shape;
a parabolic shape; and
a hyperbolic shape.
8. A three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:
a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;
a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers;
a first spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region;
a second spiral antenna element interwoven with the first spiral antenna element, wherein the second spiral antenna element is formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements have an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and
a feed point coupled to a connection point of at least one of the first and second spiral antenna elements and coupled to at least one of the plurality of circuit components.
9. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises one of:
an Archimedean spiral shape; and
an equiangular spiral shape, wherein gain of the three-dimensional spiral antenna has a spiral gain component and a three-dimensional gain component.
10. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises one of:
a symmetric spiral pattern; and
an eccentric spiral pattern.
11. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein the substrate comprises one of:
one or more printed circuit boards; or
one or more integrated circuit package substrates.
12. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises:
a substantially solid conducive material, wherein a multiple turn spiral slot separates the first and second spiral antenna elements, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of: a radius of an inner coil of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and a radius of the feed point.
13. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein each of the first and second spiral antenna elements comprises:
a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of: a radius of an inner coil of the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements and a radius of the feed point.
14. The three-dimensional spiral antenna of claim 8 , wherein the three-dimensional shaped region comprises one of:
a cup shape;
a conical shape;
a cylindrical shape;
a pyramid shape;
a box shape;
a spherical shape;
a parabolic shape; and
a hyperbolic shape.
15. A radio frequency (RF) front-end module comprises:
a three-dimensional spiral antenna operable to transceive an inbound RF signal and an outbound RF signal, the three-dimensional spiral antenna includes:
a substrate having a plurality of substantially planar layers and a three-dimensional shaped region formed therein that extends through at least two of the plurality of substantially planar layers;
a spiral antenna element formed upon the three-dimensional shaped region such that the spiral antenna element has an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shaped region; and
a feed point coupled to a connection point of the spiral antenna element;
a receive-transmit isolation module operably coupled to the three-dimensional spiral antenna, wherein the receive-transmit isolation module is operable to isolate the inbound RF signal and the outbound RF signal;
a tuning module operable to tune the receive-transmit isolation module; and
a plurality of circuit components residing upon at least two differing substantially planar layers of the plurality of substantially planar layers coupled to at least one of the receive-transmit isolation module and the tuning module.
16. The RF front-end module of claim 15 further comprises at least one of:
a power amplifier operably coupled to the receive-transmit isolation module, wherein the power amplifier amplifies an up-converted outbound signal to produce the outbound RF signal; and
a low noise amplifier operably coupled to the receive-transmit isolation module, wherein the low noise amplifier amplifies the inbound RF signal.
17. The RF front-end module of claim 15 further comprises:
an integrated circuit (IC) die that includes the tuning module; and
an IC package substrate that supports the IC die and is the substrate that includes the three-dimensional cup shaped region, wherein the receive-transmit isolation module is on the IC die or on the IC package substrate.
18. The RF front-end module of claim 15 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:
an Archimedean symmetric spiral shape;
an Archimedean eccentric spiral shape;
an equiangular symmetric spiral shape; and
an equiangular eccentric spiral shape.
19. The RF front-end module of claim 15 , wherein the spiral antenna element comprises one of:
a substantially solid conducive material with a multiple turn spiral slot; and
a conductive wire formed as a multiple turn spiral, wherein a lower end of a frequency band of the three-dimensional spiral antenna is based on a radius of the spiral antenna element and wherein a higher end of the frequency band is based on at least one of: a radius of an inner coil of the spiral antenna element and a radius of the feed point.
20. The RF front-end module of claim 15 , wherein the three-dimensional spiral antenna comprises:
a second spiral antenna element interwoven with first spiral antenna element, wherein the second spiral antenna element is supported by and conforms to the three-dimensional shaped region such that the interwoven first and second spiral antenna elements have an overall shape approximating the three-dimensional shape; and
the feed point is coupled to a connection point of the second spiral antenna element.