Printed Circuit Board Stack Research Articles

A two‐turn loop active magnetic field probe design for high sensitivity near‐field measurement

This paper develops an active magnetic near field probe (H-field probe) by using a four-layer printed circuit board (PCB) technique. Two-turn detection structure and a low noise amplifier are used to improve probe's frequency response. The two-turn detection structure can maximize the use of PCB stack resources, and a 14.5 dB gain amplifier can increase signal output capability. The probe can then be used for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test from 150 kHz to 3 GHz. Compared with traditional active shielded-loop H-field probe (TAHP) with loop area of 500 μm 2 , the frequency response of the proposed probe can improve 20 dB at 0.5 GHz. Different from the method of comparing the sensitivity of the probe only through the frequency response, this paper measures and analyzes the real sensitivity of the probing device composed of the proposed probe. Under the condition of the same receiver parameter setting, the sensitivity at 0.5 GHz is increased by 11.7 dB compared with commercial passive probing device and 20.2 dB at 0.5 GHz compared with the probing device with TAHP device. It reaches −32.4 dB μA. In addition, the proposed probe has acceptable spatial resolution of 1.28 mm at 1 GHz, which is more suitable for printed circuit board level EMI analysis.

Implementation of tunable resonators in planar groove gap waveguide technology

Abstract We present a tunable planar groove gap waveguide (PGGWG) resonant cavity at Ka-band. The cavity demonstrates varactor loading and biasing without bridging wires or annular rings, as commonly is required in conventional substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) resonant cavities. A detailed co-simulation strategy is also presented, with indicative parametric tuning data. Measured results indicate a 4.48% continuous frequency tuning range of 32.52–33.98 GHz and a Qu tuning range of 63–85, corresponding to the DC bias voltages of 0–16 V. Discrepancies between simulated and measured results are analyzed, and traced to process variation in the multi-layer printed circuit board stack, as well as unaccounted varactor parasitics and surface roughness.

H-Band Substrate-Integrated Discrete-Lens Antenna for High Data Rate Communication Systems

A substrate-integrated discrete-lens antenna manufactured in standard printed-circuit-board (PCB) technology is demonstrated in H-band (225-325 GHz). The arrays composed of phase-shifting unit cells and a waveguide-fed planar focal source are designed on a single PCB stack with five metal layers and multiple low-loss dielectric substrates in a monolithic module of 20×20×4.52 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> . The linearly polarized unit cells are based on arc-shaped resonators placed between two perpendicular polarizing grids. They achieve eight transmission phase states with less than 1 dB average insertion loss and 27% 1 dB bandwidth. Two antenna prototypes with radiating apertures of 6.6×6.6 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> and 10.56×10.56 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> are designed, fabricated, and measured. They demonstrate linearly polarized pencil-beam radiation patterns with low sidelobes, low cross-polarization, an experimental gain of 20.6/23.1 dBi at 327/332 GHz, and 3 dB gain bandwidth of 26.3%/17.2%. The impact of manufacturing tolerances is detailed both at unit-cell level and antenna level.

Cost-Effective High-Performance Air-Filled SIW Antenna Array for the Global 5G 26 GHz and 28 GHz Bands

A cost-effective, compact, and high-performance antenna element for beamforming applications in all fifth-generation (5G) New Radio bands in the [24.25–29.5] <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> GHz spectrum is proposed in this letter. The novel antenna topology adopts a square patch, an edge-plated air-filled cavity, and an hourglass-shaped aperture-coupled feed to achieve a very high efficiency over a wide frequency band in a compact footprint ( <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\boldsymbol{{0.48} \lambda _0 \times \text{0.48}\lambda _0}$</tex-math></inline-formula> ). Its compliance with standard printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication technology, without complex multilayer PCB stack, ensures low-cost fabrication. The antenna feedplane offers a platform for compact integration of active electronic circuitry. Two different modular 1 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \boldsymbol{\times }$</tex-math></inline-formula> 4 antenna arrays were realized to demonstrate its suitability for broadband multiantenna systems. Measurements of the fabricated antenna element and the antenna array prototypes revealed a <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula> 10 dB impedance bandwidth of 7.15 GHz (26.8%) and 8.2 GHz (30.83%), respectively. The stand-alone antenna features a stable peak gain of 7.4 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,\pm \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> 0.6 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> dBi in the [24.25–29.5] <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> GHz band and a measured total efficiency of at least 85%. The 1 × 4 array provides a peak gain of 10.1 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,\pm \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> 0.7 <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \,$</tex-math></inline-formula> dBi and enables grating-lobe-free beamsteering from <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${-}\text{50}^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ \text{50}^\circ$</tex-math></inline-formula> .

A Micro Fluxgate Magnetic Sensor Using New Printed Circuit Board Technology

We have developed a micro fluxgate magnetic sensor using new printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The fluxgate sensor consisted of five PCB stack layers including one layer of magnetic core and four layers of excitation and pick-up coils. The center layer as a magnetic core was made of micro patterned amorphous magnetic ribbon with an extremely high DC permeability of ~100,000, and the core had a rectangular ring shape. Four outer layers as an excitation and pickup coils had a planar solenoid structure. The amorphous magnetic core was easily saturated due to the high permeability, low coercive field, and closed magnetic path for the excitation field. The chip size of the fabricated sensing element was 7.3 × 5.7 mm2. Excellent linear response over the range of –100 μT to +100 μT was obtained with sensitivity of 780 V/T at excitation sine wave of 3 Vp-p and 360 kHz. A very low power consumption of ~8 mW was measured. This low power, small size, and high sensitive fluxgate sensor to measure a low magnetic field is very useful for various applications.

Embedded Micro-Flux-Gate Magnetic Sensor in Printed Circuit Board

We have developed a micro-flux-gate magnetic sensor using a new printed circuit board (PCB) technology. The flux-gate sensor consists of five PCB stack layers including one layer of magnetic core and four layers of excitation and pickup coils. The center layer as a magnetic core is made of a micropatterned amorphous magnetic ribbon with an extremely high DC permeability of ∼100,000; the core has a rectangular ring shape. The four outer layers as excitation and pickup coils have a planar solenoid structure. The amorphous magnetic core is easily saturated due to the low coercive field and closed magnetic path of the excitation field. The chip size of the fabricated sensing element is 9.8 ×5.7 mm2. Excellent linear response over the range of -100 to +100 µT is obtained with 1460 V/T sensitivity at an excitation sine wave of 3 Vp–p and 360 kHz. A low power consumption of ∼10 mW was measured.

The Microfluxgate Magnetic Sensor Having Closed Magnetic Path

This paper presents a microfluxgate magnetic sensor in printed circuit board (PCB). In order to observe the effect of the closed magnetic path, the magnetic cores of rectangular ring and two bars were each fabricated. Each fluxgate sensor consists of five PCB stack layers including one layer magnetic core and four layers of excitation and pickup coils. The center layer as a magnetic core is made of a Co-based amorphous magnetic ribbon with extremely high dc permeability of /spl sim/100,000. Four outer layers as excitation and pickup coils have a planar solenoid structure and are made of copper foil. In the case of the fluxgate sensor having the rectangular ring-shaped core, excellent linear response over the range of -100 to +100 /spl mu/T is obtained with 780-V/T sensitivity at an excitation sine wave of 3 V/sub P-P/ and 360 kHz. The chip size of the fabricated sensing element is 7.3/spl times/5.7 mm/sup 2/. The very low power consumption of /spl sim/8 mW was measured.

PCB 기판에 내장된 마이크로 플럭스게이트 센서

This paper presents a micro fluxgate sensor in printed circuit board (PCB). The fluxgate sensor consists of five PCB stack layers including one layer magnetic core and four layers of excitation and pick-up coils. The center layer as a magnetic core is made of a micro patterned amorphous magnetic ribbon and the core has a rectangular-ring shape. The amorphous magnetic core is easily saturated due to the low coercive field and closed magnetic path for the excitation field. Four outer layers as an excitation and pick-up coils have a planar solenoid structure. The chip size of the fabricated sensing element is 7.3<TEX>$\times$</TEX>5.7<TEX>$\textrm{mm}^2$</TEX>. Excellent linear response over the range of -100<TEX>$\mu$</TEX>T to +100<TEX>$\mu$</TEX>T is obtained with 540V/T sensitivity at excitation square wave of 3 <TEX>$V_{p-p}$</TEX> and 360kHz. The very low power consumption of ~8mW was measured. This magnetic sensing element, which measures the lower fields than 50<TEX>$\mu$</TEX>T, is very useful for various applications such as: portable navigation systems, military research, medical research, and space research.h.

Fluidic microsystems based on printed circuit board technology

In this paper, fluidic microsystems based on an alternativefabricating technology are described. This technology mainly utilizes themanufacturing principles of printed circuit boards (PCBs). Minimal lateralstructure dimensions of approximately 100 µm und vertical dimensions ofsome 10 µm are feasible. By introducing thin polymeric foils (6-13 µmin thickness) into a stack of PCBs, movable parts forming active or passivevalves, pumps or sensors can be produced. The first results concerning severalfluidic components based on PCB technology are presented.

High inductance planar transformers

We have developed a new printed circuit board (PCB) technology adapted for the fabrication of ultra-flat microtransformers. The two outer layers of the PCB stack comprise the electrical windings of the inductive devices, while the inner layer is made of a micro-patterned amorphous magnetic ribbon with extremely high relative magnetic permeability ( μ r≈100,000). The electrical properties of the toroidal microtransformers have been studied as a function of frequency. Inductances were found to be as much as 30 μH at 1 kHz, a relatively high value compared to microtransformers of similar size. Despite a relatively high leakage flux, the voltage transformation efficiency is measured at 89%. The high performance of these devices is primarily due to the use of the high permeability magnetic core.

Printed circuit board integrated fluxgate sensor

We have developed a cheap and simple trilayer printed circuit board (PCB)-based technology, adapted for the fabrication of fluxgate magnetic sensors. The two outer layers of the PCB stack comprise the electrical windings of the fluxgate, while the inner layer is made of patterned amorphous magnetic core with extremely high relative magnetic permeability ( μ r≈100,000). The output voltage and the sensitivity of the fluxgate devices have been studied as a function of the external field and of the geometry of the magnetic core. We have found a relatively high sensitivity of 18 V/T at an excitation current frequency of 10 kHz. The results obtained clearly show the potential of this miniaturised fluxgate device for application as a magnetic field sensor.

New hybrid technology for planar fluxgate sensor fabrication

We have adapted a new printed circuit board (PCB) technology to the fabrication of ultraflat and sensitive fluxgate magnetic field sensors. The two outer layers of the PCB stack compose the electrical windings of fluxgates, while the inner layer is made of a micro-patterned amorphous magnetic ribbon with extremely high relative magnetic permeability (/spl mu//sub r//spl ap/100 000). Two basic configurations were considered: one based on a toroidal magnetic core and the other on a rectangular core with and without an air gap. The field response and sensitivity of the fluxgate devices have been studied as a function of the gap length, the excitation current, and excitation frequency. Compared to fluxgate sensors of similar size, a relatively high sensitivity of 60 V/T was found at 30 kHz for a five-winding detection coil wound around a rectangular E-shaped magnetic core. This high performance is primarily attributable to the high-permeability magnetic core. The results clearly show the potential of this fluxgate device for application as a magnetic sensor.

A new hybrid technology for planar microtransformer fabrication

We have developed a new printed circuit board (PCB) technology adapted for the fabrication of ultra-flat microtransformers. The two outer layers of the PCB stack comprise the electrical windings of the inductive devices, while the inner layer is made of a micro-patterned amorphous magnetic ribbon with extremely high relative magnetic permeability ( μ r ≈ 100000). Two basic configurations were considered; one being based on a toroidal magnetic core and the other on a rectangular (E-shaped) magnetic core. The electrical properties of the microtransformers have been studied as a function of frequency. Inductances were found to be as much as 30 μH at 1 kHz, a relatively high value compared to microtransformers of similar size. Despite a relatively high leakage flux, voltage transformation efficiencies were measured between 89% and 98%. The high performance of these devices is primarily due to the use of the high permeability magnetic core. The characteristics of these devices are discussed in light of geometrical considerations and finite element calculations.