Patent ID: 11888223
Assignee: SIERRA NEVADA CORPORATION
Field: Telecommunications (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H | IPC H

Claim 6:
7. An electronically controlled steerable beam antenna, comprising;
a base having a planar surface;
a plurality of semiconductor antenna chips mounted on the planar surface of the base, each of the antenna chips defining an upper surface;
a ground plane on the upper surface of each of the antenna chips;
an array of semiconductor switches in each of the antenna chips, each of the semiconductor switches comprising a ground electrode, a central electrode, and a control electrode;
an array of conductive scattering elements on each of the plurality of antenna chips, wherein each of the conductive scattering elements is connected to the ground plane and to the central electrode of one of the semiconductor switches, wherein each of the scattering elements comprises a main portion extending between a first leg in contact with the central electrode of one of the semiconductor switches and a second leg in contact with the ground plane, and wherein at least the main portion is surrounded by air;
a metal spacer disposed on the ground plane, wherein the spacer extends laterally along the ground plane;
a linear dielectric element mounted on the spacer and the plurality of antenna chips along a longitudinal axis X above the arrays of switches and conductive scattering elements and spaced by an air gap from the conductive scattering elements; and
a plurality of control circuits mounted on the planar surface of the base, each of the control circuits being electrically connected to the control electrode of at least one of the semiconductor switches.