A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for antenna element placement are disclosed. In one embodiment, an antenna comprises an antenna feed to input a cylindrical feed wave; a single physical antenna aperture having at least one antenna array of antenna elements, where the antenna elements are located on a plurality of concentric rings concentrically located relative to an antenna feed, wherein rings of the plurality of concentric rings are separated by a ring-to-ring distance, wherein a first distance between elements along rings of the plurality of concentric rings is a function of a second distance between rings of the plurality of concentric rings; and a controller to control each antenna element of the array separately using matrix drive circuitry, where each of the antenna elements is uniquely addressed by the matrix drive circuitry.

The scanning antenna (1000) is a scanning antenna in which antenna units (U) are arranged, the scanning antenna comprising: a TFT substrate (101) including: a first dielectric substrate (1), TFTs, gate bus lines, source bus lines, and patch electrodes (15), a slot substrate (201) including: a second dielectric substrate (51), and a slot electrode (55); a liquid crystal layer (LC) provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate; a sealing portion that envelopes the liquid crystal layer; and a reflective conductive plate (65). The slot electrode includes slots (57) arranged in correspondence with the plurality of patch electrodes. The sealing portion includes a main sealing portion (73Fa) that defines an injection port (74Fa) and an end sealing portion (75Fa) that seals the injection port (74Fa). The end sealing portion (75Fa) is formed of a thermosetting sealant material.

A liquid crystal panel of a scanning antenna includes a TFT substrate provided with a first dielectric substrate, a TFT supported by the first dielectric substrate, a gate bus line, a source bus line, and a patch electrode; a slot substrate provided with a second dielectric substrate, and a slot electrode that is formed on a first main surface of the second dielectric substrate and includes a slot arranged so as to correspond to the patch electrode; and a liquid crystal layer provided between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate. One of the TFT substrate and the slot substrate includes a projecting layer formed of resin and disposed on the liquid crystal layer side of the patch electrode or the slot electrode in a region surrounded by a sealing portion. The projecting layer is arranged so as not to overlap the patch electrode or the slot.

The sealing material composition of the disclosure includes an unsaturated carbonyl compound having at least two unsaturated carbonyl groups and a curing agent that is thermally reactive with the unsaturated carbonyl compound and contains a compound having at least two of one or more kinds of functional groups selected from the group consisting of a mercaptan group, a hydroxyl group, and a secondary amine group.

A TFT substrate includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna unit regions, and a non-transmission and/or reception region located in a region other than the transmission and/or reception region. Each of the plurality of antenna unit regions includes a TFT and a patch electrode electrically connected to a drain electrode of the TFT. The TFT substrate includes a source metal layer including a source electrode of the TFT, the drain electrode, and a source bus line, a gate metal layer formed on the source metal layer and including a gate electrode of the TFT and a gate bus line, a gate insulating layer formed between the source metal layer and the gate metal layer, an interlayer insulating layer formed on the gate metal layer, and a conductive layer formed on the interlayer insulating layer. The patch electrode is included in the gate metal layer.

A scanning antenna provided with an array of a plurality of antenna units includes a TFT substrate, a slot substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the TFT substrate and the slot substrate. The slot substrate includes a second dielectric substrate, a slot electrode supported on a first main surface of the second dielectric substrate, and a first dielectric layer disposed between the second dielectric substrate and the slot electrode. The slot electrode has tensile stress. The first dielectric layer has compressive stress.

To provide a sealant composition with which a decrease in voltage holding rate is less likely to occur in a liquid crystal cell for a scanning antenna, the sealant composition according to the present invention includes a photo-radical polymerization initiator that generates a radical through application of light with a wavelength of 450 nm or greater and a polymerization component that contains a polymerizable functional group that is polymerizable using the radical.

A TFT substrate includes a transmission and/or reception region including a plurality of antenna unit regions, and a non-transmission and/or reception region located in a region other than the transmission and/or reception region. Each of the plurality of antenna unit regions includes a TFT and a patch electrode electrically connected to a drain electrode of the TFT. The TFT substrate includes a source metal layer including: a source electrode of the TFT, the drain electrode, and a source bus line; a gate metal layer formed on the source metal layer and including a gate electrode of the TFT, a gate bus line, and a patch electrode; a gate insulating layer formed between the source metal layer and the gate metal layer; and a conductive layer formed on the gate metal layer, and the TFT substrate does not include an insulating layer between the gate metal layer and the conductive layer.

A method and apparatus for RF ripple correction in an antenna aperture are described. In one embodiment, the antenna comprises: an array of antenna elements having liquid crystal (LC); drive circuitry coupled to the array and having a plurality of drivers, each driver of the plurality of drivers coupled to an antenna element of the array and operable to apply a drive voltage to the antenna element; and radio-frequency (RF) ripple correction logic coupled to the drive circuitry to adjust drive voltages to compensate for ripple.

A 5G antenna system is disclosed that comprises a substrate and at least one antenna element configured to transmit and receive 5G radio frequency signals. The at least one antenna element is coupled to the substrate. The substrate comprises a polymer composition that comprises a polymer matrix containing at least one polymer having a glass transition temperature of about 30 C. or more and at least one laser activatable additive wherein the polymer composition exhibits a dissipation factor of about 0.1 or less, as determined at a frequency of 2 GHz.