Power combiner having a symmetrically arranged cooling body and power combiner arrangement

Abstract

A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner has a first input for a first high-frequency signal, a second input for a second high-frequency signal, an output, an equalizing connection, a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode, a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor.

Claims

1. A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, wherein the first and second electrical conductors are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cooling body such that parasitic capacitances are distributed symmetrically over the first and second conductors.

2. The power combiner of claim 1, wherein the first electrical conductor, the second electrical conductor, or both the first and second electrical conductor has an inner winding and an outer winding, and wherein the inner winding comprises a path section that does not extend in parallel with the outer winding, to produce phase equalization between the inner winding and the outer winding.

3. The power combiner of claim 1, wherein more than 60% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is congruent with the second total surface of the second electrical conductor.

4. The power combiner of claim 1, wherein the power combiner comprises a dielectric between the planar surface electrode of the first electrical conductor and the planar surface electrode of the second electrical conductor.

5. The power combiner of claim 4, wherein the dielectric is an electrically insulating substrate.

6. The power combiner of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode comprise portions that alternately extend on a first planar main face of a dielectric and on a second planar main face of a dielectric opposite the first planar main face.

7. The power combiner of claim 6, wherein the dielectric is an electrically insulating substrate.

8. The power combiner of claim 1, wherein the power combiner is in the form of a 90 hybrid coupler.

9. A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, wherein more than 60% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is congruent with the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, and wherein more than 60% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is coplanar with the second total surface of the second electrical conductor.

10. The power combiner of claim 9, wherein the first electrical conductor comprises a first primary conductor portion and a second primary conductor portion and the second electrical conductor comprises a first secondary conductor portion and a second secondary conductor portion, and more than 70% of the second secondary conductor portion extends offset from the first primary conductor portion and is coplanar and congruent with the first primary conductor portion, and more than 70% of the second primary conductor portion is coplanar and congruent with the first secondary conductor portion.

11. The power combiner of claim 10, wherein the cooling body is arranged between the first secondary conductor portion and the second primary conductor portion.

12. A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, wherein the power combiner is configured to have a reference impedance of less than 50 at a frequency of more than 1 MHz at the first input and at the second input.

13. The power combiner of claim 12, wherein the power combiner is configured to have a reference impedance of less than 25 at a frequency of more than 1 MHz at the first input and at the second input.

14. A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, wherein the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor each have a number of windings greater than 1.

15. A power combiner for coupling, splitting, or coupling and splitting high-frequency signals, the power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, wherein the power combiner is configured to produce an output power of more than 100 W and have a frequency of more than 1 MHz.

16. The power combiner of claim 15, wherein the power combiner is configured for coupling high-frequency signals of between 1 MHz and 200 MHz.

17. The power combiner of claim, 15, wherein the power combiner is configured for outputting power of over 2 kW.

18. A power combiner arrangement comprising: a power combiner comprising: a first input for a first high-frequency signal; a second input for a second high-frequency signal; an output; an equalizing connection; a first electrical conductor arranged between the first input and the output, wherein the first electrical conductor has a first total surface shaped primarily as a first planar surface electrode; a second electrical conductor arranged between the second input and the equalizing connection, wherein the second electrical conductor has a second total surface shaped primarily as a second planar surface electrode, and wherein the second electrical conductor is capacitively and inductively coupled to the first electrical conductor; and a cooling body, wherein more than 70% of the first total surface of the first electrical conductor is a same distance from the cooling body as the second total surface of the second electrical conductor, a first high-frequency signal source connected to the first input; a second high-frequency signal source connected to the second input; and a load connected to the output, wherein the first and second electrical conductors are arranged symmetrically with respect to the cooling body such that parasitic capacitances are distributed symmetrically over the first and second conductors.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first power combiner.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another power combiner.

(3) FIG. 3A is a plan view of a power combiner arrangement comprising another power combiner.

(4) FIG. 3B is a partial sectional view of the power combiner of FIG. 3A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows an example of a power combiner 10 as described herein. The power combiner 10 includes a first input 12a for a first high-frequency signal and a second input 32 for a second high-frequency signal.

(6) The first input 12a is connected to a first electrical conductor 14. The second input 32 is connected to a second electrical conductor 16. The electrical conductors 14, 16 are inductively and capacitively coupled to one another. A dielectric, in particular an electrically insulating substrate 18, is arranged between the electrical conductors 14, 16.

(7) More specifically, the power combiner 10 is formed by a circuit board in this case, which includes the dielectric, typically an insulating substrate 18, a first electrically conductive layer 20 arranged on a first planar main face of the dielectric or electrically insulating substrate 18, and a second electrically conductive layer 22 on a second planar main face of the electrically insulating substrate 18, and extending in parallel with the first electrically conductive layer 20.

(8) The first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 are formed in portions and alternately in the first electrically conductive layer 20 and the second electrically conductive layer 22, respectively. FIG. 1 shows only portions of the electrical conductors 14, 16 that are formed in the first electrically conductive layer 20. In FIG. 1, the second electrically conductive layer 22 is covered by the dielectric, e.g., an electrically insulating substrate 18, and by the first electrically conductive layer 20.

(9) The first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 are each largely in the form of surface electrodes. The surface electrodes each include portions that alternately extend above and below the dielectric, e.g. the electrically insulating substrate 18. Portions 24a, 24c of the first electrical conductor 14 extend in the first electrically conductive layer 20, which is visible in FIG. 1. Portions 24b, 24d of the first electrical conductor 14 extend in the second electrically conductive layer 22. Furthermore, portions 26a, 26c extend in the second electrically conductive layer 22 and portions 26b, 26d extend in the first electrically conductive layer 20. Here, the surface electrodes of the portions 24a-d of the first electrical conductor 14 each extend so as to be congruent and coplanar with the portions 26a-d of the second electrical conductor 16.

(10) The switch from the first electrically conductive layer 20 to the second electrically conductive layer 22 takes place by bridges 28a-f in this example. Here, the bridges 28a-c guide the first electrical conductor 14 between the electrically conductive layers 20, 22 and bridges 28d-f guide the second electrical conductor 16 between the electrically conductive layers.

(11) The first electrical conductor 14 ends in an output 30 at its end opposite the first input 12a. The second electrical conductor 16 ends in an equalizing connection 12b at its end opposite the second input 32.

(12) The circuit board that is shown in FIG. 1 and is made up of the electrically conductive layers 20, 22 and the dielectric, e.g., an electrically insulating substrate 18, is arranged on a cooling body (not shown) of the power combiner 10. Due to the first and second electrical conductors 14, 16, which extend symmetrically to the dielectric, e.g., an electrically insulating substrate 18, a highly symmetrical parasitic capacitance is formed here between the first electrical conductor 14 and the cooling body, and between the second electrical conductor 16 and the cooling body. The electrical transmission properties of the power combiner 10 are only minimally affected thereby.

(13) FIG. 2 shows another power combiner 10. The power combiner 10 includes a multi-layered circuit board 34, which is composed of a plurality of circuit boards 36a-d. A first circuit board 36a includes a first dielectric, typically an electrically insulating substrate 38a, a second circuit board 36b includes a second dielectric, typically an electrically insulating substrate 38b, a third circuit board 36c includes a third dielectric, typically an electrically insulating substrate 38c, and a fourth circuit board 36d includes a fourth dielectric, typically an electrically insulating substrate 38d.

(14) The power combiner 10 includes a first input 12a and a second input 32. The first input 12a is connected to an output 30 by a first electrical conductor 14. The second input 32 is connected to an equalizing connection 12b by a second electrical conductor 16.

(15) In FIG. 2, both the first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 are each split into two lines; the first electrical conductor 14 includes a first primary conductor portion 14a and a second primary conductor portion 14b and the second electrical conductor 16 includes a first secondary conductor portion 16a and a second secondary conductor portion 16b.

(16) The power combiner 10 includes a cooling body 40, which is spaced apart symmetrically to the electrical conductors 14, 16. In this case, the second primary conductor portion 14b is arranged close to the cooling body 40 and the first primary conductor portion 14a is arranged further from the cooling body 40, while the first secondary conductor portion 16a is arranged close to the cooling body 40 and the second secondary conductor portion 16b is arranged further from the cooling body 40. The cooling body 40 is connected to ground 42.

(17) FIG. 3A shows a power combiner arrangement 44 including another power combiner 10. A first high-frequency signal source 46a is connected to a first input 12a of the power combiner 10, and a second high-frequency signal source 46b is connected to a second input 32 of the power combiner 10. The first input 12a is connected to an output 30, to which a load 48 is connected, by a first electrical conductor 14. The second input 32 is connected to an equalizing connection 12b, which is connected to ground potential by the terminator 31, by a second electrical conductor 16.

(18) The power combiner 10 includes a dielectric, typically an electrically insulating substrate 18. The first electrical conductor 14 is branched into a first primary conductor portion 14a and a second primary conductor portion 14b. The second electrical conductor 16 is branched into a first secondary conductor portion 16a and a second secondary conductor portion 16b. The first primary conductor portion 14a and the first secondary conductor portion 16a are guided on a first main face of the dielectric, e.g., an insulating substrate 18. The second primary conductor portion 14b and the second secondary conductor portion 16b are guided on a second main face of the dielectric, e.g., an electrically insulating substrate 18.

(19) The first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 describe inner and outer windings, respectively. Here, the inner winding includes a path section 50 that does not extend in parallel with the outer winding, and therefore phase equalization is produced between the inner windings and the outer windings.

(20) Bringing together the first primary conductor portion 14a and the second primary conductor portion 14b and bringing together the first secondary conductor portion 16a and the second secondary conductor portion 16b in the region of the output 30 and the equalizing connection 12b, respectively, takes place similarly to previous splitting in the region of reference signs 14b, 16b, and is not shown in FIG. 3A.

(21) FIG. 3B is a schematic partial view of the power combiner arrangement 44 of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3B shows that the second primary conductor portion 14b extends so as to be largely congruent with the first secondary conductor portion 16a and the second secondary conductor portion 16b extends so as to be largely congruent with the first primary conductor portion 14a. The dielectric, e.g., an electrically insulating substrate 18, is arranged between the conductor portions 14a, 16a and the conductor portions 14b, 16b.

(22) The second primary conductor portion 14b and the second secondary conductor portion 16b are in contact with a dielectric, which can be designed as a thermally conductive plate 52. The thermally conductive plate 52 is placed onto a cooling body 40. The overall equidistant spacing of the electrical conductors 14, 16 from the cooling body 40 is apparent from FIG. 3B.

(23) A dielectric of this type, which can be designed as a thermally conductive plate 52, may generally, e.g., in the arrangement of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, be arranged between a cooling body 40 and the conductor paths or conductor path portions facing the cooling body. It can perform a number of functions. First, the dielectric is used to electrically insulate the conductor paths or conductor path portions from the potential of the cooling body 40, which is usually connected to ground. In addition, a specific capacitance between the conductor paths or conductor path portions can be set by the thickness and the dielectric properties of the dielectric. Undesired high-frequency vibrations can thus be counteracted.

(24) In addition, electrical losses of the power combiner 10 can be adjusted by the material properties, in particular by the loss factors of the dielectric. In principle, the first assumption could be that the lowest possible losses should be optimal. In fact, for the present arrangements, in particular for loads in the form of a plasma system, it is advantageous for the power combiner 10 to have predetermined losses, to suppress resonance when high frequencies are reflected. These predetermined losses are intended to be less than 10% of the power that the power combiner 10 couples or splits. In addition, the dielectric has the advantage that the power combiner 10 can be sufficiently cooled without forced air flow solely by thermal contact with the cooling body 40.

(25) The power combiner 10 can be installed on a common circuit board together with other components of amplifiers. This can significantly reduce the costs of amplifier/power combiner assemblies of this type, and at the same time can considerably reduce the amount of interference from external interference fields.

(26) The power combiner 10 may be housed in a metal housing either in isolation or in combination with other components of amplifiers. This can further reduce the amount of interference from external interference fields.

(27) A power combiner 10 includes a cooling body 40. The power combiner 10 includes at least one first electrical conductor 14 and one second electrical conductor 16. The first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 are spaced so as to be largely equidistant from the cooling body 40 overall. For this purpose, the first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 may be arranged alternately close to and remote from the cooling body 40. Alternatively or additionally, the cooling body 40 may be arranged between the first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16. Alternatively or additionally, the first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 may be largely split into parallel conductor portions 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b, the conductor portions 14a, 14b, 16a, 16b spaced apart from the cooling body 40 such that the first electrical conductor 14 and the second electrical conductor 16 are largely the same distance from the cooling body 40 overall.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

(28) It is to be understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction with the detailed description thereof, the foregoing description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the appended claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the scope of the following claims.