Microelectronic module for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface, module array and method for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface

Abstract

A microelectronic module for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface. The microelectronic module includes at least one voltage converter for converting a first voltage provided into a higher, lower or identical second voltage. Furthermore, the microelectronic module includes at least one actuator. The actuator includes at least one generator for generating an electrical plasma from the second voltage provided by the voltage converter. At least the voltage converter and the actuator are arranged on a thin-layered planar substrate. The electrical plasma generated by the actuator interacts with an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface, as a result of which the electromagnetic signature is altered.

Claims

1. A microelectronic module for altering an electromagnetic signature of a surface, comprising: at least one voltage converter for converting a first voltage provided into a higher, lower or identical second voltage; and at least one actuator, comprising at least one generator configured for generating an electrical plasma from the second voltage provided by the voltage converter; wherein at least the voltage converter and the actuator are arranged on a thin-layered planar substrate; and wherein the electromagnetic signature is altered by an interaction of the electrical plasma generated by the actuator with an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface; and wherein the at least one actuator is configured to generate the electrical plasma with a specific frequency band selected for altering the electromagnetic radiation.

2. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one detection unit comprising at least one sensor for detecting an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface; or a control unit, configured for controlling generation of the electrical plasma depending on a signal from the detection unit, a receiver for receiving external data, the external data containing information about at least one of the following: detection of the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface, control commands of a superordinate transmitting or control element, or information from at least one of the following: a further conventional sensor, an antenna, or a control or regulating system.

3. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator is configured to detect the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface.

4. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the electrical plasma is generated depending on the detected electromagnetic radiation or the received data about the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface.

5. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, comprising a receiver, configured for receiving data, containing information about detection of the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface.

6. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic signature of the surface is altered by at least one of the following: absorbing or reflecting an outer wave of the electromagnetic radiation, by reducing backscattering of the electromagnetic radiation, or by damping a surface wave of the electromagnetic radiation, or in a combination with a radar-absorbing material (RAM) coating.

7. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a frequency-selective surface is generated with aid of the at least one actuator, wherein, by driving of the at least one actuator, distributed or periodically conductive plasma structures are generatable on, in or below the surface, wherein a width of the frequency band or the center frequency are/is controllable by an applied magnetic field, wherein an active metamaterial is formed by influencing of the generated plasma, the metamaterial being usable as band-pass filter, band-stop filter, high-pass filter, low-pass filter or a combination thereof for altering the electromagnetic waves.

8. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thin-layered planar substrate is a flexible or multidimensionally deformable film or lattice.

9. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the module comprises a plurality of actuators; or wherein the module comprises at least one switching element for activating or deactivating the module or at least one of the plurality of actuators; or wherein an antenna that is freely definable on the surface or an antenna array for adapting antenna gain, polarization and receiving direction can be formed by the actuators, wherein the antenna or the antenna array is usable as transmitting or receiving antenna for electromagnetic radiation; or wherein the transmitting or receiving antenna can be coupled to an external transmitter or receiver via a coupling-in or coupling-out device.

10. The microelectronic module as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the voltage converter, the switching element, the actuator, the detection unit, the sensor, the receiver, the transmitter, or the control element is embodied as MEMS structure.

11. A module array, comprising a plurality of microelectronic modules as claimed in claim 1.

12. The module array as claimed in claim 11, wherein actuators of the plurality of modules are drivable in a time-staggered or phase-shifted manner; wherein an intensity can be influenced by utilization of interference phenomena.

13. An arrangement of at least one microelectronic module or of at least one module array as claimed in claim 1 on or in a surface of a vehicle, wherein the surface has a coating that at least partly absorbs an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface, and wherein the vehicle is an aircraft, a watercraft or a land vehicle.

14. A method for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface, the method comprising: providing the surface with at least one microelectronic module or at least one microelectronic module array, wherein each of the microelectronic modules comprises: at least one voltage converter for converting a first voltage provided into a higher, lower or identical second voltage; and at least one actuator, comprising at least one generator configured for generating an electrical plasma from the second voltage provided by the voltage converter; wherein at least the voltage converter and the actuator are arranged on a thin-layered planar substrate; and wherein the electromagnetic signature is altered by an interaction of the electrical plasma generated by the actuator with an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface; and wherein the at least one actuator is configured to generate the electrical plasma with a specific frequency band selected for altering the electromagnetic radiation; converting the first voltage provided into the higher, lower or identical second voltage; detecting the electromagnetic radiation; generating the electrical plasma from the second voltage; and altering the electromagnetic signature of the surface by interaction of the electrical plasma generated with the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the example drawings, in general, identical reference signs refer to the same parts across the various views. The drawings are not necessarily true to scale; instead, importance is generally attached to elucidating the principles of the disclosure herein. In the following description, various embodiments of the disclosure herein are described with reference to the following drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a microelectronic module;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a module array comprising a plurality of microelectronic modules;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the arrangement of a plurality of microelectronic modules on the surface of an aircraft; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings, which show for explanation purposes specific details and embodiments in which the disclosure herein can be practiced.

(7) The word exemplary is used herein with the meaning serving as an example, case or illustration. Any embodiment or configuration described herein as exemplary should not necessarily be interpreted as preferred or advantageous vis--vis other embodiments or configurations.

(8) In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this description and show for illustration purposes specific embodiments in which the disclosure herein can be implemented. In this regard, direction terminology such as, for instance, at the top, at the bottom, at the front, at the back, front, rear, etc. is used with respect to the orientation of the figure(s) described. Since components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the direction terminology serves for illustration and is not restrictive in any way whatsoever. It goes without saying that other embodiments can be used and structural or logical changes can be made, without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure. It goes without saying that the features of the various exemplary embodiments described herein can be combined with one another, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be interpreted in a restrictive sense, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

(9) In the context of this description, the terms connecting, and coupled are used to describe both a direct and an indirect connection and a direct or indirect coupling. In the figures, identical or similar elements are provided with identical reference signs, insofar as this is expedient.

(10) In the methods described here, the steps can be performed in virtually any arbitrary order, without departing from the principles of the disclosure herein, unless a temporal or functional sequence is expressly presented. If it is set out in a patent claim that firstly one step is performed and then a plurality of other steps are performed successively, then this should be understood to mean that the first step is carried out before all other steps, but the other steps can be carried out in any arbitrary suitable order, unless a sequence is set out within the other steps. Parts of claims in which for example step A, step B, step C, step D and step E are presented should be understood to mean that step A is performed first, step E is performed last and steps B, C and D can be performed in any arbitrary order between steps A and E, and that the sequence falls within the formulated scope of protection of the claimed method. Furthermore, specified steps can be performed simultaneously, unless express wording in the claim sets out that the steps are to be performed separately. By way of example, a step for performing X in the claim and a step for performing Y in the claim can be carried out simultaneously within a single procedure, and the resultant process falls within the worded scope of protection of the claimed method.

(11) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a microelectronic module 100. The microelectronic module 100 for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface has a voltage converter 101 in the embodiment illustrated. The voltage converter 101 serves for converting a first voltage V1 provided into a higher, lower or identical second voltage V2. In the embodiment illustrated, the microelectronic module 100 furthermore comprises an actuator 102. In the embodiment illustrated, the actuator 102 comprises a generator 103 for generating an electrical plasma from the second voltage V2 provided by the voltage converter 101. The voltage converter 101 and the actuator 102 are arranged on a thin-layered planar substrate 104. The thin-layered planar substrate 104 is a film, for example. The electrical plasma generated by the actuator 102 interacts with an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface. In this case, the electromagnetic signature of the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface is altered, preferably reduced, by the electrical plasma. The voltage converter 101 is electrically coupled to the actuator 102.

(12) In accordance with a further embodiment (not illustrated), the microelectronic module 100 can also comprise more than one voltage converter 101, wherein the plurality of voltage converters can also be electrically interconnected with one another and can for example interact as a result. The microelectronic module 100 can also comprise a plurality of actuators 102, wherein each actuator 102 can comprise for example one or a plurality of generators 103 for generating an electrical plasma. Furthermore, the microelectronic module 100 in accordance with one embodiment that is not illustrated can comprise a detection unit for detecting the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface, and/or a control unit, configured for controlling the generation of the electrical plasma depending on a signal from the detection unit, a receiver, configured for receiving external data, containing information about the detection of the electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface, control commands of a superordinate transmitting and/or control element, and/or information from at least one further conventional sensor, an antenna and/or a control or regulating system.

(13) The subject matter disclosed herein, such as the controller and/or other components herein, can be implemented with software in combination with hardware and/or firmware. For example, the subject matter described herein, such as the controller, can be implemented or used in association with software executed by a processor or processing unit. In one exemplary implementation, the subject matter described herein can be implemented using a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps. Exemplary computer readable mediums suitable for implementing the subject matter described herein include non-transitory devices, such as disk memory devices, chip memory devices, programmable logic devices, and application specific integrated circuits. In addition, a computer readable medium that implements the subject matter described herein can be located on a single device or computing platform or can be distributed across multiple devices or computing platforms.

(14) FIG. 2 shows a module array 200 comprising a plurality of microelectronic modules 201. Each of the microelectronic modules 201 comprises a voltage converter 202 and an actuator 203, comprising a generator 204 on a thin-layered planar substrate 205. Although each of the modules 201 illustrated can comprise a dedicated switching element 204, in accordance with an alternative embodiment (not illustrated) a switching element 204 can also be provided for two or more modules 201. The microelectronic modules 201 of the module array 200 are electrically connected among one another (not illustrated).

(15) FIG. 3 shows the arrangement 300 of a plurality of microelectronic modules 301 on the underside of an aircraft 302. On the underside of the airfoils 303, 304 of the vehicle 302, in the embodiment illustrated, a plurality of microelectronic modules 301 are arranged virtually over the whole area in order to alter the electromagnetic signature of the aircraft surface.

(16) In a further embodiment (not illustrated), microelectronic modules 301 can also be provided on the entire aircraft surface, both on the underside and on the top side.

(17) FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram 400 of a method for altering the electromagnetic signature of a surface using at least one microelectronic module or at least one module array. In step 401, a first voltage provided is converted into a higher, lower or identical second voltage. In step 402, an electromagnetic radiation is detected. In step 403, an electrical plasma is generated from the second voltage. Furthermore, in step 404, the electromagnetic signature of the surface is altered by interaction of the electrical plasma generated with an electromagnetic radiation impinging on the surface.

(18) Although the disclosure herein has been shown and described primarily with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those familiar with the technical field that numerous modifications can be made thereto with regard to configuration and details, without departing from the essence and scope of the disclosure herein, as defined by the appended claims. The scope of the disclosure herein is thus determined by the appended claims, and the intention is therefore to encompass all modifications which come under the literal sense or the range of equivalence of the claims.

(19) While at least one exemplary embodiment of the present invention(s) is disclosed herein, it should be understood that modifications, substitutions and alternatives may be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the exemplary embodiment(s). In addition, in this disclosure, the terms comprise or comprising do not exclude other elements or steps, the terms a, an or one do not exclude a plural number, and the term or means either or both. Furthermore, characteristics or steps which have been described may also be used in combination with other characteristics or steps and in any order unless the disclosure or context suggests otherwise. This disclosure hereby incorporates by reference the complete disclosure of any patent or application from which it claims benefit or priority.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(20) 100, 201, 301 module 101, 202 voltage converter 102, 203 actuator 103, 204 generator 104, 205 substrate 200 module array 300 aircraft 303, 304 airfoil 400 flow diagram 401-404 method steps V1 first voltage V2 second voltage