阅读说明：本技术 多层磁介电材料 (Multilayer magneto-dielectric material ) 是由 卡尔·施普伦托尔 阿尼鲁达·J·希尔 陈亚杰 穆拉利·塞瑟马达范 于 2017-12-22 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种能够在最小频率至最大频率之间工作的磁介电材料,具有：在介电材料与铁磁材料之间交替的多个层,所述多个层的最下层和最上层均为介电材料；多个铁磁材料层中的每一层的厚度等于或大于相应铁磁材料在最大频率下的趋肤深度的1/15并且等于或小于相应铁磁材料在最大频率下的趋肤深度的1/5；多个介电材料层中的每一层具有一定厚度和介电常数,该介电常数提供等于或大于150伏特峰值且等于或小于1,500伏特峰值的跨相应厚度的介电耐受电压；并且,多个层的总厚度等于或小于多个层中的最小频率的一个波长。(A magneto-dielectric material capable of operating between a minimum frequency and a maximum frequency, having: a plurality of layers alternating between dielectric material and ferromagnetic material, a lowermost layer and an uppermost layer of the plurality of layers being both dielectric material; each of the plurality of ferromagnetic material layers has a thickness equal to or greater than 1/15 and equal to or less than 1/5 of the skin depth of the respective ferromagnetic material at the maximum frequency; each of the plurality of layers of dielectric material having a thickness and a dielectric constant that provides a dielectric withstand voltage across the respective thickness that is equal to or greater than 150 volts peak and equal to or less than 1,500 volts peak; and, a total thickness of the plurality of layers is equal to or less than one wavelength of a minimum frequency in the plurality of layers.)

1. A magneto-dielectric material capable of operating in an operating frequency range equal to or greater than a defined minimum frequency and equal to or less than a defined maximum frequency, the magneto-dielectric material comprising:

a plurality of layers in conformal direct contact with respective adjacent layers that alternate between the dielectric material and the ferromagnetic material, forming a plurality of layers of dielectric material arranged in alternating relation with a plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material, a lowermost layer and an uppermost layer of the plurality of layers being each of the dielectric material;

each of the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material has a thickness equal to or greater than 1/15 and equal to or less than 1/5 the skin depth of the respective ferromagnetic material at the defined maximum frequency;

each of the plurality of layers of dielectric material has a thickness and a dielectric constant that provides a dielectric withstand voltage across the respective thickness that is equal to or greater than 150 volts peak and equal to or less than 1,500 volts peak; and is

A total thickness of the plurality of layers is equal to or less than one wavelength of the defined minimum frequency in the plurality of layers.

2. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 1, wherein:

an average surface roughness RMS value of at least one side of at least one of the plurality of layers of dielectric material is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is equal to or less than 60 nanometers.

3. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is 20 nanometers.

4. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is 10 nanometers.

5. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein:

the RMS value of each side of the at least one of the plurality of layers of dielectric material is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

6. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein:

the RMS value of at least one side of each of the plurality of layers of dielectric material is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

7. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein:

the RMS value of each side of each of the plurality of layers of dielectric material is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

8. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is a root mean square average of surface profile height deviations from a mean line over an evaluation length according to measurement standard ASME B46.1.

9. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 2, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is determined by measurements in a plurality of linear directions over an entire surface area of respective sides of respective ones of the plurality of layers of dielectric material.

10. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 1, wherein an average interface Roughness (RMS) value of at least one interface between the plurality of dielectric material layers and an adjacent layer of the plurality of ferromagnetic material layers is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is equal to or less than 60 nanometers.

11. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 10, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is 20 nanometers.

12. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 10, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is 10 nanometers.

13. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 10, wherein an average interface Roughness (RMS) value of each respective interface between the plurality of dielectric material layers and adjacent layers of the plurality of ferromagnetic material layers is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

14. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 10, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is a root mean square average of surface profile height deviations from a mean line over an evaluation length according to measurement standard ASME B46.1.

15. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 10, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is determined by measurements in a plurality of linear directions over an entire respective surface area of respective adjacent layers of the plurality of layers of dielectric material and the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material.

16. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 1, capable of a resonant frequency f in Hertz (Hz) within the operating frequency range_cWork, wherein:

the plurality of layers are stacked in a z-direction of an orthogonal x-y-z coordinate system, each layer of the plurality of layers being disposed substantially parallel to an x-y plane;

the plurality of layers have an initial relative permeability u in the x-y plane_i(ii) a And is

The plurality of layers has a Snoek product of u with an Ra surface roughness equal to about 7 nanometers_iMultiplied by 6 × 10 or more¹¹Hz of 8 x 10 or less¹¹F of Hz_c。

17. The magneto-dielectric material of claim 1, capable of a resonant frequency f in Hertz (Hz) within the operating frequency range_cWork, wherein:

the plurality of layers are stacked in a z-direction of an orthogonal x-y-z coordinate system, each layer of the plurality of layers being disposed substantially parallel to an x-y plane;

the plurality of layers have an initial relative permeability u in the x-y plane_i(ii) a And is

In the case where at least one of the plurality of layers has an Ra surface roughness of less than 1 nanometer, the plurality of layers has a Snoek product of u_iMultiplication by 1.1 × 10 or more¹²Hz of 1.8 x 10 or less¹²F of Hz_c。

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of layers are arranged parallel to an x-y plane in an orthogonal x-y-z coordinate system, a total thickness of the plurality of layers is in a z-direction, and the wavelength in the plurality of layers is given by:

λ＝c/[f*sqrt(ε₀*ε_r*μ₀*μ_r)]；

wherein:

c is the speed of light in vacuum in meters per second;

f is the defined minimum frequency in hertz;

ε₀vacuum dielectric constant in units of farad/meter;

ε_ris that the plurality of layers are inRelative permittivity in the z direction;

μ₀vacuum permeability in henry/meter units; and is

μ_rIs the relative permeability of the plurality of layers in the x-y plane.

Background

The present disclosure relates generally to magneto-dielectric materials, particularly to multilayer magneto-dielectric materials, and more particularly to multilayer magneto-dielectric thin film materials.

The multilayer dielectric-magnetic structure has the following benefits: utilizing shape anisotropy to produce higher ferroresonant frequencies and utilizing favorable mixing rules of dielectric and magnetic materials to produce structured arrangements with low z-axis permittivity and high x-y plane permeability, which is ideal for patch-derived antenna structures. However, existing structured arrangements in the form of laminates (laminaes) disadvantageously suffer from high magnetic losses, high dielectric losses and/or low permeability due to the high ratio of the amount of dielectric material to the amount of magnetic material.

Although previous publications have disclosed the concept of reducing the thickness of a dielectric insulating material as a method of increasing the impedance (the square root of the ratio of the effective permeability to the dielectric constant), these publications lack information that the reduction of this concept can be performed to practice. In particular, the need to maintain the integrity of the dielectric layer during high temperature deposition of ferromagnetic materials has not been addressed in sufficient detail such that this reduction cannot be performed to practice these structures with thin dielectric materials.

A second limitation that has not yet been addressed is the need for an antenna material that can withstand the transient voltages seen by the antenna substrate. In practical applications, transient voltages caused by mismatch between the antenna and the power supply, rapid changes in current, or electrostatic discharge may cause the insulating layer between the ferromagnetic materials to deteriorate. This degradation can lead to two major failure modes. In the first failure mode in the case of dielectric breakdown where the ferromagnetic layers are sufficiently thick (1/10 greater than the polymer/dielectric layer thickness), a short circuit between the ferromagnetic layers may occur in the case of dielectric failure. Such shorting between the layers can result in a shift in the effective permeability or permittivity, change the resonant frequency of the antenna, reduce radiation efficiency, and/or further reduce the matching between the antenna and the power supply, resulting in an unstable antenna substrate whose characteristics continue to degrade over time. In the second failure mode, when the ratio between the polymer thickness and the metal thickness is sufficiently high (approximately greater than 10: 1), shorting between the ferromagnetic layers typically does not occur. In both types of failure modes, the dielectric constant of the multilayer structure will shift, resulting in a corresponding shift in the antenna resonant frequency.

While existing multilayer magneto-dielectric materials may be suitable for their intended purpose, technology related to multilayer magneto-dielectric materials would be advanced using multilayer magneto-dielectric materials that overcome at least some of the disadvantageous limitations of existing laminates.

This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present disclosure. It is not intended that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present disclosure or should not be construed as an admission.

Disclosure of Invention

Disclosed herein are a method of forming a magneto-dielectric material and a magneto-dielectric material made therefrom.

One embodiment includes a magneto-dielectric material capable of operating in an operating frequency range equal to or greater than a defined minimum frequency and equal to or less than a defined maximum frequency, the magneto-dielectric material having: a plurality of layers in conformal direct contact with respective adjacent layers alternating between the dielectric material and the ferromagnetic material forming a plurality of layers of dielectric material arranged alternately with the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material, a lowermost layer and an uppermost layer of the plurality of layers being each of the dielectric material; each of the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material has a thickness equal to or greater than 1/15 and equal to or less than 1/5 the skin depth of the respective ferromagnetic material at the defined maximum frequency; each of the plurality of layers of dielectric material having a thickness and a dielectric constant that provides a dielectric withstand voltage across the respective thickness that is equal to or greater than 150 volts peak and equal to or less than 1,500 volts peak; and, the total thickness of the plurality of layers is equal to or less than one wavelength of a defined minimum frequency in the plurality of layers.

The above described and other features are exemplified by the following figures and detailed description.

Drawings

Reference is now made to the drawings, which are exemplary embodiments, and wherein like elements are numbered alike.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative perspective view of an embodiment of a magneto-dielectric material according to an embodiment; and

fig. 2 depicts an illustrative perspective view of an embodiment of a device including the magneto-dielectric material of fig. 1, according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics for the purpose of illustration, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that many variations and alterations to the following details are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following example embodiments are set forth without a loss of generality to, and without imposing limitations upon, the claimed invention.

The embodiments as shown in the various figures and described in the accompanying text provide a magneto-dielectric material or cavity-loading material having multiple layers of ferromagnetic material alternately sandwiched between layers of low-loss dielectric material.

For example, fig. 1 shows: the magneto-dielectric material 100 includes a plurality of layers 102, the plurality of layers 102 being in conformal direct contact with respective adjacent layers that alternate between the dielectric material 200 and the ferromagnetic material 300, forming a plurality of layers 202, 204, 206, 208, 210, 212 (collectively referred to herein as reference numeral 200) of dielectric material arranged in alternating with a plurality of layers 302, 304, 306, 308, 310 (collectively referred to herein as reference numeral 300) of ferromagnetic material. The outermost of the layers is layers 212 and 202 of dielectric material 200. The plurality of layers 102 are arranged parallel to the x-y plane in an orthogonal x-y-z coordinate system, and the total thickness of the plurality of layers 102 is in the z-direction. The plurality of layers of dielectric material may comprise 0.1 to 99 volume percent (vol%), or 0.1 to 50 vol%, or 50 to 90 vol%, or 90 to 99 vol%, or 5 to 55 vol% of the total volume of the plurality of layers.

While the magneto-dielectric material 100 of fig. 1 depicts each of the plurality of layers 102 as having certain visual dimensions relative to itself and relative to another layer, it will be understood that this is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure disclosed herein, and the scale of the plurality of layers 102 is depicted in an exaggerated manner. Although only five layers of ferromagnetic material 302-310 are described herein and depicted in fig. 1, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited and includes any number of layers greater or less than five that are suitable for the purposes disclosed herein and that fall within the scope of the claims provided herein. Likewise, although only six layers of dielectric material 202-212 are described herein and depicted in fig. 1, it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited and includes any number of layers greater or less than six layers suitable for the purposes disclosed herein and within the scope of the claims provided herein. For example, the total number of layers 102 may be 19 to 10,001. Any range of layers between 19 and 10,001 layers is contemplated, and it is not necessary to list each and every range contemplated.

The magneto-dielectric material 100 may operate in an operating frequency range that is greater than or equal to a defined minimum frequency and less than or equal to a defined maximum frequency. The defined minimum frequency may be given by (defined minimum frequency) — (defined maximum frequency)/25. The defined maximum frequency may be 7 gigahertz (GHz). The operating frequency range may be 100 megahertz (MHz) to 10GHz, or 1GHz to 10GHz, or 100MHz to 5 GHz.

The total thickness of the plurality of layers 102 may be less than or equal to one wavelength of a defined minimum frequency of propagation in the plurality of layers 102. The wavelengths in the plurality of layers 102 are given by:

λ＝c/[f*sqrt(ε₀*ε_r*μ₀*μ_r)]；

wherein: c is the speed of light in vacuum in meters per second; f is a defined minimum frequency in Hertz (Hertz); epsilon₀Vacuum dielectric constant in units of Farads/meters; epsilon_rIs the relative permittivity of the layers in the z direction; mu.s₀Vacuum permeability in Henrys/meter units; and μ_rIs the relative permeability of the layers in the x-y plane. Referring to fig. 1, it can be seen that the layered magneto-dielectric material 100 has a dielectric constant in the Z-axis direction, which is anisotropic and dominated by the dielectric material. In an embodiment, the effective dielectric constant (relative dielectric constant) of the magneto-dielectric material 100 in the Z-axis direction is equal to or greater than 2.5 and equal to or less than 5.0.

The plurality of layers 102 have a total electrical loss tangent (tan δ)_e) Total magnetic loss tangent (tan. delta.)_m) And a composition of 1/((tan. delta.))_e)+(tanδ_m) A defined overall quality factor (Q), wherein the defined maximum frequency is defined by a frequency at which Q is equal to 20 or more specifically lower than 20. The overall quality factor Q can be determined according to the standardized Nicolson-Roth-Weir (NRW) method, see, for example, NIST (national Institute of Standards and technology) Specification 1536, "Measuring the qualification and qualification of Lossy Materials: Solids, Liquids, Metals, Building Materials, and Negative-Index Materials," James Baker Jarvis et al, month 2 2005, CODEN: NTNOEF, pages 66 to 74. The NRW method provides calculations for epsilon 'and epsilon "(complex relative permittivity component) and for mu' and mu" (complex relative permeability component). Loss tangentμ”/μ'(tanδ_m) And ε '/ε' (tan δ)_e) Can be calculated from these results. The quality factor Q is the inverse of the sum of the loss tangents. The total thickness of the plurality of layers 102 may be 0.1 mm to 3 mm. In an embodiment, a magnetic permeameter is used to measure the electromagnetic permeability of a sample of the plurality of layers 102.

In an embodiment, the magneto-dielectric material 100 is capable of operating at a resonant frequency f within an operating frequency range_c(in Hertz) operation, wherein a plurality of layers 102 are stacked in a z-direction of an orthogonal x-y-z coordinate system, wherein each of the plurality of layers is disposed substantially parallel to an x-y plane, wherein the plurality of layers has an initial relative permeability in the x-y plane, u_iAnd wherein, in the event that the Ra surface roughness of at least one of the plurality of layers is equal to about 7nm (surface roughness is discussed further below), the Snoek product of the plurality of layers is u_iMultiplied by 6 × 10 or more¹¹(Hz) and equal to or less than 8 x 10¹¹(Hz) f_c. In an embodiment, where the Ra surface roughness of at least one of the plurality of layers is less than 1nm, the Snoek product of the plurality of layers is u_iMultiplication by 1.1 × 10 or more¹²Hz of 1.8 x 10 or less¹²F of Hz_c。

Each ferromagnetic layer independently has a thickness greater than or equal to 1/15 and less than or equal to 1/5 the skin depth of the respective ferromagnetic material at the defined maximum frequency. Each ferromagnetic layer may independently have the same thickness. The ferromagnetic layer may have a different thickness than another ferromagnetic layer of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers. A more centrally disposed one of the plurality of ferromagnetic layers may be thicker than a more outwardly disposed one, wherein the term "thicker" may refer to a thickness in the range of 2: 1 and greater than 1: 1 factor thicker. For example, in FIG. 1, the centrally disposed ferromagnetic layer 306 may be thicker than the outermost ferromagnetic layers 302 and 310, and the inner ferromagnetic layers 304 and 308 may each independently be the same as or different from the centrally disposed ferromagnetic layer 306 or the outermost ferromagnetic layers 302 and 310. The thickness of each ferromagnetic layer may increase from the centrally disposed ferromagnetic layer to the outermost ferromagnetic layer. For example, in FIG. 1, the centrally disposed ferromagnetic layer 306 may be thicker than the inner ferromagnetic layers 304 and 308; and the inner ferromagnetic layers 304 and 308 may be thicker than the outermost ferromagnetic layers 302 and 310.

Each ferromagnetic layer may independently comprise the same or different ferromagnetic material. Each ferromagnetic layer may comprise the same ferromagnetic material. The ferromagnetic material of each ferromagnetic layer independently can have a magnetic permeability greater than or equal to: (defined maximum frequency in hertz) divided by (800 times 10)⁹) Magnetic permeability of (2). The ferromagnetic material may include iron, nickel, cobalt, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing. Ferromagnetic materials may include nickel-iron, iron-cobalt, nitrogen-iron (Fe)₄N), iron-gadolinium, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing. Each ferromagnetic layer may independently have a thickness greater than or equal to 20 nanometers, or 20 nanometers to 60 nanometers, or 30 nanometers to 50 nanometers, or less than or equal to 200 nanometers, or 100 nanometers to 1 micrometer, or 20 nanometers to 1 micrometer. Each ferromagnetic layer may independently include iron nitride and may have a thickness of 100 nanometers to 200 nanometers.

Each dielectric layer independently has a thickness and a dielectric constant sufficient to provide a dielectric withstand voltage (also referred to as a high potential Hi-Pot) of 150 volts to 1,500 volts peak across the respective thickness]Overpotential or voltage breakdown) according to a standard electrical method such as ASTM D149, see IPC-TM-650 test methods manual, No. 2.5.6.1, month 3 2007. The dielectric constant of each dielectric layer may be less than or equal to 2.8 at a defined maximum frequency. Each dielectric layer may independently comprise a dielectric polymer, and may have a dielectric constant less than or equal to 2.8 at a defined maximum frequency. Each dielectric layer may independently have a dielectric constant of 2.4 to 5.6 with an intrinsic dielectric strength of 100 v/micron to 1,000 v/micron. Each dielectric layer may independently include a dielectric polymer and a dielectric filler (e.g., silicon dioxide), and may have a dielectric constant of 2.4 to 5.6. Loss tangent (tan delta) of dielectric material_e) And may be less than or equal to 0.005.

Each dielectric layer may independently have the same thickness. The dielectric layers may have different thicknesses from each other. Each dielectric layer may independently have a thickness of 0.5 to 6 microns. Each dielectric layer may independently have a thickness of 0.1 to 10 microns. The thickness ratio of any one dielectric layer to any one ferromagnetic layer may be 1: 1 to 100: 1 or 1: 1 to 10: 1.

the outermost dielectric layer may have an increased thickness compared to the dielectric layers within the magneto-dielectric material. For example, the outermost dielectric layers may each independently have a thickness of 20 microns to 1,000 microns, or 50 microns to 500 microns, or 100 microns to 400 microns.

Each dielectric layer may independently comprise the same or different dielectric material. Each dielectric layer may independently comprise the same dielectric material. The plurality of dielectric layers may include alternating layers of dielectric material. For example, in fig. 1, layers 202, 206, and 210 may comprise a first dielectric material, and layers 204, 208, and 212 may comprise a second dielectric material (e.g., an additional dielectric material or a thin film dielectric material) different from the first dielectric material.

The dielectric materials comprising the additional dielectric material, the thin-film dielectric material, and the outer dielectric material may each independently comprise a dielectric polymer, for example, a thermoplastic polymer or a thermoset polymer. The polymers can include oligomers, polymers, ionomers, dendrimers, copolymers such as graft copolymers, random copolymers, block copolymers (e.g., star block copolymers, random copolymers, etc.), and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing. Examples of thermoplastic polymers that can be used include cyclic olefin polymers (including polynorbornene and copolymers containing norbornene units, e.g., cyclic polymers such as copolymers of norbornene and acyclic olefins such as ethylene or propylene), fluoropolymers (e.g., polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly (ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene (PETFE), Perfluoroalkoxy (PFA)), polyacetals (e.g., polyoxyethylene and polyoxymethylene), poly (C)_1-6Alkyl) acrylates, polyacrylamides (including unsubstituted and mono-N-and di-N- (C)_1-8Alkyl) acrylamide), polypropyleneNitriles, polyamides (such as aliphatic polyamides, polyphthalamides, and polyaramides), polyamideimides, polyanhydrides, polyarylene ethers (e.g., polyphenylene ether), poly (ether ketones) (e.g., Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and Polyetherketoneketone (PEKK)), polyarylene ketones, polyarylene sulfides (e.g., polyphenylene ether) (PPS)), polyarylene sulfones (such as Polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfone (PPS), and the like), polybenzothiazole, polybenzoxazole, polybenzimidazole, polycarbonates (including homopolycarbonates and polycarbonate copolymers such as polycarbonate-esters), polyesters (such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyarylates, and polyester copolymers such as polyester ethers), polyetherimides, polyimides, poly (C) s_1-6Alkyl) methacrylates, polymethacrylamides (including unsubstituted and mono-N-and di-N- (C)_1-8) Alkyl) acrylamides), polyolefins (such as polyethylenes, e.g., High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), and Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE); polypropylenes and halogenated derivatives thereof (such as Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)) and copolymers thereof, e.g., ethylene- α -olefin copolymers, polyoxadiazoles, polyoxymethylenes, polyphthalamides, polysilazanes, polystyrenes (including copolymers such as nitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and methyl methacrylate-butadiene-styrene (MBS)), polysulfides, polysulfonamides, polysulfones, polythioesters, polytriazines, polyureas, polyurethanes, vinyl polymers (including polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl ester, polyvinyl ether, polyvinyl halides (such as polyvinyl fluoride), polyvinyl ketone, polyvinyl nitrile, polyvinyl sulfide, and polyvinylidene fluoride), alkyds, bismaleimide polymers, bismaleimide triazine polymers, cyanate polymers, benzocyclobutene polymers, diallyl phthalate polymers, epoxy resins, methylolfuran polymers, methylol furan polymers, phenols (including phenol-formaldehyde polymers, such as phenol-formaldehyde novolacs, and polybutadiene), and copolymers thereof, e.g., polybutadiene copolymers such as ethylene- α -butadiene-styrene copolymers, polybutadiene copolymers, and copolymers thereof, e.g., polybutadiene copolymers, and copolymers having isocyanate-based thereon, and copolymers, e.g., polybutadiene copolymers, and copolymers having isocyanate-based on acrylonitrile, and copolymers, such as, and copolymers thereof, such as, and copolymers of styrene-formaldehyde, and copolymers, such as styrene-And prepolymers of various degrees, such as unsaturated polyesters, polyimides), and the like.

The dielectric material may include a polyolefin (e.g., polypropylene or polyethylene) and a cyclic olefin copolymer, such as TOPAS olefin Polymers commercially available from TOPAS Advance Polymers of Hoechst corporation of frankfurt, germany (where superscript denotes a trademark owned by TOPAS Advance Polymers); polyesters (such as poly (ethylene terephthalate)); polyether ketones (such as polyetheretherketone); or combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing. The dielectric material may include PTFE, expanded PTFE, FEP, PFA, ETFE (polyethylene-tetrafluoroethylene), fluorinated polyimide, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

At least one of the dielectric layers may comprise fluorinated polyimide having a dielectric constant of 2.4 to 2.6 and a thickness of 0.1 to 4.7 microns.

The dielectric materials including the additional dielectric material, the thin-film dielectric material, and the outer dielectric material may each independently include one or more dielectric fillers to adjust its characteristics (e.g., dielectric constant or coefficient of thermal expansion). The dielectric filler may include titanium dioxide (e.g., rutile or anatase), barium titanate, strontium titanate, silica (e.g., fused amorphous silica or fumed silica), corundum, wollastonite, boron nitride, hollow glass microspheres, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

The dielectric materials comprising the additional dielectric material, the thin-film dielectric material, and the outer dielectric material may each independently comprise a ceramic. For example, ceramics may be used instead of polymers according to the following: the ceramic thickness relative to the appropriate polymer thickness according to embodiments disclosed herein will be adjusted such that the ratio (given ceramic dielectric constant)/(appropriate polymer dielectric constant) is equal to the ratio (appropriate polymer thickness)/(given ceramic thickness). The ceramic may comprise silicon dioxide (SiO)₂) Alumina, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing. For example, the thickness of the ceramic layer comprising silicon dioxide may be less than or equal to [ 2.1/(epsilon of ceramic)_r) X (8 micron)]And may have a minimum of 150 volts peakDielectric strength.

Each dielectric layer may include two or more dielectric materials different from each other. For example, a given dielectric layer may include a first dielectric material and a second dielectric material, each having a different dielectric constant and the same thickness or different thicknesses. The first dielectric material may comprise fluorinated polyimide and the second dielectric material may comprise PTFE or expanded PTFE, PEEK or PFA. The first dielectric material may comprise a ceramic and the second dielectric material is a ceramic or a non-ceramic dielectric material. The first dielectric material may provide a substrate for depositing one of the plurality of ferromagnetic material layers thereon, and the second dielectric material may provide an additional dielectric layer for controlling the refractive index of the substrate. The first dielectric material and the second dielectric material may be separated by a ferromagnetic layer. The plurality of dielectric layers may include alternating layers of first and second layers of dielectric material, wherein each of the first and second layers of dielectric material are separated by a ferromagnetic layer.

The conductive layer may be located on one or both of the uppermost dielectric layer and the lowermost dielectric layer. The conductive layer may comprise copper. The thickness of the conductive layer may be 3 to 200 micrometers, specifically 9 to 180 micrometers. Suitable conductive layers include thin layers of conductive metals, such as copper foil currently used to form circuits, such as electrodeposited copper foil. The Root Mean Square (RMS) surface roughness of the copper foil can be less than or equal to 2 micrometers, specifically less than or equal to 0.7 micrometers, wherein roughness is measured using a WYCO optical profiler using white light interferometry, a Veeco instrument.

As is known in the art, surface roughness may be described in terms of RMS or Ra values, where Ra is the arithmetic mean of the absolute values of the surface profile height deviations from the mean line over the evaluation length according to measurement standard ASME B46.1, and RMS is the root mean square mean of the surface profile height deviations from the mean line over the evaluation length according to measurement standard ASME B46.1. Thus, embodiments of the present invention may be described with reference to RMS or Ra values, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the use of only one or the other, but includes both RMS and Ra values consistent with the disclosure herein.

With respect to the plurality of dielectric material layers 200, an average surface RMS roughness value of at least one side of at least one of the plurality of dielectric material layers 200 is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value, wherein the defined maximum RMS value is equal to or less than 60 nanometers. In an embodiment, the maximum RMS value defined is 20 nanometers. In another embodiment, the maximum RMS value defined is 10 nanometers. In an embodiment, the RMS value of each side of at least one of the plurality of layers of dielectric material 200 is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value. In an embodiment, the RMS value of at least one side of each of the plurality of dielectric material layers 200 is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value. In an embodiment, the RMS value of each side of each of the plurality of dielectric material layers 200 is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

In an embodiment, the maximum RMS value defined is the root mean square average of the surface profile height deviation from the mean line over the evaluation length according to the measurement standard ASME B46.1.

However, in an embodiment, the defined maximum surface roughness value may be a defined maximum Ra value, which is the arithmetic mean of the absolute values of the surface profile height deviations from the mean line within the evaluation length according to the measurement standard ASME B46.1.

In an embodiment, the defined maximum RMS or Ra value is determined by measurements in a plurality of linear directions parallel or non-parallel to each other over the entire surface area of the respective side of the respective one of the plurality of layers of dielectric material 200.

In an embodiment, an average interface roughness RMS value of at least one interface between adjacent layers of the plurality of dielectric material layers 200 and the plurality of ferromagnetic material layers 300 is equal to or less than a defined maximum RMS value, wherein the defined maximum RMS value may be equal to or less than 60 nanometers, or may be 20 nanometers, or may be 10 nanometers, as described above. In an embodiment, the ferromagnetic material surface roughness is very close to the dielectric material surface roughness due to the thin thickness of the ferromagnetic film.

In an embodiment, the average interface roughness RMS value of each respective interface between adjacent ones of the plurality of layers of dielectric material 200 and the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material 300 is equal to or less than the defined maximum RMS value.

In an embodiment, the maximum RMS value defined is the root mean square average of the deviation of the interface profile height from the mean line within the evaluation length according to measurement standard ASME B46.1.

However, in an embodiment, the defined maximum surface roughness value may be a defined maximum Ra value, which is the arithmetic mean of the absolute values of the deviations of the interface profile height from the mean line within the evaluation length according to the measurement standard ASME B46.1.

In an embodiment, the defined maximum RMS or Ra value is determined by measuring over the entire respective interface area of the respective adjacent layers of the plurality of layers of dielectric material and the plurality of layers of ferromagnetic material in a plurality of linear directions that are parallel or non-parallel to each other.

Exemplary embodiments of thin iron nitride samples (60nm to 150nm thickness) were prepared on Polyimide (PI) for permeability measurements, resulting in substantially relative permeability values of 150 to 500 and measured surface roughness Ra values of about 6.5nm (about 9nm RMS), which are believed to be suitable for the multilayer magneto-dielectric material 100 as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the surface roughness measurement is performed by AFM (atomic force microscope) in a small area (e.g., 40 microns x 40 microns), but the area may be varied as desired, with a maximum area of 100 microns x 100 microns being commonly used.

Nevertheless, experiments have found that the Snoek product and permeability of the coated magnetic film are related to the surface roughness of the relevant dielectric, and in view of the desired limits of the thickness of the magnetic film useful for the purposes disclosed herein, it has been found that a surface RMS roughness of 20nm or more has a detrimental effect on the magnetic properties of the magneto-dielectric material 100.

The apparatus may include a magneto-dielectric material 100. An example application of the apparatus is for use with a dipole antenna, where magneto-dielectric materials are used to form magneto-dielectric cavity loading elements that enable the antenna to be placed in free space at wavelengths significantly less than 1/4 wavelengths relative to a metallic ground plane with little reduction in bandwidth. Such applications may include systems where low profile antennas may be required, or where multiple antenna elements must be co-located in environments requiring small form factor antennas.

Referring now to fig. 2, an example apparatus 400 for use with the magneto-dielectric material 100 is depicted, the example apparatus 400 having: a first conductive layer 104 disposed in conformal direct contact with a lowermost dielectric layer of the plurality of layers 102; and a second conductive layer 106 disposed in conformal direct contact with an uppermost dielectric layer of the plurality of layers 102. The first conductive layer 104 may define a ground plane and the second conductive layer 106 may define a patch suitable for a patch antenna. The first conductive layer 104 and the second conductive layer 106 may be copper clad. The apparatus 400 may be in the form of a multi-layer sheet, wherein each of the plurality of layers 102 and the first and second conductive layers 104 and 106' (depicted in phantom) have the same plan view dimensions. Although fig. 2 depicts a device 400 (e.g., a single patch antenna), it should be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not so limited and also includes multiple devices (e.g., multiple patch antennas) arranged in an array to form a multilayer magneto-dielectric thin film antenna array.

As used herein, the term "conformal direct contact" refers to each of the layers described herein being in direct contact with its respective one or more adjacent layers and conforming to a respective one surface profile of the respective one adjacent layer or a respective plurality of surface profiles of the respective plurality of adjacent layers to form a magneto-dielectric material that is substantially free of any voids at an interface between a pair of adjacent layers.

In general, the present disclosure may alternatively comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of any suitable component disclosed herein. The present disclosure may additionally or alternatively be formed so as to be free or substantially free of any components, materials, ingredients, adjuvants or species used in the prior art compositions or which are not necessary to the achievement of the function and/or objectives of the present disclosure.

The terms "a" and "an" do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. The term "or" means "and/or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. "optional" or "optionally" means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where the event occurs and instances where it does not.

Reference throughout the specification to "an embodiment," "another embodiment," "some embodiments," or the like, means that a particular element (e.g., feature, structure, step, or characteristic) described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment described herein, and may or may not be present in other embodiments. In addition, it is to be understood that the described elements may be combined in any suitable manner in the various embodiments.

In general, the compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture may alternatively comprise, or consist essentially of any of the ingredients, steps, or components disclosed herein. The compositions, methods, and articles of manufacture may additionally or alternatively be formulated, practiced, or manufactured so as to be free or substantially free of any ingredients, steps, or components that are not necessary to achieve the function or purpose of the claims.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, all test criteria are the most recent criteria in effect during the filing date of the present application or, if priority is required, the filing date of the earliest priority application in which the test criteria occurs.

The endpoints of all ranges directed to the same component or property are inclusive of the endpoint, independently combinable, and inclusive of all intermediate points and ranges.

The terms "first," "second," and the like, "primary," "secondary," and the like, as used herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The terms "upper," "lower," "bottom," and/or "top" are used herein for convenience of description only and are not limited to any one position or spatial orientation unless otherwise specified. The term "combination" includes blends, mixtures, alloys, reaction products, and the like.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

All cited patents, patent applications, and other references are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. However, if a term in the present application contradicts or conflicts with a term in the incorporated reference, the term from the present application takes precedence over the conflicting term from the incorporated reference.

While particular embodiments have been described, alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents that are or may be presently unforeseen may arise to applicants or others skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims as filed and as they may be amended are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents.