[0001] The invention relates to a dielectric waveguide.

[0002] Dielectric waveguides are used in communications applications to convey electromagnetic waves along a path between two ends. Dielectric waveguides may provide communication transmission lines for connecting antennas to radio frequency transmitters and receivers and in other applications. For example, although waves in open space propagate in all directions, dielectric waveguides direct the waves along a defined path, which allows the waveguides to transmit high frequency signals over relatively long distances.

[0003] Dielectric waveguides include at least one dielectric material. A dielectric is an electrical insulating material that can be polarized by an applied electrical field. The polarizability of a dielectric material is expressed by a value called the dielectric constant or relative permittivity. The dielectric constant of a given material is its dielectric permittivity expressed as a ratio relative to the permittivity of a vacuum, which is 1 by definition. A first dielectric material with a greater dielectric constant than a second dielectric material is able to store more electrical charge by means of polarization than the second dielectric material.

[0004] Some known dielectric waveguides include a core dielectric material and a cladding dielectric material that surrounds the core dielectric material. The cladding may be used to isolate wave signals traveling through the core from external influences which may interfere with the signal transmission and degrade the signal. For example, such external influences may include a human hand that touches the dielectric waveguide and/or another conductive component that contacts or comes in close proximity to the waveguide. The cladding layer around the core is typically circular. However, a circular cladding layer may make connecting the dielectric waveguide to electrical components or other waveguides difficult For example, some waveguides include a rectangular or other oblong-shaped core. It is important for the orientation of the core of a first waveguide to align with the orientation of the core of a second waveguide at a connecting interface in order for the electromagnetic waves to cross the interface between the two waveguides. If the cores and/or claddings of the two waveguides are not properly aligned, at least some of the electrical energy being conveyed through the waveguides will not bridge the interface between the waveguides. For example, the shapes of the core and cladding orient the electrical field orientation or polarization through the waveguide. If the cores are rotationally offset relative to one another, then the waves through the first waveguide may be polarized or oriented differently than the waves through the second waveguide. As a result, the waves from the first waveguide may reflect at the interface instead of being received across the interface into the second waveguide. Since the cladding is circular, there is no datum or reference edge for aligning the two waveguides together such that both the cores and claddings have matching orientations. Thus, one of the waveguides may roll relative to the other, which misaligns the waveguides and may result in degraded signal transmission across the interface between the waveguides.

[0005] There is a need for a dielectric waveguide that provides better mechanical alignment for connecting the waveguide to other waveguides and electrical components in order to increase the quality and integrity of signal transmission across a connection interface.

[0006] This problem is solved by a dielectric waveguide according to claim 1.

[0007] According to the invention, a dielectric waveguide for propagating electromagnetic signals comprises a cladding member extending a length between two ends. The cladding member is formed of a first dielectric material. The cladding member defines a core region mat extends through the cladding member along the length of the cladding member. The core region is filled with a second dielectric material having a dielectric constant value that differs from a dielectric constant value of the first dielectric material. The cladding member has an oblong cross-sectional shape, and the core region has a circular cross-sectional shape.

[0008] Then invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

[0009] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a dielectric waveguide formed in accordance with an embodiment

[0010] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide according to a first embodiment [0011] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide according to a second embodiment

[0012] Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the dielectric waveguide according to an alternative embodiment.

[0013] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide according to another alternative embodiment.

[0014] Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a dielectric waveguide 100 formed in accordance with an embodiment. The dielectric waveguide 100 is configured to convey electromagnetic signals along a length of the waveguide 100 for transmission of the waves to or from an antenna, a radio frequency transmitter and/or receiver, or another electrical component The electromagnetic signals may be in the form of waves. The dielectric waveguide 100 may be used to transmit sub-terahertz radio frequency signals, such as in the range of 120-160 GHz. The signals are millimeter-wave signals since the signals in mis frequency range have wavelengths less than five millimeters. The dielectric waveguide 100 may be used to transmit modulated radio frequency (RF) signals. The modulated RF signals may be modulated in orthogonal mathematical domains to increase data throughput. The dielectric waveguide 100 is oriented with respect to a vertical or elevation axis 1 1, a lateral axis 192, and a longitudinal axis 193. The axes 191-193 are mutually perpendicular. Although the elevation axis 191 appears to extend in a vertical direction generally parallel to gravity, it is understood mat the axes 191-193 are not required to have any particular orientation with respect to gravity. The dielectric waveguide 100 extends a length along the longitudinal axis 193 between two ends 104.

[0015] The dielectric waveguide 100 includes a cladding member 102 that extends the length of the dielectric waveguide 100. The cladding member 102 is formed of a dielectric material, referred to herein as a cladding material. Thus, the cladding material is an electrical insulator that may be polarized by an applied electric field. The cladding member 102 has an oblong cross-sectional shape. For example, the cross-sectional shape of the cladding member 102 is longer in one direction than in another direction. The oblong shape of the cladding member 102 may orient the electromagnetic waves that propagate through the dielectric waveguide 100 in a horizontal or vertical polarization. The cladding member 102 may be rectangular with right angle corners, rectangular with curved corners, trapezoidal, elliptical, oval, or the like. In the illustrated embodiment, the cladding member 102 has a top side 106, a bottom side 108, a left side 110, and a right side 112. As used herein, relative or spatial terms such as "first," "second," "top," "bottom," "left," and "right" are only used to distinguish the referenced elements and do not necessarily require particular positions, orders, or orientations in the dielectric waveguide. 100 or in the surrounding environment of the dielectric waveguide 100.

[0016] The cladding member 102 defines a core region 114 that extends through the cladding member 102 for the length of the cladding member 102 between the two ends 104. The core region 114 includes an opening 116 at both ends 104 of the cladding member 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the core region 114 has a circular cross-sectional shape, hi an alternative embodiment, the core region 114 may have an oblong cross-sectional shape. The core region 114 is filled with a dielectric material, referred to herein as a core material. The core material has a dielectric constant that is different from the dielectric constant of the cladding material.

[0017] The different dielectric constants of the core material and the cladding material affect the distribution of the electric field within the waveguide 100. For example, the electric field through the waveguide 100 may concentrate within the material having the greater dielectric constant, at least for two dielectric materials having dielectric constants in the range of 0-15. Thus, if the cladding material has a dielectric constant that is greater than the core material, a majority of the electric field is distributed within the cladding member 102 (such that the field strength is greatest within the cladding member 102), although some of the electric field may be distributed within the core region 114 and/or outside of the cladding member 102. On the other hand, if the core material has a greater dielectric constant than the core material, a majority of the electric field may be distributed within the core region 114 and a minority of the field is within the cladding member 102 and/or outside of the cladding member 102.

[0018] In an embodiment, at least one of the sides 106-112 of the dielectric waveguide 100 is planar or includes at least a planar surface. The at least one planar side may be used as a datum or reference surface for mechanically aligning the waveguide 100 in an interconnection with a connecting waveguide (not shown), a connector, an antenna, or another electrical component For example, the waveguide 100 may be configured to be connected to a connecting waveguide that is substantially identical to the waveguide 100 (except perhaps for length) by abutting one end 104 of the waveguide 100 against an end of the connecting waveguide at an interface to form a butt joint. The one or more datum surfaces of the waveguide 100 may be aligned with a complementary planar side of the connecting waveguide to ensure that the cladding member 102 and the core region 114 align with the respective cladding member and core region of the connecting waveguide. In the illustrated embodiment, all four sides 106-112 are planar, such that each of the sides 106-112 may be a datum surface used to align the waveguide 100 in an interconnection.

[0019] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide 100 according to a first embodiment In the illustrated embodiment, the core region 114 defined by the cladding member 102 is filled with air. Air defines the core dielectric material within the core region 114. Thus, the core region 114 is not filled with a solid material. Air has a dielectric constant that is approximately 1. The cladding material of the cladding member 102 has a dielectric constant that is greater than the dielectric constant of air. For example, the cladding material may have a dielectric constant between 2 and IS. More specifically, the cladding material may have a dielectric constant between 3 and 7. As used herein, a range that is "between" two end values is meant to be inclusive of the end values. Since the dielectric constant of the cladding material is greater than the dielectric constant of air, a majority of the electric field through the waveguide 100 is distributed within the cladding member 102. In an embodiment the dielectric constant value of the cladding material may be between 3 and 4 such that the difference in dielectric constant values between the core material within the core region 114 and the cladding material within the cladding member 102 is between 2 and 3. Thus, due to the relatively small difference in dielectric constant values, the field strength of the electric field is distributed within both the cladding member 102 and the core region 114, although the majority of the field strength is in the cladding member 102.

[0020] The cladding material of the cladding member 102 may be a dielectric polymer, such as a plastic or another synthetic polymer. For example, the cladding material may be polypropylene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polystyrene, nylon, a polyimide, or the like, including combinations thereof. Such polymers may reduce loss through the dielectric waveguide 100, allowing signals to propagate farther than other waveguide materials. In other embodiments, the cladding dielectric material may be or include paper, mica, rubber, salt, concrete, Neoprene, Pyrex, silicon dioxide, or the like. The cladding member 102 may be flexible or semi-rigid.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, the top side 106 and the bottom side 108 of the cladding member 102 are longer than the left side 110 and the right side 112 of the cladding member 102. As such, the cladding member 102 has a width (W) mat is greater than a height (H) of the cladding member 102. The electromagnetic waves may be oriented with a horizontal polarization due to the width being greater than the height In the illustrated embodiment, the cladding member 102 is rectangular. For example, the top side 106 is parallel to the bottom side 108, the left side 110 is parallel to the right side 112, and the cladding member 102 defines right angles between adjacent sides 106-112. Each of the sides 106-112 is planar. The cladding member 102 in Figure 2 thus includes two pairs of opposing planar sides, where the first pair is the top and bottom sides 106, 108 and the second pair is the left and right sides 110, 112. In an alternative embodiment, however, the cladding member 102 may include only one pair of opposing planar sides, which orients the electric field within the cladding member 102. The planar sides also serve as datum surfaces for mechanically aligning the waveguide 100 in an interconnection.

[0022] The cladding member 102 may have various dimensions. In an embodiment, the cladding member 102 has a height of approximately 0.8 mm and a width of approximately 1.2 mm. The aspect ratio for the width to the height is less than two in the illustrated embodiment The aspect ratio may be at least two in alternative embodiments. As described above, the cladding member 102 may have other oblong shapes in other embodiments, such as rectangular with rounded corners, trapezoidal, elliptical, oval, or the like.

[0023] The cladding member 102 may be fabricated using standard manufacturing processes and/or techniques, such as by extrusion, drawing, fusing, molding, or the like. In one example, the cladding member 102 is extruded to form the cladding member 102 and define the core region 114 within the interior of the cladding member 102. The core region 114 may have various sizes relative to the cladding member 102. In an embodiment, the diameter of the circular core region 114 is approximately half of the height of the cladding member 102 (such as 0.4 mm), and the core region 114 is located along a center region of the cladding member 102.

[0024] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide 100 according to a second embodiment In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the dielectric waveguide 100 includes a core member 118 within the core region 114 of the cladding member 102. The core member 118 extends the length of the dielectric waveguide 100 between the two ends 104 (shown in Figure 1). The core member 118 fills the core region 114 such that no clearances or gaps exist between an outer surface of the core member 118 and an inner surface of the cladding member 102. The cladding member 102 engages and surrounds the core member 118 along the length of the core member 118.

[0025] The core member 118 is formed of the core dielectric material mentioned in Figure 1. The core dielectric material of the core member 118 in an embodiment is a solid dielectric material, not air as is shown in Figure 2. For example, the cladding member 102 and the core member 118 of the dielectric waveguide 100 may both be formed of dielectric polymers, such as plastics or other synthetic polymers. The core member 118 may include one or more of polypropylene, polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polystyrene, or the like. The core material of the core member 118 differs from the cladding material that forms the cladding member 102.

[0026] In one embodiment, the dielectric constant of the core material is less than the dielectric constant of the cladding material. The core material may have a dielectric constant less than 3, while the cladding material has a dielectric constant between 3 and 12, or more specifically between 3 and 7. In an embodiment, the dielectric constant value of the core material differs from the dielectric constant value of the cladding material by less than S. For example, the difference in the respective dielectric constants may be between 1.5 and 3. In an example embodiment, the core material of the core member 118 may be PTFE, having a dielectric constant of 2.1, and the cladding material of the cladding member 102 may be nylon, having a dielectric constant of approximately 4 (with the difference between the dielectric constants being 1.9). In an alternative embodiment, the dielectric constant of the core material may be greater than the dielectric constant of the cladding material. [0027] Optionally, the dielectric waveguide 100 shown in Figure 3 may be fabricated using standard manufacturing processes and/or techniques, such as by extrusion, drawing, fusing, molding, or the like. In one example, the core dielectric material and the cladding dielectric material are co-extruded such that the core member 118 and the cladding member 102 are formed simultaneously. Alternatively, the core member 118 may be preformed and the cladding dielectric material may be extruded, molded, drawn, or the like, over the core member 118 to form the cladding member 102 around the core member 118.

[0028] In the illustrated embodiment, the core member 118 has a circular cross- sectional shape. It may be beneficial for the core member 118 to have a circular shape because it may be easier to extrude or otherwise form the core member 118 in a circular shape than in an oblong shape. Since the cladding member 102 has an oblong shape, the cladding member 102 functions to orient the electric field in the dielectric waveguide 100 instead of the core member 118. Although core member 118 is circular in the illustrated embodiment, in an alternative embodiment the core member 118 may be oblong or have a different cross-sectional shape.

[0029] Figure 4 is a top perspective view of the dielectric waveguide 100 according to an alternative embodiment The embodiment of the dielectric waveguide 100 shown in Figure 4 differs from the embodiment shown in Figure 1 because the waveguide 100 in Figure 4 includes an outer jacket 120 that surrounds the cladding member 102 along the length of the waveguide 100. The outer jacket 120 may be used to better isolate the electromagnetic signals within the waveguide 100 from external influences that may interfere and degrade the signal transmission. For example, the outer jacket 120 may be formed of a dielectric material, referred to as a jacket material, which has a dielectric constant value that is less than the dielectric constant value of the cladding material. Since the cladding material has a greater dielectric constant than the jacket material, the electric field is concentrated in the cladding member 102 rather than in the outer jacket 120. Therefore, a majority of the electric field is spaced apart from the boundary between the outer jacket 120 and the external environment, where external influences such as a human touch may disturb the field along the boundary. The jacket material may have a dielectric constant that is greater than, less than, or equal to the core material within the core region 114 of the cladding member 102. For example, the jacket material optionally may be the same material as the core material. [0030] In the illustrated embodiment, the outer jacket 120 has an oblong cross- sectional shape. For example, the outer jacket 120 is rectangular with two opposing longer sides 122 and two opposing shorter sides 124. The longer sides 122 align with the longer top and bottom sides 106, 108 of the cladding member 102 such that the longer sides 122 are parallel to the top and bottom sides 106, 108. In addition, the shorter sides 124 align with the shorter left and right sides 110, 112 of the cladding member 102 such that the shorter sides 124 ate parallel to the left and right sides 110, 112. Although the outer jacket 120 obstructs the view of the cladding member 102 within the outer jacket 120, when connecting the dielectric waveguide 100 to an identical or substantially similar connecting waveguide, an operator or a machine may align the two waveguides by aligning the outer jacket 120 of the waveguide 100 with the outer jacket of the connecting waveguide. For example, the jackets may be aligned by arranging the longer sides 122 of the jacket 120 with the corresponding longer sides of me outer jacket of the connecting waveguide to provide a continuous plane extending across the connection interface. Such alignment of the jackets also aligns the cladding member 102 within the waveguide 100 with the cladding of the connecting waveguide. As a result, the polarized electromagnetic waves within the dielectric waveguide 100 are readily received across the interface and into the connecting waveguide without being reflected back into the dielectric waveguide 100.

[0031] In an alternative embodiment, the outer jacket 120 may have a circular or square cross-sectional shape instead of having an oblong shape. In order to align the dielectric waveguide 100 with a connecting waveguide, a segment of the jacket 120 at one or both of the ends 104 of the waveguide 100 may be stripped or otherwise removed to expose the oblong cladding member 102. The exposed cladding member 102 may be used to align the waveguide 100 with the connecting waveguide. Optionally, a dielectric tape or the like may be applied around the exposed cladding member 102 after the connection is made in order to reduce interference caused by external influences.

[0032] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the dielectric waveguide 100 according to another alternative embodiment In Figure 5, the core region 114 defined by the cladding member 102 has an oblong cross-sectional shape. In the illustrated embodiment, the core region 114 is filled by a solid core member 118, but the core region 114 may be filled with air in an alternative embodiment. The core member 118 may be formed of a dielectric material that has a dielectric constant value that is less than a dielectric constant value of the cladding material of the cladding member 102. As such, the electric field within the waveguide 100 may be distributed primarily within the cladding member 102, with less of the field being within the core member 118. For example, the dielectric constant of the core material of the core member 118 may be less than 3, and the dielectric constant of the cladding material of the cladding member 102 may be between 3 and 7. Optionally, the embodiment of the waveguide 100 shown in Figure 5 may be surrounded by an outer jacket, such as the outer jacket 120 shown in Figure 4. Although the core member 118 has a rectangular cross- sectional shape with right angle corners in the illustrated embodiment, the core member 118 may have other oblong shapes in other embodiments, such as elliptical, oval, trapezoidal, rectangular with rounded corners, or the like.