Method of producing an electromagnetic (EM) probe
Inventors
SAROKA, Amir • Almog, Benyamin • Bergida, Shiomi
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11690515-B2
Publication Date
2023-07-04
Expiration Date
Abstract
An electromagnetic (EM) probe for monitoring one or more biological tissues. The EM probe comprises a cup shaped cavity having an opening and an interior volume, a circumferential flange formed substantially around the cup shaped cavity, in proximity to the opening, at least one layer of a material, for absorbing electromagnetic radiation, applied over at least one of a portion of the circumferential flange and a portion of the outer surface of the cup shaped cavity, and at least one EM radiation element which performs at least one of emitting and capturing EM radiation via the interior volume.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a printed circuit board electromagnetic probe configured for monitoring at least one biological tissue. The probe comprises a plurality of layers fabricated one on top of the other to form a cup shaped cavity having an opening and an interior volume, with a conductive top layer forming a top of the cup shaped cavity. The interior cavity provides a defined region for EM radiation interaction during emitting and capturing.
The plurality of layers include at least one middle layer comprising a dielectric substrate with underneath an etched antenna configured for at least one of emitting and capturing EM radiation. A bottom layer comprising a dielectric substrate supports the layered cup-shaped structure. Via holes pass via at least some of the plurality of layers, and are filled with a conductive material to form a plurality of lateral walls of the formed cup shaped cavity.
The described probe architecture is further supported by embodiments in which the interior volume and/or coupling regions use dielectric materials, while additional absorbing materials are applied to dissipate parasitic RF/microwave fields and improve isolation and signal-to-noise. Wearable and system embodiments include transmitter/receiver and processing to analyze dielectric properties. Simulation-based support is described showing that absorbing layers limit fields and currents to the probe interior compared to configurations without absorbing material.
Claims Coverage
The document includes two independent claims. The inventive features focus on a multi-layer PCB forming a cup shaped cavity, an etched antenna configured for emitting and capturing EM radiation, and conductive-filled via holes that form lateral cavity walls; method coverage also recites fabricating the layered cavity structure by drilling and filling the via holes.
Multi-layer PCB forming a cup shaped cavity for biological tissue monitoring
A printed circuit board electromagnetic probe comprising a plurality of layers fabricated one on top of the other to form a cup shaped cavity having an opening and an interior volume, the plurality of layers comprising a conductive top layer forming a top of the formed cup shaped cavity and a bottom layer comprising a dielectric substrate.
Etched antenna configured for emitting and capturing EM radiation
At least one middle layer comprising a dielectric substrate and underneath an etched antenna configured for at least one of emitting and capturing EM radiation.
Conductive via holes forming lateral walls of the cup shaped cavity
A plurality of via holes passing via at least some of the plurality of layers and filled with a conductive material for forming a plurality of lateral walls of the formed cup shaped cavity.
Fabricating layered PCB with conductive-filled via holes to form cavity lateral walls
A method for fabricating a printed circuit board electromagnetic probe for monitoring at least one biological tissue, comprising fabricating a plurality of layers one on top of the other to form a cup shaped cavity having an opening and an interior volume, drilling a plurality of via holes via at least some of the plurality of layers, and filling the plurality of via holes with a conductive material for forming a plurality of lateral walls of the formed cup shaped cavity.
Across the independent claims, the coverage centers on a PCB electromagnetic probe constructed from multiple stacked layers that form a cup shaped cavity, an etched antenna in a dielectric middle layer configured for emitting and/or capturing EM radiation, and conductive-filled via holes that form lateral walls of the cup shaped cavity. The method claim covers fabricating the same layered cavity structure by drilling and filling conductive via holes to form the lateral walls.
Stated Advantages
Improve isolation and signal-to-noise by dissipating parasitic RF/microwave fields using absorbing material layers applied over portions of the flange and/or cup surfaces.
Limit fields and currents to the probe interior when absorbing layers are used, as supported by simulation-based support.
Documented Applications
Monitoring at least one biological tissue using an electromagnetic probe.
Wearable and system embodiments including transmitter/receiver and processing to analyze dielectric properties.
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