Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module having a substrate. A phased antenna array of dielectric resonator antennas and a radio-frequency integrated circuit for the array may be mounted to one or more surfaces of the substrate. The dielectric resonator antennas may include dielectric columns excited by feed probes. The feed probes may be printed onto sidewalls of the dielectric columns or may be pressed against the sidewalls by biasing structures. A plastic substrate may be molded over each dielectric column and each of the feed probes in the array. The feed probes may cover multiple polarizations. The array may include elements for covering multiple frequency bands. The dielectric columns may be aligned a longitudinal axis and may be rotated at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a sidewall and an antenna module pressed against an interior surface of the sidewall. The module may include a phased antenna array. The sidewall may have apertures aligned with respective antenna in the array. The antennas may convey radio-frequency signals in first and second frequency bands greater than 10 GHz and with vertical and horizontal polarizations. Each aperture may include a corresponding cavity with non-linear cavity walls. The antennas may excite resonant cavity modes of the cavities that cause the cavities to radiate the radio-frequency signals as waveguide radiators. At the same time, the apertures may form a smooth impedance transition between the antennas and free space for the radio-frequency signals of both the horizontal and vertical polarizations.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display and a phased array antenna that transmits radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The display may include a conductive layer that is used to form pixel circuitry and/or touch sensor electrodes. A filter may be formed from conductive structures within the conductive layer. The conductive structures may include an array of conductive patches separated by slots or may include conductive paths that define an array of slots. The filter may include an additional array of conductive patches stacked under the array of conductive patches to allow the slots to be narrower than would be resolvable to the unaided human eye. The periodicity of the conductive structures and the slots in the filter may be selected to tune a cutoff frequency of the filter to be greater than frequencies handled by the phased antenna array.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array and a display cover layer. The phased antenna array may include a probe-fed dielectric resonator antenna that radiates through the cover layer. The antenna may include a dielectric resonating element that is excited by one or two feed probes. One or more floating parasitic elements and/or grounded parasitic elements may be patterned onto the dielectric resonating element. The parasitic elements may create boundary conditions on the dielectric resonating element that serve to isolate the antenna from cross polarization interference.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a display and a phased array antenna that transmits radio-frequency signals at frequencies greater than 10 GHz. The display may include a conductive layer that is used to form pixel circuitry and/or touch sensor electrodes. A filter may be formed from conductive structures within the conductive layer. The conductive structures may include an array of conductive patches separated by slots or may include conductive paths that define an array of slots. The filter may include an additional array of conductive patches stacked under the array of conductive patches to allow the slots to be narrower than would be resolvable to the unaided human eye. The periodicity of the conductive structures and the slots in the filter may be selected to tune a cutoff frequency of the filter to be greater than frequencies handled by the phased antenna array.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a dielectric cover layer, a dielectric substrate, and a phased antenna array on the dielectric substrate for conveying millimeter wave signals through the dielectric cover layer. The array may include conductive traces mounted against the dielectric layer. The conductive traces may form patch elements or parasitic elements for the phased antenna array. The dielectric layer may have a dielectric constant and a thickness selected to form a quarter wave impedance transformer for the array at a wavelength of operation of the array. The substrate may include fences of conductive vias that laterally surround each of the antennas within the array. When configured in this way, signal attenuation, destructive interference, and surface wave generation associated with the presence of the dielectric layer over the phased antenna array may be minimized.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. The array may convey signals greater than 10 GHz and may be formed on a substrate having transmission line layers and antenna layers. An antenna in the array may have a radiating element that includes first, second, and third overlapping patch elements on the antenna layers. The antenna may be fed using a differential transmission line coupled to a differential feed on the first patch element. The differential transmission line may include first and second signal traces. A first via may couple the first signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. A second via may couple the second signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. The patch elements may introduce capacitances to the radiating element that help to compensate for inductances associated with the distance between the radiating element and the signal traces.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry for conveying radio-frequency signals greater than 10 GHz. The wireless circuitry may include a phased antenna array that transmits a steerable signal beam and independent antennas that are separate from the array. The array may be coupled to a first transceiver and the independent antennas may be coupled to a second transceiver. Power amplifier stages may be coupled between the second transceiver and the independent antennas to boost the gain of the independent antennas. If desired, the array and the independent antennas may be coupled to ports of the same transceiver. In this arrangement, each independent antenna may include an antenna feed that is coupled to a respective pair of ports on the transceiver. This may serve to boost the gain of the independent antennas without power amplifier circuitry. The independent antennas may have smaller footprints than the phased antenna array.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a dielectric cover layer, a dielectric substrate, and a phased antenna array on the dielectric substrate for conveying millimeter wave signals through the dielectric cover layer. The array may include conductive traces mounted against the dielectric layer. The conductive traces may form patch elements or parasitic elements for the phased antenna array. The dielectric layer may have a dielectric constant and a thickness selected to form a quarter wave impedance transformer for the array at a wavelength of operation of the array. The substrate may include fences of conductive vias that laterally surround each of the antennas within the array. When configured in this way, signal attenuation, destructive interference, and surface wave generation associated with the presence of the dielectric layer over the phased antenna array may be minimized.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. Each antenna in the array may include a patch element having first, second, third, and fourth positive antenna feed terminals. The first and second terminals may convey first signals with a first polarization. The third and fourth terminals may convey second signals with a second polarization. Phase shifting components such as phase shifting transmission line segments or phase shifter circuits may ensure that the first signals at the first terminal are out of phase with respect to the first signals at the second terminal and may ensure that the second signals at the third terminal are out of phase with respect to the second signals at the fourth terminal. This may allow antenna current density for both polarizations to be symmetrically distributed about a normal axis of the patch element.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a cover layer and a phased antenna array mounted against the cover layer. Each antenna in the array may include a first patch element that is directly fed using first and second feeds and a second patch element that is directly fed using third and fourth feeds. A slot element may be formed in the first patch element. The first patch element may radiate in a first frequency band through the cover layer. The slot element may radiate in a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band through the cover layer. The second patch element may indirectly feed the slot element. Locating the radiating elements for each frequency band in the same plane may allow the antenna to radiate through the cover layer in both frequency bands with satisfactory antenna efficiency.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a dielectric cover layer, a dielectric substrate, and a phased antenna array on the dielectric substrate for conveying millimeter wave signals through the dielectric cover layer. The array may include conductive traces mounted against the dielectric layer. The conductive traces may form patch elements or parasitic elements for the phased antenna array. The dielectric layer may have a dielectric constant and a thickness selected to form a quarter wave impedance transformer for the array at a wavelength of operation of the array. The substrate may include fences of conductive vias that laterally surround each of the antennas within the array. When configured in this way, signal attenuation, destructive interference, and surface wave generation associated with the presence of the dielectric layer over the phased antenna array may be minimized.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with wireless circuitry. The wireless circuitry may include one or more antennas. The antennas may include millimeter wave antenna arrays formed from arrays of patch antennas, dipole antennas or other millimeter wave antennas on millimeter wave antenna array substrates. Circuitry such as upconverter and downconverter circuitry may be mounted on the substrates. The upconverter and downconverter may be coupled to wireless communications circuitry such as a baseband processor circuit using an intermediate frequency signal path. The electronic device may have opposing front and rear faces. A display may cover the front face. A rear housing wall may cover the rear face. A metal midplate may be interposed between the display and rear housing wall. Millimeter wave antenna arrays may transmit and receive antenna signals through the rear housing wall.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a cover layer and a phased antenna array mounted against the cover layer. Each antenna in the array may include a first patch element that is directly fed using first and second feeds and a second patch element that is directly fed using third and fourth feeds. A slot element may be formed in the first patch element. The first patch element may radiate in a first frequency band through the cover layer. The slot element may radiate in a second frequency band that is higher than the first frequency band through the cover layer. The second patch element may indirectly feed the slot element. Locating the radiating elements for each frequency band in the same plane may allow the antenna to radiate through the cover layer in both frequency bands with satisfactory antenna efficiency.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array and a display cover layer. The phased antenna array may include a dielectric resonator antenna. The dielectric resonator antenna may include a dielectric resonating element embedded in a lower permittivity dielectric substrate. The substrate and the resonating element may be mounted to a flexible printed circuit. A slot may be formed in ground traces on the flexible printed circuit and aligned with the resonating element. The slot may excite resonant modes of the resonating element. The resonating element may convey corresponding radio-frequency signals through the cover layer. A dielectric matching layer may be interposed between the resonating element and the cover layer. If desired, the slot may radiate additional radio-frequency signals and the matching layer may have a tapered shape. Dielectric resonator antennas for covering different polarizations and frequencies may be interleaved across the array.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a dielectric cover layer and a conductive layer on the dielectric cover layer. The conductive layer may define an opening. A dielectric spacer may be mounted to the cover layer within the opening. A substrate may be mounted to the spacer. Vertical conductive structures may extend from the conductive layer to the substrate and may laterally surround the spacer. A phased antenna array may be formed on the substrate and aligned with the opening. The cover layer may have a dielectric constant and thickness that are selected to form a quarter wave impedance transformer for the array at a wavelength of operation of the array. The spacer and the conductive structures may exhibit a cavity resonance at the wavelength. The array and the conductive structures may radiate radio-frequency signals at millimeter wave frequencies through the dielectric cover layer.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array. The array may convey signals greater than 10 GHz and may be formed on a substrate having transmission line layers and antenna layers. An antenna in the array may have a radiating element that includes first, second, and third overlapping patch elements on the antenna layers. The antenna may be fed using a differential transmission line coupled to a differential feed on the first patch element. The differential transmission line may include first and second signal traces. A first via may couple the first signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. A second via may couple the second signal trace to the first, second, and third patch elements. The patch elements may introduce capacitances to the radiating element that help to compensate for inductances associated with the distance between the radiating element and the signal traces.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array and a display cover layer. The phased antenna array may include a probe-fed dielectric resonator antenna. The antenna may include a dielectric resonating element mounted to a flexible printed circuit. A feed probe may be formed from a patch of conductive traces on a sidewall of the resonating element. The feed probe may excite resonant modes of the resonating element. The resonating element may convey corresponding radio-frequency signals through the display cover layer. An additional feed probe may be mounted to an orthogonal sidewall of the resonating element for covering additional polarizations. Probe-fed dielectric resonator antennas for covering different polarizations and frequencies may be interleaved across the phased antenna array.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array controlled by phase and magnitude controllers within an integrated circuit. The array may be formed on antenna layers and the integrated circuit may be mounted to transmission line layers of a dielectric substrate. A ground plane may separate the transmission line layers from the antenna layers. A connector may be mounted to the surface of the transmission line layers and may be coupled to the integrated circuit using conductive traces. A passive resonator may be formed in the antenna layers and may include conductive structures that resonate at one-quarter of the effective wavelength of operation of the array to form an open circuit impedance for surface currents generated on the ground plane by the array. This may serve to block the surface currents from scattering at an edge of the ground plane and leaking onto the integrated circuit.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with an antenna module and a phased antenna array on the module. The module may include a logic board, an antenna board surface-mounted to the logic board, and a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) mounted surface-mounted to the logic board. The phased antenna array may include antennas embedded in the antenna board. The antennas may radiate at centimeter and/or millimeter wave frequencies. The logic board may form a radio-frequency interface between the RFIC and the antennas. Transmission lines in the logic board and the antenna board may include impedance matching segments that help to match the impedance of the RFIC to the impedance of the antennas. The module may efficiently utilize space within the device without sacrificing radio-frequency performance.