Wireless communications with dielectric medium

• US 10,381,713 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Kyles, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US15/988,957
• Publication Number:
  US 20180277927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455333, 455 39, 455 901, 455 73
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device antennas per se H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/48 Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the solid state body in operation, e.g. leads, terminal arrangements ; Selection of materials therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/495 Lead-frames or other flat leads H01L23/498 takes precedence; lead frame interconnections between components H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/49 of a plurality of wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/73 Means for bonding being of different types provided for in two or more of groups H01L24/10, H01L24/18, H01L24/26, H01L24/34, H01L24/42, H01L24/50, H01L24/63, H01L24/71
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00012 : Relevant to the scope of the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2291 : used in bluetooth or WI-FI devices of Wireless Local Area Networks [WLAN] H01Q1/241 takes precedence; WLAN in general H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 : formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 : Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/0485 : Dielectric resonator antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/265 : Open ring dipoles; Circular dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/18 : Input circuits, e.g. for coupling to an antenna or a transmission line coupling networks between antennas or lines and receivers independent of the nature of the receiver H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 : Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 : for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 : for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0243 : Printed circuits associated with mounted high frequency components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 : Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/181 : associated with surface mounted components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0723 : provided by an inner layer of PCB
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10522 : Adjacent components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 9/0056 : specially adapted for microwave applications

Abstract

An electronic device may include a dielectric substrate, an electronic circuit supported by the substrate, for processing data, and a communication unit having an antenna. The communication unit may be mounted to the substrate in communication with the electronic circuit for converting between a first EHF electromagnetic signal containing digital information and a data signal conducted by the electronic circuit. The electromagnetic signal may be transmitted or received along a signal path by the antenna. An electromagnetic signal guide assembly may include a dielectric element made of a dielectric material disposed proximate the antenna in the signal path. The electromagnetic signal guide may have sides extending along the signal path. A sleeve element may extend around the dielectric element along sides of the dielectric element. The sleeve element may impede transmission of the electromagnetic signal through the sides of the dielectric element.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a transceiver integrated circuit (IC) configured to transmit or receive an electromagnetic signal operating in an extremely high frequency (EHF) band;

a first dielectric portion having a first dielectric constant, the first dielectric portion at least partially covering the transceiver IC and configured to direct the electromagnetic signal in the EHF band; and

a second dielectric portion having a second dielectric constant and laterally surrounding the first dielectric portion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric constant is greater than the second dielectric constant.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric portion comprises plastic.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric portion comprises foam.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric portion comprises an air gap.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second dielectric portion comprises an opening that exposes a top surface of the first dielectric portion, the first dielectric portion disposed within the opening of the second dielectric portion to be laterally surrounded by the second dielectric portion.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the transceiver IC is covered by the first dielectric portion.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first dielectric portion directs the electromagnetic signal in the EHF band from the transceiver IC toward the opening of the second dielectric portion, or directs the electromagnetic signal in the EHF band from the opening of the second dielectric portion toward the transceiver IC.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein both the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion are rectangular in shape.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the both the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion are concentric rectangles in shape.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a conductive portion laterally surrounding the second dielectric portion.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the conductive portion is configured to suppress ingress or egress of spurious radiation of the electromagnetic signal in the EHF band.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the second dielectric portion isolates the first dielectric portion from the conductive portion.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the conductive portion comprises another opening that exposes a top surface of the first dielectric portion and a top surface of the second dielectric portion that laterally surrounds the first dielectric portion, both the first dielectric portion and the second dielectric portion disposed within the opening of the conductive portion to be laterally surrounded by the conductive portion.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the first dielectric portion, the second dielectric portion, and the conductive portion are rectangular in shape.