RF front-end module for wireless communication devices

• US 20040232982A1
• Filed: 05/10/2004
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Guan-Wu Wang, Ikuroh Ichitsubo, Weiping Wang
• Original Assignee: Guan-Wu Wang, Ikuroh Ichitsubo, Weiping Wang
• Inventors: Wang, Weiping, Ichitsubo, Ikuroh, Wang, Guan-Wu
• Application Number:
  US10/843,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20040232982A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/129
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05554 being square
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48095 Kinked
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/4813 Connecting within a semiconductor or solid-state body, i.e. fly wire, bridge wire
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48137 the bodies being arranged next to each other, e.g. on a common substrate
• 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 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• 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 2924/01005 Boron [B]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01006 : Carbon [C]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01013 : Aluminum [Al]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01014 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01015 : Phosphorus [P]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01027 : Cobalt [Co]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01028 : Nickel [Ni]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01031 : Gallium [Ga]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01049 : Indium [In]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01074 : Tungsten [W]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01076 : Osmium [Os]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/014 : Solder alloys
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/04953 : TaN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10329 : Gallium arsenide [GaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10336 : Aluminium gallium arsenide [AlGaAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1305 : Bipolar Junction Transistor [BJT]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1306 : Field-effect transistor [FET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13064 : High Electron Mobility Transistor [HEMT, HFET [heterostructure FET], MODFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19042 : being an inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19043 : being a resistor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19105 : in a side-by-side arrangement on a common die mounting substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/0272 : by using a signal derived from the output signal
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 : in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for a device with an active substrate comprising substantially transistors or diodes formed thereon, the active substrate having at least a power amplifier formed thereon; a passive substrate comprising substantially inductors, capacitors or resistors formed thereon; a plurality of bonding pads positioned on the active and passive substrates; and bonding wires connected to the bonding pads.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

an active substrate comprising substantially transistors or diodes formed thereon, the active substrate having at least a radio frequency amplifier or a switch formed thereon;

a passive substrate comprising substantially inductors, capacitors or resistors formed thereon;

a plurality of bonding pads positioned on the active and passive substrates; and

bonding wires connected to the bonding pads.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein one of the substrate comprises gallium arsenide circuits.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the active substrate comprises supporting passive components.

4. The device of claim 1, comprising one or more substantially passive integrated circuits for passive components only,

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrates are interconnected with bonding wires.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the active substrate comprises primarily transistors.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the transistors include silicon bipolar, CMOS, RFCMOS, BICOMS, SiGe, GaAs HBT, HEMT, or PHEMT.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the transistors are fabricated on a wafer with semiconductor layer structure, junctions, and dopings.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive substrate comprises a network of resistor (R), inductor (L), and capacitor (C) without active device structure.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive substrate comprises one or more conductive metal layers for inductor (L) and interconnection.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive substrate comprises an insulating layer with suitable dielectric properties.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the insulating layer comprises one of nitride and oxide as a dielectric layer for a capacitor (C).

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive substrate comprises a layer including TaN or NiCr for a resistor (R).

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the passive substrate comprises one or more circuits of passive components including one of transmission lines, impedance matching network, filters, balun, and diplexers.

15. The device of claim 1, comprising an electronic circuit having an electrically conductive base and a three dimensional substrate having a conductive layer adapted to bond with the electrically conductive base.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the amplifier comprises one of:

a single-ended input and a double-ended input.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the power amplifier is a single-ended input power amplifier, further comprising a balun coupled to the power amplifier to convert the single-ended input to a double-ended input.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the balun is coupled to either the input or the output of the power amplifier.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the balun is formed on the passive substrate.

20. The device of claim 1, comprising a plurality of active substrates and a plurality of passive substrates electrically coupled to one or more of the substrates.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the active and passive substrates includes one or more metal patterns forming one of the following:

transmission lines, microstrips, coplanar strips, coplanar waveguides and slot lines.

22. The device of claim 1, further comprising a switch centrally positioned in the device.

23. The device of claim 22, comprising

a. a passive substrate for a lower-frequency band-pass filter and an active substrate for a low frequency power amplifier on a first side of the switch;

b. a passive substrate for a higher-frequency band-pass filter and an active substrate for a high frequency power amplifier on a second side of a switch;

c. a diplexer positioned below the switch and coupled to the passive substrates for the low-frequency band-pass filter and the high-frequency band-pass filter.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the low-frequency is in the 2 GHz band and the high-frequency is in the 5 GHz band.

25. The device of claim 24, comprising first and second antenna pins adapted to receive or transmit a low-frequency and a high-frequency RF signals respectively.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising first and second receiver ports, wherein signals are routed from the first and second antenna pins to the first and second receiver ports, respectively.

27. The device of claim 26, further comprising first and second transmitter ports, wherein signals are routed from the first and second transmitter ports to the first and second antenna pins, respectively.

28. The device of claim 1, further comprising a lead-frame to receive the active and passive substrates, wherein the lead-frame comprises one or more fingers and wherein one or more of the bonding wires connect one or more bonding pads to the one or more fingers.