Local wireless communications within a device

• US 20080159243A1
• Filed: 12/30/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,587 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6627 Waveguides, e.g. microstrip line, strip line, coplanar line
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45015 being circular
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/0651 Wire or wire-like electrical connections from device to substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06527 Special adaptation of electrical connections, e.g. rewiring, engineering changes, pressure contacts, layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06562 at least one device in the stack being rotated or offset
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3128 the substrate having spherical bumps for external connection
• 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 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/48 of an individual wire connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0652 the devices being arranged next and on each other, i.e. mixed assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• 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 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1903 : including wave guides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/121 : integrated in a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 : mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 : Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them

Abstract

A radio transceiver device includes circuitry for radiating electromagnetic signals at a very high radio frequency both through space, as well as through wave guides that are formed within a substrate material. In one embodiment, the substrate comprises a dielectric substrate formed within a board, for example, a printed circuit board. In another embodiment of the invention, the wave guide is formed within a die of an integrated circuit radio transceiver. A plurality of transceivers with different functionality is defined. Substrate transceivers are operable to transmit through the wave guides, while local transceivers are operable to produce very short range wireless transmissions through space. A third and final transceiver is a typical wireless transceiver for communication with remote (non-local to the device) transceivers.

Claims

1. A substrate within a device having a first and second intra-device local transceiver, the substrate comprising:

the first intra-device local transceiver formed upon the substrate;

a wave guide formed within the substrate operable to guide very high radio frequency (RF) signals within the wave guide;

a first substrate local transceiver operable to transmit the very high RF signals through the wave guide;

a second substrate local transceiver operable to receive the very high RF signals from the wave guide;

wherein the first intra-device local transceiver is communicatively coupled to the first substrate local transceiver and is operable to wirelessly transmit low power RF signals through space to the second intra-device local transceiver; and

a remote transceiver communicatively coupled to at least one of the first substrate local transceiver, the second substrate local transceiver, the first intra-device local transceiver, or the second intra-device local transceiver, wherein the remote transceiver is operable to transmit wireless communication signals to remote wireless communication devices.

2. The substrate of claim 1 wherein the first intra-device local transceiver is operable to generate an RF transmission at a power level sufficient to reach the second intra-device local transceiver operably disposed within the device.

3. The substrate of claim 2 wherein the first intra-device local transceiver generates a very high RF signal for transmission to the second intra-device local transceiver.

4. The substrate of claim 2 wherein the very high RF signal is at least 10 GHz.

5. The substrate of claim 4 wherein the circuitry for communicating with other intra-device local transceivers and for communicating with the first substrate local transceiver includes frequency conversion circuitry for converting from an RF signal characterized by a first RF frequency to an RF signal characterized by a second RF frequency wherein at least one of the first and second RF frequencies is a very high frequency signal that is at least 10 GHz.

6. The substrate of claim 1 wherein the substrate is one of a plurality of substrates operably disposed within a communication device and comprises at least one of an integrated circuit radio transceiver, a board supporting integrated circuit radio transceivers, or a printed circuit board supporting integrated circuit radio transceivers.

7. The substrate of claim 1 further including a second wave guide formed within a first integrated circuit die and a third substrate local transceiver operably disposed on the first integrated circuit die to communicate through the second wave guide.

8. The substrate of claim 7 wherein the first and second wave guides define substantially isolated signal paths in relation to each other to minimize co-interference.

9. The substrate of claim 8 wherein the first and second wave guides are physically diverse in relation to each other.

10. The substrate of claim 8 wherein a defined boundary is formed to operably isolate the first and second wave guides in relation to each other.

11. The substrate of claim 10 wherein one of the first and second wave guides is formed at least partially within the other of the first and second wave guides.

12. The substrate of claim 1 wherein the first integrated circuit die further includes:

a first dielectric region further including electronic circuit components;

a second dielectric region operable as the second wave guide for conducting very high radio frequency signals wherein the second dielectric region defines a bounded volume for conducting and substantially containing the very high radio frequency signals;

wherein the first substrate local transceiver is communicatively coupled to a first substrate antenna;

the second substrate local transceiver communicatively coupled to a second substrate antenna; and

wherein the first and second substrate antennas are operably disposed to transmit and receive radio frequency communication signals through the second dielectric region.

13. The substrate of claim 12 wherein the second dielectric region comprises a substantially uniformly doped dielectric region.

14. The substrate of claim 13 wherein the second dielectric region comprises a plurality of wave guides.

21. The apparatus of claim 1.8 wherein a center frequency of the very high radio frequency band is approximately equal to 60 GHz.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

first and second radio transceiver integrated circuit die;

first and second very short range local transceivers formed within the first radio transceiver integrated circuit die wherein the first and second very short range local transceivers are operable to communicate with each other over a first frequency band characterized by very high radio frequency signals for intra-die communications;

a first intra-device radio local transceiver operably coupled to the first radio transceiver integrated circuit die for supporting intra-device communications;

a second intra-device radio local transceiver operably coupled to one of the first and second radio transceiver integrated circuit die wherein the first and second intra-device radio local transceivers are operable to communicate with each other using radio frequency signals characterized by a second frequency band; and

a network device remote transceiver operably coupled to one of the first and second radio transceiver integrated circuit die wherein the network device remote transceiver is operable to communicate with remote network device transceivers using radio frequency signals characterized by a third frequency band.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the apparatus comprises a device with a plurality of boards supporting a plurality of radio transceiver integrated circuit die including the first and second radio transceiver integrated circuit die.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the device comprises a multi-chip module supporting the plurality of radio transceiver integrated circuit die including the first and second integrated circuit radio transceiver die.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the very high radio frequency signals are at least 10 GHz signals.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first and second very short range local transceivers for intra-die communications are operable to transmit the very high radio frequency signals through a substrate wave guide.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first and second very short range local transceivers for intra-die communications are operable to wirelessly transmit the very high radio frequency signals through space.

22. The apparatus of claim 18 further including:

a supporting substrate including electronic circuit components;

a guiding structure having a fabricated composition for guiding radio frequency electromagnetic waves wherein the guiding structure is formed within the supporting substrate;

a first substrate antenna communicatively coupled to a first substrate local transceiver;

a second substrate antenna communicatively coupled to a second substrate local transceiver wherein the first and second substrate antennas are operably disposed to transmit and receive radio frequency communication signals through the guiding structure of the supporting substrate.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the first and second first very short range local transceivers generate very low power signals intended to only communicatively couple with very short range local transceivers operably disposed on the same die.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the apparatus supports intra-die RF communications utilizing very low power short range local communications, inter-die RF communications and inter-device for remote communications wherein the apparatus includes circuitry to couple at least one of the intra-die RF and inter-die RF communications to the inter-device communications with remote devices.

25. A method for communications within a device, comprising:

generating a first radio frequency (RF) signal for reception by a local transceiver operably disposed within a same die that houses circuitry generating the first RF signal;

generating a second RF signal for reception by a local transceiver operably disposed within a same device that houses circuitry for generating the second RF signal; and

generating a third RF signal for reception by a remote transceiver external to the same device based upon one of the first and second RF signals.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the first RF signal is a very high frequency signal characterized by a center channel frequency that is greater than or equal to 10 GHz.

27. The method of claim 25 further including transmitting the first RF signal at a power level intended for a local transceiver located within the same die as the circuitry transmitting the first RF signal.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the first RF signal is transmitted through a wave guide formed within a die housing the circuitry transmitting the first RF signal.