IC antenna structures and applications thereof

• US 20080159364A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• 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 7,979,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/219
• 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

Abstract

An integrated circuit (IC) includes a package substrate, a die, and a plurality of antenna structures. The die includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and a control module, wherein the RF transceiver processes inbound and outbound RF signals. The control module enables the RF transceiver to receive the inbound RF signal from one or more of the plurality of antenna structures in a frequency band of approximately 55 GHz to 64 GHz and enables the RF transceiver to provide the outbound RF signal to one or more of the plurality of antennas structures for transmission in a frequency band of approximately 55 GHz to 64 GHz.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit (IC) comprises:

a package substrate;

a die coupled to the package substrate, wherein the die includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and a control module, wherein the RF transceiver;

converts an inbound RF signal into an inbound symbol stream, wherein the inbound RF signal has a carrier frequency in a frequency band of approximately 55 GHz to 64 GHz; and

converts an outbound symbol stream into an outbound RF signal, wherein the outbound RF signal has a carrier frequency in the frequency band; and

a plurality of antenna structures, wherein the control module configures one or more of the plurality of antenna structures to provide the inbound RF signal to the RF transceiver and wherein the control module configures one or more of the plurality of antennas structures to receive the outbound RF signal from the RF transceiver.

2. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

the plurality of antenna structures are on the die.

3. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

the plurality of antenna structures are on the package substrate.

4. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a first antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures is on the die; and

a second antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures is on the package substrate.

5. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a baseband processing module operably coupled to;

convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound space-time or space-frequency block encoded symbol streams; and

convert a plurality of inbound space-time or space-frequency block encoded symbol streams into inbound data;

the control module enabling the plurality of antenna structures, the baseband processing module, and the RF transceiver for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transmissions; and

the RF transcevier including;

a plurality of RF receive sections coupled to convert the inbound RF signal into the inbound symbol stream, wherein the inbound symbol stream includes the plurality of inbound space-time or space-frequency block encoded symbols streams; and

a plurality of RF transmit sections coupled to convert the outbound symbol stream into the outbound RF signal, wherein the outbound symbol stream includes the plurality of outbound space-time or space-frequency block encoded symbol streams.

6. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a baseband processing module operably coupled to;

convert outbound data into the outbound symbol stream;

convert the inbound symbol stream into inbound data;

the control module enabling the plurality of antenna structures, the baseband processing module, and the RF transceiver for diversity transmissions; and

the RF transcevier including;

an RF receive section coupled to convert the inbound RF signal into the inbound symbol stream;

an antenna diversity circuit coupled to the RF receive section and the plurality of antenna structures, wherein the control module selectively couples the plurality of antenna structures to the RF receive section to determine a measure of signal strength of the inbound RF signal received by each of the plurality of antenna structures and, from the measure of signal strength, selects one of the plurality of antenna structures for providing the inbound RF signal to the RF receive section; and

an RF transmit section coupled to convert the outbound symbol stream into the outbound RF signal.

7. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a baseband processing module operably coupled to;

convert outbound data into a plurality of outbound beamformed encoded symbol streams; and

convert a plurality of inbound beamformed encoded symbol streams into inbound data;

the control module enabling the plurality of antenna structures, the baseband processing module, and the RF transceiver for baseband beamformed transmissions; and

the RF transcevier including;

a plurality of RF receive sections coupled to convert the inbound RF signal into the inbound symbol stream, wherein the inbound symbol stream includes the plurality of inbound beamformed encoded symbols streams; and

a plurality of RF transmit sections coupled to convert the outbound symbol stream into the outbound RF signal, wherein the outbound symbol stream includes the plurality of outbound beamformed encoded symbol streams.

8. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a baseband processing module operably coupled to;

convert outbound data into the outbound symbol stream;

convert the inbound symbol stream into inbound data;

the control module enabling the plurality of antenna structures, the baseband processing module, and the RF transceiver for in-air beamforming transmissions; and

the RF transcevier including;

a receive section coupled to convert the inbound RF signal into the inbound symbol stream, wherein the inbound RF signal includes a plurality of inbound phase offset RF signals; and

a transmit section coupled to convert the outbound symbol stream into phase offset outbound RF signals of the outbound RF signal.

9. The IC of claim 1 further comprises:

a first antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures having an ultra narrow bandwidth; and

a second antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures having a narrow bandwidth.

10. The IC of claim 1, wherein the control module further functions to perform at least one of:

enabling a first or a second antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures for receiving the inbound RF signal;

enabling the first or the second antenna structure for transmitting the outbound RF signal;

enabling the first antenna structure to have a first polarization and the second antenna structure to have a second polarization;

enabling signal combining of the inbound RF signals received by the first and second antenna structures, wherein at least one of the first and second antenna structures, the RF transceiver, and the control module performs the signal combining;

enabling signal cancellation of the inbound RF signals received by the first and second antenna structures, wherein signal cancellation includes;

the first antenna structure receiving an interferer of the inbound RF signal, wherein the first antenna structure is tuned to a frequency corresponding to the interferer and has an ultra narrow bandwidth;

the second antenna structure receiving a desired channel and the interferer of the inbound RF signal, wherein the second antenna structure is tuned to the frequency corresponding to the desired channel and has a narrow bandwidth;

subtracting the interferer received by the first antenna structure from the inbound RF signal received by the second antenna structure to yield the desired channel of the inbound RF signal;

enabling signal combining and cancellation of the inbound RF signals received by the first antenna structure, the second antenna structure, and a third antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures, wherein the third antenna structure has an ultra narrow bandwidth, wherein the signal combining and cancellation includes;

the first antenna structure receiving the interferer of the inbound RF signal;

the second antenna structure receiving the desired channel and the interferer of the inbound RF signal;

the third antenna structure receiving the desired channel of the inbound RF signal, wherein the third antenna structure is tuned to a frequency corresponding to the desired channel;

subtracting the interferer received by the first antenna structure from the inbound RF signal received by the second antenna structure to yield an intermediate desired channel; and

adding the desired channel received by the third antenna structure to the intermediate desired channel to produce the desired channel of the inbound RF signal.

11. An integrated circuit (IC) comprises:

a package substrate;

a die coupled to the package substrate, wherein the die includes a radio frequency (RF) transceiver and a control module, wherein the RF transceiver;

converts an inbound RF signal into an inbound symbol stream, wherein the inbound RF signal has a carrier frequency in a frequency band of approximately 55 GHz to 64 GHz; and

converts an outbound symbol stream into an outbound RF signal, wherein the outbound RF signal has a carrier frequency in the frequency band;

a plurality of antenna structures; and

an antenna structure coupling circuit, wherein the control module enables the antenna structure coupling circuit to couple one or more of the plurality of antenna structures to RF transceiver for providing the inbound RF signal to the RF transceiver and wherein the control module enables the antenna structure coupling circuit to couple one or more of the plurality of antennas structures to the RF transceiver for transmitting the outbound RF signal.

12. The IC of claim 11 comprises:

each of the plurality of antenna structures including an antenna and a transmission line;

the antenna structure coupling circuit including a plurality of coupling circuits coupled to the plurality of antenna structures, wherein each of the coupling circuit includes;

a first conductor electromagnetically coupled to a first line of the transmission line to produce a first transformer;

a second conductor electromagnetically coupled to a second line of the transmission line to produce a second transformer;

an impedance matching circuit coupled to the first and second transformers; and

a switching circuit, when enabled, to couple the impedance matching circuit to the RF transceiver.

13. The IC of claim 12, wherein the antenna comprises at least one of:

a half-wavelength dipole antenna; and

a quarter-wavelength monopole antenna.

14. The IC of claim 11 comprises:

each of the plurality of antenna structures including an antenna and a transmission line;

the antenna structure coupling circuit including a plurality of coupling circuits coupled to the plurality of antenna structures, wherein each of the coupling circuit includes;

a transformer coupled to the transmission line;

an impedance matching circuit coupled to the transformer; and

a switching circuit, when enabled, to couple the impedance matching circuit to the RF transceiver.

15. The IC of claim 11 comprises at least of:

the plurality of antenna structures and the antenna structure coupling circuit on the die; and

the plurality of antenna structures and the antenna structure coupling circuit on the package substrate.

16. The IC of claim 11 comprises:

a first antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures on the die; and

a second antenna structure of the plurality of antenna structures on the package substrate.

17. An antenna assembly of an integrated circuit comprises:

an antenna having an antenna radiation section and an antenna ground plane;

a transmission line having a first line and a second line, wherein the first and second lines are coupled to the antenna radiation section; and

a transformer circuit coupled to the first and second lines of the transmission line, wherein the coupling of the transformer circuit to the second line is further coupled to the antenna ground plane.

18. The antenna assembly of claim 17, wherein the transformer circuit comprises:

a first conductor electromagnetically coupled to the first line to form a first transformer; and

a second conductor electromagnetically coupled to the second line to form a second transformer.

19. The antenna assembly of claim 17, wherein the transformer circuit comprises:

a first inductive conductor coupled to the first and second lines; and

a second inductive conductor electromagnetically coupled to the first inductive conductor.

20. The antenna assembly of claim 17, wherein the transformer circuit comprises:

a first conductor on a first layer of the integrated circuit, wherein the first conductor is electromagnetically coupled to the first line to form a first transformer, wherein the first line and the antenna are on a second layer of the integrated circuit;

a second conductor on the first layer of the integrated circuit, wherein the second conductor is electromagnetically coupled to the second line to form a second transformer, wherein the second line is on the second layer;

a third conductor on a third layer of the integrated circuit, wherein the third conductor is electromagnetically coupled to the first line to form a third transformer; and

a fourth conductor on the third layer of the integrated circuit, wherein the fourth conductor is electromagnetically coupled to the second line to form a fourth transformer, wherein the first and second transformers support an inbound radio frequency signal and the third and fourth transformers support an outbound radio frequency signal.