Antenna in Package with Reduced Electromagnetic Interaction with on Chip Elements

• US 20080265038A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fractus SA
• Original Assignee: Fractus SA
• Inventors: Soler Castany, Jordi, Mumbru Forn, Jose, Puente, Carles
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 2224/0401 Bonding areas specifically adapted for bump connectors, e.g. under bump metallisation [UBM]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• 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 2924/00011 Not 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 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15321 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3025 Electromagnetic shielding
• 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 1/36 Structural form of radiating elements, e.g. cone, spiral, umbrella; Particular materials used therewithH01Q1/08, H01Q1/14 take precedence
• 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

Abstract

A IC package for a wireless device includes an antenna that is attached to the chip. The electrically conductive elements of the antenna are spaced away from the antenna and particularly the endpoint of the antenna to prevent interference with the antenna. An element on the IC package may be shielded antenna. The antenna may have the shape of a space-filling curve, including a Hilbert, box-counting or grid dimension curve.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit package for an electronic device comprising:

an integrated circuit die;

a first set of electrically conductive elements coupled to the integrated circuit die; and

an antenna;

the antenna and elements of the first set of electrically conductive elements being spaced within the integrated circuit package such that no element of the first set of electrically conductive elements is in the projection of the antenna.

2. The integrated circuit package of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more fixation pads;

wherein the one or more fixation pads are positioned in the projection of the antenna.

3. The integrated circuit package of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

a second set of electrically conductive elements coupled to the integrated circuit die;

wherein the elements of the second set of electrically conductive elements are also coupled to a ground potential;

wherein the elements of the second set of electrically conductive elements are positioned within the integrated circuit package so that no element of the second set of electrically conductive elements falls in the projection of the antenna beyond a distance from a feedpoint of the antenna that is greater than the lesser of one-fifth of a side length of the integrated circuit package and one-sixtieth of a free-space operating wavelength of the antenna.

4. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

a metallic shielding structure configured to be coupled to a ground potential;

wherein the metallic shielding structure is positioned within the integrated circuit package to electrically isolate the integrated circuit die from the antenna.

5. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

a second set of electrically conductive elements coupled to the integrated circuit die;

wherein the elements of the second set of electrically conductive elements are not coupled to a ground potential;

wherein the elements of the second set of electrically conductive elements are positioned within the integrated circuit package so that no element of the second set of electrically conductive elements falls in the projection of the antenna beyond a distance from the feedpoint of the antenna greater than the lesser of one-half of a side length of the integrated circuit package and one-twenty-fourth of a free-space operating wavelength of the antenna.

6. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the elements of the first set of electrically conductive elements are selected from the group consisting of pads, pins, tracks, and ground planes.

7. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the antenna is located along one edge of a first side of the integrated circuit package, and the electrically conductive elements are closer than the antenna to an opposite edge of the integrated circuit package.

8. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the antenna is located along two edges that form a corner on a first side of the integrated circuit package, and the elements of the first set of electrically conductive elements are closer than the antenna to an opposite corner of the integrated circuit package.

9. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the elements of the first set of electrically conductive elements are spaced away from the antenna by at least about 1 mm.

10. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein at least a portion of the antenna forms a space-filling curve.

11. The integrated circuit package according to claim 10, wherein the portion of the antenna forms a Hilbert curve, a box-counting curve, or a grid-dimension curve.

12. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising a ground plane that is spaced away from the antenna so that no part of the ground plane falls in the projection of the antenna.

13. The integrated circuit package of claim 12, wherein the ground plane is spaced away from the antenna by at least 2.5 mm.

14. The integrated circuit package of claim 12 or 13, wherein the ground plane is spaced away from the antenna by at least the greater of one-quarter of a side length of the integrated circuit package and one-fiftieth of a free-space operating wavelength of the antenna.

15. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 12 to 14, wherein an edge of the ground plane nearest the end of the antenna is chamfered so that an edge of the ground plane nearest an end of the antenna is further from the antenna than the edge of the ground plane nearest a feedpoint of the antenna.

16. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the antenna is located along two edges that form a corner on a first side of the integrated circuit package, and the elements are closer than the antenna to an opposite corner of the integrated circuit package.

17. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising a ground plane in the analog domain, and a ground plane in the digital domain that are both in the projection of the integrated circuit package.

18. The integrated circuit package of claim 17, wherein the digital ground plane is located closer to an end point of the antenna in comparison to the proximity of the analog ground plane to the end point of the antenna.

19. The integrated circuit package of claim 18, wherein the ground plane in the analog domain is an RF ground plane.

20. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the integrated circuit package is located at a corner of a printed circuit board “

PCB”

, and the antenna ends near an edge of the corner.

21. The integrated circuit package of claim 20, wherein a PCB ground plane includes a first protrusion that is located in the projection of the integrated circuit package.

22. The integrated circuit package of claim 21, wherein a PCB ground plane further comprises a second protrusion that is located beside the integrated circuit package.

23. The integrated circuit package of claim 20, wherein a PCB ground plane is partially located in the projection of the integrated circuit package, but the ground plane does not extend into the projection of the antenna.

24. The integrated circuit package of claim 23, wherein on two sides of the antenna there is no PCB ground plane, and on at least part of a third side of the antenna there is no PCB ground plane.

25. The integrated circuit package of claim 22, wherein a part of the antenna is located between the first and second protrusions.

26. The integrated circuit package of claim 25, wherein the first protrusion is a ground plane in the analog domain and further comprising a ground plane in the digital domain, both the analog ground plane and the digital ground plane are in the projection of the integrated circuit package.

27. The integrated circuit package of claim 26, wherein the digital ground plane is located closer to an end point of the antenna in comparison to the proximity of the analog ground plane to the end point of the antenna.

28. The integrated circuit package of claim 20, wherein a PCB ground plane has a rectangular or square portion that is located in a projection of the corner of the integrated circuit package that is opposite a corner of the integrated circuit package that is in line with the outside corner of the PCB.

29. The integrated circuit package of claim 28, wherein a feedpoint of the antenna is near the ground plane that is in the projection of the integrated circuit package, and a first part of the antenna leads from the feedpoint to a second part of the antenna that is a space-filling curve, the first part of the antenna serving to provide separation between the second part of the antenna and the ground plane.

30. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

at least one digital track, wherein the at least one digital track uses a filtering means to minimize radio frequency noise.

31. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

digital tracks attached to the integrated circuit package that are mismatched at RF frequencies.

32. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

tracks attached to the integrated circuit package that are differential lines.

33. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein a part of the integrated circuit package to be isolated is housed within a means for shielding.

34. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, further comprising:

a part of the integrated circuit package to be isolated that is located on or in the integrated circuit package, and is at least partially surrounded by shielding.

35. The integrated circuit package of claim 34, wherein the antenna is located outside the projection of the shielding.

36. The integrated circuit package of claim 34 or 35, wherein the shielding comprises a grid of conductive material where the distance between the lines which form the grid is not more than one-tenth of the free space operating wavelength of the antenna.

37. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 34 to 36, wherein the shielding comprises a conductive plate with a central aperture wherein the part of the integrated circuit package to be isolated is located.

38. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 34 to 37, wherein the shielding comprises a conductive part located over the part or subsystem of the integrated circuit package.

39. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 34 to 38, wherein the shielding comprises a substrate located over the part or subsystem of the integrated circuit package to be isolated, and wherein the substrate includes a conductive layer.

40. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 34 to 39, wherein the part of the integrated circuit package to be isolated is housed in a cavity lined with shielding and overmolded.

41. The integrated circuit package of one of claims 34 to 40, wherein the part of the integrated circuit package to be isolated is shielded with metallic paint.

42. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein a part of the antenna has the shape of a box-counting curve.

43. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein a part of the antenna has the shape of a grid dimension curve.

44. The integrated circuit package of claim 42, wherein the value of the box-counting dimension is about 1.17 to about 2.

46. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of handset, wireless device, personal digital assistant, and personal computer.

47. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the electronic device operates at least one of the following wireless connectivity services:

Bluetooth™

, Hyperlan, IEEE802.11, Ultra Wide Band, Wimax, and Zig Bee.

48. The integrated circuit package according to any previous claim, wherein the electronic device operates at least one of the following communication standards and services:

GSM, UMTS, PCS1900, KPCS, CDMA, WCDMA, DAB, and GPS.

45. A wireless device comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) communication integrated circuit package, including;

an integrated circuit die;

a first set of electrically conductive elements coupled to the integrated circuit die;

an antenna;

the antenna and the first set of electrically conductive elements being spaced within the integrated circuit package such that no element of the first set of electrically conductive elements is in the projection of the antenna; and

a metallic shielding structure coupled to a ground potential and positioned within the integrated circuit package to electrically isolate the antenna from the integrated circuit die.