INTEGRATED CIRCUIT

• US 20150070240A1
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Published: 03/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Gamand, Patrice, Tesson, Olivier
• Granted Patent: US 10,403,540 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 343/848
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/76 Making of isolation regions between components
• 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 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/552 Protection against radiation, e.g. light or electromagnetic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/645 Inductive arrangements H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/16 of an individual bump connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/48 Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/521 reducing the coupling between adjacent antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0225 Single or multiple openings in a shielding, ground or power plane H05K1/0227 takes precedence

Abstract

An integrated circuit for a packaged device is proposed. The circuit comprises: a circuit having first and second electromagnetic radiating elements fabricated on a die; a package substrate comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; and a grounding layer provided on the lower surface of the package substrate, the grounding layer being adapted to connect to a grounding plane of a printed circuit board. The die is mounted on the upper surface of the package substrate. The grounding layer comprises a void, at least a portion of the void being positioned so as to at least partially electromagnetically isolate the first electromagnetic radiating element from the second electromagnetic radiating element.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for a packaged device, the circuit comprising:

a circuit having first and second electromagnetic radiating elements fabricated on a die;

a package substrate comprising an upper surface and a lower surface; and

a grounding layer provided on the lower surface of the package substrate, the grounding layer being adapted to connect to a grounding plane of a printed circuit board, PCB,

wherein the die is mounted on the upper surface of the package substrate,

and wherein the grounding layer comprises a void, at least a portion of the void being positioned so as to at least partially electromagnetically isolate the first electromagnetic radiating element from the second electromagnetic radiating element.

2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the void is positioned directly below an area extending between the first and second electromagnetic radiating elements.

3. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the void comprises a segment of the grounding layer that has been removed, the segment extending from an edge of the grounding layer.

4. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the package substrate is a high resistivity substrate.

5. The circuit of claim 2, wherein the horizontal extent of the void in a first direction is greater than that of the area extending between the first and second electromagnetic radiating elements.

6. The circuit of claim 1, wherein, when viewed from above, the void extends across an imaginary path drawn between the first and second electromagnetic radiating elements.

7. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the circuit comprises a receiver comprising a radio frequency chain having an antenna and a local oscillator, and wherein the antenna comprises the first electromagnetic radiating element and the local oscillator comprises the second electromagnetic radiating element.

8. The circuit of claim 1, wherein the die is flip-chip bumped to the upper surface of the package substrate.

9. The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a PCB having a grounding plane provided thereon, wherein the package substrate is mounted on the PCB so that the grounding layer is connected to the grounding plane of the PCB.

10. The circuit of claim 8, wherein grounding plane of the PCB comprises a void, and wherein at least a portion of the void of the grounding plane is positioned directly below the void of the grounding layer.

11. A satellite communication circuit comprising an integrated circuit according to claim 1.

12. A radio frequency circuit comprising an integrated circuit according to claim 1.

13. A packaged device comprising an integrated circuit according to claim 1.

14. A method of manufacturing an integrated circuit comprising:

providing a circuit having first and second electromagnetic radiating elements fabricated on a die;

providing a package substrate comprising an upper surface and a lower surface, a grounding layer being provided on the lower surface of the package substrate and comprising a void, wherein the grounding layer is adapted to connect to a grounding plane of a PCB; and

mounting the die on the upper surface of the package substrate such that at least a portion of the void is positioned so as to at least partially electromagnetically isolate the first electromagnetic radiating element from the second electromagnetic radiating element.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of mounting the package substrate on a PCB having a grounding plane so that the grounding layer is connected to the grounding plane of the PCB, wherein the grounding plane of the PCB comprises a void, and wherein at least a portion of the void of the grounding plane is positioned directly below the void of the grounding layer.