Low cost wideband RF port structure for microwave circuit packages using coplanar waveguide and BGA I/O format

• US 6,215,377 B1
• Filed: 05/26/1998
• Issued: 04/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsubstrates Corporation
• Original Assignee: Microsubstrates Corporation
• Inventors: Douriet, Daniel F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bettendorf, Justin P.
• Application Number:
  US09/084,564
• Time in Patent Office: 1,050 Days
• Field of Search: 333/246, 333/247, 257/728
• US Class Current: 333/247
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6616 Vertical connections, e.g. vias
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6627 Waveguides, e.g. microstrip line, strip line, coplanar line
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/05599 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/45014 Ribbon connectors, e.g. rectangular cross-section
• 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 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48465 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area being a wedge bond, i.e. ball-to-wedge, regular stitch
• 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 2224/854 with a principal constituent of the material being a metal or a metalloid, e.g. boron (B), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), arsenic (As), antimony (Sb), tellurium (Te) and polonium (Po), and alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49805 the leads being also applied on the sidewalls or the bottom of the substrate, e.g. leadless packages for surface mounting
• 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 2924/01039 : Yttrium [Y]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01057 : Lanthanum [La]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01067 : Holmium [Ho]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01079 : Gold [Au]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12042 : LASER
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1423 : Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit [MMIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15173 : in a single layer of the multilayer substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15174 : in different layers of the multilayer substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1903 : including wave guides
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19033 : being a coplanar line type
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/206 : Length ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 : Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 1/047 : Strip line joints
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/003 : Coplanar lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0245 : Lay-out of balanced signal pairs, e.g. differential lines or twisted lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/025 : Impedance arrangements, e.g. impedance matching, reduction of parasitic impedance H05K1/024 and H05K1/0243 take precedence; for semiconductor devices H01L23/66
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09236 : Parallel layout layout of balanced signal pairs H05K1/0245; superposed layout H05K2201/09672
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3436 : having an array of bottom contacts, e.g. pad grid array or ball grid array components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3442 : having edge contacts, e.g. leadless chip capacitors, chip carriers

Abstract

A MMIC package comprises a trace pattern of a coplanar wave guide which matches impedances at all transitions to enhance signal transmission and avoid reflection. The invention employs metalization on a dielectric substrate material wherein this metalization is patterned in order to provide gaps and signal carrying conductors which enhance the signal propagation and reduce impedance mismatches in order to provide a package capable of handling high frequency microwave signals.

Claims

1. A circuit package comprising:

a substrate having a dielectric constant that is substantially equal to a dielectric constant of a mother PC board on which said substrate is mounted;

a metalization pattern disposed upon at least one major surface of said substrate, said metalization pattern being configured as a coplanar waveguide structure having transmission structures substantially uniform in width and thickness and being in electrical communication with said mother PC board;

a microwave monolithic integrated circuit in electrical communication with said coplanar waveguide structure; and

at least two conductively filled slots, each of said slots having widths that substantially match a width of said coplanar waveguide structure, each of said slots having thicknesses that are substantially smaller than said widths of said slots, and each of said slots being in electrical communication with said coplanar waveguide structure and said microwave monolithic integrated circuit.

2. A circuit package as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least two conductively filled slots extend through said substrate to electrically communicate with said metalization pattern of at least one major surface to said metalization pattern on the other major surface of said substrate.

3. A circuit package as claimed in claim 1 wherein said at least two conductively filled slots are positioned to interconnect individual coplanar waveguide structures of said metalization patterns, each of said slots being of width substantially matching the coplanar waveguide structures with which said slots interconnect.

4. A circuit package as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is ceramic.

5. A circuit package as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is electrically connectable to said mother PC board with at least one conductive stub having a width substantially equal to said coplanar waveguide structure with which said conductive stub makes electrical contact.

6. A circuit package as claimed in claim 5 wherein said at least one stub is a plurality of stubs.