Single chip radio with integrated antenna

• US 7,088,964 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: O, Kenneth Kyongyop
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N.
• Application Number:
  US10/677,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20050113035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/90.3, 455/575.1, 455/333, 455/558, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/573, 455/575.7, 455/575.8, 455/572, 455/78, 455 82- 88, 455/550.1, 333/17.3, 333/118, 333/124, 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/850, 343/853, 257/728, 257/604, 257624-625, 257/659, 257/664
• US Class Current: 455/90.3
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/525 between emitting and receiving antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3827 Portable transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7163 using impulse radio

Abstract

A true single-chip radio for bidirectional wireless communications includes a bulk substrate, at least one integrated antenna, at least one transceiver, baseband circuitry and at least one filter all integrally formed in or on the substrate. The radio preferably includes a low-loss dielectric propagating layer disposed beneath the substrate to improve antenna gain. The integrated antenna can be an adaptive array for beamforming.

Claims

1. A single-chip sensor/radio for bidirectional wireless communications, comprising:

a bulk semiconducting substrate, said substrate providing a bulk resistivity of at least 20 ohm-cm or being a thinned substrate having a thickness of 5 to 50 μ

m,

a sensor, at least one integrated antenna, at least one transceiver, baseband circuitry, and at least one filter all integrally formed in or on said substrate,

a package fully encapsulating said radio to form a packaged radio, wherein a weight distribution of said packaged radio favors said packaged radio landing face up when dropped in a random orientation,

wherein data from said sensor is communicable over the air a distance of at least 40 cm to a remote site at a frequency of from 2 GHz to at least 15 GHz.

2. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said radio further comprises at least one on-chip battery.

3. The single-chip radio of claim 1, further comprising a battery for powering said radio, wherein said battery is a rechargeable battery.

4. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said distance is at least 5 m.

5. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said sensor comprises a MEMS sensor.

6. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said packaged radio is configured as a high numbered hedron.

7. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said radio further comprises a non-volatile memory, said non-volatile memory integrally formed in or on said substrate.

8. The single-chip radio of claim 1, further comprising at least one voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), synthesizer, low noise amplifier, power amplifier, mixer, microprocessor, baseband signal processor, A/D and D/A converter integrally formed in or on said substrate.

9. The single-chip radio of claim 8, wherein at least one of said filter and said VCO comprises at least one varactor, wherein said varactor including a gate oxide thickness provided to high voltage input/output transistor structures on said substrate and a geometry provided to logic devices on said substrate.

10. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein a bulk resistivity of said substrate is at least 100 ohm-cm.

11. The single-chip radio of claim 1, wherein said at least one antenna comprises at least one transmit antenna and at least one separate receive antenna.

12. The single-chip radio of claim 11, wherein said transmit antenna provides an impedance less than 50 ohms and said receive antenna provides an impedance more than 50 ohms.

13. The single-chip radio of claim 1, further comprising at least one low-loss layer disposed beneath said substrate, wherein said low-loss layer provides a thermal conductivity of at least 35 W/m·

K and electrical resistivity greater than 100 ohm-cm.

14. The single-chip radio of claim 1, further comprising a passivation layer coating on said integrated antenna, said transceiver, said baseband circuitry, and said filter, said passivation layer having a dielectric constant of at least 20.

15. The single chip radio of claim 1, further comprising a microcontroller.

16. The single chip radio of claim 1, wherein said integrated antenna comprises an array of said integrated antennas for receiving signals and array processor for beamforming said receive signals and an array of said integrated antennas for transmitting signals and an array processor for beamforming said transmitted signals.

17. The single chip radio of claim 1, further comprising an upconverter, said upconverter frequency translating signals to be transmitted to at least 10 GHz.

18. The single chip radio of claim 1, wherein said antenna is placed within 2 mm of an edge of said substrate.

19. The single chip radio of claim 1, wherein said antenna is a balanced antenna.

20. The single chip radio of claim 1, wherein said data is unidirectionally communicable for said distance.

21. A single-chip receiver for wireless communications, comprising:

a bulk semiconducting substrate, said substrate providing a bulk resistivity of at least 20 ohm-cm or being a thinned substrate having a thickness of 5 to 50 μ

m,

at least one integrated antenna, at least one receiver, baseband circuitry, and at least one filter all integrally formed in or on said substrate,

a package fully encapsulating said radio to form a packaged radio, wherein a weight distribution of said packaged radio favors said packaged radio landing face up when dropped in a random orientation.

22. The receiver of claim 21, wherein said packaged radio is configured as a high numbered hedron.

23. The receiver of claim 21, wherein said integrated antenna comprises an array of said integrated antennas for receiving signals and an array processor for beamforming said receive signals.

24. The receiver of claim 21, further comprising at least one low-loss layer disposed beneath said substrate, wherein said low-loss layer provides a thermal conductivity of at least 35 W/m·

K and electrical resistivity greater than 100 ohm-cm.