Radio-frequency system in package including antenna

• US 7,791,539 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2006
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fractus SA
• Original Assignee: Fractus SA
• Inventors: Soler Castany, Jordi, Puente Baliarda, Carles, Mumbru Forn, Jose, Borja Borau, Carmen, Anguera Pros, Jaume
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, SHIH CHAO
• Application Number:
  US11/556,455
• Publication Number:
  US 20070120742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/741, 343/793, 343/818, 343/876, 343/895
• US Class Current: 343/700.0MS
• 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 2224/05599 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 2224/45015 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 2224/48265 the item being a discrete passive component
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48464 the other connecting portion not on the bonding area also being a ball bond, i.e. ball-to-ball
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49175 Parallel arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85203 Thermocompression bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/85399 Material
• 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 25/165 Containers
• 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 2924/01004 : Beryllium [Be]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01019 : Potassium [K]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01078 : Platinum [Pt]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/14 : Integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/1423 : Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit [MMIC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/19041 : being a capacitor
• 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: H01L 2924/3025 : Electromagnetic shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 : by structural association with other equipment or articles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/40 : Radiating elements coated with or embedded in protective material
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/10 : Resonant slot antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/045 : with particular feeding means for circular polarisation H01Q9/0428
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/26 : with folded element or elements, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of operating wavelength resonant loop antennas H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/30 : with feed to end of elongated active element, e.g. unipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/40 : Element having extended radiating surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 : with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength

Abstract

A system comprising at least one antenna and a circuit, wherein the circuit is at least in part not a semiconductor chip or a die. The at least one antenna and the circuit are arranged on a package. Alternatively described is a system comprising at least one antenna and at least one circuit, wherein the at least one antenna and the at least one circuit are arranged on a package, wherein the at least one circuit performs a radio-frequency and optionally a base-band and/or a digital functionality.

Claims

1. System comprising:

an antenna and

an electrical circuit,

wherein the antenna and the electrical circuit are arranged in an integrated circuit package,

wherein the antenna comprises a conducting pattern, at least a portion of which includes a curve comprising at least five segments, each of said at least five segments forming a pair of angles with a respective adjacent segment in said curve, at least three of said segments being shorter than one-tenth of the longest free-space operating wavelength of said antenna, and

wherein said conducting pattern fits inside a rectangular area of the package, a longest side of said rectangular area being shorter than one-fifth of a longest free-space operating wavelength of said antenna.

2. System of claim 1,

wherein the electrical circuit performs a base-band functionality.

3. System of claim 1,

wherein the electrical circuit performs a digital functionality.

4. System according to claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a radio-frequency circuit.

5. System according to claim 4, wherein a coupling between the antenna and the radio-frequency circuit is a reactive coupling.

6. System according to claim 4, wherein the system comprises a ground plane, and wherein the radio-frequency circuit is connected to the ground plane.

7. System according to claim 6, wherein the ground plane is located with respect to the package so as not to be underneath or above the antenna.

8. System according to claim 4, wherein at least some of the connections of the radio-frequency circuit are balanced.

9. System according to claim 4, wherein the system comprises a radio-frequency component outside the package, and wherein the antenna is connected to the radio-frequency circuit and at least a part of the radio-frequency circuit is connected to the radio-frequency component outside the package.

10. System according to claim 4, wherein the system comprises a radio-frequency component outside the package, and wherein the antenna is connected to the radio-frequency component outside the package.

11. System according to claim 4, wherein the radio-frequency circuit comprises a balun.

12. System according to claim 11, wherein the balun is a printed circuit.

13. System according to claim 11, wherein the balun is a discrete component.

14. System according to claim 4, wherein the package comprises a radio-frequency input/output connector, and wherein at least one of the antenna and the radio-frequency circuit comprises a connection with the radio-frequency input/output connector.

15. System according to claim 4, wherein the system comprises a radio-frequency component outside the package and wherein at least one of the radio-frequency circuit and the radio-frequency component outside the package includes at least one filter.

16. System according to claim 1, comprising a radio-frequency component outside the package.

17. System according to claim 16, wherein the radio-frequency component outside the package is a matching network.

18. System according to claim 16, wherein radio-frequency component outside the package is at least one of a bypass or a through-connection.

19. System according to claim 16, wherein the radio-frequency component outside the package comprises a power amplifier.

20. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is connected to an input/output connector of the package and at least a part of the electrical circuit is connected to the input/output connector of the package.

21. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a space filling antenna.

22. System according to claim 21, wherein the space-filling antenna has a dimension larger than 1 when computed as a grid dimension calculation.

23. System according to claim 21, wherein the space-filling antenna has a dimension larger than 1 when computed as a box counting dimension calculation.

24. System according to claim 1, wherein, for each pair of angles, the smaller angle of the pair is less than 180°

and at least two of said smaller angles are less than 115°

, wherein at least two of the angles, which are on the same side of the curve and are formed from adjacent segments of the group of said at least five segments, are different.

25. System according to claim 24, wherein at least two of the angles, which are on the same side of the curve and are formed from adjacent segments of the group of said at least five segments, are different.

26. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a modular or a discrete component.

27. System according to claim 26, wherein the modular or discrete component is a surface mount technique (SMT) component.

28. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna comprises two ends, and wherein both ends of the antenna are connected to the package.

29. System according to claim 28, wherein at least one end of the two ends of the antenna is connected to an input/output connector of the package.

30. System according to claim 28, wherein both ends of the antenna are connected to input/output connectors of the package.

31. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna has a parasitic element.

32. System according to claim 31, wherein the parasitic element is inside the package.

33. System according to claim 31, wherein the parasitic element is outside the package.

34. System according to claim 1, comprising a second antenna external to the package.

35. System according to claim 34, wherein the system comprises a switch that commutes between the antenna and the second antenna.

36. System according to claim 35, wherein the switch is provided outside the package.

37. System according to claim 35, wherein the switch is provided on the package.

38. System according to claim 35, wherein the switch that commutes between the antenna and the second antenna provides an antenna diversity system.

39. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is disabled.

40. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a balanced antenna.

41. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is an unbalanced antenna.

42. System according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is loaded with discrete reactive components.

43. System according to claim 42, wherein the antenna is loaded with external loads.

44. Multiple-antenna communication system comprising

a plurality of mutually connected systems,

wherein each system of the plurality of mutually connected systems comprises:

an antenna and an electrical circuit, wherein the antenna and the electrical circuit are arranged in an integrated circuit package,

wherein the antenna comprises a conducting pattern, at least a portion of which includes a curve comprising at least five segments, each of said at least five segments forming a pair of angles with a respective adjacent segment in said curve, at least three of said segments being shorter than one-tenth of the longest free-space operating wavelength of said antenna, and

wherein said conducting pattern fits inside a rectangular area of the package, a longest side of said rectangular area being shorter than one-fifth of a longest free-space operating wavelength of said antenna.

45. System according to claim 44, wherein the multiple antenna communication system is one of a multiple-input-multiple-output system, a smart antenna system, a phased array system and a sensor network.

46. A system, comprising:

an antenna formed on a substrate, the antenna comprising a multi-segment conductor provided in a space-filling pattern, at least a portion of which including a curve comprising at least five segments, each of said at least five segments forming a pair of angles with a respective adjacent segment in said curve, at least three of said segments being shorter than one-tenth of the longest free-space operating wavelength of the antenna, the antenna occupying a rectangular area of the substrate in which a longest side of the rectangular area is shorter than ⅕

of a longest free space operating wavelength of the antenna, and

a circuit also provided on the substrate,

wherein the antenna and the circuit are enclosed in a common package housing.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the package housing is an integrated circuit package.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the package housing is a surface mount package.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the package housing is a ball grid array package.

50. The system of claim 47, wherein the package housing is an in-line package.

51. The system of claim 47, wherein the package housing is a leadframe package.

52. System comprising:

at least one antenna and an electrical circuit, wherein the electrical circuit comprises a radio-frequency circuit,

wherein the at least one antenna and the electrical circuit are arranged in a package, said package being an integrated circuit package,

wherein the system further comprises a radio-frequency component outside the package, and

wherein the at least one antenna is connected to the radio-frequency component outside the package.