Scalable high-bandwidth connectivity

• US 8,714,459 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Waveconnex Inc.
• Inventors: McCormack, Gary D., Kyles, Ian A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Habib, Asifa
• Application Number:
  US13/471,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20120286049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 257/778
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48091 Arched
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49111 the connectors connecting two common bonding areas, e.g. Litz or braid wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49171 Fan-out arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/495 Lead-frames or other flat leads H01L23/498 takes precedence; lead frame interconnections between components H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49541 Geometry of the lead-frame
• 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 25/16 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• 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 2924/00014 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 2924/10253 Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 matching
• 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 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 : Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• 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: H04B 1/40 : Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0243 : Printed circuits associated with mounted high frequency components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10098 : Components for radio transmission, e.g. radio frequency identification [RFID] tag, printed or non-printed antennas

Abstract

A scalable, high-bandwidth connectivity architecture for portable storage devices and memory modules may utilize EHF communication link chip packages mounted in various two-dimensional and three-dimensional configurations on planar surfaces such as printed circuit boards. Multiple electromagnetic communication links between devices distributed on major faces of card-like devices may be provided with respectively aligned pairs of communication units on each device. Adjacent communication units on a printed circuit board may transmit or receive electromagnetic radiation having different polarization, such as linear or elliptical polarization. Power and communication between communication devices may both be provided wirelessly.

Claims

1. A first electronic device for electromagnetic communication with a second electronic device, the second electronic device having a surface and plural Extremely High Frequency (EHF) communication units distributed on the surface, the first electronic device comprising:

a dielectric substrate having a major surface;

at least a first electronic component mounted on the first substrate, for processing digital information;

plural first EHF communication units, each having an antenna and being mounted on the dielectric substrate, and each for transmitting and or receiving respective EHF electromagnetic signals and converting between corresponding baseband signals and EHF electromagnetic signals

wherein at least one of the first EHF communication units is in communication with the first electronic component to convert between a first EHF electromagnetic signal containing digital information conducted by the antenna of the at least one first EHF communication unit, and a first data signal conducted by the first electronic component; and

wherein the plural first EHF communication units are distributed over the major surface in a configuration that is effective for the plural first EHF communications units to align with corresponding ones of the plural EHF communication units of the second electronic device, the alignment forming pairs of aligned EHF communication units when the major surface is positioned facing the surface of the second electronic device to enable communication between the first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the second electronic device, each pair of aligned EHF communication units forming a communication channel.

2. The first electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a second electronic component mounted to the first substrate and in communication with the one first EHF communication unit further for converting between the first EHF electromagnetic signal containing digital information conducted by the first antenna and a second data signal conducted by the second electronic component, the first and second electronic components being formed as integrated circuits.

3. The first electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a second electronic component mounted to the first substrate, and another first EHF communication unit of the plurality of first EHF communication units, the other first EHF communication unit having a second antenna and being in communication with the second electronic component.

4. The first electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one first EHF communication unit is configured as a transceiver.

5. The first electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of electronic components including the first electronic component, the plurality of electronic components being mounted to the first substrate and distributed on the first major surface.

6. The first electronic device of claim 5, wherein the first EHF communication units transmit or receive predominantly electromagnetic radiation having a polarization characteristic and the first EHF communication units are oriented with adjacent first EHF communication units having different respective polarization characteristics.

7. The first electronic device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of first EHF communication units are distributed in a two dimensional pattern, with at least the one first EHF communication unit having an adjacent first EHF communication unit disposed in each of two non-parallel directions.

8. The first electronic device of claim 7, wherein the plurality of first EHF communication units are distributed in an N×

M array, where N and M are integers greater than 1.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of client EHF communication units are spaced from a perimeter of the major surface of the client substrate.

10. A system comprising the first electronic device and the second electronic device of claim 1.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the second electronic device transmit and or receive electromagnetic radiation having a polarization characteristic and the first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the second electronic device are oriented with adjacent respective first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the second electronic device having different polarization characteristics, with each pair of aligned EHF communication units having the same polarization characteristic.

12. A first data device for electromagnetic communication with a second data device, the second data device having a surface and plural Extremely High Frequency (EHF) communication units distributed on the surface, the first data device comprising at least one data storage unit;

plural first EHF communications units constructed to communicate with the second data device via electromagnetic communication, with at least one first EHF communication unit in communication with the at least one data storage unit; and

an expanse to which the at least one data storage unit and the plural first EHF communication units are coupled, the plural first EHF communication units being distributed on the expanse in a configuration appropriate for the plural first EHF communications units to align sufficiently with corresponding respective ones of the plural EHF communication units of the second data device to form pairs of aligned EHF communication units when the expanse is positioned facing the major surface for communicating between the first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the second data device, each pair of aligned EHF communication units forming a respective communication channel.

13. The data device of claim 12, further including a covering of dielectric material that seals the at least one data storage unit, the plurality of first EHF communication units, and the expanse.

14. The data device of claim 13, wherein the expanse includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and the plurality of first EHF communication units are coupled to the PCB.

15. The data device of claim 14, including plural data storage units formed as integrated circuits (ICs) mounted on the PCB, the plurality of first EHF communication units also being mounted on the PCB relative to the data storage units.

16. The data device of claim 15, wherein the data storage units and first EHF communication units are arranged on the PCB in a preselected array corresponding to the second configuration, and wherein the first EHF communication units are each positioned on the PCB in a preselected orientation in which signals generated by each first EHF communication unit have a polarization characteristic that is oriented differently from that of adjacent first EHF communication units.

17. The data device of claim 12, wherein the expanse is a printed circuit board (PCB), and the plurality of first EHF communication units are coupled to the PCB.

18. The data device of claim 17, including plural data storage units formed as integrated circuits (ICs) mounted on the PCB, the plurality of first EHF communication units also being mounted on the PCB relative to the data storage units.

19. The data device of claim 18, wherein the data storage units and first EHF communication units are arranged on the PCB in a preselected array, and wherein the first EHF communication units are each positioned on the PCB in a preselected orientation in which signals generated by each first EHF communication unit have a polarization characteristic that is oriented differently from a polarization characteristic of adjacent EHF communication units.

20. A data card for electromagnetic communication with a host, the host having a surface and plural Extremely High Frequency (EHF) communication units distributed on the surface, the data card comprising a card body that includes an outer surface and an internal expanse;

wherein the internal expanse includes plural data storage units and plural first EHF communication units that are each in communication with at least one of the data storage units; and

wherein the plural first EHF communication units are distributed on the expanse in a configuration appropriate for the plural first EHF communications units to align sufficiently with corresponding respective ones of the plural EHF communication units of the host to form pairs of aligned EHF communication units when the expanse is positioned facing the surface for accommodating communication between the first EHF communication units and the EHF communication units of the host via electromagnetic communication, each pair of aligned EHF communication units forming a respective communication channel.

21. The data card of claim 20, wherein the internal expanse includes a printed circuit board (PCB), and the data storage units and the first EHF communication units are coupled to the PCB.

22. The data card of claim 21, wherein the first EHF communication units are located on the PCB relative to the data storage units.

23. The data card of claim 22, wherein the EHF communication units and data storage units are arranged on the PCB in a preselected array, and wherein the EHF communication units are each positioned on the PCB in a preselected orientation in which signals generated by each EHF communication unit have a polarization characteristic that is different from that of adjacent EHF communication units.