Interface between an integrated circuit and a dielectric waveguide using a dipole antenna and a reflector

• US 9,306,263 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Herbsommer, Juan Alejandro, Seok, Eunyoung, Haroun, Baher
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BENNY T
• Application Number:
  US13/854,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20140287701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 333/26, 333/24.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4416 Heterogeneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2223/6677 for antenna, e.g. antenna included within housing of semiconductor device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16227 the bump connector connecting to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73204 the bump connector being embedded into the layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15192 Resurf arrangement of the internal vias
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/001 Manufacturing waveguides or transmission lines of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/002 Manufacturing hollow waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/121 integrated in a substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/165 Non-radiating dielectric waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/00 Coupling devices of the waveguide type
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/087 Transitions to a dielectric waveguide
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/107 Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 5/184 the guides being strip lines or microstrips
• 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 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/02 Waveguide horns
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/108 Combination of a dipole with a plane reflecting surface H01Q19/106 takes precedence; strip line H01Q9/065
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/30 the primary active element being centre-fed and substantially straight, e.g. Yagi antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 : Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 : Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 : Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 : Assembling or joining

Abstract

An electronic device has a multilayer substrate that has an interface surface configured for interfacing to a dielectric waveguide. A conductive layer on the substrate is etched to form a dipole antenna disposed adjacent the interface surface to provide coupling to the dielectric waveguide. A reflector structure is formed in the substrate adjacent the dipole antenna opposite from the interface surface.

Claims

1. A planar, multilayer substrate comprising:

a dielectric waveguide interface surface;

a first conductive layer providing a dipole antenna adjacent the interface surface; and

a reflector structure adjacent the dipole antenna opposite from the interface surface, the reflector structure having a second reflector plate conductive layer and a third reflector plate conductive layer arranged above and below the first conductive layer, and vias located on the sides of the dipole antenna and connected between the second reflector plate conductive layer and the third reflector plate conductive layer.

2. The planar, multilayer substrate of claim 1 in which the dipole antenna has a length selected for radiating a radio frequency signal with a carrier frequency and the reflector structure is spaced apart from the dipole antenna by one of a distance of one half a wavelength of the carrier frequency or a multiple of one half a wavelength of the carrier frequency.

3. The planar, multilayer substrate of claim 1 in which the dipole antenna radiates a radio frequency signal with a carrier frequency and the reflector structure is spaced apart from the dipole antenna by a distance in a range of 0.3-0.7 a wavelength of the carrier frequency.

4. The planar, multilayer substrate of claim 1 including an integrated circuit having a sub-terahertz signal output coupled to the dipole antenna.

5. The planar, multiplayer substrate of claim 1 in which the first, second, and third layers are planar and are separated by insulating layers.

6. An electronic device comprising a multilayer substrate, wherein the multilayer substrate comprises:

an interface surface configured for interfacing to a dielectric waveguide;

a first conductive layer etched to form a dipole antenna disposed adjacent the interface surface, the dipole antenna configured to provide coupling to the dielectric waveguide; and

a reflector structure formed in the substrate adjacent the dipole antenna opposite from the interface surface, wherein the interface surface is located on an outside surface of the multilayer substrate, the multilayer substrate includes a second conductive layer and a third conductive layer, and the reflector structure includes a plurality of vias coupled between a reflector plate formed in the second conductive layer and a reflector plate formed in the third conductive layer.

7. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, in which the dipole antenna radiates a radio frequency signal with a carrier frequency F and the reflector structure is spaced apart from the dipole antenna by a distance of approximately one half a wavelength of the carrier frequency F.

8. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, in which the dipole antenna radiates a radio frequency signal with a carrier frequency F and the reflector structure is spaced apart from the dipole antenna by a distance in a range of 0.3-0.7 a wavelength of the carrier frequency F.

9. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, in which the dipole antenna radiates a radio frequency signal with a carrier frequency F and the reflector structure is spaced apart from the dipole antenna by a distance of approximately one and one half a wavelength of the carrier frequency F.

10. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, further comprising:

a pair of differential feed lines coupled to the dipole antenna; and

a ground plane on a portion of another conductive layer in the multilayer substrate, wherein the differential feed lines are located a controlled distance from the ground plane.

11. The multilayer substrate of claim 10, wherein the plurality of vias are not coupled to the ground plane.

12. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising an integrated circuit mounted on the multilayer substrate, the integrated circuit comprising circuitry for processing a radio frequency signal coupled to the dipole antenna.

13. The electronic device of claim 6, further comprising a dielectric waveguide segment, such that an interface surface of the dielectric waveguide is positioned adjacent the interface surface of the multilayer substrate.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, further comprising a second substrate, wherein the multilayer substrate and the dielectric waveguide segment are mounted on the second substrate.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the dielectric waveguide segment has an end opposite the interface surface, the end having a non-planar interface surface.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the non-planar interface surface is covered with a deformable material.

17. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, including an additional reflector plate located on another layer of the multilayer substrate between the second and third conductive layers and connected to the plurality of vias.

18. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, wherein the plurality of vias are arranged in three rows and placed parallel to the dipole antenna.

19. The multilayer substrate of claim 6, wherein the reflector structure is a metallic plate or a filament line with an edge parallel to and spaced apart from the dipole antenna by a selected distance.

20. A method of operating an electronic device, the method comprising:

generating a sub-terahertz signal in an integrated circuit within the electronic device;

transporting the sub-terahertz signal to a dipole antenna located in a multilayer substrate of the electronic device;

radiating a portion of the sub-terahertz signal into a dielectric waveguide using a surface of the multilayer substrate as an interface surface between the multilayer substrate and the dielectric waveguide; and

reflecting another portion of the sub-terahertz signal into the dielectric waveguide by a reflector structure located in the multilayer substrate adjacent the dipole antenna.