Integrated circuit with electromagnetic communication

• US 9,379,450 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Molex LLC (KOCH Industries Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Keyssa, Inc.
• Inventors: Kyles, Ian A., McCormack, Gary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HOANGANH T
• Application Number:
  US14/936,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20160064827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 343/700.MS, 343/702, 343/833, 343/834
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16245 the item being metallic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32245 the item being metallic
• 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 2224/48247 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/49113 the connectors connecting different bonding areas on the semiconductor or solid-state body to a common bonding area outside the body, e.g. converging wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73204 the bump connector being embedded into the layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3128 the substrate having spherical bumps for external connection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49816 Spherical bumps on the substrate for external connection, e.g. ball grid arrays [BGA]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49861 Lead-frames fixed on or encapsulated in insulating substrates H01L23/4985, H01L23/49805 take precedence
• 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 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/10253 : Silicon [Si]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/13091 : Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor [MOSFET]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/15311 : being a ball array, e.g. BGA
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/181 : Encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/207 : Diameter ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 : Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30111 : matching
• 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 1/48 : Earthing means; Earth screens; Counterpoises
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/021 : Means for reducing undesirable effects
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/18 : having two or more spaced reflecting surfaces H01Q19/20 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

A system for transmitting or receiving signals may include an integrated circuit (IC), a transducer operatively coupled to the IC for converting between electrical signals and electromagnetic signals; and insulating material that fixes the locations of the transducer and IC in spaced relationship relative to each other. The system may further include a lead frame providing external connections to conductors on the IC. An electromagnetic-energy directing assembly may be mounted relative to the transducer for directing electromagnetic energy in a region including the transducer and in a direction away from the IC. The directing assembly may include the lead frame, a printed circuit board ground plane, or external conductive elements spaced from the transducer. In a receiver, a signal-detector circuit may be responsive to a monitor signal representative of a received first radio-frequency electrical signal for generating a control signal that enables or disables an output from the receiver.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a substrate;

an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to the substrate, the IC including a transmitter circuit that transforms a baseband signal into an extremely high frequency (EHF) electrical signal;

a transducer operatively coupled to the IC, the transducer to convert the EHF electrical signal into an EHF electromagnetic signal having a wavelength; and

an electromagnetic-energy directing assembly to direct electromagnetic energy from the transducer in a direction away from the IC, the electromagnetic-energy directing assembly comprising;

a plurality of ground vias extending through the substrate, the plurality of ground vias forming a via wall surrounding at least three sides of a space and the plurality of ground vias being spaced apart by less than one sixth of the wavelength of the EHF electromagnetic signal; and

a ground plane overlapping with the transducer and the ground vias.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the via wall comprises:

a first via wall;

a second via wall parallel to the first via wall; and

a third via wall perpendicular to the first via wall and the second via wall.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an IC package, wherein the IC package comprises at least the substrate, the IC, the transducer, and the ground vias.

4. A system comprising:

a substrate;

an integrated circuit (IC) mounted to the substrate, the IC including a transmitter circuit that transforms a baseband signal into an extremely high frequency (EHF) electrical signal;

a transducer operatively coupled to the IC, the transducer to convert the EHF electrical signal into an EHF electromagnetic signal having a wavelength; and

an electromagnetic-energy directing assembly to direct electromagnetic energy from the transducer in a direction away from the IC, the electromagnetic-energy directing assembly comprising;

a plurality of vias extending through the substrate, the plurality of vias forming a via wall surrounding at least three sides of a space and the plurality of vias being spaced apart by less than a fraction of the wavelength of the EHF electromagnetic signal; and

a ground plane overlapping with the transducer and the vias.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the via wall comprises:

a first via wall;

a second via wall parallel to the first via wall; and

a third via wall perpendicular to the first via wall and the second via wall.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

an IC package, wherein the IC package comprises at least the substrate, the IC, the transducer, and the vias.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein at least a portion of the substrate is located between the transducer and the ground plane.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a printed circuit board (PCB) having a major face on which the IC package is mounted,

wherein the ground plane of the directing assembly is a layer of the PCB.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the major face of the PCB extends away from the transducer opposite the IC, the directing assembly including one or more elongate conductive elements disposed in spaced apart positions on the PCB along a line extending in a direction away from the transducer, the one or more elongate conductive elements each extending transversely of the line.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the ground plane of the directing assembly terminates at an edge aligned with an end of the IC package.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the ground plane of the directing assembly extends past an end of the IC package.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein the directing assembly includes a lead frame providing external connections to conductors on the IC, and the lead frame is spaced from the transducer and includes a plurality of separate leads distributed about the IC extending to the vias, the plurality of separate leads and disposed sufficiently close together to reflect electromagnetic energy having the wavelength.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the transducer is disposed on a first side of the IC and the lead frame is not disposed along the first side of the IC.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the lead frame is disposed at least along second and third sides of the IC that are each adjacent to the first side.

15. The system of claim 4, wherein the ground plane of the electromagnetic-energy directing assembly further overlaps with the IC.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the transducer is disposed away from the ground plane by a distance less than the wavelength of EHF electromagnetic signal.

17. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of vias of the directing assembly comprise ground vias.

18. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of vias of the directing assembly comprise active signal vias.

19. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of vias of the directing assembly are spaced apart by less than one sixth of the wavelength of the EHF electromagnetic signal.

20. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of vias of the directing assembly are spaced apart by one tenth of the wavelength of the EHF electromagnetic signal.