SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION AND RADIATION IN A WIRELESS ENABLED INTEGRATED CIRCUIT (IC) USING A LEAKY WAVEGUIDE

• US 20130082801A1
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: ROFOUGARAN, Ahmadreza, BEHZAD, Arya Reza, ZHAO, Sam Ziqun, CASTANEDA, Jesus Alfonso, BOERS, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/239
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/16225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06517 Bump or bump-like direct electrical connections from device to substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06531 Non-galvanic coupling, e.g. capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2225/06572 Auxiliary carrier between devices, the carrier having an electrical connection structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/5222 Capacitive arrangements or effects of, or between wiring layers other capacitive arrangements H01L23/642
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/66 High-frequency adaptations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0655 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0657 Stacked arrangements of devices
• 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 2924/1461 MEMS
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 13/00 Waveguide horns or mouths; Slot antennas; Leaky-waveguide antennas; Equivalent structures causing radiation along the transmission path of a guided wave
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/28 using the near field of leaky cables, e.g. of leaky coaxial cables
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13098 Mobile subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13387 Call gapping

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for wirelessly communicating among integrated circuits and/or functional modules within the integrated circuits. A semiconductor device fabrication operation uses a predetermined sequence of photographic and/or chemical processing steps to form one or more functional modules onto a semiconductor substrate. The functional modules are coupled to an integrated waveguide that is formed onto the semiconductor substrate and/or attached thereto to form an integrated circuit. The functional modules communicate with each other as well as to other integrated circuits using a multiple access transmission scheme via the integrated waveguide. One or more integrated circuits may be coupled to an integrated circuit carrier to form Multichip Module. The Multichip Module may be coupled to a semiconductor package to form a packaged integrated circuit.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit formed onto a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate including a first group and a second group of useable fabrication layers from among a plurality of fabrication layers, comprising:

a functional module formed onto the first group of useable fabrication layers; and

an integrated waveguide, formed onto the second group of useable fabrication layers, communicatively coupled to the functional module.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the first group of useable fabrication layers comprises:

a diffusion and a polysilicon layer to form components of the functional module; and

a conductive layer to form interconnections between the components.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the second group of useable fabrication layers comprises:

a first fabrication layer to form a first conductive element; and

a second fabrication layer to form a second conductive element,

wherein the first and the second conductive elements are configured and arranged to form the integrated waveguide.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the first and the second conductive elements are configured and arranged to form a first parallel plate and a second parallel plate, respectively, and

wherein the first parallel plate and the second parallel plate elements are configured and arranged to form a parallel plate waveguide.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the first and the second conductive elements are characterized as being separated by a cavity region.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the first conductive element comprises:

a plurality of phase openings that are configured and arranged to be free of conductive material, the first plurality of phase openings, the first conductive element, and the second conductive element being configured and arranged to form a leaky waveguide.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 9, wherein the plurality of phase openings are configured and arranged to leak portions of a cavity wave, and

wherein each portion of the cavity wave that leaks through each of the plurality of phase openings is configured to constructively combine to form a transmitted communication signal.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising:

a radiating element configured to communicatively couple the functional module and the integrated waveguide.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element includes at least one dielectric material.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 7, wherein the cavity region is a region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element that is free of conductive material.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element is configured and arranged to approximate free space.

12. An integrated waveguide formed onto a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate including a plurality of fabrication layers, comprising:

a first conductive element formed onto a first useable fabrication layer from among the plurality of fabrication layers; and

a second conductive element formed onto a second useable fabrication layer from among the plurality of fabrication layers,

wherein the first and the second conductive elements are configured and arranged to guide a cavity wave through the integrated waveguide.

13. The integrated waveguide of claim 12, wherein the first and the second conductive elements are configured and arranged to form a first parallel plate and a second parallel plate, respectively, and

wherein the first parallel plate and the second parallel plate elements are configured and arranged to form a parallel plate waveguide.

14. The integrated waveguide of claim 12, wherein the first and the second conductive elements are characterized as being separated by a cavity region.

15. The integrated waveguide of claim 14, wherein the cavity region is a region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element that is free of conductive material.

16. The integrated waveguide of claim 15, wherein the region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element is configured and arranged to approximate free space.

17. The integrated waveguide of claim 15, wherein the region between the first conductive element and the second conductive element includes at least one dielectric material.

18. The integrated waveguide of claim 12, wherein the first conductive element comprises:

a plurality of phase openings that are configured and arranged to be free of conductive material, the first plurality of phase openings, the first conductive element, and the second conductive element being configured and arranged to form a leaky waveguide.

19. The integrated waveguide of claim 18, wherein the plurality of phase openings are configured and arranged to leak portions of a cavity wave, and

wherein each portion of the cavity wave that leaks through each of the plurality of phase openings is configured to constructively combine to form a transmitted communication signal.

20. The integrated waveguide of claim 12, wherein the integrated waveguide is coupled to at least one functional module formed onto other useable fabrication layers from among the plurality of fabrication layers.