Packaged electronic components for producing a sub-harmonic frequency signal at millimetric frequencies

• US 7,388,450 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2003
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: United Monolithic Semiconductors S.A.S. (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: United Monolithic Semiconductors S.A.S. (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Camiade, Marc, Domnesque, Denis, Beilenhoff, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, BENNY T
• Application Number:
  US10/534,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20060097818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 333/26, 333/218
• US Class Current: 333/26
• 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 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: H01P 5/107 Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions

Abstract

The invention relates to millimetric packaged electronic components for applications at high frequencies greater than 45 GHz. According to the invention, to facilitate the design of a system including MMIC chips working at these frequencies, it is proposed to use packages containing one or more chips, these packages making it possible to work at these frequencies and including two types of port: a port with transition by contactless electromagnetic coupling providing a connection with an antenna at the high working frequency F via a waveguide; and a port with microstrip or coaxial line type transition enabling a connection at a subharmonic frequency F/N (preferably N=6 or 4 or, if necessary, 3) of the working frequency.

Claims

1. An electronic component mounted in an individual package and intended to be connected to other components of an electronic system, said electronic component comprising:

one or more integrated circuit chips working around a main millimetric frequency F greater than 45 GHz, wherein said package has at least two ports for communicating electrical signals between the interior and the exterior of said package, the first port being a port with transition by contactless electromagnetic coupling for the transmission of signals at the main frequency greater than 45 GHz, and the second port being a port with microstrip or coaxial type transition for the transmission of a main frequency F/N that is a subharmonic of the frequency F, where N is ≧

2.

2. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the package is provided with a conductive cover positioned at a distance from the first port such that said conductive cover sets up, above this port, an electromagnetic short circuit at the main frequency, thus forming a wave reflector facilitating the transmission of said main frequency through the first port.

3. The component as claimed in claim 2, wherein the conductive cover is at a height above the port equal to a quarter of the wavelength, or an odd multiple of the quarter of the wavelength of the main frequency.

4. The component as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the chips included in said package comprises means for multiplying frequency by a ratio N to change from the subharmonic frequency to the main frequency.

5. The component as claimed in claim 3, comprising a ceramic substrate, a first metallized side of which is etched to form a microstrip line having a free end and another side of which is also metallized to form a ground plane, the ground plane being interrupted facing the free end, to provide contactless electromagnetic coupling between the interior and the exterior of the package via the microstrip free end.

6. The component as claimed in claim 3 wherein said one or more chips including one or more MMIC chips fixed on a base, said one of the chips MMIC including a microstrip line, having one free end in which used as the contactless electromagnetic transition, said one MMIC chip extending over an opening in the base so that the free end of the line is located in line with the opening, in order to form a contactless electromagnetic transition through the opening.

7. The component as claimed in claim 2, comprising a ceramic substrate, a first metallized side of which is etched to form a microstrip line having a free end and another side of which is also metallized to form a ground plane, the ground plane being interrupted facing the free end, to provide contactless electromagnetic coupling between the interior and the exterior of the package via the microstrip free end.

8. The component as claimed in claim 2, wherein said one or more chips including one or more MMIC chips fixed on a base, one of the chips MMIC including a microstrip line, having one free end which is used as the contactless electromagnetic transition, said one MMIC chip extending over an opening in the base so that the free end of the line is located in line with the opening, in order to form the contactless electromagnetic transition through the opening.

9. The component as claimed in claim 2, wherein one of the chips included in said package comprises means for multiplying frequency by a ratio N to change from the subharmonic frequency to the main frequency.

10. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein said one or more chips comprising one or more MMIC chips fixed on a base, one of the chips MMIC including a microstrip line, having one free end which is used as the contactless electromagnetic transition, said one MMIC chip extending over an opening in the base so that the free end of the line is located in line with the opening, in order to form the contactless electromagnetic transition through the opening.

11. The component as claimed in claim 1, wherein one of the chips included in said package comprises means for multiplying frequency by a ratio N to change from the subharmonic frequency to the main frequency.

12. The component as claimed in claim 11, wherein said one or more chips including one or more MMIC chips fixed on a base, said one of the chips MMIC including a microstrip line, having one free end which is used as the contactless electromagnetic transition, said one MMIC chip extending over an opening in the base so that the free end of the line is located in line with the opening, in order to form the contactless electromagnetic transition through the opening.

13. The component as claimed in claim 11, comprising a ceramic substrate, a first metallized side of which is etched to form a microstrip line having a free end and another side of which is also metallized to form a ground plane, the ground plane being interrupted facing the free end, to provide contactless electromagnetic coupling between the interior and the exterior of the package via the microstrip free end.

14. The component as claimed in claim 1, comprising a ceramic substrate, a first metallized side of which is etched to form a microstrip line having a free end and another side of the ceramic subtrate is also metallized to form a ground plane, the ground plane being interrupted facing the free end, to provide the contactless electromagnetic coupling between the interior and the exterior of the package via the microstrip free end.

15. The component as claimed in claim 14, wherein a conductive cover is at a height above the free end of the microstrip line equal to a quarter of the wavelength, or an odd multiple of a quarter of the wavelength of the main frequency.

16. The component as claimed in claim 15, including a metallic base open facing the microstrip free end.

17. The component as claimed in claim 14, comprising a metallic base open facing the microstrip free end.