JP2003198248A - Antenna-integrated package - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a high frequency semiconductor-antenna-integrated package, which effectively utilizes a lead frame used in a package product as a part of an antenna, a coil and a capacitor in frequency bands extending from several GHz to 30 GHz to perform a high efficiency radiation, while miniaturizing the structure and reducing the number of peripheral components and the cost by the known technology. <P>SOLUTION: The antenna-integrated package 1, having a micro/millimeter wave IC 3 having active and passive elements and an antenna part 2, uses a part of a lead frame 26 constituting the micro/millimeter wave IC as an antenna 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an antenna-integrated package, and more particularly to a package technology in which a compound semiconductor composed of micro / millimeter wave active elements, a so-called microwave / microwave IC, and an antenna are integrated. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of wireless communication technology in order to cope with the increase in the amount of information, the frequency to be used has become higher and the demand for microwaves has rapidly increased. Along with this, not only small portable devices that perform high-speed wireless communication but also various electric appliances that incorporate a wireless communication function have been adopted. In installing such a communication function inside a device, a microwave antenna that does not occupy an installation space is being reduced in size and weight, and further, a chip antenna is being developed.

[0003] Furthermore, there is a situation that the demand for wireless communication is expanding in various places from the 2.4 GHz band, which has begun to be used for wireless data communication, and the 5 GHz band to millimeter waves. Wireless application products by Bluetooth have already been developed for mobile phones, laptops,
Links to PDAs, handheld games and other mobile devices are starting.

With the start of use of IPV6 in the future, it is considered that demand for micro / millimeter waves will increase dramatically as all products including home electric appliances, automobiles and roads will be networked. Therefore, for the above-mentioned applied products, there is a need for a micro / millimeter-wave device that is smaller and lighter and that can be easily attached to product equipment.

However, in the conventional device using the micro / millimeter wave, the terminal of the compound semiconductor constituted by the active element of the micro / millimeter wave, that is, the so-called micro / millimeter wave IC and the chip antenna are separately constructed. Because
There are problems such as an increase in the number of parts, an increase in the volume of parts, and an increase in the total weight of parts. Further, since microwave components generally require fine adjustment at the time of shipment, reduction in cost and man-hours has also reached a ceiling.

Therefore, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-67919, a module in which a microwave IC and an antenna are integrated has been proposed. However, at the present stage, there is a problem that the volume is large and the cost is high.

On the other hand, research and development of so-called monolithic micro / millimeter wave devices in which an antenna is built on a micro / millimeter wave IC are also being actively conducted. However, according to the monolithic micro / millimeter wave device, the wavelength corresponds to 1 cm to several cm in the band of several GHz to 30 GHz, which corresponds to the low frequency in the micro / millimeter wave. It was not easy to make a wide band high gain antenna within a small chip area.

[0008]

As described above, a method of mounting two parts of a conventional micro / millimeter wave IC and a chip antenna or a method of integrally forming a module with the micro / millimeter wave IC and antenna. However, there is a problem in that the volume of parts becomes large and it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of the product. Therefore, simplification of shipment adjustment and reduction of the number of parts are required in order to reduce the price by using the existing technology.

[0009] Usually, the micro / millimeter wave IC and its antenna are easily affected by the material, size and arrangement of the product mounting place and its peripheral parts, and it is difficult to maximize the performance of the antenna. Therefore, there is a demand for an antenna having a higher gain than that of a monolithic micro / millimeter wave IC and having a small antenna shortening rate and capable of obtaining a flat gain in a wide band adapted to a wide band.

In addition, a millimeter wave having a very short wavelength (for example, 3
If it is transmission and reception (0 GHz or more), it is possible that the antenna will be incorporated as a part of semiconductor in the future, and monolithic micro / millimeter wave IC will be developed, but from several GHz to 30 GHz
At frequencies below Hz, even if a single chip can be realized, a large area is required to make an antenna, a capacitor, a coil, etc. on an IC chip, and a miniaturized / shortened antenna has a radiation efficiency to a free space. Creating a good, high-gain antenna is not easy. Therefore, in order to efficiently radiate the electromagnetic waves into the free space, it is required to make the wiring to have a large effective length of the antenna.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and particularly in a frequency range of several GHz to 30 GHz, a lead frame used in a package product is effective as a part of an antenna, a coil and a capacitor. It is an object of the present invention to provide a high frequency semiconductor / antenna integrated package capable of efficient radiation while utilizing the existing technology to reduce the size, reduce the number of peripheral components and reduce the cost.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an antenna-integrated package, and a micro / millimeter wave antenna module having a micro / millimeter wave circuit having an active element and a passive element and a micro / millimeter wave antenna. An antenna-integrated package characterized by using a part of a lead frame constituting the micro / millimeter wave circuit as an antenna, which is an effective use of an existing semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and a low-priced product in a band of several GHz to 30 GHz. It is suitable for power-saving short-distance communication with a short wavelength corresponding to the frequency.

The lead frame is micro /
It is preferable that a terminal of a compound semiconductor composed of a millimeter wave active element is connected. Further, it is preferable that the lead frame includes a stub. Further, it is preferable that the outer peripheral portion of the antenna is configured to be covered with a package resin having high permeability of electromagnetic waves in a band of several GHz to 30 GHz.

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in a micro / millimeter wave antenna module having a micro / millimeter wave circuit including an active element and a passive element, and a micro / millimeter wave antenna, a part of a lead frame constituting the micro / millimeter wave circuit is used as an antenna. When used, it is possible to use either a lead frame using a punching method suitable for mass production or an etching type lead frame suitable for small volume production, while selecting the frame suitable for the specifications of the applied product Also, it is possible to shorten the development time.

Further, if the frequency to be used is up to 30 GHz, one wavelength is 1 cm, so that if there is an accuracy of 1/200 of one wavelength, there is no problem.
An accuracy of 0.05 mm is required, and the accuracy of the dimensions of the antenna can be obtained with the existing lead frame assembly technology. In other words, for wire bonding and lead frame assembly, the single conductor device cultivated up to now can be used as it is. Therefore, by using the existing technology, an increase in production cost can be suppressed, and the lead frame can be used as an antenna, so that it is possible to select a means suitable for production.

Further, in order to make the impedance of the antenna less susceptible to the environment around the package,
By encapsulating the antenna main body in the package resin, the antenna main body can be separated from the peripheral parts, and at the same time, the mechanical strength of the antenna can be improved and the shape can be stabilized.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are examples of embodiments for carrying out the invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of the overall configuration of an antenna-integrated package according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Explanatory drawing showing the structure of the antenna part, FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the structure of the antenna part and the micro / millimeter wave IC,
4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4A in the packaged state of the antenna unit and the micro / millimeter wave IC, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing locations of main stray capacitances and reactances generated in the antenna unit. It is a figure.

The antenna integrated package 1 of this embodiment
As shown in FIG. 1, it is composed of an antenna unit 2 and a micro / millimeter wave IC 3, the antenna unit 2 is provided with an antenna 4, and the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 is provided with a switch 5, an RF power amplifier 6, Low noise amplifier 7, mixer 8, PLL (1) 9, mixer 10, bypass filter (1) 11, bypass filter (2) 12, modulator 13, PLL (2) 14, mixer 15, bypass filter (3) 16, base Band processor 17, CPU
Eighteen.

The CPU 18 not only performs arithmetic processing but also controls the entire micro / millimeter wave IC 3.

At the time of transmission, the RF power amplifier 6 and the antenna 4 are turned through by the switch 5, and the baseband processor 17 controls the PLL (1) 9 and the PLL (2) 14 which oscillate the carrier of the micro / millimeter wave. Then, the carrier generated in the PLL (2) 14 and the data signal from the baseband processor 17 are processed by the modulator 1
After modulation by 3, the unnecessary carrier is removed through the bypass filter (1) 11, the high frequency oscillated by the PLL (1) 9 and the modulated signal are mixed by the mixer 8 to be converted into a specific frequency, and the RF power amplifier 6 Then, the signal is amplified and supplied to the antenna 4 via the switch 5.

On the other hand, at the time of reception, the low noise amplifier 7 and the antenna 4 are made through by the switch 5, and the signal input from the antenna 4 is amplified by the low noise amplifier 7 and then PL
The carrier generated in L (1) 9 and the mixer 10 are mixed and converted into an intermediate frequency, and the bypass filter (2) 1
After removing the unwanted carrier through 2, PLL (2)
The carrier oscillated in 14 and its signal are mixed and converted into a frequency that can be received by the baseband processor 17,
The bypass filter (3) 16 removes unnecessary carriers and enters the baseband processor 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lead frame 26 has the lead wire (1) 21, the lead wire (2) 22, and the lead wire (3) 2 before the antenna portion 25 is bent.
3, island (GND) 24, lead frame 26,
It is provided with a stub 27. Lead wire (1) 21, lead wire (2) 22, lead wire (3) 2
3. The island 24 is used as a general-purpose lead frame. The antenna section 25 is composed of a lead frame 26 and a stub 27 for matching the antenna input impedance.

FIG. 3A is a layout view of the antenna portion 25 when packaged (the package resin is omitted). In order to install the antenna portion 25 on the upper part of the micro / millimeter wave IC 3, leads are provided. The frame 26 is bent near the base to reduce the size of the package.

A plurality of bonding pads 28 are provided on the micro / millimeter wave IC 3. The bonding pad 28 and the vicinity of the root of the lead frame 26 are connected by a bonding wire 29.

The lead frame 26 has an input impedance and a micro / millimeter wave I
The stub 27 is provided with a size set so that the output impedance of C3 can be matched.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 is disposed on the upper surface of the island 24, and the entire circumference is covered with the package resin 31. The antenna unit 25 is the micro / millimeter wave IC.
3 and the base portion of the lead frame 26 disposed adjacent to the package 3 together with the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 are package resin 3
1, the lead frame 26 folded back on the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 is covered with a material having a low dielectric constant (a material easily transmitting micro / millimeter waves, such as Teflon (R)) 32. .

The main body of the micro / millimeter wave IC3 has a microwave active element and a passive element, and in order to avoid interference with the antenna section 25, the active element / passive element on the antenna section 25 and the micro / millimeter wave IC3 is provided. The elements are physically separated.

By covering the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 and the antenna section 25 with the package resin 31 and the material 32 having a low dielectric constant such as Teflon (R), the mechanical strength of the lead frame 26 is increased to stabilize its shape and its periphery. The physical distance from the equipment and parts will reduce the influence of the surroundings.

Next, the main floating capacitors and reactances generated in the antenna section 25 will be described. In order to integrate the antenna unit 25 and the micro / millimeter wave IC 3, it is necessary to verify the capacitors and reactances of the respective parts in advance. Mainly, as shown in FIG. 4, the coil component 29a of the bonding wire 29 and the antenna part 2 between the bonding wire 29 and the stub 27 are provided.
5, a coil component 26a ₁ generated in a bent portion of the lead frame 26, a capacitor component 26b ₁ in a portion in which the stub 27 of the lead frame 26 and a central lead are closely arranged in parallel, the stub Capacitor component 27b generated in 27, coil component 26a ₂ generated in the bent portion of the lead frame 26, lead frame 2
6 and the package resin (not shown) require verification of the impedance component 26b _{2 and the} like.

As means for adjusting them, (1) wiring length, spacing and shape of the lead frame 26 (2) terminal arrangement of the micro / millimeter wave IC and installation place on the lead frame 26 (3) length of bonding wire / Interval (4) package material (5) and other factors.

By considering the above items, the impedance mismatch of the antenna section 25, the micro / millimeter wave I
By adapting C3 and the antenna unit 25, it is possible to efficiently radiate a micro / millimeter wave from the package and improve the receiving capability.

Further, the smaller the lead frame 26 is, the lower the gain of the antenna becomes, which makes it difficult to obtain a wide band, and it becomes impossible to adapt to broadband. Therefore, the electromagnetic wave of a specific frequency in a wide band is radiated / received. To
The lead frame 26 forming the antenna portion 25 is bent to have a structure in which the effective length can be increased as much as possible.

As described above, when the lead frame 26 is laid out in order to increase the wiring length, it physically has a coil component, so that the input impedance increases. Therefore, a stub 27 is provided to perform the adjustment to add a capacitor component, and the input impedance of the antenna unit 25 is lowered to achieve matching.

These matching must be matched with the high frequency output impedance output from the micro / millimeter wave IC 3. Further, in order to make the volume more compact when packaged, the antenna part 25 is folded back and arranged above the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 of the silicon chip. At this time, the stub 27 of the lead frame 26
Since the coil component 26a ₁ also appears in the vicinity of the folded portion, the input impedance of the antenna changes depending on the folded shape. Similarly, the loop-shaped antenna unit 2
In the curved portion of 5, the capacitor and the coil component 26a ₂
Therefore, it functions as an antenna input impedance by combining with the above components.

On the other hand, the high frequency output from the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 is transmitted from the bonding pad 28 to the antenna section 25 via the bonding wire 29. Here, since the coil component of the bonding wire 29 and the capacitance component between the bonding wires 29 may have the greatest influence on the output impedance, the output impedance should be accurately grasped in advance.

Further, since the antenna section 25 must efficiently radiate and receive electromagnetic waves in a free space, it has little influence on the micro / millimeter waves and has high transparency in the band of the electromagnetic waves used. Material is required. Therefore, as the mold resin used for the package, for example, Teflon (R) or the like is used as a sealing material for the antenna section 25.

As described above, the antenna-integrated package 1 is configured to efficiently radiate electromagnetic waves, and matches the output impedance from the micro / millimeter wave IC 3, the impedance after passing through the bonding wire 29, and the input impedance of the antenna. Then, the simulation before the assembly that does not require the matching adjustment after the assembly is completed is performed.

Then, in the microwave / millimeter wave band, R
Since the F characteristic is easily influenced by the surroundings, the structure is made to be less susceptible to the reactance, the capacitor, and the resistor component which are the parasitic resistance of the PCB. Since the antenna unit 25 is also sealed in the same package as the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 to be a solid type, the antenna unit 25 is installed above the package, and a mechanism for connecting the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 to the antenna unit 25 is provided. All shall be stored inside the package.

Further, at the time of designing, a stub 27 is provided between the antenna section 25 and the active element / passive element for the micro / millimeter wave.
Is provided to adjust the shape and size of the stub 27 as a matching circuit that suppresses the reflected wave against the traveling wave.

In addition to satisfying these matters,
In designing, it is needless to say that the influence on the RF characteristics of the lead frame 26 and the bonding wire 29 and the material (relative permittivity) of the package resin are confirmed in advance by a three-dimensional simulation.

With the above configuration, the antenna-integrated package according to the present embodiment can secure the gain of the antenna while integrating the micro / millimeter wave IC of several GHz to 30 GHz and the antenna, It is possible to provide an antenna-integrated package that is not easily affected by the above and does not interfere with the high frequency device.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the micro / millimeter wave IC 3 has an RF baseband processor,
Since a circuit for selecting and stabilizing the frequency is provided, control from an integrated CPU or an external CPU is also possible.

Further, by applying the technique of the present invention, as another method of using the lead frame as the antenna main body, it is easy to develop to a method of using the ball bonding technique and wiring the antenna to an interposer or the like. Conceivable.

[0044]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention is as described above.
According to the antenna-integrated package described in 1 to 4, the lead frame used in the package product is an antenna, a coil,
A high-frequency semiconductor that can be effectively used as a part of a capacitor to achieve miniaturization, reduction in the number of peripheral components and cost reduction with existing technology, and particularly efficient radiation in the frequency range of several GHz to 30 GHz. The excellent effect that it can be realized can be achieved.

That is, according to the present invention, by using a part of the lead frame as an antenna, the shortening rate of the antenna is small as compared with the monolithic micro / millimeter wave IC, and a large area can be used as the antenna. By increasing the gain of the antenna, the output power of the micro / millimeter wave IC can be reduced, the current consumption can be reduced, and the battery life of a small portable device or the like can be particularly extended. Furthermore, a wide operating frequency range is possible, and it is possible to realize a wireless network in a frequency band (30 GHz or less) that is difficult to realize with a monolithic micro / millimeter wave IC that integrates a micro / millimeter wave and an antenna.

Further, according to the present invention, since the lead frame is connected to the terminal of the compound semiconductor composed of the micro / millimeter wave active element, the interference between the antenna section and the passive element in the circuit is avoided. At the same time, it is possible to separate it from the micro / millimeter wave IC and integrate the antenna part, so that the number of parts can be reduced and the price can be reduced by simplifying the shipping adjustment. Further, since the IC body and the antenna section are configured separately, the effective permittivity is lower than that of the monolithic micro / millimeter wave IC, and the efficiency of the antenna can be improved.

Further, according to the present invention, it is suitable for effective use of existing semiconductor manufacturing equipment and low-priced products for short-distance communication with a short wavelength corresponding to frequencies of several GHz to 30 GHz. It is possible to provide a small-sized micro / millimeter wave IC and an antenna that occupy a small area and are easy to mount by configuring the device as a part of a network of consumer devices including the same.

Further, according to the present invention, an antenna section composed of a lead frame and a micro / millimeter wave active element,
By providing the stub between the passive elements, a matching circuit that suppresses the reflected wave with respect to the traveling wave can be configured.
Furthermore, by sealing the antenna body in the package resin, at the same time separating the antenna body from the peripheral parts,
The impedance of the antenna is less likely to be affected by the environment around the package, and the mechanical strength and shape of the antenna can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an overall configuration of an antenna integrated package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an antenna unit of the antenna integrated package.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the antenna part and a micro / millimeter wave I.
FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing the configuration of C, and FIG. 3B is a view of A of FIG.
FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing locations of main stray capacitances and reactances generated in the antenna unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Antenna Integrated Package 2 Antenna Part 3 Micro / millimeter Wave IC 4 Antenna 25 Antenna Part 26 Lead Frames 26a ₁ , 26a ₂ Coil Component 26b ₂ Impedance Components 26b ₁ , 27b Capacitor Component 27 Stub 28 Bonding Pad 29 Bonding Wire 29a Coil Component 31 Package resin 32 Low dielectric constant material

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI theme code (reference) H01Q 1/44 H01Q 1/44 H04B 1/38 H04B 1/38 F term (reference) 5F067 BA03 CD00 CD10 5J021 AA01 AB04 CA04 CA06 FA24 FA26 FA31 HA10 JA07 5J046 AA07 AA12 AB11 QA02 SA00 SA07 5J047 AA07 AA12 AB11 FC01 FC05 5K011 AA06 BA04 DA02 KA18

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A micro / millimeter wave antenna module having a micro / millimeter wave circuit including an active element and a passive element, and a micro / millimeter wave antenna, wherein a part of a lead frame constituting the micro / millimeter wave circuit. An antenna-integrated package characterized by using as an antenna. 2. The antenna-integrated package according to claim 1, wherein the lead frame is connected to a terminal of a compound semiconductor formed of an active element of micro / millimeter wave. 3. The antenna integrated package according to claim 1, wherein the lead frame has a stub. 4. The antenna has an outer peripheral portion of several GHz.
The antenna integrated package according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the package is covered with a package resin having a high permeability of electromagnetic waves in the range from 1 to 30 GHz.