CN112865831A

CN112865831A - Millimeter wave communication AIP module

Info

Publication number: CN112865831A
Application number: CN202110090544.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 史艳梅; 俞斌; 徐玮
Original assignee: Suzhou Shuo Beide Innovation Technology Research Co ltd; Huizhou Speed Wireless Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Shuo Beide Innovation Technology Research Co ltd; Huizhou Speed Wireless Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-01-22
Filing date: 2021-01-22
Publication date: 2021-05-28

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of packaging, and provides a millimeter wave communication AIP module, which comprises an antenna radiation unit and a radio frequency chip, wherein the radiation unit is arranged on the top layer of the AIP module, and the radio frequency chip is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of dielectric layers are arranged between the antenna radiation unit and the radio frequency chip, and the functional layers and the dielectric layers are arranged in a stacked manner; the radiation unit is coupled with or directly feeds the radio frequency chip, the radio frequency chip transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiation unit, and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals. In the practical application process, the antenna radiation unit and the radio frequency chip are packaged and arranged in one module, so that the formed AIP module can be directly welded on a circuit board, the number of layers of the PCB is greatly reduced, the design difficulty is reduced, and the assembly and the maintenance are convenient.

Description

Millimeter wave communication AIP module

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of packaging, in particular to a millimeter wave communication AIP module.

Background

With the development of technologies such as 5G communication, satellite communication, and vehicle-mounted communication, the requirement for integration of millimeter wave bands is increasing, and millimeter wave (millimeter wave): electromagnetic waves with the wavelength of 1-10 mm are called millimeter waves and are located in the overlapping wavelength range of microwave and far infrared waves, so that the electromagnetic wave has the characteristics of two wave spectrums. The millimeter wave antenna has the advantages of extremely wide bandwidth and narrow beam, and compared with laser, the propagation of millimeter wave is much less affected by weather, so that the millimeter wave antenna can be considered to have all-weather characteristics, and compared with microwave, the millimeter wave components are much smaller in size, so that the millimeter wave system is easier to miniaturize.

Millimeter wave communication generally needs array implementation due to large space propagation loss. For simple designs, PCB processes may suffice. However, for the rf active antenna array with a large number of elements and a large array surface, the PCB process is difficult in both the design of the stack and the processing.

In summary, in order to reduce the number of PCB design layers and design difficulty when designing a PCB of a large-array-surface radio frequency active antenna array, a millimeter wave communication AIP module is provided.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a millimeter wave communication AIP module to when the PCB design of big array face radio frequency active antenna array, reduce the PCB design number of piles, reduce the design degree of difficulty.

The millimeter wave communication AIP module comprises an antenna radiation unit and a radio frequency chip, wherein the radiation unit is arranged on the top layer of the AIP module, and the radio frequency chip is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of dielectric layers are arranged between the antenna radiation unit and the radio frequency chip, and the functional layers and the dielectric layers are arranged in a stacked manner;

the radiation unit is coupled with or directly feeds the radio frequency chip, the radio frequency chip transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiation unit, and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals.

Optionally, the antenna radiation unit includes a main radiation layer and a parasitic radiation layer, the parasitic radiation layer is stacked with the main radiation layer, and the parasitic radiation layer is located on an upper layer of the main radiation layer.

Optionally, a parasitic metal strip is disposed around the parasitic radiation layer.

Optionally, the number of the antenna radiation units is multiple, and a metal isolation column is arranged between the multiple antenna radiation units.

Optionally, the millimeter wave communication AIP module further includes a vertical interconnection via, and the antenna radiation unit is connected to the radio frequency chip through the vertical interconnection via.

Optionally, the millimeter wave communication AIP module further includes a feeder line, and the feeder line is connected between the vertical interconnection via and the radio frequency chip.

Optionally, the millimeter wave communication AIP module further includes a feed ground post, and the feed ground post is disposed around a connection point of the feeder line and the vertical interconnection via hole, and forms a coaxial structure with the vertical interconnection via hole.

Optionally, the radio frequency chip is a single-polarized chip, and has at least 1 RF channel, and one radio frequency chip controls at least 1 antenna radiation unit.

Optionally, the bottom layer of the AIP module is further provided with BGA balls, and the BGA balls are divided into control signal BGA balls, power supply BGA balls, grounding GND balls and radio frequency BGA balls.

Optionally, the radio frequency chip has an amplitude control function and/or a phase control function.

According to the technical scheme, the millimeter wave communication AIP module comprises an antenna radiation unit and a radio frequency chip, wherein the radiation unit is arranged on the top layer of the AIP module, and the radio frequency chip is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of dielectric layers are arranged between the antenna radiation unit and the radio frequency chip, and the functional layers and the dielectric layers are arranged in a stacked manner; the radiation unit is coupled with or directly feeds the radio frequency chip, the radio frequency chip transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiation unit, and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals.

In the practical application process, the antenna radiation unit and the radio frequency chip are packaged and arranged in one module, so that the formed AIP module can be directly welded on a circuit board, the number of layers of the PCB is greatly reduced, the design difficulty is reduced, and the assembly and the maintenance are convenient.

Drawings

In order to more clearly explain the technical solution of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments will be briefly described below, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an AIP module for millimeter wave communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the parasitic radiation layer of FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an antenna radiation unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic bottom structure diagram of an AIP module for millimeter wave communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic bottom-layer structure diagram of an AIP module for millimeter wave communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

wherein:

the antenna comprises an antenna radiation unit 1, a main radiation layer 11, a parasitic radiation layer 12, a radio frequency chip 2, a functional layer 3, a dielectric layer 4, a metal isolation column 5, a vertical interconnection via hole 6, a feeder 7, a feed grounding column 8, a BGA ball 9 and a power divider 100.

Detailed Description

The design method aims to reduce the number of PCB design layers and reduce the design difficulty during the PCB design of the large-array-surface radio frequency active antenna array. An embodiment of the present application provides an anti-in-package (AIP) module for millimeter wave communication, which is shown in fig. 1 and is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the AIP module for millimeter wave communication provided in the embodiment of the present application; the antenna comprises an antenna radiation unit 1 and a radio frequency chip 2, wherein the radiation unit 1 is arranged on the top layer of an AIP module, and the radio frequency chip 2 is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers 3 and a plurality of dielectric layers 4 are arranged between the antenna radiation unit 1 and the radio frequency chip 2, and the functional layers 3 and the dielectric layers 4 are arranged in a stacked manner; the radiating element 1 is coupled or directly feeds the radio frequency chip 2, the radio frequency chip 2 transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiating element 1, and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals.

Through will antenna radiation unit 1 with 2 encapsulation settings of radio frequency chip are in a module to can be with the AIP module beading that forms on the Circuit Board, the design number of piles of very big reduction PCB Board (Printed Circuit Board), reduce the design degree of difficulty, be convenient for equipment and maintenance.

In practical application, the antenna radiation unit 1 includes a main radiation layer 11 and a parasitic radiation layer 12, the parasitic radiation layer 12 is stacked on the main radiation layer 11, and the parasitic radiation layer 12 is located on an upper layer of the main radiation layer 11. A dielectric layer 4 is filled between the parasitic radiation layer 12 and the main radiation layer 11, the parasitic radiation layer 12 radiates electromagnetic waves by coupling with the main radiation layer 11, and the parasitic radiation layer 12 can improve the gain of the antenna radiation unit 1 to a certain extent and expand the corresponding impedance bandwidth, as shown in fig. 2, which is a schematic view of a top-view structure of the parasitic radiation layer in fig. 1; the shape of the parasitic radiation layer 12 is a square, but is not limited to a square, and may be other shapes, such as a circle.

Further, a parasitic metal strip is disposed around the parasitic radiation layer 12 to adjust the impedance of the antenna, and the parasitic metal strip may be rectangular or arc-shaped. It should be noted that the parasitic radiation layer 12 mainly adjusts the performance of the antenna radiation unit 1. Under the condition that the performances of the antenna radiation unit 1 are all satisfied, the parasitic radiation layer 12 can be omitted, so that the overall thickness of the AIP module is reduced.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, a schematic diagram of an antenna radiation unit structure provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown; in some embodiments of the present application, there are a plurality of antenna radiation units 1, and a metal isolation pillar 5 is disposed between the plurality of antenna radiation units 1. The number of the metal isolation columns 5 is at least 1 column, and the metal isolation columns 5 can be multilayer interconnection grounding columns or single-layer interconnection grounding columns in consideration of interference with other functional layers 3. The implementation form can be that cylinder adds the metal dish, also can be that metal strip thing adds the metal ground post and forms the median, and the isolation post and median are mainly in order to optimize the isolation between the antenna, reduce the mutual coupling between the antenna.

Further, the antenna radiation unit 1 is a microstrip patch antenna, the shape of which may be a conventional square, circular patch or other shape of sheet structure, and a ground layer is disposed below the antenna radiation unit 1.

Further, the radiation unit 1 and the radio frequency chip 2 may be directly fed or connected in a coupling manner. When direct feed is adopted, the millimeter wave communication AIP module further comprises a vertical interconnection through hole 6, and the antenna radiation unit 1 is connected with the radio frequency chip 2 through the vertical interconnection through hole 6. When the vertical interconnection via 6 cannot be directly connected to the rf chip 2, an extra feeder needs to be added. Specifically, as shown in fig. 1, the millimeter wave communication AIP module further includes a feeder 7, and the feeder 7 is connected between the vertical interconnection via 6 and the radio frequency chip 2. The antenna radiation unit 1 is connected to a feeder 7 through a vertical interconnection via 6, and then connected to the radio frequency chip 2 through the feeder 7.

However, the implementation process is not limited to this scheme, and under the condition that the size of the rf chip 2 is large enough and the process implementation allows, the rf chip can be directly connected to the rf chip 2 through the vertical interconnect via 6 (or the vertical interconnect structure), so as to avoid using the feed line 7, thereby reducing the intermediate loss.

In addition, the feeding scheme of the antenna radiation unit 1 may also be a coupling feeding mode, the coupling feeding mode is slot coupling, a narrow slot is formed below the antenna radiation unit 1, a feeder 7 is arranged below the narrow slot for coupling, the feeder 7 is a strip line, and the feeder 7 is connected to the radio frequency chip 2 through an interconnection structure. The coupling feed needs to increase the ground layer and the coupling feed layer, and the layer number of the AIP module is increased to a certain extent.

Further, as shown in fig. 4, a schematic bottom-layer structure diagram of an AIP module for millimeter wave communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; the millimeter wave communication AIP module further comprises a feed grounding column 8, wherein the feed grounding column 8 is arranged around the connection point of the feeder 7 and the vertical interconnection via hole 6 and forms a coaxial structure with the vertical interconnection via hole 6. Therefore, the interference of other devices to radio frequency signals is effectively reduced. As shown in fig. 4, 4 feed ground posts 8 are arranged around the connection point (feed point) of 1 feed line 7 and the vertical interconnect via 6, but the number is not limited to 4, the number of the feed ground posts 8 is required to be at least 1, and generally 4 feed ground posts 8 are arranged around the feed point.

Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the RF chip 2 is a single-polarized chip and has 4 RF channels, and one RF chip 2 controls four antenna radiation units 1.

As shown in fig. 4, the rf chip 2 is located at the middle position of the bottom of the AIP module. The radio frequency chip 2 is a single-polarization chip and is provided with at least 1 RF channel, and one radio frequency chip 2 controls at least 1 antenna radiation unit 1. In the embodiment of the present application, the Radio Frequency chip 2 is a single-polarized 4 RF (Radio Frequency) channel chip, that is, a single chip can control 4 antenna radiation units 1. In view of layout symmetry, the antenna radiation unit 1 may or may not be vertically mirrored. When the antenna radiation units 1 are arranged in a mirror image in the vertical direction, the phase difference of the antenna radiation units 1 is 180 degrees. Phase difference needs to be complemented at a feeder end, if the phase difference does not need to be complemented, the radio frequency chip 2 is needed to control the phase of the antenna radiation unit 1, or the phase complement is carried out through the feeder 7. The multichannel chip can realize amplitude phase control on the antenna through an amplitude phase control function, realize beam scanning or realize endowment, and can be effectively used for 5G millimeter waves and satellite communication.

Further, in some embodiments of this application, the bottom layer of the AIP module is further provided with BGA balls 9, and BGA balls 9 are divided into control signal BGA balls, power supply BGA balls, ground GND balls and radio frequency BGA balls. The control signals, power supply, GND (including digital and analog electricity, analog ground and digital ground) of the AIP module and the output port of the radio frequency chip 2 are connected with the outside through BGA balls 9. Since the individual BGA balls 9 have a maximum current endurance value, the number of power BGA balls is as large as possible, and the number of GND balls needs to be larger than that of the power BGA balls, thereby ensuring good ground return. Control signal BGA balls (control signals and other radio frequency signals) can be distributed on the periphery of the bottom of the AIP module, and GND balls are arranged among different control signal BGA balls for isolation. The BGA ball distribution shown in fig. 4 is only illustrated, the BGA balls 9 may be arranged in a single row or multiple rows and multiple columns around the bottom of the AIP module, and considering the implementation of the processing, the BGA balls 9 with the same size and the same pitch are ensured to be arranged side by side as much as possible.

Further, radio frequency chip 2's height can be the height of high more BGA ball 9, also can be short than BGA ball 9's height, and in the practical application process, on welding the mainboard with the AIP module through BGA ball, on the mainboard the position under radio frequency chip 2 can be hollowed out, and the filling metal piece adds heat conduction silicone grease or heat conduction pad form carries out the thermal treatment.

Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the rf chip 2 may be shared for transceiving, and may also be only receiving or only transmitting.

It should be noted that the radio frequency chip 2 provided in this embodiment of the present application is not limited to a single polarization chip, and may also be a dual polarization chip, for example, as shown in fig. 5, for another schematic underlying structure diagram of a millimeter wave communication AIP module provided in this embodiment of the present application, the radio frequency chip 2 is a chip with dual polarization of 8 RF channels, that is, 4 channels control a horizontally polarized antenna channel (H polarization), and 4 channels control a vertically polarized antenna channel (V polarization). As shown in fig. 5, 8 RF channels are respectively led out from the left and right sides of the chip. The V/H com port of the chip is led out from the upper and lower directions. The outermost side of the left side and the right side is an H-polarized RF channel, and the inner side is a V-polarized RF channel. In consideration of layout convenience, the two antennas in the vertical direction are V-polarized and mirrored (after the mirror image, the two antennas in the vertical direction have 180 degrees of phase difference). Horizontally, H-polarized feed mirrors (after mirroring the two antennas in H-polarization in the horizontal direction would be 180 degrees out of phase). This phase difference needs to be taken into account when the final antenna beam-forming or beam scanning. If necessary, phase calibration is needed, and if the radio frequency chip 2 does not have phase control, compensation is performed through the feeder 7, so that the radiation performance of the final antenna radiation unit 1 is ensured.

Fig. 5 shows a 2 × 2 chip array, in which 4 RF chips 2 are connected together by a power divider 100, and finally each RF com port is output. The layout form of the RFcom ports of the rf chip 2 is not limited to that shown in fig. 5. The V, H polarized com port of the radio frequency chip 2 can be taken out from the upper end and the lower end and can be taken out from the same side. The com port of the power divider 100 is finally connected to the BGA ball 9 through a feed line.

The com port of the radio frequency chip 2 is connected to the BGA balls 9 through a feeder, and finally, the communication with the outside is realized through the connection of the BGA balls 9 and the pcb board. The com port feeder of the radio frequency chip 2 can be a microstrip line or a CPW feeder, and grounding columns are arranged on two sides of the feeder, so that the isolation between the feeders is increased, and the influence of other signals is reduced.

The power divider 100 is in the form of a chip, but is not limited thereto, and may also be in the form of a microstrip power divider or a strip line power divider, or in the form of a combination of a microstrip power divider and a strip line power divider. Usually, the GND at one side of the strip line power divider is shared with the chip GND, so that the shortest radio frequency routing is ensured.

Further, in some embodiments of the present application, the functional layer 3 includes a control layer, a stripline layer, a power layer, and an antenna transition layer. The radio frequency chip 2 belongs to an active device and needs to be powered, so the functional layer 3 which needs to be arranged comprises a GND layer and a power supply layer, and in addition, the control of the radio frequency chip 2 on a channel is ensured, and the radio frequency chip also needs some control functions, so the radio frequency chip also comprises a control layer, a strip line layer and an antenna switching layer. The GND layer is generally attached to the rf chip 2, and the chips GND are connected by vertical vias 108. And other functional layers are arranged above the GND, and are usually arranged above the GND if other radio frequency wires close to the radio frequency chip are required to be connected in a switching manner, and a layer of GND isolation is added. The power plane is typically placed above GND. The power consumption and current of the radio frequency chip 2 need to be considered, and corresponding copper sheets are laid to prevent breakdown. The power supply can be arranged in one layer or multiple layers according to the requirement, considering that part of the device is provided with an analog power supply and a digital power supply, and the middle part needs to be additionally provided with an analog ground or a digital ground. Other functional layers are arranged between the antenna ground and the power supply layer, the other functional layers can be control layers, such as control signals of a clock signal (CLK), a Chip Select (CSB) and the like, most of the control signals are digital signals, a plurality of control signal wires can be arranged on one control layer,

according to the technical scheme, the millimeter wave communication AIP module comprises an antenna radiation unit 1 and a radio frequency chip 2, wherein the radiation unit 1 is arranged on the top layer of the AIP module, and the radio frequency chip 2 is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers 3 and a plurality of dielectric layers 4 are arranged between the antenna radiation unit 1 and the radio frequency chip 2, and the functional layers 3 and the dielectric layers 4 are arranged in a stacked manner; the radiating element 1 is coupled or directly feeds the radio frequency chip 2, the radio frequency chip 2 transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiating element 1, and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals.

In the practical application process, the antenna radiation unit 1 and the radio frequency chip 2 are packaged and arranged in one module, so that the formed AIP module can be directly welded on a circuit board, the number of layers of a PCB is greatly reduced, the design difficulty is reduced, and the assembly and the maintenance are convenient.

The present application has been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments and illustrative examples, but the description is not intended to limit the application. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various equivalent substitutions, modifications or improvements may be made to the presently disclosed embodiments and implementations thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, and these fall within the scope of the present disclosure. The protection scope of this application is subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A millimeter wave communication AIP module is characterized by comprising an antenna radiation unit (1) and a radio frequency chip (2), wherein the radiation unit (1) is arranged on the top layer of the AIP module, and the radio frequency chip (2) is arranged on the bottom layer of the AIP module; a plurality of functional layers (3) and a plurality of dielectric layers (4) are arranged between the antenna radiation unit (1) and the radio frequency chip (2), and the functional layers (3) and the dielectric layers (4) are arranged in a stacked manner;

the radiating element (1) is coupled with or directly feeds the radio frequency chip (2), the radio frequency chip (2) transmits and/or receives radio frequency signals through the antenna radiating element (1), and the radio frequency signals are millimeter wave signals.

2. The AIP module according to claim 1, wherein the antenna radiating element (1) comprises a main radiating layer (11) and a parasitic radiating layer (12), the parasitic radiating layer (12) is stacked on the main radiating layer (11), and the parasitic radiating layer (12) is located on the upper layer of the main radiating layer (11).

3. The millimeter-wave communication AIP module according to claim 2, wherein a parasitic metal strip is arranged around the parasitic radiating layer (12).

4. The AIP module according to claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of antenna radiating elements (1), and metal isolation pillars (5) are disposed between the plurality of antenna radiating elements (1).

5. The millimeter wave communication AIP module according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical interconnection via (6), wherein the antenna radiation unit (1) is connected to the radio frequency chip (2) through the vertical interconnection via (6).

6. The millimeter-wave communication AIP module according to claim 5, further comprising a feed line (7), wherein the feed line (7) is connected between the vertical interconnect via (6) and the radio frequency chip (2).

7. The millimeter wave communication AIP module according to claim 6, further comprising a feed ground post (8), wherein the feed ground post (8) is disposed around a connection point of the feed line (7) and the vertical interconnection via (6), and forms a coaxial-like structure with the vertical interconnection via (6).

8. The millimeter wave communication AIP module according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency chip (2) is a single polarized chip with at least 1 RF channel, and one radio frequency chip (2) controls at least 1 antenna radiation unit (1).

9. The millimeter wave communication AIP module of claim 1, wherein the AIP module bottom layer is further provided with BGA balls (9), and the BGA balls (9) are divided into control signal BGA balls, power supply BGA balls, grounding GND balls and radio frequency BGA balls.

10. The millimeter wave communication AIP module according to claim 1, wherein the radio frequency chip (2) is provided with an amplitude control function and/or a phase control function.