JP2011130395A - Signal combination and distribution circuit, power amplifier and method of manufacturing signal combination and distribution circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a signal combination and distribution circuit capable of preventing a gain from being reduced due to phase deviation between branch circuits, in simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: A signal combination and distribution circuit 10 is characterized in that a plurality of branch circuits 12a, 12b and 12c each having a signal combination point or signal distribution point 14 are wired to a substrate 11, at least one branch circuit 12b in the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of the other branch circuits 12a and 12c, and a part or a whole part 15 of the branch circuit 12b having the different line length is wired in the substrate 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a signal synthesis / distribution circuit, a power amplifier, and a method for manufacturing the signal synthesis / distribution circuit.

  In order to improve the output of the power amplifier, for example, field effect transistors (FETs) are arranged in parallel to synthesize power. This power combining uses a matching circuit in which branch circuits are wired. This matching circuit synthesizes the power generated from each FET. The matching circuit is composed of, for example, a semiconductor substrate or an external circuit substrate such as alumina. If the phase of the power output from each FET is the same and all the phase differences from the branch circuit electrically connected to each FET to the synthesis point are equal, the phases of the power at the synthesis point are all the same. Therefore, ideal power combining is possible.

  If there are two FETs, the physical distances from each FET to the synthesis point can all be made equal. Therefore, by arranging the two branch circuits symmetrically with respect to the straight line drawn from the synthesis point toward the FET, the phase from each branch circuit to the synthesis point can be made uniform. However, when the number of FETs is three or more, that is, when three or more branch circuits are required, or when the two branch circuits cannot be arranged symmetrically, the physical distances from each FET to the synthesis point are all equal. I can't. In such a case, for example, the branch circuit wired to the FET having a short physical distance to the synthesis point is sharply bent or the number of times of bending is increased to make the line length of each branch circuit uniform. Thereby, the phases from the branch circuit to the synthesis point can be made uniform.

  In addition, as an example of a method for aligning the phases of branch circuits having different line lengths, a method of installing a branch circuit having a short line length on a high dielectric constant substrate and a branch circuit having a long line length on a low dielectric constant substrate has been proposed. (See Patent Document 1). FIG. 10 schematically shows an example of a microstrip transmission line substrate using this method. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the substrate viewed in a direction perpendicular to the signal propagation direction. As shown in the figure, in this microstrip transmission line substrate 100, a high dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101 a and a low dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101 b are disposed adjacent to each other on a substrate conductor 106. On the high dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101a, a signal propagation conductor 102a constituting a branch circuit having a short line length is provided. On the low dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101b, a signal propagation conductor 102b constituting a branch circuit having a long line length is provided. Since the dielectric constant of the high dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101a is higher than that of the low dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101b, the phase change with respect to the unit line length of the signal propagation conductor 102a can be made larger than that of the signal propagation conductor 102b.

  As another example of a method of aligning the phases of branch circuits having different line lengths, a method of embedding materials having different dielectric constants in a part of a substrate has been proposed (see Patent Document 2). FIG. 11 schematically shows an example of a matching circuit using this method. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the matching circuit as viewed in a direction parallel to the signal propagation direction (arrow direction). As shown in the figure, in this matching circuit 110, a dielectric 111b having a relative dielectric constant larger than that of the substrate 111a or smaller than that of the substrate 111a is formed on a part of the substrate 111a on which the signal propagation conductor 112 is installed. Embedded. In the portion where the dielectric 111b is present, the phase change with respect to the unit line length is different from the portion where the dielectric 111b is present. For this reason, in this method, the phases between the branch circuits having different line lengths can be aligned.

  As another example of the method of aligning the phases of branch circuits having different line lengths, a method of covering the signal propagation conductor with a dielectric or opening a cavity in the dielectric under the signal propagation conductor has been proposed ( (See Patent Document 3). FIG. 12 schematically shows an example of a transmission line substrate using this method. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the transmission line substrate as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the signal propagation direction. As shown in the figure, in this transmission line substrate 120, signal propagation conductors 122a and 122b are installed on a dielectric substrate 121a. The signal propagation conductor 122a is covered with a dielectric insulating layer 121b. A cavity 123 is formed in the dielectric substrate 121a under the signal propagation conductor 122b.

  In any of the above methods, the phase is controlled by changing the effective dielectric constant in signal propagation. That is, if a material having a high relative dielectric constant is used, the phase change with respect to the unit line length becomes large. Conversely, if a material with a low relative dielectric constant is used, the phase change with respect to the unit line length becomes small. For example, in the microstrip transmission line substrate shown in FIG. 10, as described above, the signal propagation conductor 102a is installed on the high dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101a, and the signal propagation conductor 102b is installed on the low dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101b. ing. For this reason, the signal propagation conductor 102a has a larger phase change per unit line length than the signal propagation conductor 102b. Therefore, it is effective to use the signal propagation conductor 102a for a branch circuit having a short line length from the transistor to the synthesis point. In the matching circuit shown in FIG. 11, the dielectric 111b having a higher relative dielectric constant than the substrate 111a is used as a branch line having a shorter line length, and the dielectric 111b having a lower relative dielectric constant than the substrate 111a is used as a branch line having a longer line length. In addition, when used respectively, the phase change amounts can be effectively aligned. In the case of the transmission line substrate shown in FIG. 12, the amount of phase change can be made uniform by the same principle.

JP-A-9-51207 JP-A-9-64610 JP 2003-198215 A

  However, in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the structure of a substrate or the like for wiring a circuit is complicated, there are the following problems, for example.

  As a method of manufacturing the microstrip transmission line substrate described in Patent Document 1, for example, a method of manufacturing a substrate in which different dielectrics 101a and 101b are integrally formed, or different dielectrics 101a and 101b are used as separate substrates. A manufacturing method to prepare and arrange is conceivable. However, in the former manufacturing method, it is difficult to manufacture a substrate by molding different dielectrics in a plane direction without a gap. Moreover, since a complicated manufacturing method is used, a manufacturing cost becomes high. Furthermore, since the different dielectrics are bonded together with a small area, the strength of the substrate is lowered. On the other hand, in the latter manufacturing method, the assembly cost becomes high by increasing the number of members to be arranged. In addition, it is difficult to control the phase at the wire bonding portion used for electrical connection between the dielectrics (substrates).

  In the matching circuit described in Patent Document 2, since the dielectric 111b is embedded in the substrate 111a without a gap, high precision is required for processing of both the substrate and the dielectric, and it is difficult to manufacture.

  In the transmission line substrate described in Patent Document 3, it is difficult to deposit the dielectric insulating layer 121b covering the signal propagation conductor 122a to the same extent as the thickness (about several hundred μm) of the dielectric substrate 121a. For this reason, a dielectric insulating layer having a sufficient thickness cannot be formed, and the effect of improving the effective dielectric constant and increasing the amount of phase change is small. In addition, when the cavity 123 is formed in the dielectric substrate 121a, the strength of the dielectric substrate 121a is reduced.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a signal synthesis / distribution circuit that can prevent a decrease in gain due to a phase shift between branch circuits with a simple structure, a power amplifier using the same, and a method for manufacturing the signal synthesis / distribution circuit.

In order to achieve the above object, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention comprises:
A plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points are wired on the substrate,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

The power amplifier of the present invention is
Having a plurality of transistors and a signal combining and distributing circuit;
The output signals from the plurality of transistors are combined by the signal combining / distributing circuit, or the input signals to the plurality of transistors are distributed by the signal combining / distributing circuit,
The signal synthesis / distribution circuit is the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention.

The method of manufacturing the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention includes:
A wiring step of wiring a plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points on a substrate;
In the wiring step,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a signal synthesis / distribution circuit capable of preventing a gain decrease due to a phase shift between branch circuits with a simple structure, a power amplifier using the same, and a method for manufacturing the signal synthesis / distribution circuit.

It is a top view which shows the structure of an example in Embodiment 1 of the signal synthetic | combination distribution circuit of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen in the II direction of the circuit shown to FIG. 1A. It is sectional drawing seen in the II-II direction of the circuit shown to FIG. 1A. It is a top view which shows the wiring of the circuit shown to FIG. 1A. It is a schematic cross section of an example for explaining a change in relative permittivity. It is a schematic cross section of the other example explaining the change of a dielectric constant. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of still another example for explaining a change in relative permittivity. It is a top view which shows the structure of the other example in Embodiment 1 of the signal synthesis distribution circuit of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen in the III-III direction of the circuit shown to FIG. 3A. It is sectional drawing seen in the IV-IV direction of the circuit shown to FIG. 3A. It is a top view which shows the structure of an example in Embodiment 2 of the power amplifier of this invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between a frequency and a passage phase. It is a top view which shows the structure of the other example in Embodiment 2 of the power amplifier of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of an example in Embodiment 3 of the power amplifier of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen in the VV direction of the power amplifier shown to FIG. 7A. It is a top view which shows the wiring of the circuit shown to FIG. 7A. It is a top view which shows the structure of the other example in Embodiment 3 of the power amplifier of this invention. It is sectional drawing seen in the VI-VI direction of the power amplifier shown to FIG. 8A. It is a top view which shows the structure of an example in Embodiment 4 of the power amplifier of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an example of the microstrip transmission line board | substrate of related technology. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an example of the matching circuit of related technology. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of an example of the transmission line board | substrate of related technology.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a signal synthesis / distribution circuit, a power amplifier, and a signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to the present invention will be described in detail with examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary configuration of a signal synthesis / distribution circuit (circuit) according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a plan view of the circuit of this embodiment. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view seen in the II direction of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view seen in the II-II direction of FIG. 1A.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit 10 includes three branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c each having a coupling point (signal synthesis point or signal distribution point) 14 wired on a substrate 11. The ground conductor 16 is provided. The substrate 11 is a dielectric substrate having an arbitrary relative dielectric constant. The branch circuits 12 a, 12 b and 12 c are microstrip lines wired on the substrate 11. The branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c share one coupling point 14 at one end (one end on the right side in FIG. 1A). The coupling point 14 becomes a signal synthesis point or a signal distribution point depending on the usage of the circuit of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1D, the branch circuits 12a and 12c pass through the coupling point 14 (the portion surrounded by the two-dot chain line) and are straight lines drawn toward one end of the substrate 11 (the left end in FIG. 1A). (Perpendicular line) 17 is wired so as to be symmetric. For this reason, the branch circuits 12a and 12c have the same line length and the same phase. 1D is a plan view of the signal synthesis / distribution circuit 10 and is the same as FIG. 1A except that the vertical line 17 is shown. The branch circuit 12b has a shorter line length than the branch circuits 12a and 12c. In the present invention, the “line length” refers to the physical length of the signal propagation conductor constituting each branch circuit. A part of the branch circuit 12b (line length: L1) is embedded and wired in the substrate 11 at a predetermined depth (wiring position: H1) from the surface of the substrate 11 (surface represented by arrow A). The portion is wired on the surface (the surface represented by the arrow A in FIGS. 1B and 1C) on which the branch circuits 12a and 12c of the substrate 11 are wired. Both ends of the portion 15 embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 12b are connected to the remaining portion of the branch circuit 12b on the substrate 11 via via holes 13a and 13b, respectively. The ground conductor 16 is disposed on the surface of the substrate 11 that is different from the surface on which the branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c are wired (the lower surface in FIGS. 1B and 1C).

  The branch circuits 12a and 12c in the present embodiment correspond to the “other branch circuit” in the present invention. The branch circuit 12b in the present embodiment corresponds to the “branch circuit having a different line length” in the present invention. In addition, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present embodiment is, for example, a circuit that synthesizes an input signal or a circuit that distributes an input signal, and can be used in either case depending on its usage.

  In the circuit of the present embodiment, as described above, a part 15 of the branch circuit (branch circuit having a different line length) 12b whose line length is shorter than that of the branch circuits 12a and 12c (other branch circuits) is wired in the substrate 11. ing. For this reason, in the circuit of this embodiment, the amount of phase change per unit line length in the branch circuit 12b can be increased, and the amount of phase change of the branch circuit 12b and the amount of phase change of the branch circuits 12a and 12c are aligned. be able to. That is, the phase differences of the branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c are all the same. As a result, the signal combining / distributing circuit of the present embodiment can prevent a gain decrease due to a phase shift between branch circuits.

  In the circuit of this embodiment, a part of the branch circuit 12b (branch circuit having a different line length) is wired in the substrate 11, and the branch circuits 12a and 12c ("other branch circuits", that is, "different lines"). Branch circuits other than the “long branch circuit” are wired on the substrate 11. The present invention is not limited to this example. For example, all of the branch circuits having different line lengths may be wired in the substrate. Further, all or part of the branch circuits other than the “other branch circuit”, that is, the “branch circuit having a different line length” may be wired in the substrate. Further, a part of the branch circuit may be wired by adjusting one or both of the wiring position in the substrate and the line length, for example, so that the phase change amounts of the branch circuits are aligned.

  In the circuit of this embodiment, a mechanism that can increase the amount of phase change per unit line length is, for example, as follows. However, the mechanism described below is an example and does not limit the present invention.

  FIG. 2 shows the electric field distribution of the branch circuit. Each branch circuit in the figure is a microstrip line wired on a substrate. As shown in FIG. 2A, the electric field from the lower surface of the branch circuit 22a wired on the substrate 21 passes through the inside of the substrate 21 toward the ground conductor 26 disposed on the back surface of the substrate 21 (arrow 27: lines of electric force). ). As described above, when the electric field passes through the inside of the substrate, an effect of shortening the wavelength of the signal passing through the branch circuit can be obtained due to the relative dielectric constant of the substrate. On the other hand, the electric field from the side surface or the upper surface of the branch circuit 22a spreads laterally from the branch circuit 22a, passes through the substrate 21 after passing through the air, and travels toward the ground conductor 26. A portion 28 surrounded by a two-dot chain line in the figure indicates an electric field passing through the air. When the electric field passes through the air in this way, the effective dielectric constant in the branch circuit decreases. Thereby, the signal wavelength shortening effect by the relative dielectric constant of the substrate is alleviated. In contrast, in FIG. 2B, the branch circuit 22b, which is a microstrip line, is embedded in the substrate 21 at a relatively shallow position from the substrate surface. For this reason, the ratio of the electric field (part 29 surrounded by a two-dot chain line) passing through the air can be reduced as compared with the branch circuit 22a. Thereby, the effective dielectric constant of the branch circuit can be made larger than that of the branch circuit 22a. If this is utilized, the amount of phase change between the branch circuits having different line lengths can be made uniform. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, the branch circuit 22c, which is a microstrip line, is embedded at a deeper position from the surface of the substrate 21, so that the electric field passing through the air is eliminated, and the effective dielectric of the branch circuit is eliminated. The rate can be further increased. In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention, the effective dielectric constant of the branch circuit can be adjusted by wiring part or all of the branch circuit in the substrate. As a result, the amount of phase change per unit line length in the branch circuit can be adjusted. In this case, for example, the depth from the substrate surface in the branch circuit and the length of the portion passing through the depth may be adjusted.

  Further, in the circuit of the present embodiment, there is only one type of substrate on which the branch circuit is wired. For this reason, the circuit of this embodiment has a simple structure, high strength, and high reliability as compared with a case where two or more kinds of substrates having different dielectric constants are used by joining the end surfaces thereof. As a result, for example, downsizing is possible. In addition, since it is not necessary to connect two or more kinds of substrates, it can be easily manufactured.

  Further, in the circuit of this embodiment, as described above, part or all of the aforementioned branch circuit is wired in the substrate. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where a dielectric is deposited on a part of the branch circuit. Thus, the amount of phase change can be increased. Therefore, the circuit of this embodiment has a wide control range of the phase change amount.

  The portion 15 embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 12b is close to the ground conductor 16. In order to align the characteristic impedance of the portion 15 with the branch circuit wired on the surface of the substrate 11, it is preferable to make the width narrower than that of the branch circuit wired on the surface of the substrate 11.

  The dielectric substrate 11 may be formed from an inorganic material or an organic material. Examples of the inorganic material include semiconductor materials in addition to alumina, sapphire, silicon nitride, mullite, steatite, forsterite, zirconia, glass, and the like. Examples of the semiconductor material include GaAs, InP, Si, GaN, and AlN. Examples of the organic material include Teflon (registered trademark), liquid crystal polymer, polyphenylene ether, polycarbonate resin, polyamide resin, polybutylene terephthalate resin, polyacetal resin, and modified polyphenylene ether resin. Although the thickness in particular of the board | substrate 11 is not restrict | limited, For example, it is the range of 50-2000 micrometers, Preferably it is the range of 100-700 micrometers.

  In the circuit of this embodiment, the dielectric substrate 11 is divided into an upper layer and a lower layer above and below the embedded portion 15 in the branch circuit 12b, and dielectric substrates having different relative dielectric constants (er1 <er2) are used. Also good. In this case, the effective relative dielectric constant of the microstrip line (branch circuit) wired on the substrate is a value between er1 and er2. When the er1 dielectric substrate is used for the lower layer, the effective relative permittivity of the embedded portion 15 can be made smaller than the effective relative permittivity of the branch circuit wired on the substrate. . On the other hand, when an er2 dielectric substrate is used for the lower layer, the effective relative permittivity of the embedded portion 15 is made larger than the effective relative permittivity of the branch circuit wired on the substrate. Can do. By doing in this way, the freedom degree of branch circuit wiring improves. Further, the amount of phase change with respect to the line length can be changed relatively arbitrarily by selecting the material for forming the substrate. This is effective when the sensitivity to the physical length is too high in the ultrahigh frequency band such as a power combining circuit in the millimeter wave band.

  As described above, when the dielectric substrates having different relative dielectric constants are used above and below the embedded portion in the branch circuit, the foreign material is bonded. For this reason, the strength as a circuit is slightly reduced compared to the case of using only one kind of material, but since the bonding surface can be made larger compared to the case where different materials are bonded to each other, it is a problem in practice. Don't be. Further, since it is not necessary to use wire bonding for electrical connection between the substrates, the phase controllability deterioration due to wire bonding does not become a practical problem.

  In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present embodiment, for example, a conventionally known metal conductor can be used as the signal propagation conductor forming the branch circuit. A method for forming the branch circuit will be described later.

  In the circuit of the present embodiment, the branch circuit is a microstrip line, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and may be a coplanar wave line, for example. In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention, the ground conductor may or may not be disposed on the substrate. For example, a coplanar wave line with a ground conductor may be used as the branch circuit, and the arrangement of the ground conductor with respect to the substrate may be omitted. Further, when the branch circuit is a coplanar wave line, the ratio of the electric field passing through the air is higher compared to the case of the microstrip line regardless of the presence or absence of the ground conductor. For this reason, the amount of phase change per unit line length when the signal propagation conductor as a branch circuit is embedded in the substrate can be increased as compared with the case of the microstrip line. This effect is further improved when the ground conductor is not disposed on the substrate.

  The via holes 13a and 13b can be formed by a conventionally known method. For example, the via holes 13a and 13b can be formed by forming a through hole in the substrate and sputtering or plating a metal conductor in the through hole. As the metal conductor, for example, the same metal conductor as that described above can be used.

  The ground conductor 16 can be formed using, for example, a conventionally known metal conductor, and can be the same as the signal propagation conductor described above.

  In the circuit of this embodiment, for example, a signal is input to the other end of the branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c (the left end in FIG. 1A), thereby synthesizing the signal at the coupling point (signal combining point) 14. can do. In this case, the circuit of the present embodiment functions as a signal synthesis circuit. The signal synthesized in this way can prevent the phase shift. Examples of the signal include power.

  Further, the circuit of this embodiment can distribute a signal to the branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c by inputting a signal to the coupling point (signal distribution point) 14, for example. In this case, the circuit of this embodiment functions as a signal distribution circuit. The signal distributed in this way can prevent the phase shift.

  FIG. 5 shows a specific example of the phase change in the circuit of this embodiment. This figure is a graph showing a phase change of a microstrip line having a length of 20 mm formed on an alumina substrate having a thickness of 250 μm and a microstrip line having the same length embedded in a depth of 125 μm in the substrate. . In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the frequency (GHz), and the vertical axis indicates the passing phase (degrees). In the figure, the solid line is on the substrate, and the broken line is the phase of the microstrip line in the substrate. As shown in the figure, the microstrip line formed in the substrate has a large phase change with respect to the frequency. For example, when viewed at 5 GHz, the microstrip line embedded in the substrate rotates 360 degrees, whereas the microstrip line on the substrate rotates only about 300 degrees. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit shown in FIG. 1 is formed by utilizing the difference around the phase. Specifically, for example, each branch circuit is made to be an impedance conversion line of λ / 4 wavelength at 5 GHz. In this case, for example, when the line length of the branch circuit 12b is 5 mm, the required line length in the branch circuits 12a and 12c is 6 mm. Due to the difference in the line length, the branch circuit 12b can be wired without bending, for example.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the circuit of this embodiment will be described.

  A case where alumina is used as the substrate will be described as an example. First, a signal propagation conductor corresponding to a portion 15 embedded in the substrate 11 in the branch circuit is produced. The material for forming the signal propagation conductor may be a conventionally known metal conductor, for example, as described above. Next, the substrate 11 (alumina substrate) in which the signal propagation conductor 15 is embedded is manufactured by sintering alumina in a state where the signal propagation conductor is embedded in alumina. In this way, a part 15 of the aforementioned branch circuit 12b is wired in the substrate 11 (wiring process). At this time, for example, the length (line length) of the embedded signal propagation conductor 15 and the embedded depth (wiring position) are adjusted as necessary. The ground conductor 16 is formed on the entire back surface of the substrate by NiCr / Au sputtering and Au plating. Further, a metal conductor is also formed on the entire surface of the substrate 11 by NiCr / Au sputtering and Au plating in the same manner as the back surface. In this state, the line portion that becomes the branch circuit is covered with a photoresist, and unnecessary portions of the metal conductor are removed by ion milling and reactive ion etching, so that the branch circuits 12a and 12c, 12b on the substrate 11 is formed.

  In this step, one end of the branch circuits 12a, 12b and 12c (one end on the left side in FIGS. 1A and 1D) is coupled at a single coupling point 14. Further, the branch circuit 12a and the branch circuit 12c are symmetrical with respect to a straight line (perpendicular line) 17 drawn through the coupling point 14 toward one end of the substrate 11 (the left end in FIGS. 1A and 1D). It forms so that it may become. The branch circuit 12b is formed so that the line length is shorter than the branch circuits 12a and 12c. Further, in order to connect the buried signal propagation conductor 15 and the branch circuit 12b formed on the substrate 11, a hole is formed in the substrate 11 with a laser, and a via hole is formed in the hole by NiCr / Au sputtering and Au plating. 13a and 13b are formed. In this way, the circuit 10 of the present embodiment can be manufactured. However, the method for manufacturing the circuit of the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

  By manufacturing as described above, the circuit of the present embodiment can be manufactured integrally. For this reason, compared with manufacturing a circuit using two or more types of substrates, for example, manufacturing cost and assembly cost can be reduced, and phase change amount controllability can be improved. In addition, since the signal propagation conductor wired to a predetermined depth in the substrate is embedded during the sintering of alumina, there is a high degree of freedom in determining the wiring position and line length in the substrate. For this reason, the phase change amount of the branch circuit can be increased.

  Next, the case where an organic material is used as the substrate will be described as an example. First, two types of dielectric sheets are prepared. Metal conductors are formed on both sides of the first dielectric sheet. A metal conductor is formed on one surface of the second dielectric sheet. On the upper surface of the first dielectric sheet, a metal conductor corresponding to a portion 15 embedded in the substrate of the branch circuit 12b (wired in the substrate) is patterned. A metal conductor corresponding to the ground conductor 16 is formed on the lower surface of the first dielectric sheet. On the second dielectric sheet, branch circuits 12a and 12c wired on the substrate and metal conductors corresponding to portions wired on the substrate of the branch circuit 12b are patterned. In the second dielectric sheet, through holes are formed in portions corresponding to the via holes 13a and 13b, and via holes 13a and 13b are formed by embedding metal conductors in the through holes. In this state, the upper surface of the first dielectric sheet and the lower surface (surface on which no metal conductor is formed) of the second dielectric sheet are bonded together using an adhesive (wiring process). As a result, the portion of the branch circuit 12b wired on the substrate 11 and the portion 15 of the branch circuit 12b embedded in the substrate 11 are connected by the via holes 13a and 13b. In this way, the circuit 10 of the present embodiment can be manufactured. However, the method for manufacturing the circuit of the present embodiment is not limited to this example.

  By manufacturing as described above, the circuit of the present embodiment can be manufactured integrally. For this reason, compared with manufacturing a circuit using two or more kinds of substrates, for example, it is possible to reduce manufacturing cost and assembly cost and improve controllability of the phase change amount. Further, the wiring position in the substrate 11 of the portion 15 embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 12b can be changed by changing the thickness or number of sheets on the side where the branch circuits 12a, 12b and 12c are formed. It can be changed easily.

  In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of this embodiment, for example, part or all of branch circuits having different line lengths may be wired in the substrate by a method other than embedding. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of this signal synthesis / distribution circuit. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the signal synthesis / distribution circuit. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view seen in the III-III direction of FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view seen in the IV-IV direction of FIG. 3A. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, in the circuit 30, a groove 31 having a depth H <b> 1 from the surface of the substrate 11 (surface represented by the arrow A) is formed in the substrate 11. The branch circuit 32b has a shorter line length than the branch circuits 12a and 12c. A part of the branch circuit 32b (line length: L1) is wired to the bottom of the groove 31 (wiring position: H1). Each of the branch circuits 12a, 12c, and 32b has a coupling point (signal combining point or signal distribution point) 34 at one end (one end on the right side in FIG. 3A). Other configurations are the same as those of the circuit 10 described above. The coupling point 34 becomes a signal synthesis point or a signal distribution point depending on how the circuit is used. Even in such a form, the ratio of the electric field passing through the air can be reduced in the portion wired at the bottom of the groove 31. For this reason, the same effect as the above-mentioned circuit 10 can be acquired.

  The circuit 30 can be manufactured as follows, for example.

  When the substrate 11 is an alumina substrate, the groove 31 is formed in the alumina substrate 11. A part of the branch circuit 32 b is wired at the bottom of the groove 31. Next, the portion wired at the bottom of the groove 31 and the portion wired on the substrate 11 are connected using, for example, a metal conductor. Other than these, the circuit 30 can be manufactured by the same method as the circuit 10 described above. However, the manufacturing method of the circuit 30 is not limited to this example.

  In the case of using an organic material substrate, a through hole corresponding to the groove 31 is formed in the dielectric sheet having the metal conductor formed on one surface. After bonding the two dielectric sheets, the portion wired at the bottom of the groove 31 and the portion wired on the substrate 11 are connected using, for example, a metal conductor. Other than these, the circuit 30 can be manufactured by the same method as the circuit 10 described above. However, the manufacturing method of the circuit 30 is not limited to this example.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, an embodiment of the power amplifier of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the power amplifier of this embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the power amplifier circuit 40 includes the signal synthesis / distribution circuit 10 described above and three transistors 41a, 41b and 41c synthesized in parallel. The three transistors 41a, 41b, and 41c are arranged in parallel in a straight line. The branch circuits 12a and 12c pass through the coupling point 14 (portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line) and are symmetrical about a straight line 47 that is perpendicular to the straight line 48 in the parallel arrangement direction of the transistors. Wiring is performed on the surface of the substrate 11 opposite to the side on which the ground conductor 16 is disposed. For this reason, the branch circuits 12a and 12c have the same line length and the same phase. The other end (the left end in FIG. 4) of the branch circuit 12a is electrically connected to the output terminal of the transistor 41a. The other end (the left end in FIG. 4) of the branch circuit 12b is electrically connected to the output terminal of the transistor 41b. The other end (the left end in FIG. 4) of the branch circuit 12c is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 41c. That is, the power amplifier 40 is a power amplifier (for example, a microwave power amplifier) that synthesizes and amplifies power signals (output signals) from the respective transistors at a coupling point (signal combining point) 14. In the power amplifier 40, the circuit 10 described above functions as a signal synthesis circuit.

  In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the power signals from the transistors 41a, 41b, and 41c are connected to the coupling points (signal combining points) 14 through the branch circuits 12a, 12b, and 12c that are electrically connected to the transistors. Synthesized. At this time, since the signal synthesis circuit is the circuit 10 described above, the amount of phase change of each branch circuit is uniform. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a decrease in gain due to a phase shift between branch circuits. As a result, the power amplifier of this embodiment has a high output.

  In the power amplifier of the present embodiment, for example, each branch circuit of the circuit 10 described above may be connected to the input terminal of each transistor. That is, the above-described circuit 10 may function as a signal distribution circuit. In this case, by inputting an input signal to the coupling point (signal distribution point) 14, the signal is distributed to each branch circuit and input to each transistor. At this time, since the signal distribution circuit is the circuit 10 described above, the amount of phase change of each branch circuit is uniform. For this reason, a signal having no phase shift between the branch circuits is input to each transistor. As a result, high output can be obtained.

  In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the conventionally known transistors can be used as the transistors. Each of the transistors may be a transistor chip, for example. The power amplifier of this embodiment can be manufactured by electrically connecting the output end of each transistor and the other end of each branch circuit, for example, by wire bonding.

  In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the substrate on which the transistor is formed and the substrate on which the branch circuit is wired are separate, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the branch circuit can be wired to a semiconductor substrate on which a transistor is formed. In this case, alignment between the transistor and the substrate on which the branch circuit is wired can be performed collectively on the semiconductor substrate using a semiconductor process. For this reason, it is not necessary to align the transistor and the branch circuit for each amplifier in the amplifier module assembly process, and the phase controllability is excellent. Moreover, since the number of assembly members can be reduced, the assembly cost can be significantly reduced.

  A method for manufacturing a power amplifier in which the aforementioned branch circuit and transistor are formed on the same semiconductor substrate is, for example, as follows. First, a branch circuit corresponding to a portion embedded in a transistor and a dielectric substrate is formed on a semiconductor wafer (wafer A). Further, a branch circuit corresponding to a portion wired on the dielectric substrate is formed on another semiconductor wafer (wafer B). Next, the surface of the wafer A where the branch circuit is formed and the surface of the wafer B where the branch circuit is not formed are bonded together. In this state, by dry etching, a through hole is formed from the wafer B side to the branch circuit sandwiched (embedded) between the wafers A and B. A metal is buried in the through hole by electrode sputtering to form a via hole, and the portion wired on the dielectric substrate and the portion buried are electrically connected. A power amplifier in which the transistor and the branch circuit are integrally formed on the semiconductor substrate can be manufactured by cutting out the dicing and using the transistor and the branch circuit thus manufactured as a set.

  In the power amplifier according to the present embodiment, for example, when the difference in line length between branch circuits is small due to a narrow interval between transistors, the length of the portion embedded in the substrate (line length) is shortened. You may adjust. FIG. 6 shows an example of this power amplifier. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the power amplifier 60 includes three transistors 61 a, 61 b, and 61 c arranged at a narrower interval than the three transistors in the power amplifier 40 described above. Correspondingly, this power amplifier 60 is a signal synthesis circuit in which branch circuits 62a, 62b and 62c having a smaller difference in line length are wired as compared with each branch circuit in the power amplifier 40 described above. Is provided. The portion 65 embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 62b is set to have a shorter line length than the portion 15 embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 12b in the circuit 10 described above. Other configurations are the same as those of the power amplifier 40 described above. By doing in this way, according to the difference of the line length between branch circuits, the depth (line | wire position) from a substrate surface remains the same as the above-mentioned circuit 10, and the length (line length) which passes through the depth ) Can be adjusted so that the amount of phase change in each branch circuit can be made uniform.

(Embodiment 3)
Next, another embodiment of the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention and the power amplifier of the present invention using the same will be described.

  FIG. 7 shows a configuration of an example of the power amplifier according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7A is a plan view of the power amplifier of this embodiment. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view seen in the VV direction of FIG. 7A. 7, the same parts as those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the power amplifier 70 has a signal synthesis / distribution circuit 700 and five transistors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d and 71e synthesized in parallel. Five transistors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d and 71e are arranged in parallel in a straight line.

  In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit 700, five branch circuits 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d, and 72 e having coupling points (signal synthesis points or signal distribution points) 74 are wired on the substrate 11, and further, a ground conductor 16 is provided. . The branch circuits 72 a, 72 b, 72 c, 72 d and 72 e are microstrip lines wired on the substrate 11. The branch circuits 72b, 72c, and 72d have shorter line lengths than the branch circuits 72a and 72e. That is, the branch circuits 72a and 72e correspond to the “other branch circuit” in the present invention, and the branch circuits 72b, 72c and 72d correspond to the “branch circuits having different line lengths” in the present invention. The branch circuit 72c has a shorter line length than the branch circuits 72b and 72d. Each of the branch circuits 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, and 72e has a coupling point 74 at one end (one end on the right side in FIG. 7A). The branch circuits 72a, 72b, 72d, and 72e pass through the coupling point 74 (the portion surrounded by a two-dot chain line), and center on a straight line (perpendicular) 77 that is perpendicular to the straight line 78 in the parallel arrangement direction of the transistors. In addition, they are wired to the substrate 11 so as to be symmetrical. As shown in FIG. 7C, the straight line (perpendicular line) 77 is a straight line passing through the central branch circuit 72c. Thus, the branch circuits 72a and 72e have the same line length and the same phase. The branch circuits 72b and 72d have the same line length and the same phase. 7C is a plan view of the power amplifier 70, and is the same as FIG. 7A except that the perpendicular line 77 and the straight line 78 are shown.

  The branch circuits 72 a and 72 e are wired on the substrate 11. A part of the branch circuit 72c (line length: L2) is embedded and wired in the substrate 11 at a predetermined depth (wiring position: H2) from the surface of the substrate 11 (surface represented by arrow B). The portion is wired on the surface (the surface indicated by the arrow B) on which the branch circuits 72a and 72e of the substrate 11 are wired. A part of the branch circuits 72b and 72d (line length: L2) is embedded and wired in the substrate 11 at a predetermined depth (wiring position: H3) from the surface of the substrate 11 (surface represented by arrow B), The remaining portion is wired on the surface (surface indicated by arrow B) on which the branch circuits 72a and 72e of the substrate 11 are wired. Both ends of the portion 75a embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 72b are connected to the remaining portion of the branch circuit 72b on the surface of the substrate 11 via via holes 73a and 73b, respectively. Both ends of the portion 75b embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 72c are connected to the remaining portion of the branch circuit 72c on the surface of the substrate 11 through via holes 73c and 73d, respectively. Both ends of the portion 75c embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 72d are connected to the remaining portion of the branch circuit 72d on the surface of the substrate 11 through via holes 73e and 73f, respectively.

  The other end (the left end in FIG. 7A) of the branch circuit 72a is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 71a. The other end of the branch circuit 72b (one left end in FIG. 7A) is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 71b. The other end of the branch circuit 72c (one left end in FIG. 7A) is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 71c. The other end of the branch circuit 72d (the left end in FIG. 7A) is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 71d. The other end of the branch circuit 72e (one left end in FIG. 7A) is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 71e. Other configurations are the same as those of the power amplifier 40 described above. Thereby, the power amplifier of this embodiment can synthesize | combine and amplify the electric power signal (output signal) from each transistor by the connection point (signal synthetic | combination point) 74. FIG. The circuit 700 functions as a signal synthesis circuit. Further, for example, each branch circuit of the circuit 700 described above may be connected to an input terminal of each transistor. That is, the above-described circuit 700 may function as a signal distribution circuit. In this case, by inputting an input signal to the coupling point (signal distribution point) 74, the signal is distributed to each branch circuit and input to each transistor. At this time, in the signal distribution circuit 700, the amount of phase change of each branch circuit is uniform. Therefore, a signal having no phase shift between the branch circuits is input to each transistor. As a result, high output can be obtained.

  In the power amplifier according to the present embodiment, the portion 75b embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 72c having the shortest line length is replaced by the substrate 75 from the portions 75a and 75c embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuits 72b and 72d. 11 is wired deep from the surface. That is, the wiring positions in the substrate 11 are different between the branch circuits 72b and 72d and the branch circuit 72c. By doing in this way, the phase change amount with respect to the unit line length of the branch circuit 72c having the shortest line length can be made larger than the phase change amount with respect to the unit line length in the branch circuits 72b and 72d. Therefore, the phase change amounts of all the five branch circuits can be made uniform, and the phase differences of the five branch circuits can all be made the same.

  In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the power signals from the transistors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d, and 71e are coupled through branch circuits 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, and 72e that are electrically connected to the transistors. It is synthesized at a point (signal synthesis point or signal distribution point) 74. At this time, the amount of phase change of each branch circuit in the signal synthesis circuit 700 is uniform. For this reason, it is possible to prevent a decrease in gain due to a phase shift between branch circuits. As a result, the power amplifier of this embodiment has a high output.

  The power amplifier of this embodiment can be manufactured as follows, for example.

  A method of manufacturing the signal synthesis circuit 700 and the power amplifier 70 will be described by taking an example of using alumina as the substrate. Description of the same parts as those of the method of manufacturing the signal synthesis / distribution circuit 10 of Embodiment 1 is omitted.

  First, signal propagation conductors corresponding to the portions 75a, 75b, and 75c of the branch circuit embedded in the substrate 11 are produced. The substrate 11 (alumina substrate) in which the signal propagation conductors 75a, 75b and 75c are buried is produced by sintering alumina in a state where the produced signal propagation conductor is buried in alumina. In this way, a part of the aforementioned branch circuit is wired in the substrate 11. At this time, for example, the lengths (line lengths) of the signal propagation conductors 75a, 75b and 75c in the embedded portions and the embedded depths (wiring positions) are adjusted as necessary. A metal conductor is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 11 by NiCr / Au sputtering and Au plating. In this state, the line portion that becomes the branch circuit is covered with a photoresist, and unnecessary portions of the metal conductor are removed by ion milling and reactive ion etching, so that the branch circuits 72a and 72e, 72b, 72c and 72d on the substrate.

  In this step, one end of the branch circuits 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, and 72e (one end on the right side in FIG. 7A) is coupled at a single coupling point 74. Further, a straight line (perpendicular line) drawn through the branch circuit 72a and the branch circuit 72e toward one end of the substrate 11 (the left end in FIG. 7A) through the coupling point 74, that is, a straight line passing through the branch circuit 72c. It is formed so as to be symmetric with respect to the center. Further, the branch circuit 72b and the branch circuit 72d are formed to be symmetric with respect to the straight line. The branch circuit 72c is formed so that its line length is shorter than that of the branch circuits 72b and 72d. The branch circuits 72b and 72d are formed so that the line length is shorter than that of the branch circuits 72a and 72e. In order to connect the embedded signal propagation conductors 75a, 75b, and 75c with the branch circuits 72b, 72c, and 72d formed on the substrate 11, a hole is formed in the substrate 11 with a laser. Via holes 73a, 73b, 73c, 73d, 73e and 73f are formed in these holes by NiCr / Au sputtering and Au plating. In this way, the signal synthesis circuit 700 is manufactured. The other end of each branch circuit of the signal synthesis circuit 700 and the output end of each transistor are electrically connected. In this way, the power amplifier of this embodiment can be manufactured.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the signal synthesis circuit 700 and the power amplifier 70 will be described by taking an example of using an organic material as the substrate.

  First, two types of dielectric sheets are prepared. Metal conductors are formed on both sides of the first dielectric sheet. A metal conductor is formed on one surface of the second dielectric sheet. On the upper surface of the first dielectric sheet, metal conductors corresponding to portions 75a, 75b and 75c in which branch circuits 72b, 72c and 72d are embedded (wired in the substrate) are patterned. A metal conductor corresponding to the ground conductor 16 is formed on the lower surface of the first dielectric sheet. On the second dielectric sheet, branch circuits 72a and 72e wired on the substrate and metal conductors corresponding to portions wired on the substrates of the branch circuits 72b, 72c and 72d are patterned. . In the second dielectric sheet, through holes are formed in portions corresponding to the via holes 73a, 73b, 73c, 73d, 73e and 73f, and a metal conductor is buried in the through holes, whereby via holes 73a, 73b are formed. 73c, 73d, 73e, and 73f are formed. In this state, the upper surface of the first dielectric sheet and the lower surface (surface on which no metal conductor is formed) of the second dielectric sheet are bonded together using an adhesive (wiring process). As a result, the portions of the branch circuits 72b, 72c and 72d wired on the substrate 11 and the portions 75a, 75b and 75c embedded in the substrate 11 are respectively connected to the via holes 73a and 73b, 73c and 73d, and 73e and Connect with 73f. In this way, the signal synthesis circuit 700 is manufactured. The other end of each branch circuit of the signal synthesis circuit 700 and the output end of each transistor are electrically connected. In this way, the power amplifier of this embodiment can be manufactured.

  Note that the method of manufacturing the power amplifier of the present embodiment is not limited to these. For example, a transistor and a branch circuit may be manufactured as a power amplifier in which a transistor and a branch circuit are integrally formed on a semiconductor substrate by a manufacturing method similar to the manufacturing method described for the power amplifier 40 described above.

  In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit and power amplifier according to the present embodiment, the length (line length) of the portion wired in the substrate instead of or in addition to the wiring position of the portion wired (embedded) in the substrate. May be adjusted. FIG. 8 shows an example of such a signal synthesis / distribution circuit and power amplifier. FIG. 8A is a plan view of the signal combining / distributing circuit and the power amplifier. 8B is a cross-sectional view seen in the VI-VI direction of FIG. 8A. In FIG. 8, the same parts as those in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the power amplifier 80 has a signal synthesis / distribution circuit 800 and five transistors 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d and 71e synthesized in parallel.

  The signal synthesis / distribution circuit 800 includes a branch circuit 82c having the shortest line length in place of the branch circuit 72c described above. A part of the branch circuit 82c (line length: L3) is embedded and wired in the substrate 11 at a predetermined depth (wiring position: H3) from the surface of the substrate 11 (surface represented by arrow B). The portion is wired on the surface (the surface indicated by the arrow B) on which the branch circuits 72a and 72e of the substrate 11 are wired. That is, the depths (wiring positions) of the portions 75a, 85b and 75c embedded in the substrate 11 in the branch circuits 72b, 82c and 72d are the same at H3, and the lengths (line lengths) of these portions are the same. Different. One end (the left end in FIG. 8A) of the branch circuit 82c is electrically connected to the output terminal of the transistor 71c. Other configurations are the same as those of the power amplifier 70 described above.

  In this power amplifier, the portion 85b embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuit 82c having the shortest line length is set longer than the portions 75a and 75c embedded in the substrate 11 of the branch circuits 72b and 72d. Yes. By doing so, even if the wiring positions of these portions in the substrate 11 are the same, the phase change amounts of the branch circuit 82c having the shortest line length and the branch circuits 72b and 72d can be made uniform. For this reason, the phase change amounts of all the five branch circuits can be made uniform. As a result, the same effect as that of the power amplifier 70 described above can be obtained. In addition to this effect, the wiring position of the portion embedded in the substrate can be made the same, and therefore, for example, the method for manufacturing the power amplifier of the present embodiment described above can be simplified.

  In the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention, for example, as shown in the present embodiment, there are two or more branch circuits having different line lengths, and two or more branch circuits having different line lengths are provided in the substrate. At least one of the wiring position and the line length may be different. Thereby, for example, as shown in the present embodiment, even when there are a large number of branch circuits, the phase differences of the branch circuits can all be made the same.

(Embodiment 4)
Next, another embodiment of the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention and the power amplifier of the present invention using the same will be described.

  FIG. 9 shows an example of the configuration of the power amplifier according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the power amplifier 90 includes a signal combining / distributing circuit 900 and two transistors 91a and 91b combined in parallel.

  The signal synthesis / distribution circuit 900 includes a substrate 11, two branch circuits 92 a and 92 b, a capacitor 97, and a power supply line 98. The branch circuits 92a and 92b and the power supply line 98 have a coupling point (signal combining point) 94 at one end. The other end (the left end in FIG. 9) of the branch circuit 92a is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 91a. The other end (the left end in FIG. 9) of the branch circuit 92b is electrically connected to the output end of the transistor 91b. The other end of the power supply line 98 is electrically connected to the capacitor 97. The branch circuits 92a and 92b are not wired symmetrically, and the branch circuit 92b has a shorter line length than the branch circuit 92a. Although not shown, a ground conductor is disposed on the surface of the substrate 11 opposite to the surface on which the branch circuit 92a and the like are wired. A part of the branch circuit 92b is embedded and wired in the substrate 11 at a predetermined depth (wiring position) from the surface of the substrate 11, and the remaining part is a surface on which the branch circuit 92a and the like of the substrate 11 are wired. Wired on top. Both ends of the portion 95 of the branch circuit 92b embedded in the substrate 11 are connected to the remaining portion of the branch circuit 92b on the substrate 11 via via holes 93a and 93b, respectively. The power amplifier of this embodiment is a power amplifier that synthesizes and amplifies power signals (output signals) from the respective transistors at a coupling point (signal combining point) 94. In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the above-described circuit 900 functions as a signal synthesis circuit. Also in the power amplifier according to the present embodiment, effects such as gain reduction prevention due to phase shift can be obtained as in the power amplifier 40 described above.

  As in the power amplifier of the present embodiment, for example, components such as capacitors may be arranged on the board for the sake of mounting, so that even if there are two branch circuits, wiring may not be performed symmetrically. . Even in such a case, the present invention is effective. That is, part or all of the branch circuit having a short line length is wired in the substrate, so that the phase change amounts of two branch circuits having different line lengths can be made uniform.

  In the power amplifier of this embodiment, the line lengths of the two branch circuits are different, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, when the line lengths of three or more branch circuits are different from each other, or when branch circuits are embedded in the substrate and cannot be symmetrically wired, for example, the wiring position and the line length in the substrate are adjusted. Thus, the phase change amounts of all branch circuits can be made uniform.

  As described above, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention can prevent a gain decrease due to a phase shift between branch circuits with a simple structure. As described above, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention can be used for a power amplifier. More specifically, the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention can be used as a power synthesis / distribution circuit in, for example, a high-output power amplifier used for a mobile phone base station, a broadcast station relay station, satellite communications, and the like. However, the use of the signal synthesis / distribution circuit of the present invention is not limited to the power amplifier, but can be applied to a wide range of fields such as various electronic devices such as a phased array radar and a digital signal processing circuit.

(Supplementary note 1) A plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points are wired on the substrate,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A part of or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

(Supplementary note 2) The signal synthesis according to supplementary note 1, wherein the plurality of branch circuits are wired to the substrate so as to be symmetrical around a straight line passing through the signal synthesis point or the signal distribution point. Distribution circuit.

(Supplementary note 3) The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to Supplementary note 1 or 2, wherein the branch circuit is a coplanar wave line.

(Additional remark 4) It has a plurality of transistors and a signal composition distribution circuit,
The output signals from the plurality of transistors are combined by the signal combining / distributing circuit, or the input signals to the plurality of transistors are distributed by the signal combining / distributing circuit,
4. A power amplifier, wherein the signal synthesis / distribution circuit is the signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to any one of appendices 1 to 3.

(Supplementary note 5) The signal synthesis / distribution circuit is the signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to supplementary note 2,
The plurality of transistors are arranged in parallel in a straight line;
The power amplifier according to appendix 4, wherein a direction of a straight line passing through the signal combining point or the signal distribution point is a direction perpendicular to a straight line in a parallel arrangement direction of the plurality of transistors.

(Supplementary note 6) The power amplifier according to Supplementary note 4 or 5, wherein the plurality of transistors are transistor chips.

(Supplementary note 7) includes a wiring step of wiring a plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points on a substrate,
In the wiring step,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A method for manufacturing a signal synthesis / distribution circuit, wherein a part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

(Appendix 8) In the wiring step,
The substrate is formed from the inorganic material by sintering the inorganic material in a state where a part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are embedded in the inorganic material, and the branch circuit having the different line lengths is formed. The manufacturing method according to appendix 7, wherein a part or all of the wiring is wired in the substrate.

(Appendix 9) In the wiring step,
Preparing a first dielectric sheet and a second dielectric sheet;
On the upper surface of the first dielectric sheet, a portion to be wired in the substrate of the branch circuit is formed,
In the second dielectric sheet, a portion of the branch circuit that is wired on the substrate is formed on the upper surface, and a portion of the branch circuit that is wired on the substrate is wired in the substrate. Via holes that connect the parts are formed,
The upper surface of the first dielectric sheet and the lower surface of the second dielectric sheet are bonded together, and a portion wired on the substrate of the branch circuit and a portion wired in the substrate of the branch circuit; The manufacturing method according to appendix 7, wherein the substrate is formed by connecting the vias in the via hole, and part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

10, 30, 700, 800, 900 Signal synthesis / distribution circuit 11, 21 Board 12a, 12b, 12c, 22a, 22b, 22c, 32b, 62a, 62b, 62c, 72a, 72b, 72c, 72d, 72e, 82c, 92a , 92b Branch circuits 13a, 13b, 63a, 63b, 73a, 73b, 73c, 73d, 73e, 73f, 93a, 93b Via holes 14, 34, 74, 94 Connection points (signal synthesis points or signal distribution points)
15, 65, 75 a, 75 b, 75 c, 85 b, 95 Parts 16, 26 embedded in the substrate Ground conductors 17, 47, 77 A straight line drawn through the coupling point toward one end of the substrate 27 Electric field lines 28, 29 Electric field passing through air 31 Grooves 40, 60, 70, 80, 90 Power amplifiers 41a, 41b, 41c, 61a, 61b, 61c, 71a, 71b, 71c, 71d, 71e, 91a, 91b Transistor 48, 78 Straight line 97 in parallel arrangement direction of transistor 97 Capacitor 98 Power supply line 100 Microstrip transmission line substrate 101a of related technology High dielectric constant dielectric substrate 101b Low dielectric constant dielectric substrate 102a, 102b, 112, 122a, 122b Signal propagation Conductor 106 Substrate Conductor 110 Matching Circuit 111a Related Technology 111a Substrate 111b Dielectric 12 0 Related Technology Transmission Line Substrate 121a Dielectric Substrate 121b Dielectric Insulating Layer 123 Cavity A, B Substrate Surface H1, H2, H3 Depth from Substrate Surface (Wiring Position in Substrate)
L1, L2, L3 The length of the part that passes a predetermined depth from the substrate surface (the line length in the substrate)

Claims (10)

A plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points are wired on the substrate,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A part of or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate. There are two or more branch circuits having different line lengths,
2. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein at least one of a wiring position and a line length in the substrate is different in two or more branch circuits having different line lengths. 3. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of branch circuits are wired to the substrate so as to be symmetric with respect to a straight line passing through the signal synthesis point or the signal distribution point. . 4. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein branch circuits other than the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired on the substrate. 5. 5. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein the branch circuit having the different line length has a line length shorter than that of the other branch circuit. 6. 6. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of branch circuits have the same phase difference. 7. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein the signal is electric power. 8. The signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to claim 1, wherein the branch circuit is a microstrip line. Having a plurality of transistors and a signal combining and distributing circuit;
The output signals from the plurality of transistors are combined by the signal combining / distributing circuit, or the input signals to the plurality of transistors are distributed by the signal combining / distributing circuit,
9. The power amplifier, wherein the signal synthesis / distribution circuit is the signal synthesis / distribution circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A wiring step of wiring a plurality of branch circuits having signal synthesis points or signal distribution points on a substrate;
In the wiring step,
At least one branch circuit of the plurality of branch circuits has a line length different from that of other branch circuits,
A method for manufacturing a signal synthesis / distribution circuit, wherein a part or all of the branch circuits having different line lengths are wired in the substrate.

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