KR20070074290A - Antenna producing method using laser direct structuring and antenna produced thereby - Google Patents

Abstract

An antenna using LDS(Laser Direct Structuring) and a method for manufacturing the same are provided to improve characteristics of the antenna by adding a capacitance element and increasing an electric length of a radiator. A method for manufacturing an antenna using LDS includes the steps of: forming a member by injection-molding a material having a heavy metal complex body which exposes a metal seed by laser illumination(S100); arranging the member so that a plane of the member is opposite to a laser generation device(S110); illuminating a laser on a forming region of a radiator on a plane of the member(S120); arranging the member so that the other plane of the member is opposite to the laser generation device(S130); illuminating the laser on the forming region of the radiator on the other plane of the member(S140); and forming the radiator by metalizing a laser illumination unit of the member(S150).

Description

TECHNICAL MANUFACTURING METHOD USING AN LDS AND AN ANTENNA PRODUCED BY THEREOF {ANTENNA PRODUCING METHOD USING LASER DIRECT STRUCTURING AND ANTENNA PRODUCED THEREBY}

1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional built-in antenna;

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

210, 310, 410, 510

214, 314, 414, 514: laser irradiation unit

220, 320, 420, 520: radiator

The present invention relates to an antenna and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an antenna for a wireless communication terminal using laser direct structuring (LDS) and a method for manufacturing the same.

Wireless communication terminals such as mobile phones, PDAs, walkie-talkies, and the like include antennas for communication of wireless signals. As the antenna, an external antenna such as a helical antenna, a whip antenna, a retractable antenna in which a whip antenna and a helical antenna are combined is used.

However, with the recent miniaturization of terminals and the diversification of designs, the adoption of internal antennas installed inside the terminals is increasing.

6 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional built-in antenna. Referring to FIG. 6, a conventional built-in antenna includes a conductive radiator 610 and a substrate 620 of dielectric material having a shape and size for supporting the radiator and facilitating installation of the antenna in the terminal. An antenna including the radiator 610 and the base 620 is installed on the circuit board 630 in the terminal. The circuit board 630 is equipped with a power feeding element for feeding the antenna and RF elements for processing signals to / from the antenna. In addition, the circuit board 630 is provided with a ground plane for providing ground to the antenna and RF elements. The radiator 610 is provided with a power feeding portion 612 connected to the power feeding element, and a grounding portion 614 connected to the ground plane is selectively formed according to the shape of the antenna.

Since the substrate 620 is generally formed by injection molding, the degree of freedom in shape design is high. However, the radiator 610 is generally formed by cutting and bending the conductor by press working. Therefore, the shape of the radiator 610 is limited to the shape that can be formed by the press working, and the shape that cannot be manufactured by the press working can be manufactured only after the post-processing step, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost. In addition, in the case of press working, there is a problem in that the shape of the radiator 610 that determines the performance of the antenna is deformed due to the processing deviation or the external force in the process of bonding with the substrate 620, thereby causing a defect.

Although a method of implementing a radiator by printing or etching a conductor on a substrate is also known, this also has a limitation in that the shape of the radiator is limited by the shape of a mask used in etching or printing, and can implement only a flat pattern.

In particular, in the embedded antenna, minimizing the occupied space of the antenna to efficiently use the internal space of the terminal has emerged as one of the challenges of antenna design. In addition, due to the miniaturization and multifunctionalization of the terminal, various elements should be installed in a narrow space. Due to the technical trend that the antenna is multi-banded and the pattern of the radiator is complicated, the request for efficient use of the internal space of the terminal is intensified. have. However, according to the prior art, since the shape of the antenna radiator is severely limited, there is a limit in miniaturization of the antenna and it is difficult to efficiently use the internal space of the terminal. In particular, according to the prior art, it is almost impossible to manufacture a radiator having a three-dimensional shape, and thus the use of space is large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna manufacturing method and an antenna thereby, which can easily implement a radiator of various forms, particularly three-dimensional shape.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide an antenna manufacturing method and an antenna thereby to manufacture the radiator without restriction in shape to enable efficient use of the internal space of the terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, according to an aspect of the present invention, in an antenna of a wireless communication terminal including a base material and a conductive radiator formed on the base material, the base material is a heavy metal that exposes a metal seed by laser irradiation It is made of a material comprising a composite, wherein the radiator is formed by metalizing the laser irradiation on the substrate, there is provided a wireless communication terminal antenna.

Preferably, the laser irradiation part includes a corner of a curved surface.

It is also preferable that the laser irradiation part includes two or more regions electrically separated from each other.

In addition, the laser irradiation unit protrudes from other areas in the laser irradiation unit It is also desirable to include protrusions.

Also preferably, the substrate has a multi-layered structure in which a portion of the substrate is protruded and bent at least in part, and at least a portion of the protruded and bent portion of the substrate is included in the laser irradiation part.

On the other hand, preferably, the laser irradiation section includes two or more regions that cross each other.

In addition, it is preferable that the laser irradiation part has a height that is equal to or higher than that of other regions of the substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, according to another aspect of the present invention, in the method for manufacturing an antenna of a wireless communication terminal comprising a substrate and a conductive radiator formed on the substrate, a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation Forming the substrate by injection molding a material comprising: disposing the substrate so that one surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device; and irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on one surface of the substrate. Disposing the substrate so that the other surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device, irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on the other surface of the substrate, and metalizing the laser irradiation portion of the substrate to form the emitter. Provided is a method for manufacturing a wireless communication terminal antenna comprising the step of forming.

Preferably, the forming of the substrate may include forming the substrate so that the region on which the radiator is to be formed is protruded as a whole to have a height higher than other regions on the substrate even after laser irradiation.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an antenna of a wireless communication terminal including a substrate and a conductive radiator formed on the substrate, the method comprising: forming the substrate by injection molding, and seeding the metal by laser irradiation Applying a material comprising a heavy metal complex exposing the substrate onto the substrate, arranging the substrate so that one surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device, and applying a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on one surface of the substrate. Irradiating, disposing the substrate so that the other surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device, irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on the other surface of the substrate, and metalizing the laser irradiation portion of the substrate Wireless communication terminal antenna manufacturing method comprising the step of forming the radiator Is provided.

Preferably, the forming of the substrate may include forming the substrate so that the region on which the radiator is to be formed is protruded as a whole to have a height higher than other regions on the substrate even after laser irradiation.

In the applying step, it is also preferable to apply the material thicker than other areas to the area where the radiator is to be formed so that the area on which the radiator is to be formed is generally protruded to have a height higher than other areas on the base even after laser irradiation. .

As used herein, the term "Laser Direct Structuring" (LDS) refers to a support material formed of a material containing a non-conductive and chemically stable heavy metal complex, and a part of the support material is UV (Ultra Violet) laser, excimer (excimer) The method of dissolving the chemical bond of a heavy metal complex by exposing to a laser, such as a laser, exposing a metal seed, metallizing a support material, and forming a conductive structure in the laser exposure part of a support material. Such LDS method is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 374667, Korean Patent Publication No. 2001-40872, and Korean Patent Publication No. 2004-21614, which are incorporated herein by reference. .

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, specific embodiment of this invention is described with reference to attached drawing.

First, the manufacturing method of the antenna according to the present invention will be described. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of this embodiment first injection molding the substrate of the antenna in step S100. The material of the substrate used in step S100 may be a polymer material containing a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser exposure. Heavy metal composites that can be used as the material of the substrate are described in detail in the above-mentioned conventional documents. Alternatively, it is also possible to add a step of injection molding the known conventional polymeric material and then applying the heavy metal composite to its surface. As the polymer material, any non-conductive polymer material such as plastic may be used.

In this step, the region on which the radiator is to be formed is preferably formed to protrude a predetermined height relative to the other portion. In the subsequent laser irradiation, the portion irradiated with the laser is etched by the laser to decrease the height. Therefore, when the height of the laser irradiator and the other area where the antenna radiator is to be formed is the same, the antenna radiator is formed to be buried in the substrate. In this case, since both sides of the radiator are captured by the base material having a dielectric constant of 1 or more, the gain of the antenna is reduced and the radiation characteristics of the antenna are deteriorated. On the other hand, when the height of the radiator forming region is formed higher than other regions in this step, the height of the radiator forming portion can be maintained above the height of the other region even by etching by laser irradiation, thereby preventing the degradation of the characteristics of the antenna. . The protrusion height may be determined according to the etching amount by the laser.

In the next step S110, the substrate is placed so that one surface of the molded substrate faces the laser generating apparatus. As the laser generating device, a MicroLine 3D IR Industrial laser system of LPKF Laser & Electronics Co., Ltd. can be used, and the substrate can be arranged to face the laser source inside the laser system. In step S120, a portion of the substrate (the region where the radiator is to be formed) is irradiated with a laser. UV laser, excimer laser, etc. can be used as a laser. As a result, the laser is irradiated to a portion of the laser facing surface, and the metal seed is exposed in the region to which the laser is irradiated. In addition, fine unevenness is generated on the surface of the substrate by the irradiation of the laser to further strengthen the adhesion of the metal in the subsequent metallization step.

In the next step S130, the substrate is rotated by a predetermined angle so that the other surface of the substrate faces the laser generating apparatus (or the laser source), and the laser is irradiated to a partial region on the other surface of the substrate in the step S140. Thereby, the laser can be irradiated to the area on the substrate to which the laser is not irradiated by the steps S110 and S120, and the shape of the antenna radiator can be formed three-dimensionally. It is also possible to perform steps S130 and S140 repeatedly to irradiate a laser onto three or more sides of the substrate.

On the other hand, in step (S110 to S140), the substrate is disposed so that one surface of the substrate opposes the laser generating apparatus and irradiated a laser, it is also possible to arrange the substrate so that one edge of the substrate opposes the laser generating apparatus. In this case, the laser can be irradiated to two or more surfaces by one laser irradiation, and it is possible to reduce the number of repetitions of steps S130 and S140.

Next, a laser is irradiated to some regions by steps S110 to S140 to electrolessly plate (chemically plate) the substrate on which the metal seed is exposed to form a radiator of a conductive material (step S150). By the previous steps, since the laser was irradiated to the three-dimensional shape, and also the region of the fine and free shape on the substrate, various shapes of radiators can be formed by the plating of this step. Meanwhile, in this step, the electroless plating method is used to form the radiator, but it is also possible to perform other known metallization.

According to this embodiment, since the shape of a laser irradiation part becomes the shape of an antenna radiator as it is, an antenna radiator can be formed in various and sophisticated shape. In addition, since the laser irradiation apparatus rotates the substrate to perform laser irradiation several times, it is possible to form a radiator on multiple surfaces of the substrate and to form a three-dimensional radiator. In addition, this process can be performed without the need for additional post-processing, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced since the process can be automated. In addition, since fine irregularities are generated in the substrate by the laser irradiation and metallization is formed thereon, the bonding of the radiator becomes more firm. In addition, since the antenna radiator is formed so as not to be buried into the substrate, deterioration of antenna characteristics is prevented.

Next, the antenna of the present invention manufactured by the antenna manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. The antenna of the present invention includes a substrate 210 and a radiator 220 formed in a predetermined shape by the LDS method on the substrate. The radiator 220 may be connected to a power feeding element (not shown) to perform radiation of electromagnetic waves, and may be further connected to a ground plane (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the substrate 210 of the present embodiment may have a shape that includes a corner of a curved surface to match the shape of the internal space of the terminal where the antenna is installed. In some regions on the substrate 210, the emitter is formed by the LDS method, and thus the substrate 210 may be formed of a material including a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation. Alternatively, it is also possible to apply the heavy metal composite onto the dielectric to form the substrate 210. The laser irradiation unit 214 on the substrate 210 is irradiated with a laser such as a UV laser, an excimer laser, and the metal seed of the heavy metal composite contained in the substrate 210 is exposed. On the other hand, the laser irradiation unit 214 may be formed to protrude a predetermined height as a whole as a whole, thereby may have a height above the other region even after laser irradiation. Therefore, the radiator 220 formed on the laser irradiation part 214 is formed so as not to be buried in the substrate to prevent degradation of the radiation characteristics of the antenna.

The radiator 220 is formed on the surface of the substrate 210 by metallizing the laser irradiation part 214. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the radiator 220 is composed of two radiators 222 and 224 completely separated from each other, whereby capacitance components due to mutual coupling can be generated. Therefore, the bandwidth of the antenna can be extended or the gain can be improved. In other words, an antenna having a desired bandwidth or gain can be manufactured while occupying less space in the terminal. In addition, since the radiator 220 is formed in the shape of the surface of the substrate 210 on the substrate 210 having a curved surface, the radiator 220 may also include a curved surface, thereby making the most of the terminal internal space.

Since the antenna of this embodiment has a curved shape that matches the shape of the internal space of the terminal, the internal space of the terminal can be used more efficiently while maintaining the radiation characteristics. It also includes two radiators 222 and 224 separated from each other to generate capacitance components and have good gain and bandwidth.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention. The antenna of this embodiment includes a substrate 310 and a radiator 320 formed by the LDS method on the substrate.

The substrate 310 may be formed of a material including a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation, or the surface may be coated with the heavy metal composite. As shown in FIG. 3A, the protrusion 310 is formed on the substrate 310, and the protrusion 312 may be included in the laser irradiator 314 of the substrate 310. The shape of the protrusion 312 does not need to be a rectangular parallelepiped, and those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the protrusion 312 may have various shapes such as an arc shape and a triangular pyramid shape, depending on antenna characteristics. The laser irradiator 314 may be formed to protrude a predetermined height as a whole, so as to have a height higher than other areas even after laser irradiation. In this case, the protrusion 312 may initially be formed to protrude more than other areas in the laser irradiation part 314.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the radiator 320 is formed by metallization of the laser irradiation part 314. The radiator 320 may include a feed terminal 322 and a ground terminal 324 for connection with a feed element and a ground plane. The ground terminal 324 may not be included depending on the type of antenna. Since the laser irradiator 314 includes the protrusion 312, the radiator 320 may also include the protrusion 326, whereby the emitter may be formed in a shape having a height difference. Therefore, the electrical length of the radiator can be extended, and the effect of improving radiation characteristics can be obtained by electromagnetic coupling, increase in radiation area, and the like.

According to the present embodiment, since the radiator 320 is formed to have a height difference, the electrical length of the radiator can be extended even in a narrow space and the radiation characteristics are improved, and thus the internal space of the terminal can be efficiently used.

4 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The antenna of this embodiment includes a substrate 410 and a radiator 420 formed on the substrate by the LDS method.

The substrate 410 may be formed of a material including a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation, or the heavy metal composite may be applied to the surface. As shown in FIG. 4A, a protrusion 412 is formed on the substrate 410. The protrusion 412 may be formed such that the substrate 410 has a two-layer structure including a connecting portion 412a protruding from the substrate 410 and a bent portion 412b formed by bending extending from the connecting portion 412a. have. In addition, a plurality of protrusions may be formed on the substrate 410 or the protrusions may be continuously formed to form a substrate having a multilayer structure. Meanwhile, both the connecting portion 412a and the bent portion 412b may be included in the laser irradiator 414, and only the bent portion 412b may be included in the laser irradiator 414.

The laser irradiator 414 may be formed to protrude a predetermined height as a whole in order to have a height higher than other areas even after laser irradiation. In addition, a part of the protrusion 412 included in the laser irradiator 414 may also be formed to protrude a predetermined height in consideration of etching by the laser. The protrusion of the laser irradiation part 414 considering the laser etching does not have a large height, and thus does not affect the overall shape of the substrate 410 shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the radiator 420 is formed by metallizing the laser irradiator 414. The radiator 420 may include a feed terminal 422 and a ground terminal 424 for connection with a feed element and a ground plane. The ground terminal 424 may not be included depending on the type of antenna. When both the connecting portion 412a and the bent portion 412b of the protrusion 412 are included in the laser irradiation portion, the radiator 426 formed in the protrusion 412 functions as a stub to extend the electrical length of the radiator. Therefore, the resonant frequency of the antenna can be adjusted by adjusting the length of the bend 412b, and the electrical length of the antenna can be extended without increasing the antenna height. In addition, when only the bent portion 412b is included in the laser irradiator, the radiator is composed of two electrically separated regions, and the capacitance therebetween can provide effects such as bandwidth expansion and gain improvement.

According to the present embodiment, the multi-layer radiator can extend the electrical length of the antenna or introduce capacitance, and efficiently utilize the internal space of the terminal and improve the antenna characteristics.

5 is a perspective view showing an antenna according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The antenna of this embodiment includes a substrate 510 and a radiator 520 formed on the substrate by the LDS method.

The substrate 510 may be formed of a material including a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation, or the heavy metal composite may be applied to the surface. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the laser irradiation portion 514 of the substrate 510 may include an intersection portion 512 in which two or more regions cross each other. Since the laser irradiation part 514 is simply formed by irradiating a laser, it is easy to form the laser irradiation part 514 to have the intersection part 512, and it is also possible to form many intersection parts. On the other hand, the laser irradiation unit 514 may be formed to protrude a predetermined height as a whole in consideration of the etching by the laser irradiation.

Since the radiator 520 is formed in the same shape as that of the laser irradiator 514, the radiator 520 may also include an intersection as illustrated in FIG. 5B. Therefore, it is possible to extend the electrical length of the antenna in two or more directions, or to freely adjust the resonance frequency of the antenna by freely forming an antenna pattern on a plurality of surfaces of the substrate 510, thereby improving the design freedom of the radiation characteristics, and limiting the area of the substrate. You can make the most of it.

According to this embodiment, the internal space of a terminal can be utilized efficiently by making the most of the area of a base material, and antenna radiation characteristics can be adjusted freely.

Although the present invention has been described above in connection with specific embodiments, this is only an example and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the claims and is not limited by the above embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily change or modify the order of the method steps, the specific shape of the substrate and the radiator, the material of the substrate, the material of the radiator, etc. without departing from the scope of the present invention, which is also within the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, an antenna having various three-dimensional radiators can be easily manufactured at low cost to efficiently use the internal space of the terminal and to improve the characteristics of the antenna.

In addition, according to the present invention, an antenna having excellent characteristics can be obtained by adding a capacitance component, increasing the electrical length of the radiator, and improving the degree of freedom in designing the radiator.

Claims (12)

An antenna of a wireless communication terminal comprising a base material and a conductive radiator formed on the base material, The substrate is made of a material containing a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation, And the radiator is formed by metalizing a laser irradiation part on the substrate. The method of claim 1, The laser irradiation part comprises a corner of a curved, wireless communication terminal antenna. The method of claim 1, And the laser irradiator includes at least two regions electrically separated from each other. The method of claim 1, And the laser irradiation part includes a protrusion protruding from another area in the laser irradiation part. The method of claim 1, The substrate is partly projected and bent to form a multi-layered structure in which each layer is at least partially overlapped with each other, At least a part of the protruding bent portion of the substrate is included in the laser irradiation section, wireless communication terminal antenna. The method of claim 1, And the laser irradiator includes at least two regions crossing each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And the laser irradiator has a height equal to or greater than another area of the base material. In the method of manufacturing an antenna of a wireless communication terminal comprising a substrate and a conductive radiator formed on the substrate, Injection molding a material comprising a heavy metal composite that exposes a metal seed by laser irradiation to form the substrate; Disposing the substrate such that one surface of the substrate faces a laser generating device; Irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on one surface of the substrate; Disposing the substrate such that the other surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device; Irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on the other surface of the substrate; And And metalizing the laser irradiation part of the substrate to form the radiator. The method of claim 8, The forming of the substrate may include forming the substrate so that the region on which the radiator is to be formed is generally protruded to have a height equal to or greater than another region on the substrate even after laser irradiation. In the method of manufacturing an antenna of a wireless communication terminal comprising a substrate and a conductive radiator formed on the substrate, Forming the substrate by injection molding; Applying a material on the substrate comprising a heavy metal composite that exposes the metal seed by laser irradiation; Disposing the substrate such that one surface of the substrate faces a laser generating device; Irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on one surface of the substrate; Disposing the substrate such that the other surface of the substrate faces the laser generating device; Irradiating a laser to a region where the radiator is to be formed on the other surface of the substrate; And And metalizing the laser irradiation part of the substrate to form the radiator. The method of claim 10, The forming of the substrate may include forming the substrate so that the region on which the radiator is to be formed is generally protruded to have a height equal to or greater than another region on the substrate even after laser irradiation. The method of claim 10, The coating may include applying the material thicker than other areas to the area where the radiator is to be formed so that the area where the radiator is to be formed on the substrate is formed so as to have a height higher than other areas on the substrate even after laser irradiation. Terminal antenna manufacturing method.

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