Electronic devices having antenna module isolation structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10957985-B2
Application number	US-201816146488-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 28, 2018
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a phased antenna array controlled by phase and magnitude controllers within an integrated circuit. The array may be formed on antenna layers and the integrated circuit may be mounted to transmission line layers of a dielectric substrate. A ground plane may separate the transmission line layers from the antenna layers. A connector may be mounted to the surface of the transmission line layers and may be coupled to the integrated circuit using conductive traces. A passive resonator may be formed in the antenna layers and may include conductive structures that resonate at one-quarter of the effective wavelength of operation of the array to form an open circuit impedance for surface currents generated on the ground plane by the array. This may serve to block the surface currents from scattering at an edge of the ground plane and leaking onto the integrated circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An antenna module comprising:
a dielectric substrate having transmission line layers and antenna layers;
a ground plane that separates the transmission line layers from the antenna layers;
an antenna resonating element on the antenna layers;
radio-frequency circuitry mounted to a surface of the transmission line layers and coupled to the antenna resonating element;
a radio-frequency connector mounted to the surface of the transmission line layers and coupled to the radio-frequency circuitry by a conductive trace in the transmission line layers; and
a passive resonator on the antenna layers and coupled to the ground plane, wherein the passive resonator is configured to block surface current generated on the ground plane by the antenna resonating element.

2. The antenna module defined in claim 1 , wherein the passive resonator comprises an arm formed from a conductive trace on a given one of the antenna layers and a vertical conductive structure extending from the arm to the ground plane.

3. The antenna module defined in claim 2 , wherein the arm has a length that is within 10-20% of one-quarter of an effective wavelength of operation of the antenna resonating element.

4. The antenna module defined in claim 3 , wherein the passive resonator is configured to form an infinite impedance at the effective wavelength of operation of the antenna resonating element.

5. The antenna module defined in claim 3 , wherein the arm is separated from the antenna resonating element by one-half of a free space wavelength of operation of the antenna resonating element.

6. The antenna module defined in claim 3 , wherein the antenna layers comprise ceramic.

7. The antenna module defined in claim 3 , wherein the effective wavelength of operation corresponds to a frequency between 10 GHz and 300 GHz.

8. The antenna module defined in claim 2 , wherein the vertical conductive structure comprises a structure selected from the group consisting of: conductive tape, sheet metal, conductive traces, and a fence of conductive vias.

9. The antenna module defined in claim 2 , wherein the arm and the vertical conductive structure each extend across a width of the antenna module.

10. The antenna module defined in claim 1 , wherein the radio-frequency circuitry comprises amplifier circuitry.

11. The antenna module defined in claim 7 , wherein the radio-frequency circuitry comprises an integrated circuit.

12. An electronic device comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a phased antenna array on the dielectric substrate and configured to convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency between 10 GHz and 300 GHz, wherein the phased antenna array comprises ground traces in the dielectric substrate;
a radio-frequency connector located on a surface of the substrate; and
a passive resonator on the dielectric substrate and coupled to the ground traces, wherein a portion of the ground traces is interposed between the passive resonator and the radio-frequency connector.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the passive resonator is configured to form an open circuit impedance at the frequency.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , further comprising amplifier circuitry mounted to the surface of the substrate and configured to adjust a magnitude of the radio-frequency signals conveyed by the phased antenna array.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 further comprising conductive traces in the dielectric substrate that couple the radio-frequency connector to the amplifier circuitry.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the passive resonator is configured to resonate at one-quarter of an effective wavelength corresponding to the frequency.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the passive resonator is separated from a nearest antenna in the phased antenna array by one-half of a free space wavelength corresponding to the frequency.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 12 , wherein the passive resonator comprises a conductive trace and a fence of conductive vias in the dielectric substrate.

19. An antenna module comprising:
a dielectric substrate;
a ground plane in the dielectric substrate;
a radio-frequency integrated circuit mounted to a surface of the dielectric substrate at a first side of the ground plane;
a phased antenna array having antenna resonating elements on the dielectric substrate at a second side of the ground plane, the antenna resonating elements being configured to convey radio-frequency signals at a frequency; and
a conductive trace on the dielectric substrate at the first side of the ground plane and coupled to the ground plane by a vertical conductive structure, wherein the conductive trace is configured to resonate at one-quarter of an effective wavelength corresponding to the frequency.

20. The antenna module defined in claim 19 , wherein the frequency comprises a frequency between 10 GHz and 300 GHz and the conductive trace is configured to block surface current generated at the first side of the ground plane by the phased antenna array from scattering onto the second side of the ground plane.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Paulotto Simone
• Yu Qishan
• Rajagopalan Harish
• Cetinoneri Berke

Classifications

• H01Q3/36

  with variable phase-shifters · CPC title

• H01Q1/52 Primary

  Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure (absorbing means H01Q17/00) · CPC title

• H01Q1/2283 Primary

  mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package · CPC title

• H01Q5/25

  Ultra-wideband [UWB] systems, e.g. multiple resonance systems; Pulse systems · CPC title

• H01P7/00

  Resonators of the waveguide type · CPC title