Electromagnetic dielectric structure adhered to a substrate and methods of making the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11545753-B2
Application number	US-202117543195-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2021
Priority date	May 1, 2018
Publication date	Jan 3, 2023
Grant date	Jan 3, 2023

Abstract

An electromagnetic, EM, device, includes: a substrate having a dielectric layer and a first conductive layer at a first side of the substrate, the substrate having a via that extends at least partially through the substrate from the first side toward an opposing second side of the substrate; at least one dielectric structure having at least one non-gaseous dielectric material that forms a first dielectric portion that extends outward from the first side of the substrate, the first dielectric portion having a first average dielectric constant, the at least one dielectric structure further having a second dielectric portion that is contiguous with the first dielectric portion; wherein the second dielectric portion extends into the via of the substrate, the via having a mechanical interlock surface; and wherein the at least one dielectric structure includes a mechanical interlock between the second dielectric portion and the mechanical interlock surface of the via of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electromagnetic, EM, device, comprising:
a substrate comprising a dielectric layer and a first conductive layer at a first side of the substrate, the substrate comprising a via that extends at least partially through the substrate from the first side toward an opposing second side of the substrate;
at least one dielectric structure comprising at least one non-gaseous dielectric material that forms a first dielectric portion that extends outward from the first side of the substrate, the first dielectric portion having a first average dielectric constant, the at least one dielectric structure further comprising a second dielectric portion that is contiguous with the first dielectric portion;
wherein the second dielectric portion extends into the via of the substrate, the via comprising a mechanical interlock surface; and
wherein the at least one dielectric structure comprises a mechanical interlock between the second dielectric portion and the mechanical interlock surface of the via of the substrate.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion is seamless with the first dielectric portion, the second dielectric portion having the first average dielectric constant.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the via extends through the first conductive layer but not through the dielectric layer of the substrate.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein:
the mechanical interlock surface is a retrograde surface formed on the first conductive layer.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein:
the substrate further comprises a second conductive layer at the second side of the substrate, the dielectric layer being disposed between the first and second conductive layers.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein:
the via extends completely through the substrate from the first side to the second side.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein:
the mechanical interlock surface is a retrograde surface formed on the second conductive layer.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion is seamless with the first dielectric portion, the second dielectric portion having the first average dielectric constant.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion is an adhesive material having a dielectric constant that is substantially matched to the first average dielectric constant.

10. The device of claim 6 , wherein:
the mechanical interlock surface is a shoulder of the via at the second side of the substrate.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion extends beyond an outer surface of the second conductive layer proximate the mechanical interlock surface.

12. The device of claim 6 , wherein:
the mechanical interlock surface is an inner surface of the via.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion extends only partially into the via forming an underfilled via.

14. The device of claim 12 , wherein:
the second dielectric portion extends completely into the via forming a completely filled via.

15. The device of claim 4 , wherein the EM device comprises a dielectric resonator antenna, DRA, and the first dielectric portion is at least part of the DRA.

16. The device of claim 9 , wherein the EM device comprises a dielectric resonator antenna, DRA, and the first dielectric portion is at least part of the DRA.

17. A method of making an electromagnetic, EM, device comprising: a substrate comprising a dielectric layer and a first conductive layer at a first side of the substrate, the substrate comprising a via that extends at least partially through the substrate from the first side toward an opposing second side of the substrate; at least one dielectric structure comprising at least one non-gaseous dielectric material that forms a first dielectric portion that extends outward from the first side of the substrate, the first dielectric portion having a first average dielectric constant, the at least one dielectric structure further comprising a second dielectric portion that is contiguous with the first dielectric portion; wherein the second dielectric portion extends into the via of the substrate, the via comprising a mechanical interlock surface; and wherein the at least one dielectric structure comprises a mechanical interlock between the second dielectric portion and the mechanical interlock surface of the via of the substrate, the method comprising:
injection molding a dielectric composition onto the substrate to form the device, the dielectric composition forming at least part of the at least one dielectric structure.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dielectric composition comprises a thermoplastic polymer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein an injection temperature of the dielectric composition during the molding is greater than a melt temperature of the thermoplastic polymer; preferably the injection temperature is 40° C. to 220° C., or 40° C. to 160° C., or 100° C. to 220° C.

20. The method of claim 17 , wherein an injection pressure during the injection molding is 65 to 350 kPa.

21. The method of claim 17 , wherein a mold temperature after the injection molding is 0 to 250° C., or 23 to 200° C. and is optionally maintained for 0.5 to 10 min.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the injection molding comprises filling the mold with the dielectric composition in 0.1 to 10 seconds, or 0.5 to 5 seconds, or 0.2 to 1 second.

23. The method of claim 17 , wherein no visible delaminations are present between the dielectric structure and the substrate.

24. The method of claim 17 , further comprising forming a mechanical interlock between the dielectric composition and the substrate by etching the substrate prior to injection molding the dielectric composition onto the substrate.

25. The method of claim 17 , further comprising depositing an adhesive material onto the substrate prior to the injection molding.

26. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dielectric composition comprises a dielectric filler; wherein the dielectric filler has a multimodal particle size.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the dielectric filler comprises a first plurality of particles having a first average particle size and a second plurality of particles having a second average particle size; wherein the first average particle size is greater than or equal to 7 times, or greater than or equal to 10 times, or 7 to 20 times the second average particle size.

28. The method of claim 17 , wherein the dielectric composition comprises at least one of a flow modifier, a silane, or a flame retardant.

29. The method of claim 17 , further comprising transmitting an ultrasonic wave onto at least one of the dielectric composition or the substrate during or after the injection molding.

Assignees

• Rogers Corp

Inventors

• O'Connor Stephen
• Taraschi Gianni
• Brown Christopher
• Pance Kristi
• Sprentall Karl E
• Fitts Bruce
• Baars Dirk
• Blasius William
• Sethumadhavan Murali
• George Roshin Rose
• White Michael S
• Lunt Michael
• Henson Sam
• Dobrick John

Classifications

• H01Q9/0485 Primary

  Dielectric resonator antennas · CPC title

• H01Q1/38

  formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support {(patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface  H01Q15/142)} · CPC title