Radio frequency front-end structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11937367-B2
Application number	US-202318346313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2023
Priority date	Feb 5, 2019
Publication date	Mar 19, 2024
Grant date	Mar 19, 2024

Abstract

Disclosed herein are radio frequency (RF) front-end structures, as well as related methods and devices. In some embodiments, an RF front-end package may include an RF package substrate including an embedded passive circuit element. At least a portion of the embedded passive circuit element may be included in a metal layer of the RF package substrate. The RF package substrate may also include a ground plane in the metal layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A radio frequency (RF) communication assembly, comprising:
an RF package substrate including an embedded passive circuit element;
a processing device coupled to the RF package substrate;
a mold compound over the processing device; and
a conformal metal layer over the mold compound, wherein the conformal metal layer is conductively coupled to a metal layer in the RF package substrate.

2. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the RF package substrate does not include a ground plane.

3. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element includes a capacitor, an inductor, or a balun.

4. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the RF package substrate includes no more than four metal layers.

5. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a circuit board coupled to the RF package substrate.

6. The RF communication assembly of claim 5 , wherein the conformal metal layer is conductively coupled to a ground of the circuit board.

7. The RF communication assembly of claim 5 , wherein the circuit board is coupled to the RF package substrate at least in part by a plurality of solder balls.

8. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the processing device includes one or more passive circuit elements in its metallization stack.

9. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element includes at least one wall via.

10. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element is part of a harmonic filter.

11. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element is part of a matching filter.

12. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an antenna communicatively coupled to the RF package substrate.

13. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the RF communication assembly is a handheld computing device, a tablet computing device, or a wearable computing device.

14. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein the RF communication assembly is configured for Wi-Fi communication.

15. The RF communication assembly of claim 1 , wherein a footprint of the RF package substrate has an area that is less than 10 square millimeters.

16. A radio frequency (RF) communication assembly, comprising:
an RF package substrate including an embedded passive circuit element, wherein at least a portion of the embedded passive circuit element is included in a metal layer of the RF package substrate; and
a circuit board coupled to the RF package substrate, wherein the circuit board includes a first plate of a capacitor and the metal layer of the RF package substrate includes a second plate of the capacitor.

17. The RF communication assembly of claim 16 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element is part of a harmonic filter or a matching filter.

18. The RF communication assembly of claim 16 , wherein the RF package substrate further includes a ground plane, and wherein the ground plane is non-rectangular.

19. A radio frequency (RF) communication assembly, comprising:
an RF package substrate including an embedded passive circuit element;
a processing device coupled to the RF package substrate;
a mold compound over the processing device; and
a conformal metal layer over the mold compound, wherein the RF package substrate does not include a ground plane.

20. The RF communication assembly of claim 19 , wherein the embedded passive circuit element includes a capacitor, an inductor, or a balun.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Dalmia Sidharth
• Jiang Zhenguo
• Lambert William J
• Nahalingam Kirthika
• Vijayakumar Swathi

Classifications

• H10W90/00 Primary

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10W72/29

  Bond pads specially adapted therefor · CPC title

• H10W44/248

  for antennas · CPC title

• H10W44/234

  Arrangements for impedance matching · CPC title

• H10W90/724

  between a chip and a stacked insulating package substrate, interposer or RDL · CPC title