Reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC technology

Abstract

The utility model discloses a reconfigurable SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) frequency source module of an LTCC (Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic) process. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module comprises a control circuit module, a frequency source circuit module and an LTCC circuit module, the control circuit module is respectively connected to the frequency source circuit module and the LTCC circuit module, and the frequency source circuit module is connected with the LTCC circuit module; the LTCC circuit module comprises a substrate with a multi-layer layout design, the substrate comprises a top radio frequency layer, a power supply layer and a control layer which are arranged in sequence, and grounding layers are arranged between the radio frequency layer and the power supply layer, between the power supply layer and the control layer and on the bottom layer of the control layer. According to the scheme, multi-layer wiring and miniaturization of an assembly carrier are achieved through LTCC circuit design, circuit simplification is achieved through frequency source circuit optimization, device type selection and software optimization, a large amount of space is saved, and reconfiguration of the frequency source is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of millimeter wave integrated circuits, in particular to a reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC technology. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid and vigorous development of the microelectronics information industry, people have higher and higher demands on communications, radar, personal electronic consumption and other fields. They are eager to make products smaller, more powerful and with lower power consumption. However, traditional design solutions are difficult to meet these demands. Under this severe situation, my country's microelectronics industry and high-density integrated circuit packaging technology are directly promoted to develop faster and faster.

[0003] The frequency source is called the "heart" of the electronic communication system and is the core of the communication system. As the miniaturization requirements of the communication system become higher and higher, the miniaturization requirements of the frequency source are also getting higher and higher. The traditional frequency source is not only large in size, high in power consumption, and difficult to integrate, but can no longer meet the needs of the current industry development, especially in the communication fields such as airborne, vehicle-mounted, and ship-mounted, which have high requirements for miniaturization. In addition, the frequency bands required by users are very wide, covering L, S, X, KU, Ka and other frequency bands. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a reconfigurable SIP frequency source. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model proposes a reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process, which not only has a wide frequency coverage range and excellent index performance, but also has a very small size. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module adopts QFN surface mount process and is very convenient to be integrated into the user's circuit, thereby further realizing the miniaturization of the system and meeting the needs of users. The specific technical scheme is as follows.

[0005] A reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process comprises a control circuit module, a frequency source circuit module and an LTCC circuit module; the control circuit module is respectively connected to the frequency source circuit module and the LTCC circuit module, and the frequency source circuit module is connected to the LTCC circuit module; the LTCC circuit module comprises a substrate with a multi-layer layout design, the substrate comprises a top radio frequency layer, a power supply layer and a control layer arranged in sequence, and a ground layer is arranged between the radio frequency layer and the power supply layer, between the power supply layer and the control layer, and at the bottom of the control layer.

[0006] Furthermore, each layer of the substrate adopts a vertical interconnection transmission design, each layer can be replaced individually, and a medium is filled between the top radio frequency layer and the ground layer arranged at the bottom layer.

[0007] Furthermore, the top RF layer is used to place packaged devices and chips for surface transmission of signals; the power supply layer transmits the power supply signal, and the control layer transmits the control signal; the ground layer shields and isolates the RF signal, power supply signal and control signal respectively to avoid cross interference between signals and achieve high isolation and low spurious.

[0008] Furthermore, the frequency source circuit module includes a pre-divider arranged at the signal input end and a phase detector, a loop filter and a voltage-controlled oscillator connected in sequence; the voltage-controlled oscillator outputs a signal split, one of which is connected to the amplifier AMP1 and the programmable frequency divider and then connected back to the phase detector, and the other is connected to the amplifier AMP2, the frequency multiplier and the filter in sequence and then outputs a frequency signal.

[0009] Furthermore, the control circuit module has a built-in microprocessor and a large-capacity memory, and also includes a storage submodule, a fault detection submodule, a frequency control submodule and an external communication submodule.

[0010] Beneficial effects of the utility model: The utility model proposes a reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process, which realizes the transmission of radio frequency signals, control signals and power supply signals through LTCC circuit design, and serves as an assembly carrier of various devices; realizes the generation of radio frequency signals through frequency source circuit design; realizes the control of frequency source circuit through control circuit design, realizes the required signal output, status monitoring and reporting, and software communication; realizes the reconfiguration of frequency source through circuit design and software design. The utility model realizes the miniaturization of multi-layer wiring and assembly carrier through LTCC circuit design, realizes the simplification of circuit through frequency source circuit optimization, device selection and software optimization, saves a lot of space, realizes miniaturization, solves the technical problem that traditional frequency source modules are large and cannot realize high integration and miniaturization, and realizes the reconfiguration of frequency source.

[0011] The technical solution of the utility model is mainly used in the field of microwave millimeter wave integrated circuits. Due to its excellent transmission performance, production and processing performance and assembly process performance, the LTCC circuit can realize the mixed interconnection assembly of packaged devices and bare chip devices, and has strong applicability and is widely used in the field of SIP integration. Through LTCC circuit design, frequency source circuit optimization, device selection and software optimization, the miniaturization, high integration, modularization, reconfiguration and generalization of the SIP frequency source are realized, which shortens the development cycle, reduces costs and improves product reliability. Therefore, the reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of the LTCC process has a good market prospect and development space. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process of the utility model;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the LTCC substrate design in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a simulation model of a LTCC multilayer board in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the simulation data of the standing wave of the LTCC multilayer board in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of LTCC multi-layer board loss simulation data in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0017] Figure 6 This is a circuit principle block diagram of a frequency source circuit module in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the control circuit module in the embodiment of the utility model;

[0019] Figure 8 It is the frequency source module monitoring element table in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, purposes and effects of the utility model, the specific implementation methods of the utility model are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] A reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process comprises a control circuit module, a frequency source circuit module and an LTCC circuit module; the control circuit module is respectively connected to the frequency source circuit module and the LTCC circuit module, and the frequency source circuit module is connected to the LTCC circuit module; the LTCC circuit module comprises a substrate with a multi-layer layout design, the substrate comprises a top radio frequency layer, a power supply layer and a control layer arranged in sequence, and a ground layer is arranged between the radio frequency layer and the power supply layer, between the power supply layer and the control layer, and at the bottom of the control layer.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, each layer of the substrate adopts a vertical interconnection transmission design, each layer can be replaced independently, and a medium is filled between the top radio frequency layer and the ground layer arranged at the bottom layer.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the top RF layer is used to place packaged devices and chips for surface transmission of signals; the power supply layer transmits the power supply signal, and the control layer transmits the control signal; the ground layer shields and isolates the RF signal, power supply signal and control signal respectively to avoid cross interference between signals and achieve high isolation and low spurious.

[0024] In a preferred embodiment, the frequency source circuit module includes a pre-divider arranged at the signal input end and a phase detector, a loop filter and a voltage-controlled oscillator connected in sequence; the voltage-controlled oscillator outputs a signal split, one of which is connected to the amplifier AMP1 and the programmable divider and then connected back to the phase detector, and the other is connected to the amplifier AMP2, the frequency multiplier and the filter in sequence and then outputs a frequency signal.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the control circuit module has a built-in microprocessor and a large-capacity memory, and also includes a storage submodule, a fault detection submodule, a frequency control submodule and an external communication submodule.

[0026] In one embodiment, a reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process is mainly composed of the following parts: LTCC circuit, frequency source circuit, control circuit. The LTCC circuit is used to realize the transmission of radio frequency signals, control signals and power supply signals, and serves as an assembly carrier of various devices; the frequency source circuit is used to realize the generation of radio frequency signals; the control circuit is used to realize the control of the frequency source circuit, realize the required signal output, status monitoring and reporting, and software communication.

[0027] LTCC technology is widely used in the field of microwave and millimeter waves due to its excellent performance. It has the following advantages: excellent high-frequency performance and high Q value, low transmission loss; the material is relatively dense, has good thermal stability, and can be used in harsh environmental conditions; it can achieve high-density and high-integration layout, and the board layer stacking can be as high as more than 30 layers, so it can achieve multi-layer layout. In addition, the minimum line width of the strip line can be 100um, and the strip line spacing is 100um, so it can achieve high-density wiring of the strip line. In addition, passive circuits can be buried in the inner layer of the substrate, and circuits and devices can be placed in the cavity, which greatly reduces the layout space of the circuit and achieves high integration; LTCC circuits are processed by casting each layer separately, and can be parallelized with high efficiency. In addition, if the circuit design is wrong, a certain layer can be replaced separately and then sintered, without redesigning and saving costs. Due to its excellent transmission performance, production and processing performance and assembly process performance, LTCC circuits can achieve mixed interconnection assembly of packaged devices and bare chip devices, and have strong applicability, and are widely used in the field of SIP integration. According to the design requirements, the substrate design of the reconfigurable SIP frequency source is realized through the multi-layer layout design. The cross-sectional diagram of the LTCC substrate design is shown in the figure. Figure 2 shown.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown in the figure, the LTCC substrate has 6 layers, L1 layer is the top layer for placing packaged devices and chips, as well as the surface transmission of signals; L2, L4, and L4 layers are ground and are mainly used for signal shielding. The three layers are ground to achieve shielding and isolation of RF signals, power supply signals, and control signals, avoiding cross interference between signals, and achieving high isolation and low spurious; L3 layer is used for power supply signals, and L5 layer is used for control signals, thus reducing the top-level wiring and achieving high integration; vertical interconnection design is the key technology for realizing LTCC multi-layer layout, especially RF signal transmission is particularly important in vertical interconnection. If the vertical interconnection transmission design is not well matched, it will lead to discontinuity of signal transmission and mismatch of signal transmission. Therefore, a simulation of microstrip line vertical interconnection transmission is established, and the simulation model is as follows: Figure 3 The model standing wave simulation data and loss simulation data are entered into Figure 4 , 5 As shown, it can be seen from the simulation data that the standing wave is ≤1.18@40GHz, the insertion loss is ≤0.2dB, the standing wave is relatively good, and the loss is relatively small, which meets the use requirements; in addition, the reconfiguration of the frequency source is achieved through the compatible design of the circuit.

[0029] The frequency source circuit is used to realize the generation of radio frequency signals. By controlling the programmable frequency divider of the phase-locked loop through the control circuit, a 1Hz frequency hopping step can be realized. The principle block diagram of the frequency source circuit is shown in Figure 6 As shown, the reference signal of 100MHz is input and divided by the pre-frequency divider to output the phase detection frequency fPD, which is used as the phase detection frequency of the phase detector and sent to the phase detector and the signal output by the VCO after being divided by the programmable frequency divider for phase comparison. After comparison, a current signal is output, which is filtered and shaped by the loop filter to output a voltage signal to control the voltage controlled oscillator to output the corresponding frequency signal fVCO; fVCO is divided by the power divider and outputs two signals, one of which is sent to the phase-locked loop loop circuit, amplified by the amplifier AMP1, and then enters the programmable frequency divider for frequency division. After frequency division, it is sent to the phase detector and the phase detection frequency for phase comparison, and the other is sent to the amplifier AMP2 for amplification. After amplification, the output enters the frequency multiplier for digital frequency multiplication and then outputs, and is sent to the filter for frequency selection filtering. After filtering, the frequency signal fRF is output.

[0030] The control circuit is the core part of the frequency source module, such as Figure 7As shown, it mainly completes the control of the frequency source module output frequency, lock reporting, temperature monitoring, external communication, software storage and upgrade, etc. The microprocessor uses the STM32 series processor, which has rich internal resources, low power consumption, fast processing speed, and can process various inputs and outputs in a timely manner. The built-in large-capacity program memory and data memory make the peripheral circuit very simple, thereby effectively avoiding the circuit complexity and instability caused by external expansion; the external processing content is written according to the specified communication protocol, and the remote communication protocol and the monitoring elements in the local control include: Figure 8 shown.

[0031] The SIP frequency source is reconfigurable through the design of hardware circuits and control software. Therefore, the SIP reconfigurable frequency source can output 50M to 20GHz signals. It is not only small in size and light in weight, but also has a wide output frequency coverage range.

[0032] In summary, the reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process is realized through the design of LTCC circuit, frequency source circuit and control circuit. LTCC circuit is mainly used to realize the transmission of interconnection signals between frequency source circuit and control circuit device layout and different printed circuit board layers; control circuit is used to realize the control of frequency source circuit, so as to realize the specified output signal and detect and report the working status of frequency source circuit; frequency source circuit is mainly used to realize the generation of RF analog frequency signal. The specific working principle block diagram is as follows Figure 1 As shown. The reconfigurability of the SIP frequency source is achieved by the frequency source circuit and the control circuit. The frequency source circuit is designed with a VCO with a compatible package, so that the VCO device with the same package can be selected according to the corresponding output frequency. The same circuit design can achieve a signal output covering a wider frequency band, and realize the hardware reconfiguration; when the hardware circuit is fixed, the frequency of the SIP frequency source can be updated through the software control of the control circuit to achieve different frequency outputs, thereby realizing the software reconfiguration of the control circuit. The reconfiguration of the SIP frequency source can be achieved through the compatible design of the hardware circuit and the software upgrade of the control circuit.

[0033] The utility model is mainly used in the field of microwave millimeter wave integrated circuits. Due to its excellent transmission performance, production and processing performance and assembly process performance, the LTCC circuit can realize the mixed interconnection assembly of packaged devices and bare chip devices, and has strong applicability and is widely used in the field of SIP integration. Through LTCC circuit design, frequency source circuit optimization, device selection and software optimization, the miniaturization, high integration, modularization, reconfiguration and generalization of the SIP frequency source are achieved, which shortens the development cycle, reduces costs and improves product reliability. Therefore, the reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of the LTCC process has a good market prospect and development space.

[0034] The utility model shows and describes the basic principle and main features of the utility model and the advantages of the utility model. The technicians in this industry should understand that the utility model is not limited by the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principle of the utility model. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model, the utility model will have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the utility model to be protected. The scope of protection of the utility model is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process, characterized in that: It includes a control circuit module, a frequency source circuit module and an LTCC circuit module; the control circuit module is respectively connected to the frequency source circuit module and the LTCC circuit module, and the frequency source circuit module is connected to the LTCC circuit module; the LTCC circuit module includes a substrate with a multi-layer layout design, the substrate includes a top radio frequency layer, a power supply layer and a control layer arranged in sequence, and a ground layer is arranged between the radio frequency layer and the power supply layer, between the power supply layer and the control layer, and at the bottom of the control layer.

2. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each layer of the substrate adopts a vertical interconnection transmission design, each layer can be replaced separately, and a medium is filled between the top radio frequency layer and the ground layer arranged at the bottom layer.

3. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process according to claim 2, characterized in that: The top RF layer is used to place packaged devices and chips for surface transmission of signals; the power supply layer transmits power supply signals, and the control layer transmits control signals; the ground layer shields and isolates RF signals, power supply signals, and control signals respectively to avoid cross interference between signals and achieve high isolation and low spuriousness.

4. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process according to claim 3, characterized in that: The frequency source circuit module includes a pre-divider arranged at the signal input end and a phase detector, a loop filter and a voltage-controlled oscillator connected in sequence; the voltage-controlled oscillator outputs a signal split, one of which is connected to the amplifier AMP1 and the programmable frequency divider and then connected back to the phase detector, and the other is connected to the amplifier AMP2, the frequency multiplier and the filter in sequence and then outputs a frequency signal.

5. The reconfigurable SIP frequency source module of LTCC process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control circuit module has a built-in microprocessor and a large-capacity memory, and also includes a storage submodule, a fault detection submodule, a frequency control submodule and an external communication submodule.

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