Antenna-equipped substrate device, array antenna device, and method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped substrate device.

Abstract

The present invention provides an antenna-equipped substrate device, an array antenna device, and a method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped substrate device that can reduce the decrease in antenna gain. [Solution] The antenna-equipped substrate device includes a wiring board having a plurality of insulating layers, an antenna having a first antenna element provided on a first surface of the wiring board, and an amplifier provided on the first surface and connected to the first antenna element, wherein the wiring board has a first portion on which the antenna is provided and a second portion on which the amplifier is provided, and the thickness of the first portion of the wiring board is thinner than the thickness of the second portion of the wiring board.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate device with an antenna, an array antenna device, and a method for manufacturing a substrate device with an antenna.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been an antenna module including a substrate having at least a single crystal of silicon carbide on its uppermost surface, a single crystal graphene layer provided in contact with the uppermost surface of the substrate, a gallium nitride layer provided on the substrate, an antenna element portion formed by patterning a region of the graphene layer not covered by the gallium nitride layer, an active element portion formed in the gallium nitride layer, and a connection portion connecting the antenna element portion and the active element portion integrally formed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, when an antenna and an amplifier are provided on a substrate having a plurality of insulating layers, in a configuration where the thickness of the substrate in the portion where the antenna is disposed and the portion where the amplifier is provided is equal and the thickness of the insulating layer is equal, when the frequency of the radio wave transmitted or received by the antenna becomes high, there is a possibility that the gain may decrease due to an increase in the loss in the insulating layer.

[0005] Therefore, an object is to provide a substrate device with an antenna, an array antenna device, and a method for manufacturing a substrate device with an antenna that can reduce a decrease in the gain of the antenna.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An antenna-equipped substrate device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a wiring board having a plurality of insulating layers, an antenna having a first antenna element provided on a first surface of the wiring board, and an amplifier provided on the first surface and connected to the first antenna element, wherein the wiring board has a first portion on which the antenna is provided and a second portion on which the amplifier is provided, and the thickness of the first portion of the wiring board is thinner than the thickness of the second portion of the wiring board. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This invention provides an antenna-equipped substrate device, an array antenna device, and a method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped substrate device that can reduce the decrease in antenna gain. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the configuration of an array antenna device 200 that includes multiple antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 of the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a substrate device 100 with one antenna in a cross-section viewed from the direction of arrow AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of a single antenna-equipped substrate device 100 in a cross-section viewed from the direction of arrow BB in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes embodiments applying the antenna-equipped substrate device, array antenna device, and method for manufacturing the antenna-equipped substrate device described herein. In the following, the same elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0010] The following describes the XYZ coordinate system. The directions parallel to the X-axis (X direction), parallel to the Y-axis (Y direction), and parallel to the Z-axis (Z direction) are mutually orthogonal. The X direction is an example of the first axis direction, the Y direction is an example of the second axis direction, and the Z direction is an example of the third axis direction. Also, for the sake of explanation, the -Z direction side may be referred to as the lower side or bottom, and the +Z direction side as the upper side or top. Plane view refers to viewing from the XY plane. Also, in the following, the length, width, thickness, etc. of each part may be exaggerated to make the configuration easier to understand. Furthermore, the terms parallel, right angle, orthogonal, horizontal, vertical, up and down, etc., should be used with a degree of deviation that does not impair the effect of the embodiment.

[0011] Furthermore, in the following, when we refer to "millimeter wave" or "millimeter wave band," we mean to include not only the 30GHz to 300GHz frequency band but also the 24GHz to 30GHz quasi-millimeter wave band.

[0012] The radio waves transmitted or received by the antenna of the antenna-equipped substrate device of the embodiment will be described, for example, as radio waves in the ultra-high frequency band of 100 GHz or higher, such as those associated with sixth-generation mobile communication systems (6G). In the ultra-high frequency band above 100 GHz, it has been reported that losses in solder and wiring used for joining elements at the front end of radio wave transmission and reception, such as amplifiers, phase shifters, or mixers, adversely affect the high-frequency characteristics of the module. However, the radio waves transmitted or received by the antenna of the antenna-equipped substrate device of the embodiment may also be in the millimeter-wave band, such as those associated with fifth-generation mobile communication systems (5G), or in the frequency band of 1 GHz to 30 GHz, including Sub-6.

[0013] Furthermore, the following section describes the case where the antenna of an antenna-equipped circuit board device transmits radio waves. However, since reception is the reverse operation of transmission, the antenna of an antenna-equipped circuit board device can perform reception operations in the same way as transmission operations.

[0014] <Embodiment> Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an array antenna device 200 including multiple antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 of the embodiment. Figure 2 shows an example of the configuration of one antenna-equipped substrate device 100 in the cross-section viewed by arrow AA in Figure 1. Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of one antenna-equipped substrate device 100 in the cross-section viewed by arrow BB in Figure 1.

[0015] The following describes a configuration in which the antenna 120 of the antenna-equipped substrate device 100 transmits or receives radio waves in the 300 GHz range, which is part of the ultra-high frequency band of 100 GHz or higher, as assumed for sixth-generation mobile communication systems (6G), etc. The wavelength of a 300 GHz radio wave is approximately 1 mm.

[0016] <Array antenna device 200> The array antenna device 200 (see Figure 1) includes multiple antenna-equipped substrate devices 100. Figure 1 shows, as an example, an array antenna device 200 that includes four antenna-equipped substrate devices 100. The number of antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 included in the array antenna device 200 is not limited to four; it can be any number as long as there are at least two or more.

[0017] Here, as an example, each antenna-equipped board device 100 includes four antennas 120. In each antenna-equipped board device 100, the four antennas 120 are arranged in the X direction along the side of the wiring board 110 that extends in the X direction on the +Y direction side. Each antenna 120 of each antenna-equipped board device 100 is capable of radiating radio waves in the +Y direction. Each antenna-equipped board device 100 can change the beam angle with respect to the +Y direction in the XY plane by controlling the phase of the radio waves transmitted by each antenna 120.

[0018] The array antenna device 200 has a configuration in which the positions of the side surfaces extending in the X direction on the +Y direction side of the wiring board 110 of each substrate device 100 with an antenna are aligned in a plan view, and four substrate devices 100 with an antenna are arranged at equal intervals in the Z direction. When looking at the array antenna device 200 from the +Y direction side in the XZ plane view, 16 antennas 120 are arranged in an array. The 16 antennas 120 construct a two-dimensional array antenna. The array antenna device 200 can change the angle of the beam with respect to the +Y direction in the XY plane and the YZ plane by controlling the phase of the radio wave transmitted by each antenna 120 in each substrate device 100 with an antenna. When arranging the four substrate devices 100 with an antenna in the Z direction, the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 in the Z direction is, for example, less than 1 mm when the frequency of the radio wave transmitted by the antenna 120 is 300 GHz as an example. That is, the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 in the Z direction is less than λ, where λ is the wavelength in free space at the operating frequency of the antenna 120. This is to suppress grating lobes.

[0019] The array antenna device 200 is, for example, a wireless communication device that can be mounted on a radio unit (RU) of the front end of a base station and is mounted on a motherboard or the like of the base station.

[0020] Next, the configuration of the substrate device 100 with an antenna will be described.

[0021] <Substrate device 100 with an antenna> [[ID=**14**]]The substrate device 100 with an antenna includes a wiring board 110, four antennas 120, four PAs (Power Amplifiers) 130, four phase shifters 140, and one mixer 150. The wiring board 110 is an example of a substrate, and the PA 130 is an example of an amplifier.

[0022] 1 Here, the cross-section shown in Figure 2, in the direction of arrow AA in Figure 1, is the cross-section of the wiring board 110 from the -X side end to the +X side end, while the cross-section shown in Figure 3, in the direction of arrow BB in Figure 1, is the cross-section of the wiring board 110 from between PA130 and the phase shifter 140 to the +Y side end.

[0023] This section describes a configuration in which the antenna 120 of the antenna-equipped circuit board device 100 radiates radio waves in the +Y direction. However, the direction in which the antenna 120 of the antenna-equipped circuit board device 100 radiates radio waves is not limited to the +Y direction. For example, the direction in which the antenna 120 of the antenna-equipped circuit board device 100 radiates radio waves may be the +Z direction.

[0024] When arranging multiple antennas 120, if λ is the wavelength in free space at the operating frequency of the antenna 120, it is common to set the pitch (distance between centers) of adjacent antennas 120 to approximately λ / 2.

[0025] However, when the operating frequency is 300 GHz, λ / 2 is approximately 0.5 mm, resulting in a very narrow spacing. In a configuration like the antenna-equipped substrate device 100, where one PA 130 and one phase shifter 140 are connected to each of multiple antennas 120, if the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 becomes narrow, the spacing between adjacent PA 130s also becomes narrow, and the spacing between adjacent phase shifters 140s also becomes narrow, making it difficult to integrate multiple PA 130s and multiple phase shifters 140s. On the other hand, if the pitch between adjacent antennas 120s is widened too much, the radiation characteristics of the antennas 120 deteriorate.

[0026] For these reasons, in the antenna-equipped substrate device 100, it is preferable that the pitch between adjacent antennas 120, as shown by the double arrows in Figure 1, be less than 1 mm, and as an example, it is set to 0.7 mm. Therefore, Figure 2 shows the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 as 0.7 mm. A pitch between antennas 120 of less than 1 mm means that the pitch between antennas 120 is less than the wavelength λ in free space at the operating frequency (300 GHz) of the antenna 120. By setting the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 to such a value, grating lobes are suppressed.

[0027] <Wiring board 110> The wiring board 110 has an insulating layer 111A, an insulating layer 111B, an insulating layer 111C, wiring 112, a bias pad 113, a via 114, wiring 115, a ground layer 116A, and a ground layer 116B. Insulating layer 111A is an example of a first insulating layer, and insulating layer 111B is an example of a second insulating layer.

[0028] Here, as an example, a configuration in which the wiring board 110 has one insulating layer 111A and two insulating layers 111B will be described, but the wiring board 110 only needs to have at least one insulating layer each of 111A and 111B. In other words, the wiring board 110 only needs to have one or more insulating layers 111A and one or more insulating layers 111B.

[0029] As an example, the wiring board 110 has a laminated structure in which three insulating layers 111A, 111B, and 111C are stacked from the +Z direction side (top) to the -Z direction side (bottom). On the upper surface 111A1 of insulating layer 111A, the wiring 112 as the L1 layer, the bias pad 113, and the antenna elements 121 of the antenna 120 are located. Four antenna elements 121 of the antenna 120 are provided on the upper surface 111A1 of insulating layer 111A. Four antenna elements 122 of the antenna 120 are provided on the lower surface 111A2 of insulating layer 111A. The upper surface 111A1 of insulating layer 111A is an example of the first surface of the wiring board 110. The lower surface 111A2 of insulating layer 111A is an example of the second surface of the wiring board 110.

[0030] Between insulating layers 111A and 111B are the ground layer 116A, which acts as the L2 layer, and the antenna element 122 of the antenna 120. Between insulating layers 111B and 111C is the wiring 115, which acts as the L3 layer. The wiring 115 is an interlayer wiring and is connected to the wiring 112 and bias pad 113 via vias 114 that penetrate the insulating layers 111A and 111B in the Z direction. Below the insulating layer 111C is the ground layer 116B, which acts as the L4 layer.

[0031] Furthermore, the wiring board 110 has a first portion 110A located directly below the area where the four antennas 120 are located in a plan view, and a second portion 110B other than the first portion 110A. The first portion 110A is the portion shown in Figures 1 and 3, and the second portion 110B is shown in Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 shows the first portion 110A and the second portion 110B in a plan view, but the first portion 110A and the second portion 110B are three-dimensional portions with a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the wiring board 110.

[0032] The four antennas 120 are arranged in the X direction along a side surface of the rectangular wiring board 110 that extends along the X direction on the +Y direction side in a plan view. Therefore, the first portion 110A has the total length of the wiring board 110 in the X direction, the width in the Y direction from the side surface of the wiring board 110 that extends along the X direction on the +Y direction side to the boundary of the antenna elements 121 and wiring 112, and the thickness in the Z direction.

[0033] The second part 110B has the total length of the wiring board 110 in the X direction, the width in the Y direction from the boundary of the antenna element 121 and the wiring 112 to the side of the wiring board 110 that extends along the X direction on the -Y direction side, and the thickness in the Z direction.

[0034] As shown in Figure 3, the thickness of the first portion 110A of the wiring board 110 in the Z direction is thinner than the thickness of the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110 in the Z direction. The reason for making the thickness of the first portion 110A thinner than that of the second portion 110B in the Z direction is to reduce the amount of dielectric material surrounding the four antennas 120, thereby reducing the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) and mitigating the decrease in the gain of the antennas 120. The dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) represents the degree of energy loss.

[0035] The wiring board 110 has insulating layers 111A, L1, and L2 inside the first portion 110A, but does not have insulating layers 111B, 111C, L3, and L4. Regarding the via 114, the portion with the thickness of insulating layer 111A is included in the first portion 110A.

[0036] The insulating layers 111A, 111B, and 111C can be made from, for example, one or more of the following materials: polyimide, polyphenylene ether, polytetrafluoroethylene, quartz, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, silicon, or aluminum nitride.

[0037] The wiring 112 is formed on the upper surface 111A1 of the insulating layer 111A and connects the antenna elements 121 of the four antennas 120, the four PAs 130, the four phase shifters 140, and the one mixer 150. The wiring 112 branches into four from the output terminal of the mixer 150, with the phase shifters 140 and PAs 130 inserted in series into each of the four wirings 112, and the +Y direction end of the wiring 112 is connected to the antenna elements 121 of the antennas 120. In plan view, the wiring 112 overlaps with the ground layer 116A, forming a microstrip line.

[0038] Two bias pads 113 are formed on the upper surface 111A1 of the insulating layer 111A. The two bias pads 113 are located at the center in the Y direction at the -X direction end and the +X direction end of the upper surface 111A1, respectively.

[0039] The bias pad 113 is connected to an external DC power supply (not shown), and DC power for supplying power to the PA130 is supplied from the DC power supply. In addition, as shown in Figure 2, the bias pad 113 is connected to the terminals on the -X side of the four PA130 via via 114, wiring 115, via 114, and BGA112A. Note that the right-hand terminal of the PA130 in Figure 2 is connected to the ground layer 116A via BGA112A, wiring 112, and vias (not shown).

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, the four PA130s are arranged in the X direction at a pitch of 0.7 mm as an example. In such an arrangement, it is difficult to supply DC power to the two PA130s located in the center of the four PA130s using only L1. For this reason, a configuration is adopted in which power is supplied to the two central PA130s in the X direction via the wiring 115 of the L3 layer. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of aligning the power supply paths, a similar configuration is adopted in which power is supplied to the two PA130s at both ends of the four via the wiring 115 of the L3 layer.

[0041] Furthermore, Figure 2 shows a via 114 connecting the L1 and L3 layers, and Figures 2 and 3 show wiring 115 located in the L3 layer and included in the power supply path to PA 130. However, the antenna-equipped board device 100 includes vias and wiring other than the vias 114 and wiring 115 shown in Figures 2 and 3. One example of such vias and wiring is a via or wiring connected to the ground layer 116A or 116B.

[0042] The ground layer 116A is located in the L2 layer and is maintained at ground potential. In a plan view, the ground layer 116A is formed over substantially the entire portion included in the second portion 110B of the lower surface of the insulating layer 111A and has openings to avoid vias 114. In other words, the ground layer 116A is provided in the portion of the L2 layer included in the second portion 110B. Furthermore, the antenna element 122 of the antenna 120 is provided in the portion of the L2 layer included in the first portion 110A of the ground layer 116A.

[0043] The ground layer 116B is located in the L4 layer and is maintained at ground potential. In a plan view, the ground layer 116B is formed over substantially the entire underside of the insulating layer 111C.

[0044] Furthermore, wiring 112, bias pad 113, wiring 115, ground layer 116A, and ground layer 116B can be fabricated by patterning a metal layer such as copper. In addition, via 114 can be fabricated by copper plating, for example.

[0045] Before describing the manufacturing methods of the first part 110A and the second part 110B, the antenna 120, PA 130, phase shifter 140, and mixer 150 will be described.

[0046] <Antenna 120> Figure 1 shows a magnified view of antenna 120. Antenna 120 has two antenna elements 121 and 122. Antenna element 121 is an example of a first antenna element, and antenna element 122 is an example of a second antenna element. Antenna element 121 is formed on the upper surface of the insulating layer 111A and is L-shaped in plan view. Antenna element 122 is formed on the lower surface of the insulating layer 111A and is inverted L-shaped in plan view. Antenna elements 121 and 122 are arranged to overlap so as to form a T-shape in plan view.

[0047] Antenna element 121 is connected to PA130 via wiring 112 in the L1 layer, and antenna element 122 is connected to the ground layer 116A in the L2 layer. Antenna elements 121 and 122 are electromagnetically coupled and can both resonate. Antenna elements 121 and 122 are arranged in a T-shape when viewed from above. Antenna element 121 is fed with an amplified signal from PA130 and resonates with antenna element 122. The antenna 120 is not limited to this configuration; it is sufficient if it can radiate radio waves in the +Y direction.

[0048] Antenna 120 may be a Yagi-Uda antenna, a Substrate-Integrated-Waveguide (SIW) antenna, a Vivaldi antenna, or a tapered-slot antenna, etc.

[0049] Antenna element 121 can be fabricated, for example, by patterning the same metal layer as the L1 layer (for example, copper foil). Antenna element 122 can be fabricated, for example, by patterning the same metal layer as the L2 layer (for example, copper foil).

[0050] The -Y-direction end of the antenna element 121 is connected to the wiring 112 of the L1 layer, and as shown in Figure 3, it is connected to the PA 130 via the wiring 112 and the BGA (Ball Grid Array) 112A.

[0051] Each antenna 120 has directivity in the +Y direction (for example, the horizontal direction) and radiates radio waves in the +Y direction. The antenna-equipped substrate device 100 includes four antennas 120 arranged along the X direction, enabling beamforming. Furthermore, by controlling the phase of the signals output to the four antennas 120 via four PAs 130 using four phase shifters 140, the direction of beam radiation relative to the +Y direction can be controlled within the XY plane.

[0052] <pa130> PA130 is mounted on the upper surface 111A1 of the insulating layer 111A of the wiring board 110. As an example, four PA130s are arranged in the X direction. PA130 is inserted in series between the wiring 112 connected to the antenna element 121 of the antenna 120 and the wiring 112 connected to the phase shifter 140. The reason for placing PA130 before the antenna element 121 of the antenna 120 is to improve the amplification efficiency of the radio waves radiated from the antenna 120. Note that connecting PA130 to the antenna element 121 of the antenna 120 is equivalent to connecting PA130 to the antenna 120.

[0053] The two wires 112 and the input and output terminals of PA130 are connected by a BGA112A, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. That is, PA130 is mounted on the wires 112 using a flip-chip mounting method. PA130 amplifies the transmission signal, whose phase is controlled by the phase shifter 140, and outputs it to the antenna element 121 of antenna 120.

[0054] As shown in Figure 2, the four PA130s are arranged in the X direction at a pitch of 0.7 mm, for example, on the upper surface 111A1 of the insulating layer 111A. That is, the pitch between adjacent PA130s is equal to the pitch between adjacent antennas 120s. In order to sufficiently increase the reach of the radio waves radiated by the antenna 120, it is necessary to use multiple stages of amplifiers, but the width of each PA130 in the X direction is limited.

[0055] Thus, under conditions where there are constraints on the arrangement in the X direction, in order to realize multi-stage amplifiers inside the PA130, a configuration is adopted in which the PA130 and phase shifter 140 are mounted on the -Y direction side of the antenna element 121 of the antenna 120. In this configuration, there is relatively ample space in the Y direction, so as shown in Figure 3, the PA130 is made longer in the Y direction, enabling multi-stage amplifiers inside. Figure 1 shows four PA130s, but the four PA130s may be integrated as a single chip.

[0056] Furthermore, if the antenna-equipped circuit board device 100 is used for receiving, one example is to replace the PA130 with an LNA (Low Noise Amplifier). In this case, different antenna-equipped circuit board devices 100 will be used for transmission and reception.

[0057] <Phase Shifter 140> The phase shifter 140 is mounted on the upper surface 111A1 of the insulating layer 111A of the wiring board 110. As an example, four phase shifters 140 are arranged in the X direction. The phase shifter 140 is inserted in series between the wiring 112 connected to the PA 130 and the wiring 112 connected to the mixer 150. The two wirings 112 and the input and output terminals of the phase shifter 140 are connected by a BGA, similar to the PA 130. The pitch between adjacent phase shifters 140 is equal to the pitch between adjacent antennas 120 and the pitch between adjacent PAs 130.

[0058] The phase shifter 140 is controlled by a control unit (not shown) to change the phase of the transmission signal input from the mixer 150 and output it to the PA 130. By changing the phase of the transmission signal, the phase shifter 140 can control the angle of the beam emitted by the antenna-equipped substrate device 100.

[0059] <Mixer 150> Mixer 150 has two input terminals connected to a data output unit (not shown) and a local signal source, and generates a 300 GHz transmit signal by mixing the IF signal input from the data output unit with the local signal. The output terminals of mixer 150 are connected to the input terminals of four phase shifters 140 via wiring 112.

[0060] <Manufacturing method for antenna-equipped substrate device 100> In the manufacturing process for the antenna-equipped substrate device 100, the wiring board 110 is subjected to etching. The etching process may be either wet etching or dry etching, but here we will describe the manufacturing method using wet etching.

[0061] First, an insulating layer 111B is attached to an insulating layer 111A to which an L2 layer patterned with a ground layer 116A has been attached. Next, the portion of insulating layer 111B that is included in the first portion 110A is removed by wet etching.

[0062] Next, a metal layer for the L3 layer is attached to the -Z-direction surface of the insulating layer 111B, and then the wiring 115 is patterned to form vias 114. Then, the insulating layer 111C is attached on top of the L3 layer, and the portion included in the first part 110A is removed by wet etching.

[0063] Next, the antenna element 122 of the L2 layer is patterned. Then, the metal layer for the L1 layer is formed by plating, and then the antenna element 121, wiring 112, and bias pad 123 are patterned.

[0064] Next, the PA130, phase shifter 140, and mixer 150 are mounted and the components are separated to complete one antenna-equipped substrate device 100.

[0065] In this way, a wiring board 110 having the first portion 110A and the second portion 110B is manufactured by etching away the portions of the insulating layer 111B, insulating layer 111C, L3 layer, and L4 layer that are located directly below the first portion 110A.

[0066] The insulating layer 111A is, for example, an insulating layer made of an insulating material that is not photosensitive to light irradiated in a photolithography process, which is performed by placing a photomask on the portion included in the second part 110B before wet etching. An example of such an insulating layer made of an insulating material that is not photosensitive is a non-photosensitive polyimide layer (a non-photosensitive polyimide layer).

[0067] The insulating layers 111B and 111C are, for example, insulating layers made of an insulating material that is photosensitive to light irradiated in a photolithography process in which a photomask is placed, and are constructed, for example, of a photosensitive polyimide layer.

[0068] When wet etching is performed from the bottom side on a wiring substrate 110 having an insulating layer 111A constructed of a non-photosensitive polyimide layer and insulating layers 111B and 111C constructed of photosensitive polyimide layers, the portions of insulating layers 111B and 111C that are not covered by the photomask can be selectively removed.

[0069] In other words, by performing wet etching as described above, the portion of the original wiring board's L1 layer, insulating layer 111A, L2 layer, insulating layer 111B, L3 layer, insulating layer 111C, and L4 layer located directly below the first portion 110A can be selectively removed by etching. As a result, a wiring board 110 having the first portion 110A and the second portion 110B can be manufactured. The portion located directly below the first portion 110A is the portion adjacent to the insulating layers 111B and 111C of the second portion 110B on the lower surface 111A2 side of the first portion 110A, and is the portion where the same two insulating layers as insulating layers 111B and 111C have been removed by wet etching.

[0070] As described above, in the antenna-equipped substrate device 100, the thickness of the insulating layer 111A in the first portion 110A of the wiring board 110, which is located directly below the area where the four antennas 120 are located in a plan view, is made thinner than the thickness of the insulating layers 111A to 111C in the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110, which is not the first portion.

[0071] Therefore, the amount of dielectric material surrounding the four antennas 120 can be reduced, thereby lowering the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) and mitigating the decrease in the gain of the antennas 120.

[0072] <Effects> The antenna-equipped substrate device 100 of this disclosure includes a wiring board 110 having a plurality of insulating layers 111A to 111C, an antenna 120 having an antenna element 121 provided on the upper surface 111A1 of the wiring board 110, and a PA 130 provided on the upper surface 111A1 and connected to the antenna element 121. The wiring board 110 has a first portion 110A on which the antenna 120 is provided and a second portion 110B on which the PA 130 is provided, and the thickness of the first portion 110A of the wiring board 110 is thinner than the thickness of the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110. Therefore, the amount of dielectric material located around the four antennas 120 can be reduced, the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) can be reduced, and the decrease in the gain of the antenna 120 can be mitigated.

[0073] Therefore, it is possible to provide a substrate device 100 with an antenna that can reduce the decrease in gain of the antenna 120.

[0074] Furthermore, the antenna 120 may be capable of radiating radio waves in a direction away from the side surface of the wiring board 110. An antenna-equipped board device 100 can be provided that can radiate radio waves from the side surface of the wiring board 110 and reduce the decrease in gain of the antenna 120. By arranging multiple such antenna-equipped board devices 100 so that their sides are aligned, an array antenna device 200 having a two-dimensional array antenna can be realized.

[0075] Furthermore, the number of insulating layers in the first portion 110A of the wiring board 110 may be less than the number of insulating layers in the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110. By making the number of insulating layers in the first portion 110A less than the number of insulating layers in the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110, a configuration in which the thickness of the first portion 110A is thinner than the thickness of the second portion 110B can be easily and reliably achieved.

[0076] Furthermore, the wiring board 110 having multiple insulating layers 111A to 111C is a wiring board in which one or more insulating layers 111A and one or more insulating layers 111B and 111C are laminated from the upper surface 111A1 side, and the first part 110A is provided with one or more insulating layers 111A and not with multiple insulating layers 111B and 111C, and the second part 110B may be provided with one or more insulating layers 111A and multiple insulating layers 111B and 111C. By using a wiring board 110 having an insulating layer 111A common to the first part 110A and the second part 110B, and further insulating layers 111B and 111C are provided in the second part 110B, a configuration in which the thickness of the first part 110A is thinner than the thickness of the second part 110B can be easily and reliably realized, and manufacturing is also easy.

[0077] Furthermore, on the lower surface 111A2 side of the first portion 110A, opposite to the upper surface 111A1, the portion adjacent to one or more insulating layers 111B and 111C of the second portion 110B may be a portion where one or more insulating layers identical to one or more insulating layers 111B and 111C have been removed by etching. By removing by etching, it is easy to manufacture a configuration in which the thickness of the first portion 110A is thinner than the thickness of the second portion 110B.

[0078] Furthermore, the etching is wet etching, and the insulating layers 111B and 111C are insulating layers made of an insulating material that is photosensitive and can be removed by wet etching upon light irradiation, while the insulating layer 111A may be an insulating layer made of an insulating material that is not photosensitive. By utilizing the difference in material properties, the portion of the second part 110B adjacent to one or more insulating layers 111B and 111C on the lower surface 111A2 side opposite to the upper surface 111A1 of the first part 110A can be selectively and easily removed.

[0079] Furthermore, the antenna 120 may include multiple antennas 120, which may be arranged along the side. This allows for the provision of an antenna-equipped substrate device 100 capable of radiating a beam from the side. By arranging multiple antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 so that their sides are aligned, an array antenna device 200 having a two-dimensional array antenna capable of radiating a beam in the direction the side faces can be realized.

[0080] The array antenna device 200 of this disclosure includes a plurality of antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 as described in Appendix 2, and the plurality of antenna-equipped substrate devices 100 are arranged at predetermined intervals along a direction penetrating the top surface 111A1 with their side positions and orientations aligned. As a result, the amount of dielectric material located around the four antennas 120 can be reduced, thereby reducing the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) and mitigating the decrease in the gain of the antennas 120.

[0081] Therefore, an array antenna device 200 capable of mitigating the loss of gain in antenna 120 can be provided.

[0082] The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped substrate device 100, comprising a wiring board 110 having a plurality of insulating layers 111A to 111C, an antenna 120 having an antenna element 121 provided on the upper surface 111A1 of the wiring board 110, and a PA 130 provided on the upper surface 111A1 and connected to the antenna element 121, wherein the wiring board 110 has a first portion 110A on which the antenna 120 is provided and a second portion 110B on which the PA 130 is provided, wherein the portion of the first portion 110A opposite to the upper surface 111A1 is removed by etching so that the thickness of the first portion 110A of the wiring board 110 is thinner than the thickness of the second portion 110B of the wiring board 110. As a result, the amount of dielectric material located around the four antennas 120 can be reduced, the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) can be reduced, and the decrease in the gain of the antennas 120 can be mitigated.

[0083] Therefore, it is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a substrate device with an antenna that can reduce the decrease in gain of the antenna 120.

[0084] The above describes exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, including an antenna-equipped substrate device, an array antenna device, and a method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped substrate device. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the specifically disclosed embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible without departing from the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 100 circuit board device with antenna 110 Wiring board 110A 1st part 110B 2nd part 111A Insulating layer (an example of the first insulating layer) 111A1 Top surface (an example of the first surface) 111A2 Bottom surface (an example of the second surface) 111B, 111C Insulating layer (an example of a second insulating layer) 112 Wiring 113 Bias Pad 114 Beer 115 Wiring 116A, 116B Ground Layer 120 Antenna 121 Antenna element (an example of a first antenna element) 122 Antenna elements (an example of a second antenna element) 130 PA (Example of an amplifier) 140 Phase Shifter 150 Mixer 200 Array Antenna System

Claims

1. A wiring board having multiple insulating layers, An antenna having a first antenna element provided on the first surface of the wiring board, An amplifier provided on the first surface of the wiring board and connected to the first antenna element Includes, The wiring board has a first portion on which the antenna is provided and a second portion on which the amplifier is provided. An antenna-equipped circuit board device wherein the thickness of the first portion of the wiring board is thinner than the thickness of the second portion of the wiring board.

2. The antenna-equipped substrate device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is capable of radiating radio waves in a direction away from the side surface of the wiring board.

3. The antenna-equipped substrate device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the number of insulating layers in the first portion of the wiring board is less than the number of insulating layers in the second portion of the wiring board.

4. The wiring board having the plurality of insulating layers is a wiring board in which one or more first insulating layers and one or more second insulating layers are laminated from the first surface side, The first portion is provided with the one or more first insulating layers, and the multiple second insulating layers are not provided. The antenna-equipped substrate device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is provided with the one or more first insulating layers and the plurality of second insulating layers.

5. The antenna-equipped substrate apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, on the second surface side of the first portion opposite to the first surface, the portion of the second portion adjacent to the one or more second insulating layers is a portion in which one or more insulating layers identical to the one or more second insulating layers have been removed by etching.

6. The antenna further comprises a second antenna element provided on the second surface. The substrate device with antenna according to claim 5.

7. The etching described above is a wet etching, The second insulating layer is an insulating layer made of an insulating material that is photosensitive and can be removed by wet etching upon light irradiation. The antenna-equipped substrate device according to claim 5, wherein the first insulating layer is an insulating layer made of the photosensitive insulating material.

8. The aforementioned antennas include multiple antennas, The antenna-equipped substrate device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of antennas are arranged along the side surface.

9. The invention includes a plurality of antenna-equipped substrate devices as described in claim 2, An array antenna device in which the plurality of antenna-equipped substrate devices are arranged at predetermined intervals along a direction penetrating the first surface, with their side positions and orientations aligned.

10. A wiring board having multiple insulating layers, An antenna having a first antenna element provided on the first surface of the wiring board, An amplifier provided on the first surface of the wiring board and connected to the first antenna element Includes, The wiring board has a first portion on which the antenna is provided and a second portion on which the amplifier is provided, and the method for manufacturing an antenna-equipped circuit board device is as follows: A method for manufacturing a substrate device with an antenna, comprising etching away the portion of the first part of the wiring board opposite to the first surface so that the thickness of the first part of the wiring board becomes thinner than the thickness of the second part of the wiring board.

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