Antenna element module

Abstract

The present invention is entitled "Antenna Element Module". The present invention discloses an antenna element, which may include a feeding portion, a radiation element, and a dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second surface, and the feeding portion of the antenna element is included in the dielectric substrate. The antenna element module may further include an integrated circuit (IC) chip, which is adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate and coupled to the feeding portion of the antenna element. The IC chip may include a circuit for adjusting a signal transmitted by the feeding portion. The antenna element module may further include a plastic antenna carrier adhered to the second surface of the dielectric substrate. The plastic antenna carrier may include a main body portion, and the main body portion includes a cavity for the radiation element of the antenna element, and the radiation element is positioned in the cavity of the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 713,871, filed on Aug. 2, 2018, entitled "Phased Array Antenna", the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention generally relates to antenna element modules. Background Art

[0004] An antenna array (or array antenna) is a set of multiple connected antenna elements that work together as a single antenna to transmit or receive radio waves. Individual antenna elements (commonly referred to simply as "elements") can be connected to a receiver or transmitter by feed lines that feed electrical power to these elements in a specific phase relationship. The radio waves radiated by each individual antenna element combine and superimpose on each other, so as to (constructively interfere) add together to enhance the power radiated in the desired direction, and (destructively interfere) cancel each other to reduce the power radiated in other directions. Similarly, when used for reception, the individual radio frequency currents from the individual antenna elements are combined in the receiver in the correct phase relationship to enhance the signal received from the desired direction and cancel the signals from the undesired directions.

[0005] An antenna array can achieve increased gain (directivity) with a radio wave beam that is narrower than the radio wave beam achievable by a single antenna. Generally speaking, the more individual antenna elements used, the higher the gain and the narrower the beam. Some antenna arrays (such as phased array radars) can consist of thousands of individual antennas. Arrays can be used to achieve higher gain (which increases communication reliability), cancel interference from specific directions, electronically control the radio beam to point in different directions, and for radio direction finding (RDF). Summary of the Invention

[0006] One example relates to an antenna element module that may include an antenna element and a dielectric substrate. The antenna element includes a feed portion and a radiating element. The dielectric substrate has a first surface and a second surface, and the dielectric substrate includes the feed portion of the antenna element within the dielectric substrate. The antenna element module may further include an integrated circuit (IC) chip that is adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate and coupled to the feed portion of the antenna element. The IC chip may include circuitry for adjusting a signal transmitted by the feed portion. The antenna element module may further include a plastic antenna carrier adhered to the second surface of the dielectric substrate. The plastic antenna carrier may include a body portion that includes a cavity for the radiating element of the antenna element, and the radiating element is positioned within the cavity of the body portion of the plastic antenna carrier.

[0007] Another example relates to a phased array antenna. The phased array antenna may include an array of antenna element modules. Each antenna element module in the antenna element module array may include an antenna element and a dielectric substrate. The antenna element includes a feeding portion and a radiating element. The dielectric substrate has a first surface and a second surface, and the dielectric substrate includes the feeding portion of the antenna element within the dielectric substrate. Each antenna element module in the antenna element module array may further include an IC chip and a plastic antenna carrier. The IC chip is adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate and coupled to the feeding portion of the antenna element and includes circuitry for adjusting a signal transmitted by the feeding portion, and the plastic antenna carrier is adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate. The plastic antenna carrier may include a body portion that includes a cavity for the radiating element of the antenna element, and the radiating element is positioned within the cavity of the body portion of the plastic antenna carrier. The phased array antenna may further include a multilayer substrate located below the antenna element module array. The multilayer substrate includes a beamforming network (BFN) circuit formed on a layer of the multilayer substrate, and the BFN circuit communicates electrically with the IC chips of each antenna element module in the antenna element module array.

[0008] Another example relates to a method for forming a plurality of antenna element modules. The method may include adhering a plurality of IC chips to a first surface of a dielectric substrate, where the dielectric substrate includes a plurality of feeding portions within the dielectric substrate. The method may further include adhering an array of antenna packages to the second surface of the dielectric substrate to form an antenna element module array. Each antenna package may include a plastic antenna carrier, and the plastic antenna carrier may include a body portion that includes a cavity for a radiating element. Each antenna package may further include a radiating element of a radiating antenna positioned within the cavity of the body portion of the plastic antenna carrier. The method may further include cutting the antenna element module array to form the plurality of antenna element modules. Description of the Drawings

[0009] Figure 1 A block diagram showing an exemplary phased array antenna having a staggered architecture.

[0010] Figure 2 A plan view showing an exemplary phased array antenna having a staggered architecture.

[0011] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 An exploded view of an exemplary phased array antenna.

[0012] Figure 4 A portion of an exemplary phased array antenna having a first architecture is shown.

[0013] Figure 5 Shows a portion of an exemplary phased array antenna having a second architecture.

[0014] Figure 6 Shows a side cross-sectional view of a dielectric substrate for an antenna element module.

[0015] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 A top view of an example of an integrated circuit (IC) chip layer of the dielectric substrate of.

[0016] Figure 8A Shows Figure 6 An example of the via layer 250 of the dielectric substrate of.

[0017] Figure 8B Shows Figure 6 A top view of an example of a signal layer of the dielectric substrate of.

[0018] Figure 9 Shows Figure 6 A top view of an example of a feed layer of the dielectric substrate of.

[0019] Figure 10 Shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a first architecture.

[0020] Figure 11 Shows Figure 10 A side view of the antenna package shown.

[0021] Figure 12 Shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a second architecture.

[0022] Figure 13 Shows Figure 12 A side view of the antenna package shown.

[0023] Figure 14 Shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a third architecture.

[0024] Figure 15 Shows Figure 14 A side view of the antenna package shown.

[0025] Figure 16 Shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a fourth architecture.

[0026] Figure 17 Shows Figure 16 A side view of the antenna package shown.

[0027] Figure 18 Shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a fifth architecture.

[0028] Figure 19 shows Figure 18 a side view of the antenna package shown.

[0029] Figure 20 shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package having a sixth architecture.

[0030] Figure 21 shows Figure 20 a side view of the antenna package shown.

[0031] Figure 22 shows a top view of an antenna element module.

[0032] Figure 23 shows Figure 22 a side view of the antenna element module.

[0033] Figure 24 shows an example of an array of a plurality of IC chips mounted on a dielectric substrate.

[0034] Figure 25 shows an array of a plurality of antenna packages mounted on Figure 24 the dielectric substrate shown.

[0035] Figure 26 shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna operating in a receive mode.

[0036] Figure 27 shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna operating in a transmit mode.

[0037] Figure 28 shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna operating in a half-duplex mode.

[0038] Figure 29 shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna operating in a frequency division duplex mode.

[0039] Figure 30 shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna operating in a polarization duplex mode.

[0040] Figure 31 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for manufacturing an antenna element module.

[0041] Figure 32 shows a flowchart of an exemplary method for manufacturing an antenna package. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The present disclosure describes a phased array antenna, in which a plurality of antenna element modules can be mounted on a multi-layer substrate in a stepped architecture. Each of these antenna element modules may include a dielectric substrate having a feeding portion (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) integrated with or disposed on the upper side of the dielectric substrate. Each of these antenna element modules may include an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip mounted on the lower side of the dielectric substrate. Each IC chip may include circuitry for conditioning signals (e.g., amplifying, filtering, and / or phase-shifting the signals) transmitted between the feeding element and a circuit in the multi-layer substrate. The IC chip may be coupled to the corresponding feeding portion through the dielectric substrate. An antenna package may be adhered to the upper surface of the dielectric substrate. The antenna package may include a plastic antenna carrier and a radiating element (e.g., a parasitic element) embedded in the plastic antenna carrier. The plastic antenna carrier may include legs that space the radiating element and the feeding portion integrated with or embedded in the upper surface of the dielectric substrate apart. In this way, the radiating element covers above the feeding portion such that the radiating element and the feeding portion cooperate to provide an antenna element for the phased array antenna.

[0043] The multi-layer substrate is located below the array of antenna element modules. The multi-layer substrate may include a beamforming network (BFN) circuit formed on a layer of the multi-layer substrate. The BFN circuit may communicate electrically with the IC chips of each antenna element module array in the antenna element module array.

[0044] The phased array antenna described herein allows for modular design and manufacturing. Specifically, each of the antenna element modules may be designed and / or manufactured at a different time and / or facility from the multi-layer substrate. This modular design and / or manufacturing may allow the resulting phased array antenna to have a lower cost and higher performance. For example, to reduce cost, the antenna package may be formed using injection molding and / or thermoforming techniques. Similarly, each antenna element module may be packaged using flip-chip technology.

[0045] Figure 1 A block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna 2 is shown. The phased array antenna 2 facilitates wireless communication between a local system 4 and a remote system 6. The local system 4 may be wired to the phased array antenna 2. As some examples, the local system 4 may be implemented at a terrestrial site or an airborne site (e.g., an aircraft or a satellite). Additionally, the phased array antenna 2 may communicate wirelessly with the remote system 6. The remote system 6 may be an airborne site (e.g., an aircraft or a satellite). Alternatively, the remote system 6 may be a terrestrial site. The local system 4 and the remote system 6 may represent computing systems (e.g., servers) and / or routers that can process, transmit, and receive data.

[0046] The phased array antenna 2 may have a stepped architecture. Specifically, the phased array antenna 2 may include a plurality of antenna element modules 8 that can be mounted on a multilayer substrate 10. The multilayer substrate 10 can be implemented as, for example, a multilayer circuit board having a plurality of layers of circuit board materials (e.g., dielectric materials, conductive materials, etc.).

[0047] Each antenna element module 8 may include a dielectric substrate 12. The dielectric substrate 12 can be implemented as a single-layer or multilayer circuit board, a wide-angle impedance matching metamaterial (WAIM), etc. The dielectric substrate 12 may include a lower surface 14 and an upper surface 16. Each antenna element module 8 may include an IC chip 18 adhered to the lower surface 14 of the dielectric substrate 12. In addition, a feeding portion 20 may be disposed on or integrated with the upper surface 16 of the dielectric substrate 12. Each antenna element module 8 may further include an antenna package 22. The antenna package 22 may include a plastic antenna carrier 24, where a radiation element 26 is disposed on or embedded in a cavity of the plastic antenna carrier 24. In some examples, the plastic antenna carrier 24 may include one or more features extending to the upper surface 16 of the dielectric substrate 12. These one or more features may space the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier from the upper surface 16 of the dielectric substrate 12. In some examples, these one or more features may be implemented as legs 28. These one or more features may define an air gap 30 (or void) that separates the radiation element 26 from the feeding portion 20. In other examples, the one or more features (e.g., legs 28) may be omitted such that the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier 24 contacts the upper surface 16 of the dielectric substrate 12.

[0048] In some examples, each feeding portion 20 can be implemented as a type of microstrip element (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) formed on or embedded in the top layer. Each radiation element 26 can be implemented as a patch antenna (e.g., a circular or rectangular patch antenna element). Each antenna element module 8 can be adhered (mounted) on the top surface 34 of the multilayer substrate 10. In some examples, each antenna element module 8 may include a feed line extending through the dielectric substrate 12 that couples (e.g., directly connects, passively couples, etc.) the IC chip 18 to the feeding portion 20. In addition, Figure 1 each feeding portion 20 can be a single feeding portion such that there is an equal number of IC chips 18 and feeding portions 20 on the phased array antenna 2. Alternatively, Figure 1 each feeding portion 20 can be multiple feeding portions, such as a pair of orthogonally arranged slots, where each IC chip 18 may include multiple circuits for individually adjusting signals transmitted between the feeding portion 20 and the IC chip 18.

[0049] For ease of explanation, throughout this disclosure, the terms "top" and "bottom" are used to denote opposite surfaces in a selected orientation. Similarly, the terms "upper" and "lower" are used to denote opposite positions in a selected orientation. Additionally, the terms "located below" and "covering above" (and derivatives thereof) are used to denote the relative positions of two adjacent surfaces or elements in a selected orientation. In fact, the examples used throughout this disclosure represent a selected orientation. However, in the examples described, the selected orientation is arbitrary, and other orientations (e.g., inverted, rotated 90 degrees, etc.) are possible within the scope of this disclosure.

[0050] The multi-layer substrate 10 may include a BFN circuit 40. The BFN circuit 40 may be formed on one (or more) layers of the multi-layer substrate 10. In some examples, the BFN circuit 40 may be formed on an inner layer of the multi-layer substrate 10. In other examples, the BFN circuit 40 may be formed on an outer layer such as the top layer or the bottom layer. As described herein, the BFN circuit 40 operates as a combiner and / or divider circuit that combines and / or divides in-phase signals. In some examples, the BFN circuit 40 may be a passive circuit. As used herein, the term "passive circuit" indicates that the BFN circuit 40 may include circuit components (e.g., resistor traces, capacitors, and / or inductors) that do not supply electrical power from a power source. The BFN circuit 40 may be in electrical communication with the IC chip 14 of each antenna element module 8.

[0051] The local system 4 may include a controller 38 that can control the operating mode of the phased array antenna 2. As an example, the controller 38 may be implemented as a microcontroller with embedded instructions. In another example, the controller 38 may be implemented as a computing device having a processing unit (e.g., one or more processor cores) that executes machine code stored in a non-transitory memory. In some examples, the controller 38 may provide control signals to the IC chip 18 via control lines (not shown), where such control signals cause the IC chip 18 to set the amplitude and / or phase adjustment level of the signals transmitted between the BFN circuit 40 and the feeding section 20 of the antenna element module 8. That is, the controller 38 can control the signal adjustment of the IC chip 18. In addition to or alternatively, in some examples, the controller 38 may provide control signals to the IC chip 18 that cause the phased array antenna 2 to operate in a receiving mode or a transmitting mode. Additionally, for ease of explanation, in the examples described herein, the controller 38 also provides a power signal to the IC chip 18 of the antenna element module 8. However, in other examples, other sources may supply power to the IC chip 14.

[0052] In operation, in some examples, the phased array antenna 2 architecture can be designed to operate only in a receive mode or a transmit mode. In other examples, as described herein, the phased array antenna 2 architecture can be designed to operate in a half-duplex mode or a polarization duplex mode, where the phased array antenna 2 switches between a receive mode and a transmit mode. In other examples, the phased array antenna 2 architecture can be designed to operate in a frequency division multiplexing mode such that the phased array antenna 2 can operate in a receive mode and a transmit mode simultaneously.

[0053] In the receive mode, electromagnetic (EM) signals can be received from the remote system 6 by the radiation elements 26 or a subset thereof on each of the plurality of antenna element modules 8. The radiation element 26 can couple the received EM signal to the corresponding feed section 20 through the air gap 30. The corresponding feed section 20 can convert the received EM signal into an electrical signal and provide these electrical signals to the corresponding IC chip 18 of the respective antenna element module 8. Each corresponding IC chip 18 can include circuitry that can adjust the received electrical signal to output an element signal. Specifically, each IC chip 14 can amplify, filter, and / or phase-shift the received electrical signal to form an element signal.

[0054] In addition, different IC chips 18 can provide different levels and types of adjustment. For example, the first IC chip 18 of the first antenna element module 8 can amplify the received signal with a first gain and / or phase-shift the received electrical signal with a first phase shift. Additionally, the second IC chip 14 of the second antenna element module 8 can amplify the received electrical signal with a second gain and / or phase-shift the received electrical signal with a second phase shift. Thus, the plurality of element signals output by the IC chips 18 can have specific characteristics to facilitate the combination by the BFN circuit 40.

[0055] Each of the element signals output by the IC chips 18 can be provided to the BFN circuit 40. The BFN circuit 40 can combine the element signals to form a received beam signal. The received beam signal can be provided to the local system 4 through a connection port, which can be located on the bottom surface 41 of the multilayer substrate 10 or other locations. The local system 4 can process (e.g., demodulate) the received beam signal and consume the decoded data.

[0056] The BFN circuit 40 can be implemented with stages of a combiner / divider circuit 42, shown as a dividing line in Figure 1 In Figure 1In the illustrated example, there are three (3) such stages, but in other examples, there may be more or fewer stages (as few as one (1) stage) of the combiner / divider circuit 42. Each combiner / divider circuit 42 may be implemented as a power combiner / distributor circuit, such as a Wilkinson power divider, a hybrid coupler, a directional coupler, or any other circuit that can combine and / or divide signals. Each combiner / divider circuit 42 may combine or divide the signals passing through the BFN circuit 40. For example, when used for reception, the signals transmitted between the IC chip 14 and the local system 4 may be combined by each stage of the combiner / divider circuit 42. In addition or alternatively, when used for transmission, the signals transmitted from the local system 4 to the IC chip 14 may be divided by each stage of the combiner / divider circuit 42 of the BFN circuit 40. As some examples, the BFN circuit 40 may combine the element signals in-phase or out-of-phase. In addition or alternatively, the BFN circuit 40 may combine the element signals equally or unequally. Generally speaking, the architecture of the BFN circuit 40 may be designed for almost any form of signal combination and / or division.

[0057] In the transmit mode, the local system 4 may provide a transmit beam signal to the BFN circuit 40, which is intended to be transmitted to the remote system 6. The BFN circuit 40 divides the transmit beam signal to form a plurality of divided signals, which are referred to as element signals. These element signals may be provided to the IC chips 18 of the antenna element module 8. Each IC chip 18 may adjust the received element signal (e.g., amplify, filter, and / or phase-shift the received element signal), and output the adjusted signal for the corresponding feed 20. In the transmit mode, each IC chip 18 may be configured to provide an adjustment level different from that in the receive mode, including examples where the phased array antenna 2 operates in both the receive mode and the transmit mode. For example, compared to the receive mode, a given IC chip 18 may provide a different level of gain, a different phase shift, and / or a different passband in the transmit mode.

[0058] The feed section 20 of each antenna element module 8 can convert the conditioned element signal provided by the corresponding IC chip 14 into an EM signal that is provided to the corresponding radiating element 26 through the air gap 30. Each radiating element 26 can couple the transmitted EM signal into free space such that the transmitted EM signal is superimposed with the transmissions of the other antenna element modules 8 to form a beam of the transmitted beam signal that propagates through the free space to the remote system 6, as indicated by arrow 44. The remote system 6 can demodulate the received transmitted beam signal and process the resulting data. The phased array antenna 2 can be designed such that the transmitted signals interfere constructively and destructively to produce a beam of the transmitted beam signal having a radiation pattern with desired characteristics (e.g., a desired direction and / or polarization of maximum gain). Additionally, in some examples, the conditioning (e.g., amplification and / or phase shifting) performed by the plurality of IC chips 18 of each antenna element module 8 can be controlled by the controller 38 to couple the beam of the transmitted beam signal in a desired direction. In examples where the phased array antenna 2 is designed to operate in both a receive mode and a transmit mode, two-way wireless communication can be established between the remote system 6 and the local system 4. Alternatively, in examples where the phased array antenna 2 is designed to operate only in a receive mode or only in a transmit mode, one-way wireless communication can be established between the remote system 6 and the local system 4.

[0059] By implementing Figure 1 the phased array antenna 2, a relatively simple and low-cost phased array antenna can be fabricated. Specifically, the antenna element modules 8 can be fabricated separately from the multilayer substrate 10 and mounted on the multilayer substrate 10. Additionally, as detailed herein, the antenna element modules 8 can be fabricated as an array of antenna element modules that can be cut and adhered to the top surface 34 of the multilayer substrate 10.

[0060] Furthermore, the antenna element modules 8 can be fabricated with a relatively simple and low-cost process. For example, the antenna package 22 can be formed using an injection molding or thermoforming process. In an example where the antenna package 22 can be formed by injection molding, the plastic antenna carrier 24 of a given antenna package 22 can be formed by injecting a first polymer (e.g., a first type of plastic) into a mold that can include a cavity that is shaped for the radiating element 26. Subsequently, a second polymer (e.g., a second type of plastic) can be injected into the cavity of the plastic antenna carrier 24 to form the antenna package 22. Additionally, the IC chips 18 can be attached to the bottom surface 14 of the dielectric substrate 12. Subsequently, the antenna package 22 can be adhered to the top surface of the dielectric substrate 12.

[0061] In addition, by implementing the IC chip 18 in the antenna element module 8, the need for an IC chip within the BFN circuit 40 and / or the bottom surface 41 of the multilayer substrate 10 is eliminated, thereby reducing the complexity of the BFN circuit 40. For example, including the IC chip 18 in the antenna element module 8 avoids the printed circuit board (PCB) complexity caused by the following operations: routing the received signal through the multilayer substrate 10 to an IC chip mounted on the opposite (bottom) surface and then routing it to the BFN circuit 40 for combination. In addition, including both the feeding unit 20 and the radiating element 26 increases the directivity and gain of the phased array antenna 2.

[0062] Figure 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary phased array antenna 50 having a staggered architecture for transmitting and / or receiving EM signals such as RF signals. Figure 3 A exploded view of the phased array antenna 50 is shown. Figure 2 and Figure 3 The same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. In addition, unless otherwise specified, references to the elements of the phased array antenna 50 apply to Figure 2 and Figure 3 both. The phased array antenna 50 of Figure 2 and Figure 3 can be used to implement Figure 1 the phased array antenna 2.

[0063] In some examples, the phased array antenna 50 can be manufactured as a module and assembled. Specifically, the phased array antenna 50 can include N antenna element modules 52 mounted on a multilayer substrate 54 (only some of which are detailedly labeled in Figure 1 and Figure 2 ). Each antenna element module 52 can include a dielectric substrate 56 having an upper surface 58 and a lower surface 60. The dielectric substrate 56 can include one or more layers and can be implemented as, for example, a circuit board or a WAIM.

[0064] A plurality of IC chips 62 embedded in the phased array antenna 50 can be located on an intermediate layer of the phased array antenna 50. The IC chips 62 among the plurality of IC chips 62 can be adhered (mounted) on each of the antenna element modules in the antenna element module 52. Specifically, the IC chips 62 can be adhered on the lower surface 60 of each dielectric substrate 56. Each IC chip 62 can be adhered on the dielectric substrate 56 of the corresponding antenna element module 52 using flip chip bonding technology, wire bonding (such as, thermionic bonding technology) or other technologies.

[0065] In addition, each antenna element module 52 may include a feeding section 64. In some examples, the feeding section 64 may be disposed on the upper surface 58 of the dielectric substrate 56. In other examples, the feeding section 64 may be integrated with the dielectric substrate 56. In some examples, an embedded feed line (or feed lines) extending through the dielectric substrate 56 may interconnect the feeding section 64 and the IC chip 62. In some examples, the feeding section 64 may be implemented as a microstrip element, such as a slot fabricated via metal spraying on the dielectric substrate 56. Additionally, in some examples, the feeding section 64 may represent multiple microstrip elements. For example, the feeding section 64 may represent a pair of orthogonally arranged slots. In such a case, the corresponding IC chip 62 may include multiple circuit paths (with multiple circuit elements) to individually adjust the signals transmitted by each of the corresponding multiple feeding sections 64. Alternatively, in some examples, the feeding section 64 may represent a single radiating element. In such a case, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the IC chip 62 and the feeding section 64.

[0066] In addition, each antenna element module 52 may include an antenna package 70 adhered to the upper surface 58 of the dielectric substrate 56. More specifically, the antenna package 70 may include a plastic antenna carrier 72. The plastic antenna carrier 72 may include a body portion and legs (e.g., three or more legs) extending from the body portion. As used herein, the term "plastic" refers to any of a number of organically synthesized or processed materials, which are primarily high molecular weight thermoplastic or thermosetting polymers and can be formed into objects, films, or filaments. The body portion of the plastic antenna carrier 72 may include a cavity having a radiating element 74 positioned therein. The cavity may be a recess or hole in the plastic antenna carrier 72. The radiating element 74 may be implemented as a patch antenna, such as a circular patch antenna or a polygonal patch antenna (e.g., a rectangular patch antenna or a hexagonal patch antenna).

[0067] In some examples, the radiating element 74 may be coupled to a parasitic element 76, which is disposed on or integrated with the lower surface of the plastic antenna carrier 72.

[0068] The legs of the plastic antenna carrier 72 space the cavity in the body portion of the plastic antenna carrier 72 from the upper surface 58 of the dielectric substrate 56. More specifically, the legs of the plastic antenna carrier 72 establish an air gap 76 (or void) that separates the feeding section 64 from the radiating element 74. Thus, the feeding section 64 and the radiating element 74 cooperate to form an antenna element.

[0069] The multilayer substrate 54 can be implemented as, for example, a multilayer circuit board (e.g., a lower circuit board). In some examples, the multilayer substrate 54 can include a base conductive layer 80 (e.g., a ground layer) located at the bottom (or lowest layer) of the multilayer substrate 54. The base conductive layer 80 can include etchings and / or traces that allow the multilayer substrate 54 to communicate with external components such as a local system having a controller and / or a power supply. A lower dielectric layer 82 covers the base conductive layer 80. The BFN circuit 84 can be formed on a layer (or layers) of the multilayer substrate 54. In some examples, the BFN circuit 84 can be formed on an inner layer of the multilayer substrate 54. In an example where the BFN circuit 84 is formed on an inner layer, the BFN circuit 84 can cover the lower dielectric layer 82. Additionally, an upper dielectric layer 86 can cover the BFN circuit 84. Thus, the BFN circuit 84 can be sandwiched between the lower dielectric layer 82 and the upper dielectric layer 86 such that the BFN circuit 84 can be electrically shielded from electromagnetic interference (EMI). A top conductive layer 90 can cover the upper dielectric layer 86. In other examples, the BFN circuit 84 can be formed at or near the upper dielectric layer 86 of the multilayer substrate 54. In such a case, the BFN circuit 84 can be patterned in the top conductive layer 90.

[0070] The top conductive layer 90 can include patterned mounting interfaces (e.g., etchings and / or conductive pads) for receiving each of the N antenna element modules 52. Additionally, the top conductive layer 90 can include a patterned conductive interface having vias to allow signals to pass between the BFN circuit 84 and the dielectric substrates 56 of the IC chips 62 and / or the N antenna element modules 52. The N antenna element modules 52 can be mounted on the top conductive layer 90 at the patterned mounting interfaces. In some examples, the N antenna element modules 52 can be arranged in an ordered array such as a grid of a phased array antenna 50. In some examples, as detailed herein, each IC chip 62 can be mounted on the top conductive layer 90 using an electrically conductive bonding material (e.g., solder). In other examples, the lower surface 60 of each dielectric substrate 56 can be mounted on the top conductive layer 90 using an electrically conductive bonding material, and traces and / or vias in each dielectric substrate 56 can couple the corresponding IC chip 62 to connection pads on the top conductive layer 90.

[0071] The multilayer substrate 54 can include vias extending therethrough for connecting components at different layers of the multilayer substrate 54. For example, if the BFN circuit 84 can be formed on an inner layer of the multilayer substrate 54, the multilayer substrate 54 can include vias for electrically connecting the BFN circuit 84 to the antenna element modules 52. Such vias can be coupled to the BFN circuit 84 at signal interfaces to couple the antenna element modules 52 to the BFN circuit 84.

[0072] In some examples, the BFN circuit 84 can be a passive circuit. The BFN circuit 84 can be configured to divide / combine signals that can be transmitted between the N antenna element modules 52 and external components of the local system.

[0073] In addition, each IC chip 62 of each antenna element module 52 can include circuit components to condition signals transmitted between the feeding section 64 and the BFN circuit 84. Specifically, each antenna element module 52 can filter, amplify, and / or phase-shift signals transmitted between the feeding section 64 and the BFN circuit 84. Further, in some examples, each IC chip 62 can be tuned for a specific corresponding feeding section 64. That is, the first IC chip 62 can be configured to apply a different gain and / or phase shift to the signal than the second IC chip 62. Additionally or alternatively, the adjustment parameters (e.g., bandpass, gain, and / or phase shift) of each IC chip 62 can be set by a controller operating at the local system.

[0074] As illustrated with respect to Figure 1 the phased array antenna 2, in one example, the phased array antenna 50 can operate in a transmit mode. Additionally or alternatively, the phased array antenna 50 can operate in a receive mode. In some examples, the phased array antenna 50 can be configured to operate only in the receive mode or the transmit mode. In other examples, the phased array antenna 50 can operate in a half-duplex mode or a polarization mode to switch between the receive mode and the transmit mode. In other examples, the phased array antenna 50 can operate in a frequency-division duplex mode, where the phased array antenna 50 can operate in the transmit mode and the receive mode simultaneously.

[0075] By implementing the phased array antenna 50, a relatively simple and low-cost phased array antenna can be provided. Specifically, the staggered architecture of the phased array antenna 50 reduces the number of layers required to implement the multilayer substrate 54. The staggered architecture of the phased array antenna 50 can allow each dielectric substrate 56 and the multilayer substrate 54 to have a relatively low complexity (e.g., blind vias can be avoided), and thus the cost of the entire phased array antenna 50 can be lower compared to using a single circuit board. Additionally, the integration of the IC chips 62 with the antenna element modules 52 positions the IC chips 62 relatively closely to the feeding section 64. Therefore, the via length between the IC chips 62 and the feeding section 64 can be reduced.

[0076] In addition, by reducing the complexity of the multilayer substrate 54, simple and inexpensive techniques can be employed to manufacture the antenna element modules 52. Specifically, each antenna element module in the antenna element modules 52 can be manufactured using standard processing and packaging techniques such as injection molding, thermoforming, and flip-chip processing.

[0077] In addition, by arranging the IC chip 62 separately from the multilayer substrate 54, the number of vias required to implement the phased array antenna 50 can be reduced, enabling the via density within the multilayer substrate 54 to be decreased. Accordingly, this reduces and / or eliminates the need to back-drill vias using (relatively complex and expensive) controlled-depth drilling techniques. Further, as described above, each antenna element module 52 can be mounted on the patterned conductive interface of the top conductive layer 90 of the multilayer substrate 54. The pattern of the top conductive layer 90 defines the positions of the N antenna element modules 52. Thus, the N antenna element modules 52 can be fabricated at different times and / or facilities from the multilayer substrate 54.

[0078] Moreover, in the arrangement of the antenna element modules 52 on the top conductive layer 90 of the multilayer substrate 54, each antenna element within the antenna element modules 52 can be separated by free space (e.g., air or voids), which avoids continuous dielectric material between the feed portions 64. In this way, the undesired surface wave propagation of signals is suppressed / reduced (reduced and / or eliminated), thereby improving the performance (signal-to-noise ratio) of the phased array antenna 50. For example, surface waves that would otherwise propagate parallel to the continuous surface of the dielectric material can be suppressed / reduced. Specifically, the pattern of the top conductive layer 90 ensures that free space gaps separate each IC chip 62. These free space gaps introduce refractive index discontinuities in the top conductive layer 90 between the IC chips 62. These refractive index discontinuities reduce the propagation of surface waves on the top conductive layer 90.

[0079] Figure 4 A portion of an exemplary phased array antenna 100 having an exemplary architecture for mounting a plurality of antenna element modules 102 on a multilayer substrate 104 is shown. The phased array antenna 100 can be employed to implement Figure 1 the phased array antenna 2 and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 the phased array antenna 50. Each antenna element module 102 can include a dielectric substrate 106, where a feed portion 108 is disposed on or integrated with the top surface 110 of the dielectric substrate 106. Each feed portion 108 can be implemented as, for example, a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots.

[0080] As an example, the IC chip 112 can be adhered (mounted) to the lower surface 114 of the dielectric substrate 106. In other examples, the IC chip 112 can be adhered to different surfaces of the dielectric substrate 106. Each IC chip 112 can also be adhered to the top surface 116 (e.g., conductive layer) of the multilayer substrate 104. Each IC chip 112 can be adhered to the top surface 116 of the multilayer substrate 104 via an electrical bonding material 113 (e.g., solder balls). The multilayer substrate 104 can include circuits such as BFN circuits. Additionally, the multilayer substrate 104 can be coupled to a power circuit and / or a controller that can provide signals to the IC chip 112. In some examples, each IC chip 112 can include an upper IC chip interface indicated at 118, which can provide a signal interface between the dielectric substrate 106 and the IC chip 112. Additionally, each IC chip 112 can include a lower IC chip interface 120, which can provide a signal interface between the IC chip 112 and the multilayer substrate 104.

[0081] The IC chip 112 can include one or more through-chip vias (e.g., through-silicon vias (TSVs)) that completely pass through the IC chip 112 to provide a conductive interface at the two interfaces 118, 120. In some examples, the lower IC chip interface 120 can be coupled to a circuit (such as a BFN circuit) in the multilayer substrate 104 through a via. For example, solder joints between the solder pads on the top surface 116 of the multilayer substrate 104 and each IC chip 112 can provide a direct electrical connection. In this way, each IC chip 112 can be directly coupled to the multilayer substrate 104. In operation, each IC chip 112 intervenes in the signals transmitted between the corresponding feed section 108 and the multilayer substrate (including the BFN circuit) 104. Specifically, the signals transmitted between each IC chip 112 and the multilayer substrate 104 can pass through the lower IC chip interface 120. Additionally, the signals transmitted between the IC chip 112 and the feed section 108 can pass through the upper IC chip interface 118. Each IC chip 112 can adjust the signals transmitted between the multilayer substrate 104 and the dielectric substrate 106 (e.g., amplify, filter, and / or phase-shift the signals).

[0082] In addition, each antenna element module 102 may further include an antenna package 130. Each antenna package 130 may include a plastic antenna carrier 132 and a radiating element 134. The plastic antenna carrier 132 may include one or more features such as legs 136 and a body portion 138. The radiating element 134 may be positioned in a cavity formed in the body portion 138 of the plastic antenna carrier 132. In some examples, the radiating element 134 may be a single antenna element, such as a patch antenna. In other examples, as shown, the radiating element 134 may be implemented as having multiple radiating elements, such as a pair of patch antennas positioned on opposite sides of the body portion 138 of the plastic antenna carrier 132.

[0083] The legs 136 of the plastic antenna carrier 132 space the top surface 110 of the dielectric substrate 106 from the cavity in which the radiating element 134 is located. Additionally, in some examples, the legs 136 (or other features) may be omitted such that the body portion 138 of the plastic antenna carrier contacts the top surface 110 of the dielectric substrate. The length of the legs 136 (if included) may be, for example, from about 0.25 millimeters (mm) to about 2 mm. However, in other examples, the legs 136 may be longer or shorter than this range. Thus, the legs 136 form an air gap 140 (or void) between the feed portion 108 and the radiating element 134. In this way, the feed portion 108 and the radiating element 134 can operate cooperatively as components of the antenna element. Specifically, the signal transmitted by the feed portion 108 can be coupled by the radiating element 134. For example, in the receive mode, an EM signal received from an external source can be coupled by the radiating element 134 to the feed portion 108 and converted by the feed portion 108 into an electrical signal for transmission by the IC chip 112. Conversely, in the transmit mode, the signal transmitted from the IC chip 112 to the feed portion 108 can be converted by the feed portion 108 into an EM signal and propagated into free space through the radiating element 134.

[0084] By employing the architecture shown for Figure 4 the phased array antenna 100, a direct electrical connection between the multilayer substrate 104 and the IC chip 112 can be achieved. In this way, the IC chip 112 of the antenna element module 102 can be directly coupled to the vias and / or traces of the BFN circuit and / or the power and control system that connect the multilayer substrate 104. Figure 4 The architecture of the phased array antenna 100 for

[0085] Figure 5Shows a portion of an exemplary phased array antenna 150 having another exemplary architecture for mounting a plurality of antenna element modules 152 on a multilayer substrate 154. The phased array antenna 150 can be employed to implement Figure 1 the phased array antenna 2 of Figure 2 and / or Figure 3 the phased array antenna 50 of

[0086] In some examples, the IC chip 160 can be mounted to the bottom surface 162 of the dielectric substrate 156. In other examples, the IC chip 160 can be adhered to different surfaces of the dielectric substrate 156. Each dielectric substrate 156 can be mounted to the top surface 164 (e.g., a conductive layer) of the multilayer substrate 154 by a conductive bonding material 166 (such as solder balls or pillars). Each IC chip 160 can be spaced apart from the top surface 164 of the multilayer substrate 154. In other words, a free space gap (e.g., air or void) can separate the surface of each IC chip 160 from the top surface 164 of the multilayer substrate 154. Additionally, the amount of the conductive bonding material 166 (e.g., solder balls) can provide a desired spacing (e.g., the size of the free space gap) between the IC chip 160 and the multilayer substrate 154. In some examples, each IC chip 160 can be externally connected by a corresponding dielectric substrate 156. In this case, the electrical connections formed by the conductive bonding material 166 can be formed near the periphery of the corresponding dielectric substrate 156.

[0087] The multilayer substrate 154 can include circuits such as BFN circuits. Additionally, the multilayer substrate 154 can be coupled to a power supply circuit and / or a controller that can provide signals to the IC chip 160. In operation, each IC chip 160 can adjust the signals transmitted between the multilayer substrate 154 and the feed portion 158 (e.g., amplify, filter, and / or phase - shift the signal).

[0088] In some examples, each IC chip 160 may include an IC chip interface 168 that provides an electrical interface between the dielectric substrate 156 and the IC chip 160. In some examples, each IC chip 160 may be flipped and attached to the lower surface 162 of the dielectric substrate 156. This architecture reduces losses by positioning the IC chip 160 relatively closely to the feed portion 158. Additionally, the dielectric substrate 156 may include vias and / or traces that provide a circuit path between the multilayer substrate 154 and the IC chip 160. Thus, signals provided from the multilayer substrate 154 to the IC chip 160 may be routed through the dielectric substrate 156. Specifically, signals transmitted between the multilayer substrate 154 and the IC chip 160 may pass through the conductive bonding material 166, through the vias and / or traces of the dielectric substrate 156, and through the IC chip interface 168. Additionally, signals transmitted between the IC chip 160 and the feed portion 158 may pass through the IC chip interface 168 and through the dielectric substrate 156.

[0089] The antenna package 170 may be adhered to the top surface 159 of the dielectric substrate 156. The antenna package 170 may be implemented using Figure 4 the antenna package 130. Thus, the antenna package 170 may include a radiating element 172 positioned within a cavity of a plastic antenna carrier 174. The radiating element 172 may be spaced from the feed portion 158 by an air gap or void 176 formed by the plastic antenna carrier 174. In this way, the feed portion 158 and the radiating element 172 may cooperate as components of an antenna element. Specifically, signals transmitted by the feed portion 158 may be coupled by the radiating element 172.

[0090] By employing the architecture shown for the Figure 5 phased array antenna 150, a circuit path between the multilayer substrate 154 and the IC chip 160 may be implemented using a single IC interface 168 on one side of the IC chip 160. By employing the architecture shown for the Figure 5 phased array antenna 150, the IC chip 160 of each antenna element module 102 may be indirectly coupled to vias and / or traces of a BFN circuit and / or a power and control system connected to the multilayer substrate 154.

[0091] Figure 6 A side cross-sectional view of a dielectric substrate 200 (such as, Figure 4 and Figure 5 the dielectric substrate 106) is shown. It may be in an antenna element module (such as, Figure 5A dielectric substrate 200 is employed in the antenna element module 152 of the phased array antenna 150. The dielectric substrate 200 includes a plurality of stacked layers. The bottom layer of the dielectric substrate 200 can be implemented as an IC chip layer 201. The dielectric substrate 200 can include inner layers, such as a via layer 250 and a signal layer 280. The dielectric substrate 200 can also include a top layer implemented as a feed layer 300. Figure 6 The layers listed are not meant to be exhaustive. For example, for ease of illustration, some layers, such as insulating (dielectric) layers and / or ground layers, are not shown.

[0092] Figure 7 An antenna element module (such as Figure 5 the antenna element module 152 of the phased array antenna 150) of Figure 1 a top view of the IC chip layer 201. The IC chip layer 201 can represent the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 200. The illustrated example can include different sets of conductive bonding materials 202 (e.g., solder balls, pillars, etc.) between the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 200 and a multilayer substrate ( Figure 6 not shown in; see Figure 5 reference numeral 154).

[0093] The conductive bonding materials 202 can be arranged in a ball grid array (BGA). Specifically, in the illustrated example, the conductive bonding materials 202b are arranged along the perimeter of the lower surface of the dielectric substrate 200. The conductive bonding materials 206b can provide a desired spacing between the IC chip 208 and the multilayer substrate, as described above with respect to Figure 5 stated. Some or all of the conductive bonding materials 206b can be coupled to a ground to provide shielding for the IC chip 208 against external electromagnetic sources. As another example, one or more of the conductive bonding materials 206b can be coupled to a power voltage (or power voltages) that is used to provide power to the IC chip 208 through one or more conductive traces (not shown) coupled to corresponding ports of the IC chip 208. As yet another example, one or more of the conductive bonding materials 202b can be coupled to control lines in the multilayer substrate to provide control signals to the IC chip 208 through conductive traces (not shown) coupled to corresponding ports of the IC chip. Although shown as arranged along the perimeter in the illustrated example, in other examples, the conductive bonding materials 202b can be arranged in different ways.

[0094] In the illustrated example, a circuit path for transmitting signals between a multilayer substrate and ports (e.g., pads, leads, etc.) on an IC chip 208 is provided by a conductive bonding material 202a, a conductive trace 210, and a conductive bonding material (e.g., solder, etc.) 212a. Thus, the conductive bonding material 202a extends between the top surface of the multilayer substrate and the conductive trace 210 (e.g., a patterned metal material) on the bottom surface of the dielectric substrate 200. The conductive trace 210 extends between the conductive bonding material 202a and the conductive bonding material 212a that adheres to the ports on the IC chip 208. Alternatively, the manner of establishing the circuit path may be different.

[0095] In the illustrated example, a circuit path for transmitting signals between one or more ports of an IC chip 208 and a feeding section (not shown) is provided by a conductive bonding material (e.g., solder) that extends between the bottom surface of the dielectric substrate 2200 and the upper surface of the IC chip 208. In the illustrated example, the feeding section may be implemented as a slot having an orthogonal arrangement with two ports. Thus, a first signal (e.g., corresponding to horizontal polarization) is transmitted between a first port of the IC chip 208 and a first port 216 of the feeding section through the conductive bonding material 214b-1, and a second signal (e.g., corresponding to vertical polarization) is transmitted between a second port of the IC chip 208 and a second port 218 of the feeding section through the conductive bonding material 214b-2. Alternatively, the manner of establishing the circuit path between the IC chip and the feeding section may be different.

[0096] In the illustrated example, additional conductive bonding materials are arranged along the periphery of the IC chip 208 to provide additional circuit paths between other ports on the IC chip 208 and the multilayer substrate, such as to provide ground, DC power supply voltage, etc. through the conductive bonding material 202b and conductive traces (not shown) as described above.

[0097] Figure 8A Is shown Figure 6 A top view of an example of a via layer 250 (inner layer) of the illustrated dielectric substrate 200 is shown. The via layer may include a first via 252 and a second via 254, and the first via and the second via may be coupled to Figure 7 a first port 216 and a second port 218 of the IC chip layer 201 of the dielectric substrate 200, respectively. The via layer 250 may cover Figure 7 above the IC chip layer 201. Each of the first via 252 and the second via 254 may be externally connected by a shielding region 256 formed of a non-conductive material.

[0098] Figure 8B Is shown Figure 6 An example of a signal layer 280 (another inner layer) of the dielectric substrate 200 is shown. The signal layer may coverFigure 8A the via hole layer 250 and Figure 7 above the IC chip layer 201. The signal layer 280 may include an etching region 282. The signal layer 280 includes terminations of a first via hole 284 and terminations of a second via hole 286. The terminations of the first termination 284 may be coupled to Figure 8A the first via hole 252 of Figure 7 and the first port 216 of Figure 7 the second via hole 254 of Figure 7 and the second port 218 of

[0099] In addition, the terminations of the first via hole 284 and the terminations of the second via hole 286 may be partially circumscribed by a shielding region 288 formed of a non-conductive material.

[0100] Figure 9 shows Figure 6 an example of a top view of a feeding layer 300 of the dielectric substrate 200 shown, which may cover Figure 8B the signal layer 280 of Figure 8A the via hole layer 250 of Figure 7 and the IC chip layer 201 of Figure 8A the via hole layer 250 of Figure 7 and the IC chip layer 201 of Figure 9 above. The feeding layer 300 may be disposed on or integrated with the top surface of the dielectric substrate 200. The feeding layer 300 may cover the signal layer 280,

[0101] Figures 10 to 19 shows an example of an antenna package. In addition, Figures 10 to 19 the same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. In addition, for ease of illustration, some reference numerals are not included and / or not reintroduced with respect to each drawing.

[0102] Figure 10 shows a perspective view of an example of an antenna package 400, andFigure 11 Shows a side view of the antenna package 400. Figure 10 and Figure 11 The same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. Additionally, unless otherwise noted, references to elements of the antenna package 400 apply to Figure 10 and Figure 11 both. The antenna package 400 can be used to implement Figure 1 antenna package 22 of Figure 2 antenna package 70 of Figure 3 and / or

[0103] antenna package 130 of

[0104] The antenna package 400 can be formed using injection molding or thermoforming techniques. The antenna package 400 can include a plastic antenna carrier 402. The plastic antenna carrier 402 can include a body portion 404 and a plurality of legs 406 extending from the body portion 404. In this example, the body portion 404 can have a rectangular base shape. However, in other examples, other base shapes are possible. More specifically, the body portion 404 can have a regular tile base shape (e.g., triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, etc.).

[0105] The legs 406 can be positioned at each vertex (e.g., corner) of the plastic antenna carrier 402. The length of the legs 406 can be from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm. Each leg can include at least one draft angle 410 that extends away from the body portion at a draft angle that is an obtuse angle. In some examples, the draft angle 410 can be an angle less than 90 degrees. The draft angle 410 can facilitate the injection molding or thermoforming techniques used to manufacture the antenna package 400.

[0106] In some examples, the radiating element 414 may be formed or positioned in the cavity 412 by electroplating or insert molding processes. The radiating element 414 may be implemented using a low-loss dielectric material such as plastic. However, the plastic used to fabricate the plastic antenna carrier 402 is a different type of plastic than the plastic used to fabricate the radiating element 414.

[0107] As described above, the antenna package 400 may be designed to adhere to the top surface of a dielectric (e.g., Figure 9 the feed layer 300), which may include feed portions (e.g., Figure 9 the first slot 302 and the second slot 304 shown). Thus, the plastic antenna carrier 402 may be configured such that the legs 406 space the radiating element 414 from the feed portion, thereby forming an air gap or void between the radiating element 414 and the feed portion. In operation, the radiating element 414 couples EM waves between free space and the feed portion.

[0108] Figure 12 A perspective view of an example of the antenna package 500 is shown, and Figure 13 a side view of the antenna package 500 is shown. Additionally, unless otherwise noted, references to elements of the antenna package 500 may apply to Figure 12 and Figure 13 either or both of

[0109] The antenna package 500 is similar to Figures 10 to 11 the antenna package 400 shown. Additionally, the antenna package 500 may include a first cavity 502 shaped for a radiating element 504 and a second cavity 506 shaped for a parasitic element 508 of the antenna element. The first cavity 502 may be formed on the top surface 416 of the body portion 404 of the plastic antenna carrier 402. The second cavity 506 may be formed on the bottom surface 510 of the body portion 404 of the plastic antenna carrier 402. In some examples, as shown, a void or air gap 512 separates the first cavity 502 from the second cavity 506. In other examples, the void or air gap 512 may be omitted such that solid material (e.g., plastic) of the body portion 404 is interposed between the first cavity 502 and the second cavity 506.

[0110] The gap or air gap 512 may have a smaller diameter than the first cavity 502 and the second cavity 506. In an example including the gap or air gap 512, the radiation element 504 may be insert - molded to form a plastic ring around the perimeter of the radiation element 504. In this case, the plastic ring may extend above the edge of the radiation element 504. Additionally, the parasitic element 508 may be made in a similar manner to the radiation element 504. When forming the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508, the plastic antenna carrier 402 may be formed together with the first cavity 502, the second cavity 506, and the gap or air gap 512 between the first cavity 502 and the second cavity 506. The combination of the first cavity 502, the second cavity 506, and the gap or air gap 512 may be referred to as the combined cavity 509. Thus, the middle of the combined cavity 509 corresponding to the gap or air gap 512 may be narrower than the width of the inserts of the molded radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508. Additionally, the regions in the combined cavity 509 where the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 will be located (i.e., the regions of the first cavity 502 and the second cavity 506) may be wider. Thus, when forming the plastic antenna carrier 402 having the combined cavity 509, the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 may be respectively placed in the wider regions of the combined cavity 509 (i.e., the first cavity 502 and the second cavity 506) (e.g., the wider portions of the combined cavity 509). Thus, the plastic rings of the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 may rest on and be supported by the material of the plastic antenna carrier 402.

[0111] The first cavity 502 may cover above the second cavity 506. The radiation element 504 may be positioned in the first cavity 502, and the parasitic element 508 may be positioned in the second cavity 506.

[0112] The radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 may be implemented as patch antennas. Additionally, although the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 are shown as circular (e.g., round), in other examples, the radiation element 504 and the parasitic element 508 may be polygonal (e.g., rectangular). Thus, the radiation element 504 may cover above the parasitic element 508. Including the parasitic element 508 further increases the directivity of the electromagnetic wave transmitted between the feeding portion and the free space.

[0113] Figure 14 A perspective view of an example of the antenna package 550 is shown, and Figure 15 a side view of the antenna package 550 is shown. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, references to the elements of the antenna package 550 may apply to Figure 14 and Figure 15 either or both of

[0114] The antenna package 550 is similar to Figures 10 to 11 the antenna package 400 shown in Figures 11 to 12The antenna package 500 shown. In addition, the antenna package 550 may include a first set of cavities 552 for a set of radiating elements 554 of four different antenna elements 554. The antenna package 550 may also include a second set of cavities 556 for a set of parasitic elements 558 of four different antenna elements 554.

[0115] Each cavity 552 in the first set of cavities 552 may be formed or integrated with the top surface 416 of the body portion 404. Additionally, each cavity 556 in the second set of cavities 556 may be formed on or integrated with the bottom surface 510 of the body portion 404. Additionally, each cavity 552 in the first set of cavities 552 may cover a corresponding cavity 556 in the second set of cavities 556. Thus, each radiating element 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 may cover a corresponding parasitic element 558 in the second set of parasitic elements 558.

[0116] Each radiating element 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 and each parasitic element 558 in the set of parasitic elements 558 may be implemented as a patch antenna. Additionally, although each radiating element 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 and each parasitic element 558 in the set of parasitic elements 558 are shown as circular (e.g., round), in other examples, the radiating elements 504 and parasitic elements 508 may be polygonal (e.g., rectangular). Each radiating element 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 and each radiating element 554 in the set of parasitic elements 558 may be positioned within a grid of a phased array antenna. In this example, there are four (4) radiating elements 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 and four (4) parasitic elements 558 in the set of parasitic elements 558. However, in other examples, there may be more or fewer instances of the radiating elements 554 in the set of radiating elements 554 and the parasitic elements 558 in the set of parasitic elements 558.

[0117] In addition, the top surface 416 of the body portion 404 may include a first recessed channel 570 and a second recessed channel 572 that extend across the body portion 404 of the plastic antenna carrier 402. The first recessed channel 570 and the second recessed channel 572 may each be implemented as a groove (e.g., such as a square groove) that extends from one edge of the body portion 404 of the plastic antenna carrier 402 to an opposite edge. The first recessed channel 570 and the second recessed channel 572 may intersect near the middle 574 of the body portion 404. Thus, each radiating element 554 in the first set of radiating elements 554 may be separated from each other by the first recessed channel 570 or the second recessed channel 572.

[0118] Within a particular antenna element, each radiating element 554 may be grouped with a respective underlying parasitic element 558. Thus, in the example shown, antenna package 400 includes components for four (4) antenna elements, namely, a first antenna element 580, a second antenna element 582, a third antenna element 584, and a fourth antenna element 586. As described herein, antenna package 550 may be mounted on a dielectric substrate of a formed (single) antenna element module, and the antenna package includes a plastic antenna carrier 402 formed of a continuous material (e.g., a polymer). In such a case, the resulting antenna element module may accommodate four (4) antenna elements separated by a first recessed channel 570 and a second recessed channel 572.

[0119] In operation, an EM wave transmitted by a radiating element 554 of the group of radiating elements 554 may cause a surface wave to propagate on the top surface 416 of the body portion 404. The first recessed channel 570 and the second recessed channel 572 provide a refractive index discontinuity of the plastic antenna carrier 402 that disrupts and / or impedes the propagation of such surface waves.

[0120] Figure 16 A perspective view of an example of antenna package 700 is shown, and Figure 17 a side view of antenna package 700 is shown. Additionally, unless otherwise indicated, references to elements of antenna package 700 may apply to Figure 16 and Figure 17 either or both of

[0121] Antenna package 700 represents Figure 14 and Figure 15 four (4) instances of antenna package 550, which four instances may be integrated in a single antenna package. Thus, antenna package 700 may include sixteen (16) radiating elements 554 of the group of radiating elements 554 and sixteen (16) parasitic elements 558 of the group of parasitic elements 558. Similar to Figures 14 to 15 antenna package 550, antenna package 700 may be implemented on a (single) antenna element module that accommodates components for sixteen (16) antenna elements.

[0122] Additionally, there is no limit to the number of antenna elements that may be used in antenna package 700. For example, in some examples, there may be a sufficient number (e.g., hundreds or thousands) of the group of radiating elements 554 and the group of parasitic elements 558 for an entire phased array antenna.

[0123] Figure 18 A perspective view of an example of antenna package 750 is shown, and Figure 19 a side view of antenna package 750 is shown. Antenna package 750 is similar to Figure 12and Figure 13 antenna package 750. The antenna package 750 may include a first cavity 752 for positioning a radiating element 754 of an antenna element in a top surface 416 of a main body portion 404 of a plastic antenna carrier 402. Additionally, the antenna package 750 may include a second cavity 756 for a parasitic element 758 of the antenna element in a bottom surface 510 of the main body portion 404. The first antenna element 754 covers the parasitic element 758.

[0124] The radiating element 754 and the parasitic element 758 may be implemented as patch antennas. The radiating element 754 and the parasitic element 758 may each have a polygonal (e.g., rectangular) shape.

[0125] Figure 20 A perspective view of an example of an antenna package 800 is shown, and Figure 21 a side view of the antenna package 800 is shown. Figure 20 and Figure 21 the same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. Additionally, unless otherwise noted, references to elements of the antenna package 800 apply to Figure 10 and Figure 11 both. The antenna package 800 may be used to implement Figure 1 antenna package 22 of Figure 2 antenna package 70 of Figure 3 and / or antenna package 130 of

[0126] The antenna package 800 may include a plastic antenna carrier 802 having a main body portion 804 and legs 806. The antenna package 800 is similar to Figure 10 antenna package 400 of Figures 10 to 19 The main body portion 804 may have a hexagonal base shape instead of

[0127] the rectangular base shape of the main body portion 404 of Figures 12 to 17 as shown and described. Each leg 806 may be positioned at a vertex of the main body portion 804. Additionally, in some examples, the length of each leg 806 may be from about 0.25 mm to about 2 mm. Further, the antenna package 800 may include a cavity 808 formed or integrated with a top surface 810 of the main body portion 804 of the plastic antenna carrier 802. A radiating element 812 may be positioned in the cavity 808. Figure 18 and Figure 19 the radiating element 754 as shown in

[0128] Figure 22Shows an antenna element module 900 that can be adopted to implement Figure 2 The top view of the antenna element module 8 and / or the antenna element module 52. Figure 23 Shows a side view of the antenna element module 900. Figure 22 And Figure 23 The same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. The antenna element module 900 can be mounted on a multilayer substrate, such as Figure 1 The multilayer substrate 10 and / or Figure 2 And Figure 3 The multilayer substrate 54. The antenna element module 900 can include an antenna package 902. The antenna package 902 can be implemented, for example, by Figure 14 And Figure 15 The antenna package 550.

[0129] The antenna element module 900 can include a first dielectric substrate 906, where a feeding portion 908 is disposed on or integrated with the top surface 909 of the first dielectric substrate 906. Each feeding portion 908 can be implemented as, for example, a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots. In the illustrated example, there are four (4) instances of such feeding portions (e.g., four (4) pairs of orthogonally arranged slots).

[0130] The first dielectric substrate 906 can be mounted to a second dielectric substrate 910 (e.g., a circuit board) via a first layer of solder balls 912, and the first layer of solder balls can be arranged as a BGA on the bottom surface 914 of the first dielectric substrate 906. A first IC chip 916 can be adhered (mounted) to the top surface 917 of the second dielectric substrate 910. A second IC chip 918 and a third IC chip 920 can be adhered (mounted) on the bottom surface 921 of the second dielectric substrate 910. The bottom surface 921 of the second dielectric substrate 910 can include solder balls 922 arranged as a BGA for mounting the antenna element module 900 on the multilayer substrate. In some examples, the second IC chip 918 and the third IC chip 920 can communicate with the corresponding feeding portions through vias in the first dielectric substrate 906, solder balls 912, and vias in the second dielectric substrate 910. Similarly, the second IC chip 918 and the third IC chip 920 can communicate with the first IC chip 916 through vias in the second dielectric substrate 910. Additionally, the multilayer substrate can be coupled to a power supply circuit and / or a controller that can provide signals to the first IC chip 916 and the second IC chip 918. In this way, the vias and solder balls 922 in the second dielectric substrate can allow communication between the first IC chip 916 and the multilayer substrate.

[0131] In one example of operation, the second IC chip 918 and the third IC chip 920 interfere with signals transmitted between the corresponding feeding section 908 and the first IC chip 916. In addition, the first IC chip 916, the second IC chip 918, and the third IC chip 920 can adjust signals transmitted between the feeding section 908 and the multilayer substrate (e.g., amplify, filter, and / or phase-shift the signals).

[0132] In addition, the antenna package 902 can be adhered to the top surface 909 of the first dielectric substrate 906. As described herein, the legs 930 on the plastic antenna carrier 932 of the antenna package 902 maintain a gap 934 (e.g., an air gap or void) between the feeding section 908 and the radiating element 926. In addition, signals transmitted by the feeding section 908 can be coupled by the radiating element 926. For example, in the receiving mode, an EM signal from an external source can be received by the radiating element 926 coupled to the corresponding feeding section 908 and converted into an electrical signal by the feeding section 908 for transmission by the first IC chip 916, the second IC chip 918, and / or the third IC chip 920. Conversely, in the transmitting mode, signals are transmitted from the second IC chip 918 and / or the third IC chip 920 to the feeding section 908. The feeding section 908 converts such signals into EM signals, which can be propagated into free space by the radiating element 926.

[0133] As shown, the antenna element module 900 includes four (4) antenna elements, namely, a first antenna element 940, a second antenna element 942, a third antenna element 944, and a fourth antenna element 946. Each antenna element includes a radiating element 925 covering the feeding section 908. In addition, as described above, in some examples, parasitic elements can be interposed between the radiating element 926 and the feeding section 908. The plastic antenna carrier 932 can be formed of a continuous plastic material. Each of the first antenna element 940, the second antenna element 942, the third antenna element 944, and the fourth antenna element 946 can be separated by a first groove channel 948 and a second groove channel 950 that prevent unwanted surface wave propagation between the antenna elements.

[0134] Figure 24 and Figure 25 illustrates a packaging process for manufacturing an antenna element module, such as, Figure 1 antenna element module 8, Figures 2 to 3 antenna element module 52, Figure 3 antenna element module 102, Figure 4 antenna element module 152, and / or Figure 21 and Figure 22 antenna element module 900. Figure 24 and Figure 25The same reference numerals are used to denote the same structures. Additionally, unless otherwise specified, references to elements apply to Figure 24 and Figure 25 either or both of

[0135] Figure 24 FIG. shows a dielectric substrate 1000 on which four (4) arrays of IC chips 1002 can be mounted. In other examples, there may be more or fewer arrays of IC chips 1004. Each array of IC chips 1002 can include sixteen IC chips 1004 (e.g., 4 rows and 4 columns of IC chips 1004) mounted on the dielectric substrate 1000, with only some of the IC chips 1004 labeled. The IC chips 1004 can be mounted on the bottom surface 1006 of the dielectric substrate 1000 in a flip-chip packaging process. In other words, each of the IC chips 1004 can be mounted on the exposed surface (e.g., the bottom surface 1006) of the dielectric substrate 1000, and the dielectric substrate 1000 can be flipped.

[0136] When the dielectric substrate 1000 is flipped such that the top surface 1010 is exposed, four (4) arrays of antenna packages 1008 can be adhered to the top surface 1010 of the dielectric substrate 1000, as Figure 25 shown. In the example shown, each array of antenna packages 1008 can include sixteen (16) antenna packages 1014 (e.g., 4 rows and 4 columns of antenna packages 1014), with only some of the antenna packages 1014 labeled. However, in other examples, there may be more or fewer antenna packages 1014. Each antenna package 1014 can cover a corresponding IC chip 1004. When adhering the array of antenna packages 1008 to the dielectric substrate 1000, the dielectric substrate 1000 can be cut with a laser or a saw in a cutting process to provide antenna element modules. More specifically, the dielectric substrate 1000 can be cut with a laser or a saw to provide a set of antenna element modules having any number of IC chips 1004 and antenna packages 1008. The resulting antenna element modules can be mounted on a multilayer substrate (e.g., Figure 1 multilayer substrate 10 of Figure 2 multilayer substrate 54 of Figure 4 multilayer substrate 104 of and / or Figure 5 multilayer substrate 154 of) in the manner described herein.

[0137] Figure 26 FIG. shows a block diagram of an exemplary phased array antenna 1200 that depicts the phased array antenna 2 operating in the receive mode and / or Figure 1 and Figure 2 and Figure 3The logical interconnection of the phased array antenna 50. In addition, the architecture of the phased array antenna 100 of Figure 4 or the architecture of the phased array antenna 150 of Figure 5 can be used to implement the phased array antenna 1200 of Figure 26 In the illustrated example, N antenna element modules 1202 communicate with a receive (RX) BFN circuit 1204.

[0138] Each of the N antenna element modules 1202 may include a dielectric substrate 1206, on which a feed portion 1208 (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) is provided or integrated with the dielectric substrate. Each of the N antenna element modules 1202 may further include an IC chip 1210 mounted on the dielectric substrate 1206. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1210 may include an amplifier 1212 and a phase shifter 1214. The IC chip 1210 may receive control signals from a controller 1216 that can be implemented on an external system (e.g., a local system). In some examples, the control signals may control the gain of each amplifier 1212 and / or the phase shift applied by each phase shifter 1214. Thus, in some examples, each amplifier 1212 may be implemented as a variable gain amplifier, a switched attenuator circuit, etc.

[0139] Each of the N antenna element modules 1202 may further include an antenna package 1220 attached to the dielectric substrate 1206. The antenna package 1220 may include a radiating element 1222 spaced apart from the feed portion 1208 via an air gap.

[0140] In operation, the EM signals received by each of the N radiating elements 1222 (or some subset thereof) may be coupled to the corresponding feed portion 1208 of the dielectric substrate 1206. Each of the N feed portions 1208 may convert the EM signals into electrical signals that can be provided to the corresponding IC chip 1210 for conditioning. Each amplifier 1212 of the IC chip 1210 may amplify the provided electrical signals, and each phase shifter 1214 may apply a phase shift to output N element signals, which may alternatively be referred to as conditioned signals. In Figure 26 some examples of the phased array antenna 1200, the phase shifter 1214 may apply a variable amount of phase adjustment in response to control signals provided from the controller 1216. In addition or alternatively, the amplifier 1212 may provide a variable amount of amplitude adjustment in response to control signals provided from the controller 1216. The N element signals may be provided to the RX BFN circuit 1204. The RX BFN circuit 1204 may combine the N element signals to form a received beam signal, which may be provided to the local system for demodulation and processing.

[0141] Figure 27 shows a block diagram of a phased array antenna 1300, which depicts the Figure 1 phased array antenna 2 operating in transmit mode and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 the logical interconnection of the phased array antenna 50. Additionally, the architecture of the phased array antenna 100 of Figure 4 or the architecture of the phased array antenna 150 of Figure 5 can be employed to implement the phased array antenna 1300 of Figure 27 . In the illustrated example, N antenna element modules 1302 communicate with a transmit (TX) BFN circuit 1304.

[0142] Each of the N antenna element modules 1302 may include a dielectric substrate 1306, on which a feed portion 1308 (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) is disposed or integrated with the dielectric substrate. Each of the N antenna element modules 1302 may further include an IC chip 1310. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1310 may include an amplifier 1312 and a phase shifter 1314. The IC chip 1310 may receive control signals from a controller 1316 that can be implemented on an external system (e.g., a local system). In some examples, the control signals may control a variable amount of amplitude adjustment applied by each amplifier 1312 and / or a variable amount of phase adjustment applied by each phase shifter 1314. Thus, in some examples, each amplifier 1312 may be implemented as a variable gain amplifier, a switched attenuator circuit, etc.

[0143] Each of the N antenna element modules 1302 may further include an antenna package 1320 attached to the dielectric substrate 1306. The antenna package 1320 may include a radiating element 1322 spaced apart from the feed portion 1308 via an air gap. The radiating element 1322 may be implemented as a patch antenna or a plurality of patch antennas.

[0144] In operation, a transmit beam signal can be provided from a local system to the TX BFN circuit 1304. The TX BFN circuit 1304 divides the transmit beam signal into N element signals that can be provided to the N antenna element modules 1302. Each IC chip 1310 in the N antenna element modules 1302 can adjust the corresponding element signal to generate an adjusted signal that can be provided to the corresponding feed section 1308. Each of the N feed sections 1308 can convert the corresponding adjusted signal into an EM signal that propagates toward the corresponding radiating element 1322 of the antenna package 1320. In the illustrated example, the adjustment can include phase shifting the element signal by the phase shifter 1314 and amplifying the element signal by the amplifier 1312. Each radiating element 1322 can couple the corresponding signal adjusted to an EM signal into free space.

[0145] Figure 28 A block diagram of a phased array antenna 1400 is shown, which depicts the Figure 1 phased array antenna 2 operating in a half-duplex mode and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 the logical interconnection of the phased array antenna 50. Additionally, the architecture of the phased array antenna 100 Figure 4 or the architecture of the phased array antenna 150 Figure 5 can be employed to implement the Figure 28 phased array antenna 1400. In the half-duplex mode, the phased array antenna 1400 switches between a receive mode and a transmit mode. In the illustrated example, the N antenna element modules 1402 communicate with the BFN circuit 1404.

[0146] Each of the N antenna element modules 1402 can include a dielectric substrate 1406, where a feed section 1408 (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) can be disposed on or integrated with the dielectric substrate. Each of the N antenna element modules 1402 can further include an IC chip 1410. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1410 can include a receive path 1412 and a transmit path 1414. The receive path 1412 can include a receive amplifier 1416 and a receive phase shifter 1418 for adjusting the signal received from the corresponding feed section 1408. Similarly, the transmit path 1414 can include a transmit amplifier 1420 and a transmit phase shifter 1422 for adjusting the corresponding element signal provided from the BFN circuit 1404.

[0147] Each IC chip 1410 may also include switching means 1424 (e.g., transistor switching means) for switching between a receive mode and a transmit mode. The IC chip 1410 may receive control signals from a controller 1430 that may be implemented on an external system (e.g., a local system). The control signals may control the state of the switching means 1424 to switch the phased array antenna 1400 from the receive mode to the transmit mode, or vice versa. Additionally, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1430 may control the variable amount of amplitude adjustment applied by each receive amplifier 1416 and each transmit amplifier 1420. Thus, in some examples, each receive amplifier 1416 and each transmit amplifier 1420 may be implemented as variable gain amplifiers, switched attenuator circuits, etc. Similarly, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1430 may control the variable amount of phase adjustment applied by each receive phase shifter 1418 and each transmit phase shifter 1422.

[0148] Each antenna element module among the N antenna element modules 1402 may also include an antenna package 1440 attached to a dielectric substrate 1406. The antenna package 1440 may include a radiating element 1442 spaced apart from a feed portion 1408 via an air gap. The radiating element 1442 may be implemented as a patch antenna or a plurality of patch antennas.

[0149] In operation in the receive mode, the controller 1430 sets the switching means 1424 of the IC chip 1410 to route signals through the receive path 1412. Additionally, in the receive mode, the EM signals received by each of the N radiating elements 1442 (or some subset thereof) may be coupled to the corresponding feed portion 1408 and provided to the corresponding IC chip 1410 for conditioning. Each receive amplifier 1416 of the IC chip 1410 amplifies the provided signal, and each receive phase shifter 1418 applies a phase shift to output N element signals, which may alternatively be referred to as conditioned signals. The N element signals may be provided to the BFN circuit 1404. The BFN circuit 1404 may combine the N element signals to form a received beam signal, which may be provided to the local system for demodulation and processing.

[0150] In the operation in the transmit mode, the controller 1430 sets the switching device 1424 to switch to the transmit path 1414 to transmit a beam signal that can be provided from the local system to the BFN circuit 1404. The BFN circuit 1404 divides the transmitted beam signal into N element signals that can be provided to the N antenna element modules 1402. Each IC chip 1410 in the N antenna element modules 1402 can adjust the corresponding element signal to generate an adjusted signal that can be provided to the corresponding feed section 1408. In the illustrated example, the adjustment may include phase-shifting the element signal by the transmit phase shifter 1422 and amplifying the element signal by the transmit amplifier 1420. Each feed section 1408 propagates the corresponding adjusted signal as an EM signal toward the corresponding radiating element 1442. In addition, the radiating element 1442 can couple the EM signal into free space.

[0151] In the half-duplex mode, the phased array antenna 1400 switches between the receive mode and the transmit mode. Thus, the same antenna element modules 1402 can be used for both the transmission and reception of RF signals.

[0152] Figure 29 A block diagram of a phased array antenna 1500 is shown, which depicts the operation in the frequency-division duplex mode Figure 1 of the phased array antenna 2 and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 the logical interconnection of the phased array antenna 50. In addition, the architecture of the phased array antenna 100 of Figure 4 or Figure 5 the architecture of the phased array antenna 150 of Figure 29 can be employed to implement the phased array antenna 1500. In the frequency-division duplex mode, the phased array antenna 1500 can include circuits for processing RF signals received in the receive band and for propagating RF signals in the transmit band.

[0153] In the illustrated example, N antenna element modules 1502 communicate with the BFN circuit 1504. Each of the N antenna element modules 1502 may include a dielectric substrate 1506, where a feeding portion 1508 (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) is provided on or integrated with the dielectric substrate 1506. Each of the N antenna element modules 1502 may further include an IC chip 1510. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1510 may include a receiving path 1512 and a transmitting path 1514. The receiving path 1512 may include a receiving amplifier 1516 and a receiving phase shifter 1518 for adjusting a signal received from the corresponding feeding portion 1508. Additionally, the receiving path 1512 may include an input receiving filter 1520 and an output receiving filter 1522. The input receiving filter 1520 and the output receiving filter 1522 may be implemented as relatively narrow band-pass filters that remove signals having frequencies outside the receiving frequency band. Thus, the input receiving filter 1520 and the output receiving filter 1522 may have a passband set to the receiving frequency band.

[0154] Similarly, the transmitting path 1514 may include a transmitting amplifier 1524 and a transmitting phase shifter 1526 for adjusting the corresponding element signal provided from the BFN circuit 1504. Additionally, the transmitting path 1514 may include an input transmitting filter 1528 and an output receiving filter 1522. The input transmitting filter 1528 and the output transmitting filter 1530 may be implemented as relatively narrow band-pass filters that remove signals having frequencies outside the transmitting frequency band. Thus, the input transmitting filter 1528 and the output transmitting filter 1530 may have a passband set to the transmitting frequency band.

[0155] The IC chip 1510 may receive control signals from a controller 1540 that may be implemented on an external system (e.g., a local system). In some examples, the control signals control the passband and / or bandwidth of the input transmitting filter 1520 and the output transmitting filter 1522. Similarly, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1540 control the passband and / or bandwidth of the input transmitting filter 1528 and the output transmitting filter 1530. In addition or alternatively, the control signals provided from the controller 1540 may control a variable amount of amplitude adjustment applied by each receiving amplifier 1516 and each transmitting amplifier 1524. Thus, in some examples, each receiving amplifier 1516 and each transmitting amplifier 1524 may be implemented as a variable gain amplifier, a switched attenuator circuit, etc. Similarly, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1540 may control a variable amount of phase adjustment applied by each receiving phase shifter 1518 and each transmitting phase shifter 1526.

[0156] Each of the N antenna element modules 1502 may also include an antenna package 1550 attached to a dielectric substrate 1506. The antenna package 1550 may include a radiating element 1552 spaced apart from the feeding portion 1508 via a void or air gap. The radiating element 1552 may be implemented as a patch antenna or multiple patch antennas.

[0157] In operation, the phased array antenna 1500 may operate in both a receive mode and a transmit mode based on the frequency of the signal traversing the phased array antenna 1500. More specifically, EM signals may be received by each of the N radiating elements 1552 (or some subset thereof), and these signals may be coupled to the corresponding feeding portions 1508. Each such feeding portion 1508 may convert the EM signal into an electrical signal provided to the corresponding IC chip 1510 for conditioning. Signals within the passband (receive band) of the input receive filter 1520 may be conditioned (e.g., amplified and phase shifted) by the receive path of the corresponding IC chip 1510. The conditioned signals may be filtered by the output receive filter 1522 and provided to the BFN circuit 1504 as element signals. Thus, the BFN circuit 1504 receives N element signals from the N antenna element modules 1502, where each of the received N element signals may be within the receive band.

[0158] Additionally, while receiving RF signals, transmit beam signals may be provided from a local system to the BFN circuit 1504. The BFN circuit 1504 divides the transmit beam signals into N element signals that may be provided to the N antenna element modules 1502. The input transmit filters 1528 of each IC chip 1510 in the N antenna element modules 1502 remove signals outside the passband (transmit band). Additionally, the transmit path 1514 may condition the corresponding element signal (phase shift and amplify the element signal) to generate a conditioned signal that may be provided to the corresponding feeding portion 1508 through the output transmit filter 1530. Each feeding portion 1508 may convert the corresponding conditioned signal into an EM signal propagating toward the corresponding radiating element 1552. Additionally, each corresponding radiating element 1552 may couple the EM signal into free space.

[0159] In the phased array antenna 1500, frequency control of the traversing signal routes the signal through the phased array antenna 1500. Thus, the same antenna element modules 1502 may be used for both transmission and reception of RF signals. Additionally, in some examples, the phased array antenna 1500 may have an architecture that intermittently switches between a transmit mode and a receive mode to provide half-duplex.

[0160] Figure 30 A block diagram of a phased array antenna 1600 is shown that depicts operation in a polarization duplex mode Figure 1the phased array antenna 2 and / or Figure 2 and Figure 3 the logical interconnection of the phased array antenna 50, and the polarization duplex mode may be a specific configuration of the half-duplex mode. In the polarization duplex mode, the phased array antenna 1600 may include circuitry for processing received RF signals having a first polarization and for propagating RF signals having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

[0161] In the illustrated example, N antenna element modules 1602 communicate with the BFN circuit 1604. Each of the N antenna element modules 1602 may include a dielectric substrate 1606, on or integrated with which a feed portion 1608 (e.g., a slot or a pair of orthogonally arranged slots) is provided. Each of the N antenna element modules 1602 may further include an IC chip 1610. In the illustrated example, each IC chip 1610 may include a receive path 1612 and a transmit path 1614. The receive path 1612 may include a receive amplifier 1616 and a receive phase shifter 1618 for conditioning a signal received from the corresponding feed portion 1608. Similarly, the transmit path 1614 may include a transmit amplifier 1620 and a transmit phase shifter 1622 for conditioning a corresponding element signal provided from the BFN circuit 1604.

[0162] The receive path 1612 may be coupled to a first port 1624 of the feed portion 1608, and the transmit path 1614 may be coupled to a second port 1626 of the feed portion 1608. The first port 1624 of the feed portion 1608 may be configured to output an electrical signal converted from an EM signal received at the feed portion 1608 having a first polarization, and the second port 1626 of the feed portion 1608 may be configured to convert an electrical signal into an EM signal received at the feed portion 1608 having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization. For example, the first polarization may be vertical polarization and the second polarization may be horizontal polarization, or vice versa. Alternatively, the first polarization may be right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and the second polarization may be left-hand circular polarization (LHCP), or vice versa.

[0163] Each IC chip 1610 may also include switching means 1628 (e.g., transistor switching means) for switching between a receive mode and a transmit mode. The IC chip 1610 may receive control signals from a controller 1630 that may be implemented on an external system (e.g., a local system). The control signals may control the state of the switching means 1628 to switch the phased array antenna 1600 from the receive mode to the transmit mode, or vice versa. Additionally, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1630 may control a variable amount of amplitude adjustment applied by each receive amplifier 1616 and each transmit amplifier 1620. Thus, in some examples, each receive amplifier 1616 and each transmit amplifier 1620 may be implemented as variable gain amplifiers, switched attenuator circuits, etc. Similarly, in some examples, the control signals provided from the controller 1630 may control a variable amount of phase adjustment applied by each receive phase shifter 1618 and each transmit phase shifter 1622.

[0164] Each antenna element module of the N antenna element modules 1602 may also include an antenna package 1640 attached to a dielectric substrate 1606. The antenna package 1640 may include a radiating element 1642 spaced apart from the feed portion 1408 via an air gap. The radiating element 1642 may be implemented as a patch antenna or a plurality of patch antennas.

[0165] In operation in the receive mode, the controller 1630 sets the switching means 1628 of the IC chip 1610 to route signals through the receive path 1612. Additionally, in the receive mode, the EM signals in the first polarization duplex mode received by each of the N radiating elements 1642 (or some subset thereof) may be coupled to the corresponding feed portion 1608. The feed portion 1608 may convert the EM signals into electrical signals that may be provided to the corresponding IC chip 1610 for conditioning. Each receive amplifier 1616 of the IC chip 1610 may amplify the provided signals, and each receive phase shifter 1618 may apply a phase shift to output N element signals, which may alternatively be referred to as conditioned signals. The N element signals may be provided to the BFN circuit 1604. The BFN circuit 1604 may combine the N element signals to form the received beam signal, which may be provided to the local system for demodulation and processing.

[0166] In the operation in the transmit mode, the controller 1630 sets the switching device 1628 to switch to the transmit path 1614 to transmit a beam signal that can be provided from the local system to the BFN circuit 1604. The BFN circuit 1604 divides the transmitted beam signal into N element signals that can be provided to the N antenna element modules 1602. Each IC chip 1610 in the N antenna element modules 1602 can adjust the corresponding element signal to generate an adjusted signal that can be provided to the corresponding feed section 1608. In the illustrated example, the adjustment may include phase-shifting the element signal by the transmit phase shifter 1622 and amplifying the element signal by the transmit amplifier 1620. Each feed section 1608 can convert the adjusted signal into an EM signal and propagate the EM signal toward the corresponding radiating element 1642 of the antenna package 1640. The radiating element 1642 can couple the EM signal into free space.

[0167] In the polarization duplex mode, the phased array antenna 1600 switches between the receive mode and the transmit mode. However, by utilizing the orthogonal relationship between the signal at the first port 1624 and the signal at the second port 1626 of the radiating element 1608, each antenna element module 1602 can be implemented with a single switching device 1628 to reduce losses. Additionally, in this way, the same antenna element module 1602 can be used for both the transmission and reception of RF signals.

[0168] In view of the above-described structural and functional features, reference will be made to Figure 31 and Figure 32 to better understand the exemplary method. Although, for ease of illustration, Figure 31 and Figure 32 the exemplary method is shown and described as being executed sequentially, this example is not limited to the shown order because some actions may occur multiple times and / or simultaneously in a different order than shown and described herein in other examples. Additionally, not all of the described actions are required to implement the method.

[0169] Figure 31 A flowchart of an exemplary method 1700 for forming multiple antenna element modules is shown, such as, Figure 1 antenna element module 8 of Figure 2 and Figure 3 antenna element module 52 of Figure 4 antenna element module 102 of Figure 5 antenna element module 152 of Figure 22 and Figure 23 antenna element module 900 of Figure 24 The method 1700 can be implemented using flip-chip packaging technology. At 1710, a plurality of IC chips (e.g., Figure 24The lower surface of the dielectric substrate 1000). The dielectric substrate may include a plurality of feeding portions within the dielectric substrate. At 1720, an array of antenna packages (e.g., Figure 25 The antenna package 1008) of may be adhered to the upper surface of the dielectric substrate to form an array of antenna element modules, where each antenna package includes. Each antenna package may include a plastic antenna carrier. The plastic antenna carrier may include a body portion having a cavity for a radiating element and a plurality of legs extending from the body portion to the dielectric substrate. The plastic antenna carrier may also include a radiating element of a radiating antenna positioned in the cavity of the body portion of the plastic antenna carrier. The plurality of legs may space each radiating element from the feeding portions within the dielectric substrate. At 1730, the array of antenna element modules may be cut to form a plurality of antenna element modules.

[0170] Figure 32 A flowchart of an exemplary method 1800 for forming an antenna package (such as the antenna package employed in method 1700) is shown. As some examples, the resulting antenna package may be employed to implement Figure 1 The antenna package 22 of Figure 2 The antenna package 70 of and / or Figure 3 The antenna package 130 of. At 1810, a plastic antenna carrier of the antenna package may be formed (e.g., Figures 10 to 19 The plastic antenna carrier 402 of or Figure 20 And Figure 21 The plastic antenna carrier 802 of. The plastic antenna carrier may be formed, for example, by injecting a first polymer into a mold to form an array of plastic antenna carriers through an injection molding process. Alternatively, the plastic antenna carrier may be formed by heating a sheet of the first polymer through a thermoforming process and shaping the heated sheet of the first polymer above the mold. The resulting plastic antenna carrier may include a cavity (e.g., Figure 10 And Figure 11 The cavity 412 of. At 1820, a radiating element (e.g., Figure 10 And Figure 11 The radiating element 414 of may be formed in the cavity of the plastic antenna carrier for forming the antenna package. The radiating element may be formed by injecting a second polymer into the cavity of each plastic antenna carrier. Alternatively, the radiating element may be formed by attaching a second polymer by electroplating on the cavity of each plastic antenna carrier.

[0171] The foregoing description is by way of example. Of course, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many additional combinations and permutations are possible. Accordingly, this disclosure is intended to cover all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of this application (including the appended claims). As used herein, the term "comprising" means including but not limited to, and the term "including" means including but not limited to. The term "based on" means at least partially based on. Additionally, where the disclosure or claim recites "a," "an," "the first," or "another" element, or an equivalent thereof, it should be construed to include one or more than one such element, neither requiring nor precluding two or more such elements.

Claims

1. An antenna element module, the antenna element module comprising: An antenna element, the antenna element including a feeding portion and a radiating element; A dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second surface, the dielectric substrate including the feeding portion of the antenna element within the dielectric substrate; An integrated circuit (IC) chip corresponding to the antenna element, the IC chip adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate and coupled to the feeding portion of the antenna element, the IC chip including a circuit for adjusting a signal transmitted by the feeding portion; And A plastic antenna carrier adhered to the second surface of the dielectric substrate, the plastic antenna carrier including: A main body portion, the main body portion including: A cavity for the radiating element of the antenna element, wherein the cavity has an opening at a first surface of the main body portion, wherein the cavity is located between the first surface and the second surface of the main body portion, and the radiating element is disposed within the opening of the cavity at the first surface of the main body portion; and Legs, including a plurality of legs integrally extending from a second surface of the main body portion opposite the opening and the radiating element to the second surface of the dielectric substrate, with a distance maintained between the plurality of legs; the plurality of legs introduce an air gap between feeding portions of the radiating element, enabling the radiating element to couple an electromagnetic (EM) signal between free space and the feeding portion.

2. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the cavity is a first cavity formed on the first surface of the main body portion, and the antenna element module further includes: A second cavity formed on the second surface of the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier; And A parasitic element of the antenna element, the parasitic element positioned within the second cavity of the main body portion, wherein the parasitic element is located below the radiating element.

3. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the plastic antenna carrier is formed of a first polymer, and the radiating element is formed of a second polymer.

4. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element is a first antenna element among a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements includes a corresponding feeding portion among a plurality of feeding portions and a corresponding radiating element among a plurality of radiating elements, and the cavity includes a plurality of cavities formed in the first surface of the main body portion, wherein each radiating element is positioned within a corresponding cavity among the plurality of cavities.

5. The antenna element module according to claim 4, wherein the plastic antenna carrier further includes one or more recessed channels separating each antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements.

6. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein: The antenna element is a first antenna element among a plurality of antenna elements, wherein each antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements includes: A radiating element among a plurality of radiating elements; A feeding portion among a plurality of feeding portions; and A parasitic element among a plurality of parasitic elements; The cavity includes a first group of cavities formed on the first surface of the main body portion; The main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier includes a second set of cavities formed on the second surface of the main body portion; Each of the plurality of radiating elements is positioned in a corresponding one of the first set of cavities; and Each of the plurality of parasitic elements is positioned in a corresponding one of the second set of cavities, and each of the plurality of radiating elements covers and is spaced apart from a corresponding parasitic element among the plurality of parasitic elements.

7. The antenna element module according to claim 6, wherein the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier further includes one or more recessed channels formed in the first surface of the main body portion to separate each of the plurality of antenna elements.

8. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the radiating element is a patch antenna.

9. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the first surface of the dielectric includes an array of solder balls for mounting on a circuit board.

10. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the one or more legs of the plastic antenna carrier extend from the second surface portion of the main body at a draft angle.

11. The antenna element module according to claim 1, wherein the feeding portion of the antenna element includes a pair of orthogonally arranged slots within the first surface of the dielectric substrate.

12. A phased array antenna, the phased array antenna comprising: An array of antenna element modules, each antenna element module array in the array of antenna element modules comprising: An antenna element, the antenna element including a feeding portion and a radiating element; A dielectric substrate having a first surface and a second surface, the dielectric substrate including the feeding portion of the antenna element within the dielectric substrate; An integrated circuit (IC) chip corresponding to the antenna element, the IC chip being adhered to the first surface of the dielectric substrate and coupled to the feeding portion of the antenna element, the IC chip including circuitry for adjusting a signal transmitted by the feeding portion; A plastic antenna carrier adhered to the second surface of the dielectric substrate, the plastic antenna carrier including: A main body portion, the main body portion including: A cavity for the radiating element of the antenna element, wherein the cavity has an opening at the first surface of the main body portion and is located between the first surface and the second surface of the main body portion, and the radiating element is disposed in the opening of the cavity at the first surface of the main body portion; and Legs, including a plurality of legs integrally extending from the second surface of the main body opposite the opening and the radiating element to the second surface of the dielectric substrate, with a distance maintained between the plurality of legs; and configured to introduce an air gap between the radiating element and the feeding portion, enabling the radiating element to couple an EM signal between free space and the feeding portion; A multi-layer substrate is located below the antenna element module array. The multi-layer substrate includes a beamforming network (BFN) circuit formed on a layer of the multi-layer substrate, and the BFN circuit is in electrical communication with the IC chips of each antenna element module in the antenna element module array.

13. The phased array antenna according to claim 12, wherein the cavity of each antenna element module in the antenna element module array is a first cavity formed on the first surface of the corresponding main body portion, and each antenna element module in the antenna element module array further includes: A second cavity formed on the second surface of the main body portion of the corresponding plastic antenna carrier; And A parasitic element of the corresponding antenna element, the parasitic element being positioned in the second cavity of the main body portion of the corresponding plastic antenna carrier, wherein the parasitic element is located below the corresponding radiating element.

14. A method for forming a plurality of antenna element modules, the method comprising: Adhering a plurality of integrated circuit (IC) chips to a first surface of a dielectric substrate, wherein the dielectric substrate includes a plurality of feeding portions for a plurality of antenna elements within the dielectric substrate; The plurality of IC chips are in one-to-one correspondence with and independent of the plurality of antenna elements and the plurality of feeding portions; Adhering an antenna package array to the second surface of the dielectric substrate to form an antenna element module array, wherein each antenna package includes: A plastic antenna carrier, the plastic antenna carrier including: A main body portion including a cavity for a radiating element; wherein the cavity has an opening at the first surface of the main body portion, wherein the cavity is located between the first surface and the second surface of the main body portion, and the radiating element is disposed within the opening of the cavity at the first surface of the main body portion; and Legs, including a plurality of legs integrally extending from the second surface of the main body portion opposite to the opening and the radiating element to the second surface of the dielectric substrate, with a distance maintained between the plurality of legs; and configured to introduce an air gap between the radiating element and the feeding portion to couple an EM signal between the radiating element in free space and the feeding portion; and The radiating element of the corresponding antenna element among the plurality of antenna elements, the radiating element being positioned in the cavity of the main body portion of the plastic antenna carrier; and Cutting the antenna element module array to form the plurality of antenna element modules.

15. The method according to claim 14, the method further comprising: Injecting a first polymer into a mold to form an array of plastic antenna carriers; And Injecting a second polymer into the cavities in the array of plastic antenna carriers to form the radiating element in each of the plurality of plastic antenna carriers, thereby forming the antenna package array.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the cavity of each antenna package in the antenna package array is a first cavity formed on the upper surface of the main body portion of the corresponding plastic antenna carrier, and the radiating element is a radiating element, and each antenna package further includes: ​ A second cavity, the second cavity being formed on a lower surface of the body portion of the respective plastic antenna carrier; and A parasitic element, the parasitic element being positioned in the second cavity of the body portion, and the parasitic element being located below the radiating element of the respective antenna package.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein each antenna module has a regular tile base shape.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein each cut antenna element module of the plurality of antenna element modules includes two or more antenna elements.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the one or more legs of each plastic antenna carrier extend from the respective body portion at a draft angle.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the surface of the dielectric includes an array of solder balls for mounting on a circuit board.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the radiating element of each antenna package of the plurality of antenna packages is a patch antenna.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of feed portions in the dielectric substrate includes a pair of orthogonally arranged slots in the first surface of the dielectric substrate.

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