Antenna substrate

Abstract

The present invention provides an antenna substrate, which includes: a main body including an insulating material; a plurality of wiring layers stacked on one another in a first vertical direction in the main body; and a plurality of first antenna layers stacked on one another in a third horizontal direction in the main body. Each of the plurality of first antenna layers includes a plurality of conductive structures stacked in the first vertical direction, and the lengths of the plurality of conductive structures in a second horizontal direction are all greater than the lengths in the third horizontal direction perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0064366, filed on May 28, 2020, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Technical Field

[0002] The following description relates to an antenna substrate. Background Art

[0003] Data traffic generated due to mobile communication is increasing rapidly every year. Active technology development is underway to support this leap in real-time data traffic in wireless networks. For example, applications such as content of IoT (Internet of Things)-based data, live VR / AR combined with augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and social network services (SNS), autonomous driving, and synchronous view (real-time video transmission from the perspective of a user using an ultra-small camera) require communication to support the exchange of a large amount of data. Therefore, millimeter wave (mmWave) communication including 5th generation (5G) communication has recently been studied, and research on the commercialization and standardization of antenna substrates is also underway to enable its smooth implementation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] One aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an antenna substrate capable of implementing an antenna having a vertical structure without a separate cable substrate.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna having a vertical structure can be implemented to have a desired size by stacking conductive structures having a predetermined length in any one of the horizontal directions in the vertical direction.

[0006] An exemplary antenna substrate may include: a body including an insulating material; a plurality of wiring layers stacked on each other in a first vertical direction in the body; and a plurality of first antenna layers stacked on each other in a third horizontal direction in the body. Each of the plurality of first antenna layers includes a plurality of conductive structures stacked in the first vertical direction, and the lengths of the plurality of conductive structures in a second horizontal direction are all greater than the lengths in a third horizontal direction perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

[0007] The antenna substrate according to the example may include: a plurality of insulating layers stacked in a first vertical direction; and an antenna layer including a plurality of pattern layers and a plurality of via layers, the plurality of pattern layers being stacked within the plurality of insulating layers in the first vertical direction, and the plurality of via layers penetrating the plurality of insulating layers in the first vertical direction and connecting the plurality of pattern layers to each other. Each conductive via of each via layer among the plurality of via layers has a strip shape in which a length in a second horizontal direction may be greater than a length in a third horizontal direction perpendicular to the second horizontal direction of the conductive via of each via layer among the plurality of via layers.

[0008] According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna substrate includes: a body including a plurality of insulating layers stacked in a first vertical direction; and a patch antenna including three or more first antenna layers stacked on each other in a third horizontal direction in the body. Each of the three or more first antenna layers may extend through two or more of the plurality of insulating layers, and a planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the first vertical direction and a second horizontal direction may be greater than a planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the second horizontal direction and the third horizontal direction and a planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the first vertical direction and the third horizontal direction. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of an electronic device system.

[0011] Figure 2 is a plan view schematically showing an example of an electronic device.

[0012] Figure 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an antenna substrate.

[0013] Figure 4 is along Figure 3 a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of the antenna substrate.

[0014] Figure 5 is schematically showing Figure 4 a perspective view of an example of an antenna layer.

[0015] Figure 6 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of an antenna substrate.

[0016] Figure 7 is along Figure 6Schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of the antenna substrate. Detailed implementation

[0017] The following detailed implementation is provided to assist the reader in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, devices, and / or systems described herein will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The order of operations described herein is merely an example and is not limited to the order set forth herein, but rather, changes that will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art may be made, except for operations that must occur in a specific order. In addition, descriptions of functions and configurations known to those of ordinary skill in the art may be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

[0018] The features described herein may be implemented in different forms and are not to be construed as limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0019] Here, it should be noted that the use of the term "may" with respect to an example or embodiment (e.g., what an example or embodiment may include or implement) means that there is at least one example or embodiment that includes or implements such a feature, and all examples and embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0020] Throughout the specification, when an element (such as a layer, region, or substrate) is described as "on" another element, "connected to" another element, or "coupled to" another element, the element may be directly "on" the other element, directly "connected to" the other element, or directly "coupled to" the other element, or there may be one or more other elements between them. In contrast, when an element is described as "directly on" another element, "directly connected to" another element, or "directly coupled to" another element, there may be no other elements between them.

[0021] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one of the listed related items and any combination of any two or more of them.

[0022] Although terms such as "first", "second", and "third" may be used herein to describe various components, elements, regions, layers, or sections, these components, elements, regions, layers, or sections are not limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one component, element, region, layer, or section from another. Thus, a first component, first element, first region, first layer, or first section referred to in the examples described herein may also be termed a second component, second element, second region, second layer, or second section without departing from the teachings of the examples.

[0023] For ease of description, spatial relationship terms such as "above", "upper", "below", and "lower" may be used herein to describe a positional relationship of one element relative to another element in the orientation as shown in the figures. Such spatial relationship terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, an element described as "above" or "upper" relative to another element will then be "below" or "lower" relative to the other element. Thus, the term "above" encompasses both the orientation of "above" and "below" depending on the spatial orientation of the device. The device may also be positioned in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations), and the spatial relationship terms used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0024] The terms used herein are only for describing various examples and will not be used to limit the disclosure. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, the singular forms are also intended to include the plural forms. The terms "comprising", "including", and "having" list the presence of the stated features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and / or combinations thereof.

[0025] Due to differences in manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances, the shapes shown in the figures may vary. Thus, the examples described herein are not limited to the specific shapes shown in the figures, but include changes in shape that occur during manufacturing.

[0026] The features of the examples described herein may be combined in various ways that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of this application. Additionally, although the examples described herein have various configurations, other configurations will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0027] The figures may not be drawn to scale, and for clarity, illustration, and convenience, the relative dimensions, proportions, and depictions of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated.

[0028] Figure 1It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of an electronic device system.

[0029] Referring to Figure 1 , the electronic device 1000 may accommodate a main board 1010 therein. The main board 1010 may include chip-related components 1020, network-related components 1030, other components 1040, etc. that are physically or electrically connected to the main board 1010. These components may be connected to other electronic components described below through various signal lines 1090.

[0030] The chip-related components 1020 may include: memory chips such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, etc.; application processor chips such as a central processor (e.g., central processing unit (CPU)), graphics processor (e.g., graphics processing unit (GPU)), digital signal processor, cryptographic processor, microprocessor, microcontroller, etc.; and logic chips such as analog-to-digital converter (ADC), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. However, the chip-related components 1020 are not limited thereto, but may also include other types of chip-related components. In addition, the chip-related components 1020 may be combined with each other. The chip-related components 1020 may be in the form of a package including the above-mentioned chips or electronic components.

[0031] The network-related components 1030 may include components that implement or are compatible with protocols such as: Wi-Fi (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family, etc.), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) (IEEE 802.16 family, etc.), IEEE 802.20, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Evolution-Data Only (Ev-DO), High-Speed Packet Access+ (HSPA+), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access+ (HSDPA+), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access+ (HSUPA+), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Bluetooth, 3G protocols, 4G protocols, and 5G protocols, as well as any other wireless protocols and wired protocols specified after the above-mentioned protocols. However, the network-related components 1030 are not limited thereto, but may also include components that implement or are compatible with various other wireless standards or protocols or wired standards or protocols. In addition, the network-related components 1030 may be combined with each other together with the above-mentioned chip-related components 1020.

[0032] Other components 1040 may include high-frequency inductors, ferrite inductors, power inductors, ferrite beads, low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC), electromagnetic interference (EMI) filters, multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), etc. However, other components 1040 are not limited thereto, but may also include passive components for various other purposes. In addition, other components 1040 may also be combined with chip-related components 1020 and / or network-related components 1030.

[0033] Depending on the type of the electronic device 1000, the electronic device 1000 may include other components that may or may not be physically or electrically connected to the main board 1010. These other components may include, for example, a camera 1050, an antenna 1060, a display 1070, a battery 1080, etc., but are not limited thereto. For example, these other components may also include an audio codec, a video codec, a power amplifier, a compass, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a speaker, a mass storage unit (e.g., a hard disk drive), a compact disc (CD) drive, a digital versatile disc (DVD) drive, etc. In addition, other electronic components for various purposes may be used depending on the type of the electronic device 1000, etc.

[0034] The electronic device 1000 may be a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a digital video camera, a digital still camera, a network system, a computer, a monitor, a tablet PC, a laptop PC, a netbook PC, a television, a video game console, a smart watch, an automotive component, etc. However, the electronic device 1000 is not limited thereto, but may be any other electronic device that processes data.

[0035] Figure 2 is a plan view showing an example of an electronic device.

[0036] Refer to Figure 2, the electronic device may be, for example, a smart phone 1100. Inside the smart phone 1100, a modem 1101 may be provided, as well as various types of antenna modules 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, and 1106 connected to the modem 1101 through rigid printed circuit boards, flexible printed circuit boards, and / or rigid-flexible printed circuit boards. Optionally, a Wi-Fi module 1107 may also be provided. The antenna modules 1102, 1103, 1104, 1105, and 1106 may be antenna modules 1102, 1103, 1104, and 1105 for various frequency bands of 5G mobile communication. For example, an antenna module 1102 for a 3.5 GHz frequency band, an antenna module 1103 for a 5 GHz frequency band, an antenna module 1104 for a 28 GHz frequency band, an antenna module 1105 for a 39 GHz frequency band, etc., and may include other 4G antenna modules 1106, but are not limited thereto. On the other hand, the electronic device is not necessarily limited to the smart phone 1100, and may also be other electronic devices as described above.

[0037] Figure 3 is a perspective view schematically showing an example of an antenna substrate.

[0038] Figure 4 is along Figure 3 of the antenna substrate taken along line I-I'.

[0039] Figure 5 is schematically showing Figure 4 of an example of an antenna layer.

[0040] Referring to the drawings, an antenna substrate 500A according to an example includes: a main body 100 including an insulating material; a plurality of wiring layers 210 stacked in the main body 100 in a first direction (the vertical direction based on the drawings); and a plurality of antenna layers 300 stacked in the main body 100 in a direction different from the first direction (a second direction or a third direction corresponding to the horizontal direction based on the drawings). In this case, for example, by extending the main surface (e.g., the largest surface) of each antenna layer 300 in at least the first direction (e.g., extending in the first direction and the second direction as shown in Figure 3 ), each of the antenna layers 300 may have a structure oriented in the first direction (the vertical direction based on the drawings).

[0041] For example, each antenna layer 300 may have a shape in which a plurality of conductive structures 350 (each conductive structure 350 having a length in a second direction greater than its length in a third direction) are stacked in a first direction to form an antenna layer 300 having a main surface (e.g., a maximum surface) extending in the first and second directions. For example, each conductive structure 350 may be formed using one or more pattern layers (e.g., 311, 312, or 313) and via layers (e.g., 321, 322, or 323), and the stacking of such conductive structures 350 may provide an antenna layer 300 having a main surface (e.g., a maximum surface) extending in the first and second directions. Specifically, each of the pattern layer and the via layer of the conductive structure 350 has a length in the second direction greater than its length in the third direction, and the total length of the stacking of the conductive structures 350 in the first direction is greater than the length of the conductive structure 350 in the third direction, such that the main surface (e.g., a maximum surface) extends in the first and second directions.

[0042] On the other hand, in the case of providing an antenna substrate for a 5G antenna module, when the antenna substrate is mounted on a group board (e.g., mounted in a mobile phone, a smartphone, or a communication device), due to the strong linearity of 5G, the sensitivity of 5G signals is significantly affected according to the direction of the antenna. To address this, it may be considered to provide three or more antenna modules including 5G antenna substrates in different respective directions. In this case, at least one antenna module may be vertically provided in the group board, and for this purpose, it may be considered to use a separate flexible printed circuit (FPC) cable board to connect the antenna module to the group board. However, in this case, signal characteristic losses may occur due to the cable connection, and there are cost issues.

[0043] On the other hand, in the case of the antenna substrate 500A according to the example, even without using any FPC, the antenna substrate 500A may have a structure in which the antenna layers 300 provided in the antenna substrate 500A are respectively oriented in the first direction as described above. Therefore, when the antenna substrate 500A is applied to a 5G antenna module and provided in the group board, an antenna having a vertical structure can be realized without a separate FPC cable substrate. In this case, efficiency can be obtained through the direct installation of the vertical structure. Additionally, since the vertical structure of the antenna is realized using the stacking of the conductive structures 350, the vertical structure of the antenna layer 300 can be easily realized or manufactured using the same manufacturing process as the substrate, and an antenna layer 300 with a relatively wide plane can be more easily realized.

[0044] Hereinafter, each component of the antenna substrate 500A according to the example will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0045] The main body 100 includes a plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113 stacked in a first direction. If necessary, the main body 100 may further include a plurality of passivation layers 121 and 122 respectively disposed on the uppermost insulating layer 112 and the lowermost insulating layer 113 in the first direction among the plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113. The plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113 include a core insulating layer 111, and a plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 disposed on both sides of the core insulating layer 111 based on the first direction. The thickness of the core insulating layer 111 may be greater than the thickness of each of the first stacked insulating layers 112 and the second stacked insulating layers 113. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, and for example, the core insulating layer 111 and one of the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 may be omitted, so that the antenna substrate 500A may have a form of a coreless substrate.

[0046] The plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113 may each include an insulating material. As the insulating material, a thermosetting resin such as epoxy resin, a thermoplastic resin such as polyimide, or a material in which a thermosetting resin or a thermoplastic resin is impregnated with a reinforcing material (such as woven glass fiber and / or inorganic filler), such as a prepreg, an Ajinomoto build-up film (ABF), a photosensitive dielectric (PID), etc. may be used.

[0047] The plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113 may each include a laminate of a thermoplastic resin layer and a thermosetting resin layer. The thermoplastic resin layer may include a material effective for high-frequency signal transmission, and the thermosetting resin layer may include a material favorable for high-frequency signal transmission and having excellent bonding properties. Through such a multi-layer resin layer, an insulating main body favorable for high-frequency signal transmission and having excellent adhesiveness can be provided.

[0048] For high-frequency signal transmission, liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphenylene ether (PPE), polyimide (PI), etc. can be used as the thermoplastic resin layer. The dielectric loss factor (Df) can be adjusted according to the type of resin in the thermoplastic resin layer, the type of filler contained in the resin, the content of the filler, etc. The dielectric loss factor (Df) is the value of dielectric loss, and dielectric loss represents the loss power generated when an alternating electric field is formed in the resin layer (dielectric). The dielectric loss factor (Df) is proportional to the dielectric loss, and the smaller the dielectric loss factor (Df), the lower the dielectric loss. The thermoplastic resin layer with low dielectric loss characteristics is advantageous in reducing the loss in high-frequency signal transmission. The dielectric loss factor (Df) of the thermoplastic resin layer can be less than or equal to 0.003, for example, less than or equal to 0.002. In addition, the dielectric constant (Dk) of the thermoplastic resin layer can be less than or equal to 3.5. Although the dielectric constant (Dk) can be measured by, for example, using a vector network analyzer of a dielectric evaluation kit (DAK) (the vector network analyzer can be applied in the same way in the following description), alternative measurement methods can also be used.

[0049] For high-frequency signal transmission, polyphenylene ether (PPE), modified polyimide (PI), modified epoxy resin, etc. can be used as the thermosetting resin layer. The dielectric loss factor (Df) can be adjusted according to the type of resin in the thermosetting resin layer, the type of filler contained in the resin, the content of the filler, etc. The thermosetting resin layer with low dielectric loss characteristics is advantageous in reducing the loss in high-frequency signal transmission. The dielectric loss factor (Df) of the thermosetting resin layer can be less than or equal to 0.003, for example, less than or equal to 0.002. In addition, the dielectric constant (Dk) of the thermosetting resin layer can be less than or equal to 3.5.

[0050] The thickness of the thermoplastic resin layer can be greater than the thickness of the thermosetting resin layer. For high-frequency signal transmission, it is more desirable to have such a thickness relationship. The interface between the thermoplastic resin layer and the thermosetting resin layer adjacent to each other in the vertical direction can include a rough surface. The rough surface refers to a surface that has unevenness through roughening. Through such a rough surface, the thermoplastic resin layer and the thermosetting resin layer adjacent to each other in the vertical direction can ensure improved adhesion to each other.

[0051] The plurality of passivation layers 121 and 122 can protect the internal structure of the antenna substrate 500A from external physical damage and chemical damage. The plurality of passivation layers 121 and 122 can both include a thermosetting resin. For example, the passivation layers 121 and 122 can be ABF. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the passivation layers 121 and 122 can be a solder resist (SR) layer. In addition, optionally, the passivation layer can include a photosensitive dielectric (PID). The lower passivation layer 122 can have a plurality of openings.

[0052] A plurality of wiring layers 210 (211, 212, and 213) are stacked in a first direction in a plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113. The plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may include a plurality of core wiring layers 211 and a plurality of first stacked wiring layers 212 and second stacked wiring layers 213 disposed on both sides of the plurality of core wiring layers 211 in the first direction. The plurality of core wiring layers 211 are disposed on two opposite sides of the core insulating layer 111 in the first direction. The plurality of first stacked wiring layers 212 and second stacked wiring layers 213 are respectively disposed on the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 in the first direction. On the other hand, when the core insulating layer 111 and one of the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 are omitted and thus the antenna substrate 500A has a form of a coreless substrate, one of the plurality of core wiring layers 211 and the plurality of first stacked wiring layers 212 and second stacked wiring layers 213 may be omitted.

[0053] Each of the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may include a metal material. As the metal material, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof may be used. The plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may be formed by an additive process (AP), semi-AP (SAP), modified SAP (MSAP), and sealing hole (TT), etc., and as a result, the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may include a seed layer as an electroless plating layer and an electrolytic plating layer formed based on the seed layer. The plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may perform various functions according to the design of the corresponding layer. For example, the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may include a feeding pattern. In addition, the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may include a ground pattern, a power pattern, a signal pattern, etc. Each of these patterns may include a line pattern, a planar pattern, and / or a pad pattern. At least one of the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may be electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 (to be described later) of at least one of the plurality of antenna layers 300.

[0054] A plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 penetrate through a plurality of insulating layers 111, 112, and 113 in a first direction to connect the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 to each other. The plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 include a core wiring via layer 221, and a plurality of first stacked wiring via layers 222 and second stacked wiring via layers 223 provided on both sides of the core wiring via layer 221 in the first direction. The core wiring via layer 221 penetrates through the core insulating layer 111 in the first direction and connects the core wiring layers 211 provided on both sides of the core insulating layer 111 to each other. The plurality of first stacked wiring via layers 222 and second stacked wiring via layers 223 penetrate through a plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 in the first direction respectively, and connect the plurality of first stacked wiring layers 212 and second stacked wiring layers 213 to the plurality of core wiring layers 211 to each other. On the other hand, in a case where one of the core insulating layer 111 and the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 is omitted so that the antenna substrate 500A has a form of a coreless substrate, one of the core wiring via layer 221 and the plurality of first stacked wiring via layers 222 and second stacked wiring via layers 223 can be omitted.

[0055] The plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 may all include a metal material. As the metal material, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof can be used. The plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 can also be formed by plating processes such as AP, SAP, MSAP, TT, etc., and as a result, the plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 may all include a seed layer as an electroless plating layer and an electrolytic plating layer formed based on the seed layer. The plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 can perform various functions according to the design. For example, the plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 may include feed vias for connection of a feed pattern, signal vias for connection of signals, ground vias for connection of a ground, power vias for connection of power, etc. These vias can be completely filled with a metal material respectively, or can be formed by forming a metal material along the wall surface of the via hole. In addition, the plurality of wiring via layers 221, 222, and 223 can have various shapes, such as a conical shape, an hourglass shape, etc.

[0056] The antenna layer 300 includes respectively: a plurality of pattern layers 311, 312 and 313, stacked in a first direction within a plurality of insulating layers 111, 112 and 113; and a plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323, penetrating through the plurality of insulating layers 111, 112 and 113 in the first direction to connect the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312 and 313 to each other. The plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323 are arranged in the form of stacked vias, and the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312 and 313 are interposed between the plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323. For example, the plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323 can be arranged to be stacked and superposed on each other in the first direction, and the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312 and 313 are interposed between the plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323. For example, three or more conductive vias in the plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323 can be directly aligned and superposed on each other in the first direction. For example, three or more conductive vias in the plurality of via layers 321, 322 and 323 can be superposed on each other in the first direction and superposed with the corresponding plurality of pattern layers 311, 312 and 313.

[0057] The conductive structure 350 can have a shape in which the corresponding pattern layers 311, 312 and 313 adjacent to each other in the first direction and the via layers 321, 322, 323 are integrally connected to each other. For example, in the core region, two core pattern layers 311 and one core via layer 321 therebetween can be integrally connected to each other to form the conductive structure 350. In addition, in the stacking region, one first stacked pattern layer 312 and one first stacked via layer 322 adjacent thereto, or one second stacked pattern layer 313 and one second stacked via layer 323 adjacent thereto can be integrally connected to each other to form the conductive structure 350. Thus, each of the antenna layers 300 can have a vertical structure oriented in the first direction, and thus, the planar area of the antenna layer 300 when viewed from the third direction can be larger than the planar area of the antenna layer 300 when viewed from the first direction. Additionally, the planar area of the antenna layer 300 when viewed from the third direction can be larger than the planar area of the antenna layer 300 when viewed from the first direction and the second direction. At least a portion of the plurality of antenna layers 300 can be superposed on each other in the third direction, thereby constituting a patch antenna. For example, the patch antenna can include three or more antenna layers 300 stacked on each other in the third direction in the main body 100.

[0058] The plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 include a plurality of core pattern layers 311, and a plurality of first stacked pattern layers 312 and second stacked pattern layers 313 disposed on both sides of the plurality of core pattern layers 311 in a first direction. The plurality of core pattern layers 311 are disposed on both sides of the core insulating layer 111 in the first direction. The plurality of first stacked pattern layers 312 and second stacked pattern layers 313 are respectively disposed on the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 in the first direction. On the other hand, in the case where one of the core insulating layer 111 and the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 is omitted so that the antenna substrate 500A has the form of the coreless substrate as described above, similarly, one of the plurality of core pattern layers 311 and the plurality of first stacked pattern layers 312 and second stacked pattern layers 313 can be omitted.

[0059] Each of the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 may include a metal material. As the metal material, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof can be used. The plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 can be formed using AP, SAP, MSAP, TT, etc., and as a result, the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 may each include a seed layer (electroless plating layer) and an electrolytic plating layer formed based on the seed layer. The conductor pattern of each of the plurality of pattern layers 311, 312, and 313 may have a strip shape in which the length in a second direction is greater than the length in a third direction.

[0060] The plurality of via layers 321, 322, and 323 may include a core via layer 321, and a plurality of first stacked via layers 322 and second stacked via layers 323 disposed on both sides of the core via layer 321 in a first direction. The core via layer 321 penetrates the core insulating layer 111 in the first direction and connects the plurality of core pattern layers 311 disposed on both sides of the core insulating layer 111 to each other. The plurality of first stacked via layers 322 and second stacked via layers 323 penetrate the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 in the first direction respectively, and connect the plurality of first stacked pattern layers 312 and second stacked pattern layers 313 and the plurality of core pattern layers 311 to each other. On the other hand, in the case where one of the core insulating layer 111 and the plurality of first stacked insulating layers 112 and second stacked insulating layers 113 is omitted so that the antenna substrate 500A has the form of the coreless substrate as described above, one of the core via layer 321 and the plurality of first stacked via layers 322 and second stacked via layers 323 can be omitted.

[0061] The plurality of via layers 321, 322, and 323 may each include a metallic material. As the metallic material, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof may be used. The plurality of via layers 321, 322, and 323 may also be formed by plating processes such as AP, SAP, MSAP, TT, etc., and as a result, each via layer 321, 322, and 323 may include a seed layer as an electroless plating layer and an electrolytic plating layer formed based on the seed layer. The conductive vias in each of the plurality of via layers 321, 322, and 323 may have a bar shape in which the length in the second direction is greater than the length in the third direction. In this case, the side surface of each conductive via may have a tapered shape or a hourglass shape based on the first direction.

[0062] Optionally, the electronic component 251 may be disposed on the main body 100 in a surface-mounted form, for example, disposed on the lower passivation layer 122 based on the first direction. In this case, the antenna substrate 500A can be used as an antenna module. The electronic component 251 may be electrically connected to at least a part of the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 through a connection metal 252 formed in an opening of the lower passivation layer 122. In this case, the electronic component 251 may also be electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of antenna layers 300.

[0063] The electronic component 251 may include at least one of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and a passive component. The passive component may be a chip passive component, such as a chip capacitor or a chip inductor, but is not limited thereto. The connection metal 252 may be formed of a low melting point metal having a melting point lower than that of copper (Cu), and for example, may be formed of tin (Sn) or an alloy containing tin (Sn). For example, the connection metal 252 may be formed of solder, but this formation is only an example, and the material of the connection metal 252 is not limited thereto.

[0064] Figure 6 is a perspective view schematically showing another example of the antenna substrate.

[0065] Figure 7 is along Figure 6 of the antenna substrate taken along line II-II' is a schematic cross-sectional view.

[0066] Referring to the accompanying drawings, the antenna substrate 500B according to another example further includes a plurality of second antenna layers 400 stacked in the main body in the first direction, and a plurality of first antenna layers 300 stacked in the main body in the third direction. Each of the first antenna layers 300 has a vertical structure oriented in at least the first direction (e.g., in the first and second directions), while each of the second antenna layers 400 has a horizontal structure oriented in the second and third directions. Each of the first antenna layers 300 may have a vertical structure oriented in the first direction (e.g., the main surface corresponding to the largest surface of each first antenna layer 300 extends in the first and second directions), and the planar area of the first antenna layer when viewed from the third direction is larger than the planar area of the first antenna layer when viewed from the first or second direction. In contrast, each of the second antenna layers 400 may have a horizontal structure oriented in the second and third directions (e.g., the main surface corresponding to the largest surface of each second antenna layer 400 extends in the second and third directions), and the planar area of the second antenna layer 400 when viewed from the first direction is larger than the planar area of the second antenna layer 400 when viewed from the second or third direction. The plurality of first antenna layers 300 may form a patch antenna by at least partially overlapping each other in the third direction, and the plurality of second antenna layers 400 may constitute a patch antenna by at least partially overlapping each other in the first direction. In this case, a patch antenna with a vertical structure and a patch antenna with a horizontal structure can be realized simultaneously in one antenna substrate 500B. As a result, the number of 5G antenna modules can be reduced.

[0067] Each of the second antenna layers 400 may include a pattern layer 412. Each of the pattern layers 412 may include a metallic material. As the metallic material, copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof may be used. The pattern layer 412 may be formed using AP, SAP, MSAP, TT, etc., and as a result, may include a seed layer as an electroless plating layer and an electrolytic plating layer formed based on the seed layer. The conductor pattern of each pattern layer 412 may have a planar shape. For example, the conductor pattern of each pattern layer 412 may extend in a planar shape along the second direction and the third direction, and the thickness of the conductor pattern of each pattern layer 412 in the first direction may be smaller than the dimensions of the thickness of the conductor pattern of each pattern layer 412 in both the second direction and the third direction. In addition, a plurality of pattern layers 412 may be stacked on one another in the first direction, and in the illustrated example, there may be no conductive vias therebetween within the stacked region. Additionally, the second antenna layer 400 may include three or more pattern layers 412 that are stacked on one another in the first direction and have a stacked region that is wider in each of the second direction and the third direction than its total thickness in the first direction. At least one of the plurality of wiring layers 211, 212, and 213 may be electrically connected to at least one pattern layer 412 of the plurality of second antenna layers 400. When a plurality of electronic components 251 are provided on the main body 100, the plurality of electronic components 251 may be respectively electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of first antenna layers 300 and at least one of the plurality of second antenna layers 400. Other content is substantially the same as the above content, and a detailed description thereof is omitted.

[0068] As described above, according to an example, an antenna substrate in which the antenna has a vertical structure without a separate cable substrate may be provided.

[0069] The meaning of "connected" in the present disclosure includes not only direct connection but also indirect connection such as bonding. Additionally, the term "electrically connected" means a concept that includes both physical connection and physical disconnection. Furthermore, the expressions "first" and "second" are used to distinguish one component from another component, and do not limit the order and / or importance, etc., of the components. In some cases, without departing from the scope of the rights, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

[0070] The expression "example" used in the present disclosure does not mean the same embodiment, but is provided to emphasize and explain different unique features. However, the above examples do not exclude the implementation of combinations of features described in different examples. For example, although a feature described in one specific example is not described in another example, it is understood that unless otherwise described or contradictory to another example, the feature may be implemented in another example.

[0071] The terms used in this disclosure are for illustrative examples only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, singular expressions include plural expressions.

[0072] Although this disclosure includes specific examples, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The description of a feature or aspect in each example will be considered applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Appropriate results may be obtained if the described techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are combined in a different manner, and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are replaced or supplemented with other components or their equivalents. Accordingly, the scope of this disclosure is not limited by the specific embodiments, but is defined by the claims and their equivalents, and all variations within the scope of the claims and their equivalents will be construed as being included in this disclosure.

Claims

1. An antenna substrate, comprising: a body including an insulating material; a plurality of wiring layers stacked on one another in a first direction within the body; and a plurality of first antenna layers stacked on one another in a third direction within the body, wherein each of the plurality of first antenna layers includes a plurality of conductive structures stacked in the first direction, and the plurality of conductive structures each have a length in a second direction that is greater than a length in a third direction perpendicular to the second direction, wherein the first direction is a vertical direction, and the second direction and the third direction are horizontal directions.

2. The antenna substrate according to claim 1, wherein a planar area in which each of the plurality of first antenna layers extends in the first direction and the second direction is greater than a planar area in which each of the plurality of first antenna layers extends in the second direction and the third direction.

3. The antenna substrate according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of each of the plurality of first antenna layers is stacked on one another in the third direction.

4. The antenna substrate according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of first antenna layers form a patch antenna.

5. The antenna substrate according to claim 1, the antenna substrate further comprising a plurality of second antenna layers stacked on one another in the first direction within the body.

6. The antenna substrate according to claim 5, wherein a planar area in which each of the plurality of second antenna layers extends in the second direction and the third direction is greater than each of a planar area in which each of the plurality of second antenna layers extends in the first direction and the second direction and a planar area in which each of the plurality of second antenna layers extends in the first direction and the third direction.

7. The antenna substrate according to claim 1, the antenna substrate further comprising an electronic component disposed on a surface of the body and electrically connected to at least a part of the plurality of wiring layers, wherein the electronic component includes at least one of a power management integrated circuit, a radio frequency integrated circuit, and a passive component.

8. An antenna substrate, comprising: a plurality of insulating layers stacked in a first vertical direction; and an antenna layer including a plurality of pattern layers and a plurality of via layers, the plurality of pattern layers being stacked in the first vertical direction within the plurality of insulating layers, and the plurality of via layers passing through the plurality of insulating layers in the first vertical direction and connecting the plurality of pattern layers to one another, wherein each via layer of the plurality of via layers has a conductive via in a bar shape having a length in a second horizontal direction that is greater than a length in a third horizontal direction perpendicular to the second horizontal direction.

9. The antenna substrate according to claim 8, wherein in the first vertical direction, the conductive vias of the plurality of via layers are provided in a form of stacked vias, and the plurality of pattern layers are interposed between the conductive vias of the plurality of via layers.

10. The antenna substrate according to claim 8, wherein The conductor pattern of each of the plurality of pattern layers has a strip shape in which the length in the second horizontal direction is greater than the length in the third horizontal direction of the conductor pattern of each of the plurality of pattern layers.

11. The antenna substrate according to claim 10, wherein, the antenna substrate includes a plurality of antenna layers including the antenna layer, and the antenna layers in the plurality of antenna layers are stacked along the third horizontal direction.

12. The antenna substrate according to claim 8, the antenna substrate further includes: a plurality of wiring layers stacked in the first vertical direction within the plurality of insulating layers; and a plurality of wiring via layers penetrating the plurality of insulating layers in the first vertical direction to connect the plurality of wiring layers to each other.

13. The antenna substrate according to claim 12, wherein, at least one of the plurality of wiring layers is electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of pattern layers.

14. The antenna substrate according to claim 12, the antenna substrate further includes a plurality of passivation layers respectively disposed on the uppermost insulating layer and the lowermost insulating layer in the first vertical direction among the plurality of insulating layers.

15. An antenna substrate, including: a main body including a plurality of insulating layers stacked along a first direction; and a patch antenna including three or more first antenna layers stacked on each other in a third direction in the main body, wherein each of the three or more first antenna layers extends through two or more of the plurality of insulating layers, and the planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the first direction and the second direction is larger than the planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the second direction and the third direction and the planar area in which each of the three or more first antenna layers extends in the first direction and the third direction, wherein the first direction is a vertical direction, the second direction and the third direction are horizontal directions, and the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

16. The antenna substrate according to claim 15, wherein, each of the three or more first antenna layers includes a plurality of pattern layers and a plurality of via layers, the plurality of pattern layers are stacked on each other in the first direction, and each of the plurality of via layers includes conductive vias having a strip shape in which the length in the second direction is greater than the length in the third direction.

17. The antenna substrate according to claim 16, wherein, the conductive vias of the plurality of via layers of each corresponding first antenna layer are stacked on each other in the first direction and are stacked with the plurality of pattern layers of the corresponding first antenna layer.

18. The antenna substrate according to claim 15, the antenna substrate further includes: a second patch antenna disposed adjacent to the patch antenna in the main body and including a plurality of second antenna layers stacked on each other along the first direction in the main body, Among them, each of the plurality of second antenna layers has a pattern layer, and the pattern layer is disposed on a corresponding one of the plurality of insulating layers and is stacked with the pattern layers of other second antenna layers in the first direction.

19. The antenna substrate according to claim 18, wherein, the planar area of each pattern layer of the second antenna layer extending in the second direction and the third direction is larger than the planar area of each pattern layer of the second antenna layer extending in the first direction and the second direction and the planar area extending in the first direction and the third direction.

20. The antenna substrate according to claim 15, wherein, each of the three or more first antenna layers includes a plurality of conductive vias extending through a corresponding one of the plurality of insulating layers, and the conductive vias of at least three different first antenna layers are aligned to be stacked with each other in the third direction in the main body.

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