A miniaturized surface-mount transceiver component based on SIP

Abstract

The present invention relates to the design field of transceiver modules in active phased array radars, and proposes a miniaturized surface-mounted transceiver module based on SIP, which includes a transmitting channel and a receiving channel. Modules with various functions are integrated on an HTCC multi-layer dielectric substrate to jointly form a miniaturized microwave three-dimensional structure. Multiple microwave integrated circuit chips, a feeding network, and peripheral circuits are integrated in a small housing based on HTCC packaging, and each component is interconnected by gold wires or soldering. The control circuit is drawn on an alumina ceramic substrate, and the cover plate is encapsulated by parallel seam welding. The module of the present invention has the advantages of high performance, low cost, high integration, miniaturization, and easy unified installation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a miniaturized surface-mounted transceiver module based on SIP, belonging to the technical field of radar detection modules. Background Art

[0002] Since the last century, radar technology has been widely used in fields such as detection, meteorology, and aviation. After the 1990s, active phased array radars have become the mainstream in radar development. Each active phased array radar contains a certain number of transceiver modules, which include both a receiving part and a transmitting part. As one of the core components of active phased array radars, with the increasing requirements of modern technology for active phased array radars, higher requirements are also put forward for each performance of the transceiver module, requiring high integration, low cost, good consistency, small size, light weight, etc., and being able to adapt to different working platforms and environments.

[0003] The SIP (System in Package) technology of transceiver modules is undoubtedly the key development direction in the future. Co-fired ceramics, as a potential three-dimensional packaging technology for transceiver modules, have triggered a research upsurge among domestic and foreign institutions. Currently, feasible three-dimensional packaging technologies include multi-layer thin film technology, HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic) technology, and LTCC (Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic) technology. The advantage of thin film technology is high line accuracy, using materials with low resistivity such as Cu and Au as conduction bands, with small microwave losses. Its disadvantage is insufficient power resistance and high cost for multi-layers; the advantage of HTCC is high thermal conductivity and low cost, and the disadvantage is slightly larger microwave losses due to using pastes with high resistivity to make conduction bands; while LTCC has the advantages of high reliability, low loss, low dielectric constant, and low expansion coefficient, but the cost is relatively expensive. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above problems existing in the manufacturing process of existing transceiver modules, and propose a miniaturized surface-mounted transceiver module based on SIP, which combines each functional MMIC with the packaging housing for system integration design, having the advantages of high performance, low cost, high integration, small size, and easy unified installation, providing strong technical support for realizing the high performance and miniaturization of existing active radar systems.

[0005] Technical solution of the present invention: A miniaturized surface-mounted transceiver component based on SIP, whose structure includes a transmitting link module, a receiving link module, a power management module, an HTCC ceramic housing, a metal ring frame and a cover plate; wherein the transmitting link module is composed of an attenuator and a power amplifier; the receiving link module is composed of two quadrature hybrids, a high-power load, two limiters and two low-noise amplifiers to form a power absorption structure; the power management module is composed of a multi-functional power modulation chip and a PMOS; the modules with various functions are integrated on a multi-layer HTCC ceramic housing, and together with the metal ring frame and the cover plate, they form a miniaturized three-dimensional structure.

[0006] Further, the signal of the transmitting link module enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, is connected to the attenuator, and after being amplified by the power amplifier to a certain index, is output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing; the signal of the receiving link module enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, first passes through the quadrature hybrid 1 to divide the signal equally, one path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 1 and the low-noise amplifier 1, and the other path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 2 and the low-noise amplifier 2, and then the two paths of signals are synthesized by the quadrature hybrid 2 and output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing.

[0007] Further, the HTCC ceramic housing is formed by laminating multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates together, with a layer height of 0.2 mm, 6 layers in total, a total ceramic thickness of 1.2 mm, and an overall height of 2.45 mm; the metal ring frame is welded on the topmost ceramic substrate, the cover plate is installed on the top of the metal ring frame by parallel seam welding, and each module circuit device is placed inside the core cavity at the bottom of the cover plate through an assembly process.

[0008] Further, there is a good conductor metal covered between the multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates, which are L1 to L7 from bottom to top, where L1 is the bottom layer, and 36 lead-out terminal pins are evenly distributed around it. There are metallized hanging holes above each port of the lead-out terminal pins; the middle metal layer is grounded and there is a central metal in the center; L2 to L5 are the middle layers, with RF signal traces and power control circuits distributed, and a grounding conductor is covered outside the circuits; the L6 layer is the top layer of the signal line and also the bottom of the core cavity, and its surface is provided with MMICs and signal line pads, and the MMICs are interconnected with each other and with the signal line pads by jumpers formed by gold wires with a diameter of 25 um in the air.

[0009] Further, the multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates are interconnected by a number of metal vias, each with a diameter of 0.13 mm. The interconnection method between layers includes RF via interconnection and power and control signal via interconnection. Among them, the RF path is a coaxial-like structure with a 50-ohm impedance, and the RF port and the power and control signal ports are printed by metal conductive bands on the periphery of L1.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0011] 1) High performance: First, the interconnection between functional circuit modules uses vertical metallized vias, reducing the parasitic effects brought by package interconnection. Second, since the distance between the deficit solder pad and the MMIC (Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit) chip is very small, the length of the gold wire is reduced, and the impact on the performance of the MMIC chip is lowered. Third, the use of metallized shorting vias between multiple ground planes effectively suppresses the planar waveguide mode and resonance between multiple ground planes, ensuring the high-stability operation of the transceiver module.

[0012] 2) Low cost: First, the HTCC (High Temperature Co-fired Ceramic) technology is adopted. The material itself has the advantage of low cost, and the manufacturing process is mature, facilitating the integrated design in industry and reducing the R & D cost. Second, compared with traditional planar circuits, the assembly process and time in the transceiver module are reduced, effectively reducing the assembly cost.

[0013] 3) High integration and miniaturization: First, in the HTCC three-dimensional structure, due to the use of metal vias, the spacing and size of signal traces, solder pads, pins, etc. are greatly reduced. Second, the size of the MMIC chip is very small, enabling the transceiver module to integrate various functional circuit modules with high density. The above two reasons ultimately achieve the high integration and miniaturization of the transceiver module device.

[0014] 4) Easy to standardize and assemble: The module of this invention has a relatively regular cube shape, which is conducive to the standardized design of the radar system; the assembly generally uses reflow soldering, and the process is mature, stable and reliable. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Att Figure 1 is the schematic diagram of the miniaturized surface-mount transceiver module based on SIP of the present invention.

[0016] Att Figure 2 is the structural sectional view of the miniaturized surface-mount transceiver module based on SIP of the present invention.

[0017] Att Figure 3 is the bottom pin port layout bottom view of the miniaturized surface-mount transceiver module based on SIP of the present invention.

[0018] In the figure, 1 is the lead pin, 2 is the intermediate metal layer, 3 - 11 are metal vias, 12 is the gold wire, 13 is the MMIC, 14 is the signal line solder pad, 15 is the cover plate, 16 is the core cavity, 17 is the metal ring frame, 18 is the HTCC ceramic housing, 19 is the metallized hanging hole, 20 is the central metal. Detailed Embodiment

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same or similar reference numerals represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below by referring to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0020] To simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention may repeat reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples. Such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, and does not itself indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art may be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0021] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to terms such as "one embodiment", "certain embodiments", "schematic embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0022] The schematic diagram of the transceiver component of the miniaturized surface-mount transceiver component based on SIP proposed by the present invention is as Figure 1 shown. The chain consists of three parts, namely a transmit link module, a receive link module, and a power management module. The transmit link signal enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, connects to the attenuator (ATT), and after being amplified to a certain index by the power amplifier (PA), is output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing; the receive link signal enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, first divides the signal equally through the quadrature hybrid 1, one path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 1 and the low-noise amplifier 1 (LNA1), and the other path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 2 and the low-noise amplifier 2 (LNA1). Then the two paths of signals are combined through the quadrature hybrid 2 and output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing; the power management module is mainly composed of a multi-functional power modulation chip and a PMOS. Among them, the multi-functional power modulation chip integrates multiple power modulation functions, can output several modulation signals simultaneously, and also integrates a negative voltage regulation function to provide a stable gate voltage for the power amplifier; the PMOS greatly increases the driving ability of the drain voltage modulation signal, enabling it to drive the power amplifier to work normally.

[0023] Figure 2It is a cross-sectional view of the transceiver module. The material for the SIP package housing is alumina ceramic. Considering the mechanical strength and system index requirements, the layer height is selected to be 0.2 mm in thickness, the number of layers is 6, the total thickness of the ceramic is 1.2 mm, and the overall height is 2.45 mm (tolerance is ±0.2 mm).

[0024] Figure 2 The names of different layer metal conduction bands are marked in it. Counting from the bottom up, they are L1 to L7 respectively. L1 is the bottom layer, and 36 lead-out pins 1 are evenly distributed around it. The middle metal layer 2 is grounded; L2 - L5 are middle layers, mainly distributed with RF signal traces and power control circuits, etc. The ground conductor is covered outside the circuits, which can effectively shield the mutual interference between each signal line; The L6 layer is the top layer of the signal line and also the bottom of the core cavity 16. It mainly places each MMIC 13 and signal line pads 14. The MMICs are interconnected with each other and with the pads through 25-μm gold wires 12 to form jumpers in the air.

[0025] Multiple metal vias 3 - 11 are used to interconnect multiple layers of ceramics. The diameter of each metal via is 0.13 mm. The interconnection between layers includes RF via interconnection and power and control signal via interconnection. Among them, the RF path is a quasi-coaxial structure with a 50-ohm impedance, which shields signal crosstalk and has a small transmission loss. It is obtained by optimizing electromagnetic field simulation. Finally, the in-band transmission loss is less than 0.1 dB, and the input standing wave is less than 1.15; The top layer ceramic supports the metal ring frame 17, which together with the cover plate 15 and L6 forms a closed cavity, which can effectively prevent external signal interference.

[0026] The RF ports, power supply, and lead-out pins 1 are all printed on the periphery of the bottom L1 of the ceramic by metal conduction bands. The HTCC ceramic housing 18 is designed with metallized hanging holes 19 above the outside of each lead-out pin 1 RF port, which facilitates the unified design and installation of the transceiver module on the radar whole machine.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a bottom view of the layout of the pin ports at the bottom of the transceiver module. 36 lead-out pins 1 are evenly distributed around the bottom of the module as RF ports, among which 4 RF ports are respectively the transmit input end, transmit output end, receive input end, and receive output end; The remaining ports are all power supply, control ports, and ground ports. Each port is designed with a metallized hanging hole 19. The central metal 20 at the bottom of the housing is grounded, and a chamfer is made at the upper left corner to mark the direction. The above design facilitates the unified design and installation of the transceiver module on the radar whole machine.

[0028] Through the above design, the overall size of the SIP-based S-band surface-mount transceiver module is 11mm * 11mm * 2.45mm, the transmit output power is greater than 41.5dBm, the efficiency is greater than 55%, the noise figure is less than 1.5dB, and the receive gain is greater than 27dB, achieving the design goals of high performance, low cost, and miniaturization.

[0029] The above is only a preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, according to the technical solution and concept of the present invention, making equivalent substitutions or changes, should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A miniaturized surface-mounted transceiver component based on SIP, characterized in that: its structure includes a transmitting link module, a receiving link module, a power management module, an HTCC ceramic housing, a metal ring frame and a cover plate; wherein the transmitting link module is composed of an attenuator and a power amplifier; the receiving link module is composed of two quadrature hybrids, high-power loads, two limiters and two low-noise amplifiers to form a power absorption structure; the power management module is composed of a multi-functional power modulation chip and a PMOS; the modules with various functions are integrated on a multi-layer HTCC ceramic housing, and together with the metal ring frame and the cover plate, they form a miniaturized three-dimensional structure; The signal of the transmitting link module enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, is connected to the attenuator, and after being amplified by the power amplifier to a certain index, it is output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing; the signal of the receiving link module enters from the RF pin at the bottom of the housing, first passes through the quadrature hybrid 1 to divide the signal equally, one path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 1 and the low-noise amplifier 1, the other path of the signal is amplified by the limiter 2 and the low-noise amplifier 2, then the two paths of signals are synthesized by the quadrature hybrid 2, and then output through the RF pin at the bottom of the housing; The HTCC ceramic housing is formed by laminating multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates together, with a layer height of 0.2 mm, 6 layers in total, a total ceramic thickness of 1.2 mm, and an overall height of 2.45 mm; the metal ring frame is welded on the topmost ceramic substrate, the cover plate is installed on the top of the metal ring frame by parallel seam welding, and the circuit devices of each module are placed inside the core cavity at the bottom of the cover plate through an assembly process; There is a good conductor metal between the multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates, which are L1 to L7 from bottom to top, where L1 is the bottom layer, with 36 lead-out terminal pins evenly distributed around it, and there are metallized hanging holes above each port of the lead-out terminal pins; the middle metal layer is grounded and there is a central metal in the center; L2 to L5 are the middle layers, with RF signal traces and power control circuits distributed, and there is a grounding conductor covering outside the circuits; the L6 layer is the top layer of the signal line and also the bottom of the core cavity, and its surface is provided with MMICs and signal line pads, and the MMICs are interconnected with each other and with the signal line pads by jumpers formed by gold wires with a diameter of 25 um in the air; The multi-layer alumina ceramic substrates are interconnected by a number of metal vias, each metal via has a diameter of 0.13 mm, and the interconnection method between layers includes RF via interconnection and power and control signal via interconnection. Among them, the RF path is a coaxial-like structure with a 50-ohm impedance, and the RF port and the power and control signal port are printed by metal conductive bands on the periphery of L1.

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