Signal transmission device

Abstract

This application discloses a signal processor for transmitting radio frequency signals output by a chip. The signal processor includes a substrate and a connector. The substrate is coupled to the chip. The substrate includes a waveguide configured to transmit the radio frequency signal in a first direction. The connector is coupled to the substrate and configured to extract the radio frequency signal from the substrate and transmit it in a second direction, which is perpendicular to the substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal transmission device, in particular to a radio frequency signal transmission device. Background Art

[0002] Insertion loss is a key parameter in RF signal transmission quality. When different conductors are present along the transmission path, proper impedance matching is necessary to minimize insertion loss. Insertion loss increases particularly with increasing RF signal frequency. Therefore, effectively reducing insertion loss during RF signal transmission has become a crucial issue in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention discloses a signal processor for transmitting radio frequency signals output by a chip, comprising a substrate and a connector. The substrate is coupled to the chip. The substrate includes a waveguide configured to transmit the radio frequency signal in a first direction. The connector is coupled to the substrate and configured to extract the radio frequency signal from the substrate and transmit it in a second direction perpendicular to the substrate.

[0004] The present invention discloses a signal transmission device for transmitting radio frequency signals output by a chip. The device comprises a microstrip line, a substrate, and a connector. The microstrip line is coupled to the chip to receive the radio frequency signal. The substrate is coupled to the microstrip line to transmit the radio frequency signal in a transverse electric field mode along a first direction. The connector is configured to direct the radio frequency signal from the substrate along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0005] The signal transmission device of the present invention utilizes a substrate and a through-hole on the substrate to form a waveguide to transmit radio frequency signals, and guides the radio frequency signals vertically out of the substrate. Compared with the prior art, the signal transmission device of the present invention has better impedance matching and better transmission efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The various aspects of this application are best understood when reading the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in accordance with standard practice in the art, the various features in the drawings are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of certain features may be intentionally exaggerated or reduced for clarity of description.

[0007] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a signal transmission device in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of a conductive layer and a microstrip line in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5Schematic cross-sectional view of a signal transmission device in some embodiments of the present invention.

[0010]

Explanation of symbols

[0011] 10: Signal transmission device

[0012] 20: Chip

[0013] 21: Pin

[0014] 100:Substrate

[0015] 110: conductive layer

[0016] 110a: Interior

[0017] 110b: External

[0018] 111: Annular hollow pattern

[0019] 120: conductive layer

[0020] 130: dielectric layer

[0021] 200: Microstrip line

[0022] 300: Connector

[0023] 310: Inner conductor

[0024] 320: Outer conductor

[0025] 330: Insulation layer

[0026] A: Distance

[0027] Ag:Distance

[0028] C1: Through-hole row

[0029] D1: diameter

[0030] D2: diameter

[0031] D3: diameter

[0032] h: distance

[0033] L1: distance

[0034] L2: distance

[0035] P: distance

[0036] R1: Through hole row

[0037] R2: Through hole column

[0038] S: RF signal

[0039] VG:Through hole

[0040] VP: via

[0041] VS: Through-hole

[0042] W1: Length

[0043] W2: Length

[0044] X: direction

[0045] Y: direction

[0046] Z: direction DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Figure 1 FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a signal transmission device 10 of the present invention in the XZ plane. The signal transmission device 10 is used to transmit a radio frequency signal S output by a chip 20. The signal transmission device 10 includes a substrate 100, a microstrip line 200, and a connector 300. The substrate 100 is a double-layer board structure having a conductive layer 110 and a conductive layer 120, separated by a dielectric layer 130 and spaced apart by a distance h. The chip 20 is disposed on the substrate 100 and transmits the radio frequency signal S to the microstrip line 200 via the pin 21 of the chip 20. The microstrip line 200 is coupled between the pin 21 and the conductive layer 110 to transmit the radio frequency signal S to the conductive layer 110. The connector 300 is disposed on the substrate 100 to output the radio frequency signal S from the substrate 100.

[0048] In some embodiments, the substrate 100 is a double-layer printed circuit board, and the microstrip line 200 and the conductive layer 110 are a single conductive structure on one side of the double-layer printed circuit board. Figure 1 The single conductive structure disposed above the dielectric layer 130 is patterned to form the microstrip line 200 and the conductive layer 110. Conductive layer 120 is a ground layer formed by the single conductive structure on the other side of the double-layer printed circuit board (i.e., below the dielectric layer 130). In some embodiments, dielectric layer 130 comprises a Megtron dielectric material, such as Megtron 6. Chip 20, microstrip line 200, and conductive layer 110 are disposed on the same side of substrate 100. Chip 20 is further grounded by coupling to conductive layer 120 via vias VP.

[0049] The RF signal S propagates along the X-direction on the microstrip line 200 and substrate 100, and along the Z-direction on the connector 300. Due to differences in the shape, material, and transmission direction of the transmission medium, the design of the microstrip line 200, substrate 100, and connector 300 requires impedance matching based on the frequency and mode of the RF signal S to maintain transmission quality. Details are as follows.

[0050] Figure 2A schematic diagram of the conductive layer 110 and microstrip line 200 of the substrate 100 in the XY plane is shown. In the XY plane, the microstrip line 200 is trapezoidal, with a short side of length W1 and a long side of length W2 adjacent to the conductive layer 110. The long side and the short side are separated by a distance L1. In one embodiment, a radio frequency signal S is transmitted in the microstrip line 200 in a transverse electromagnetic mode (TEM mode).

[0051] In some embodiments, the distance L1 is between approximately 0.5 and 1 times the wavelength of the radio frequency signal S transmitted on the substrate 100. For example, when the frequency of the radio frequency signal S is 60 GHz, the distance L1 may be 2 mm. In this embodiment, the length W1 is approximately 0.2 mm, and the length W2 is approximately 0.67 mm.

[0052] The substrate 100 includes a plurality of through holes VG and a plurality of through holes VS, wherein the diameters of the through holes VG and the through holes VS are D. Figure 2 It can be seen that the through-holes VG are arranged along the X-direction in through-hole rows R1 and R2 on the conductive layer 110, and the through-holes VS are arranged along the Y-direction in through-hole row C1 on the conductive layer 110. There are an equal number of through-holes VG in through-hole rows R1 and R2, respectively, and the centers of two adjacent through-holes VG in through-hole rows R1 and R2 are spaced apart by a distance P. The distance A is between the center of a through-hole VG in through-hole row R1 and the center of the corresponding through-hole VG in through-hole row R2. In other words, the distance A is between through-hole row R1 and through-hole row R2. The shortest distance between the edge of a through-hole VG in through-hole row R1 and the edge of the corresponding through-hole VG in through-hole row R2 is Ag. The area surrounded by through-hole rows R1, R2, and through-hole row C1 on the substrate 100 serves as a waveguide for transmitting radio frequency signals S. In some embodiments, the substrate 100 is also referred to as a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW).

[0053] In some embodiments, the radio frequency signal S is transmitted in the waveguide in a transverse electric mode (TM mode), for example, in TM mode. 1,0 In this embodiment, the 60GHz RF signal S is transmitted in the TM 1,0 The conduction frequency of the mode is about 42.86 GHz. The relationship between diameter D, distance P and distance A can be obtained by using equations (1) and (2).

[0054]

[0055]

[0056] where fc is the cutoff frequency of the RF signal S, c is the speed of light, ε r is the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer 130 .

[0057] In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer 130 is approximately 3.6, the diameter D is approximately 0.2 mm, the distance P is approximately 0.3 mm, and the distance A is approximately 1.99 mm.

[0058] In some embodiments, the distance Ag and the length W2 have the relationship as shown in the following equation (3).

[0059] W2≈0.4×Ag (3)

[0060] Please also refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 . Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the substrate 100 on the XZ plane is shown, which is obtained by taking a cross-sectional line passing through the center of each through hole VG in the through hole row R1 . Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of substrate 100 along the YZ plane is shown, taken along a section line passing through the center of each via VS in via row C1. Vias VG and VS are hollow structures in dielectric layer 130. These vias VG and VS extend from conductive layer 110 along the Z direction through dielectric layer 130 to conductive layer 120.

[0061] Back to Figure 2 Conductive layer 110 includes an annular hollow pattern 111. Annular hollow pattern 111 separates conductive layer 110 into an insulated inner portion 110a and an outer portion 110b. The center of annular hollow pattern 111 is located at a distance L2 from via row C1. In some embodiments, the outer diameter D2 of annular hollow pattern 111 is approximately 0.7 mm, and the inner diameter D3 of annular hollow pattern 111 is approximately 0.5 mm.

[0062] In some embodiments, the through-holes VS arranged in through-hole row C1 are also referred to as short-circuit walls. The distance L2 between the through-holes VS and the center of the annular hollow pattern 111 is used to adjust the impedance matching between the substrate 100 and the adapter 300. More specifically, the through-holes VS arranged in through-hole row C1 are used to reduce the return loss and insertion loss of the RF signal S transmitted from the substrate 100 to the connector 300. The distance L2 is approximately 0.35 times the wavelength of the RF signal S transmitted through the substrate 100, which achieves optimal return loss and insertion loss. In this embodiment, the distance L2 is approximately 0.4 mm.

[0063] In some embodiments, the impedance matching between the substrate 100 and the adapter 300 is independent of the distance between the center of the annular hollow pattern 111 and the microstrip line 200 .

[0064] Please also refer to Figure 5 . Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of the substrate 100 on the XZ plane is shown, which is obtained by taking a cross-sectional line passing through the center of the annular hollow pattern 111 and parallel to the through-hole rows R1 and R2. Figure 5 Only a portion of the substrate 100 and microstrip line 200 is shown. The substrate 100 further includes a via VC extending from the conductive layer 110 through the dielectric layer 130 along the Z direction to the conductive layer 120. The via VC comprises a conductive material and electrically couples the inner portion 110a of the conductive layer 110 to the conductive layer 120.

[0065] The connector 300 is generally disposed on the annular hollow pattern 111 of the conductive layer 110. The connector 300 includes an inner conductor 310, an outer conductor 320, and an insulating layer 330. The insulating layer 330 is used to separate the inner conductor 310 and the outer conductor 320 from each other, thereby electrically insulating the inner conductor 310 from the outer conductor 320. The inner conductor 310 is electrically coupled to the inner portion 110a of the conductive layer 110 within the annular hollow pattern 111, so that the inner conductor 310 is also electrically coupled to the conductive via VC and the conductive layer 120. The outer conductor 320 is electrically coupled to the outer portion 110b of the conductive layer 110 outside the annular hollow pattern 111. The connector 300 is used to guide the radio frequency signal S originally transmitted in the X direction on the substrate 100 vertically in the Z direction.

[0066] The above description briefly introduces the features of certain embodiments of the present invention, so that those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can more fully understand the various aspects of the content of this application. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should understand that they can easily use the content of the present invention as a basis to design or change other processes and structures to achieve the same purpose and / or achieve the same advantages as the embodiment herein. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should understand that these equal embodiments still fall within the spirit and scope of the content of the present invention, and they can be subjected to various changes, substitutions and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the content of the present invention.

Claims

1. A signal transmission device for transmitting a radio frequency signal output by a chip, characterized in that: Include: a substrate coupled to the chip, wherein the substrate comprises a waveguide for transmitting the radio frequency signal along a first direction; and a connector coupled to the substrate for conducting the radio frequency signal from the substrate and transmitting the signal along a second direction perpendicular to the substrate; The substrate further comprises: a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer; and a dielectric layer, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are stacked and separated by the dielectric layer, wherein the waveguide is constituted by at least a portion of the first conductive layer, wherein the dielectric layer has a plurality of first through holes extending from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer along the second direction, wherein the first through holes are arranged along the first direction into a first through hole row and a second through hole row, wherein the radio frequency signal is transmitted between the first through hole row and the second through hole row by the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, wherein the portion of the first conductive layer is a portion surrounded by the first through hole row and the second through hole row, and The dielectric layer further includes a plurality of second through holes extending from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer along the second direction, wherein the second through holes are arranged between the first through hole row and the second through hole row, and are arranged into a first through hole row along a third direction, wherein the third direction, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

2. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that The first conductive layer includes an annular hollow pattern surrounded by the first through-hole row, the second through-hole row and the first through-hole line. An area of ​​the first conductive layer within the annular hollow pattern is not coupled to an area of ​​the first conductive layer outside the annular hollow pattern.

3. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that The dielectric layer further includes a via hole penetrating from the first conductive layer along the second direction to the second conductive layer, wherein the via hole is used to electrically connect the area within the annular hollow pattern and the second conductive layer.

4. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that The connector contains: an inner conductor coupled to the area within the annular hollow pattern; an insulating layer; and An outer conductor is coupled to the area outside the annular hollow pattern, wherein the insulating layer is disposed between the inner conductor and the outer conductor.

5. A signal transmission device for transmitting a radio frequency signal output by a chip, characterized in that: Include: a microstrip line coupled to the chip for receiving the radio frequency signal; a substrate coupled to the microstrip line for transmitting the radio frequency signal in a transverse electric field mode along a first direction; and a connector for conducting the radio frequency signal from the substrate along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; The substrate further comprises: a first conductive layer coupled between the microstrip line and the connector; a second conductive layer coupled to a ground terminal; and a dielectric layer, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are stacked and separated by the dielectric layer, The dielectric layer has a plurality of first through holes extending from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer along the second direction, wherein the first through holes are arranged into a first through hole row and a second through hole row along the first direction, wherein the microstrip line couples the first conductive layer between the first through hole row and the second through hole row.

6. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that The dielectric layer further includes a plurality of second through holes extending from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer along the second direction, wherein the second through holes are arranged between the first through hole row and the second through hole row and arranged into a first through hole row along a third direction, wherein the third direction, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other.

7. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that The first conductive layer includes an annular hollow pattern surrounded by the first through-hole row, the second through-hole row and the first through-hole line. An area of ​​the first conductive layer within the annular hollow pattern is not coupled to an area of ​​the first conductive layer outside the annular hollow pattern.

8. The signal transmission device as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that The dielectric layer further includes a via hole penetrating from the first conductive layer to the second conductive layer along the second direction, wherein the via hole is used to electrically connect the area within the annular hollow pattern and the second conductive layer.

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