Electronic devices and methods of manufacturing thereof

Abstract

This invention relates to an electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same, comprising stacking a carrier structure on a circuit board having a reflector via a plurality of conductive elements, and respectively arranging a microstrip line and an antenna layer communicating with the reflector on opposite sides of the carrier structure, and providing an antenna spacer on the carrier structure, then covering the antenna spacer with an encapsulation layer, and then forming an antenna portion communicating with the antenna layer on the encapsulation layer, thereby obtaining better antenna performance by placing the microstrip line on the bottom layer of the carrier structure and placing the antenna layer on the top layer of the carrier structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device having an antenna module and a method for manufacturing the same. Background Technology

[0002] The increased image quality of multimedia content has led to larger file sizes, necessitating larger wireless transmission bandwidth, thus giving rise to fifth-generation wireless transmission (5G). Furthermore, due to its higher transmission frequency, 5G also requires larger sizes for its related wireless communication modules.

[0003] In existing antenna modules, when the antenna structure is planar, the electromagnetic radiation characteristics between the antenna structure and electronic components are limited, making it difficult to improve antenna performance. Therefore, overcoming these problems in the existing technology has become an urgent issue for the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides an electronic device and a method for manufacturing the same, which can achieve better antenna performance.

[0005] The electronic device of the present invention includes: a circuit board; a carrier structure having opposing first and second sides, and stacked on the circuit board via a plurality of conductive elements on the second side; an antenna layer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure; a microstrip line disposed on the second side of the carrier structure, wherein the position of the antenna layer corresponds to the position of the microstrip line; an antenna portion disposed on the encapsulation layer and communicatively connected to the antenna layer; an antenna spacer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure corresponding to the position of the antenna layer and located between the antenna layer and the antenna portion; an encapsulation layer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure for covering the antenna spacer; and a reflector disposed on the side of the circuit board facing the carrier structure and communicatively connected to the antenna layer.

[0006] The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising the following steps: providing a carrier structure having a first side and a second side opposite to each other, wherein an antenna layer is disposed on the first side and a microstrip line is disposed on the second side such that the position of the antenna layer corresponds to the position of the microstrip line; providing an antenna spacer on the first side of the carrier structure; forming an encapsulation layer on the first side of the carrier structure such that the encapsulation layer covers the antenna spacer; attaching an antenna portion communicating with the antenna layer to the encapsulation layer on the first side of the carrier structure; and placing the carrier structure with its second side connected to a circuit board having a reflector via a plurality of conductive elements, wherein the reflector is disposed on the side of the circuit board facing the carrier structure and communicating with the antenna layer.

[0007] In the aforementioned electronic device and its manufacturing method, a plurality of electrical contact pads are formed on the second side of the support structure, and the plurality of conductive elements are disposed only on a portion of the plurality of electrical contact pads.

[0008] In the aforementioned electronic device and its manufacturing method, the antenna layer is a coplanar waveguide, and the width of the reflector is greater than the width of the coplanar waveguide. The antenna layer is communicatively connected to the reflector through the plurality of conductive elements and a portion of the plurality of electrical contact pads.

[0009] In the aforementioned electronic device and its manufacturing method, the antenna section includes an antenna body that is communicatively connected to the antenna layer, and the position of the antenna body corresponds to the position of the antenna spacer, wherein the position of the reflector corresponds to the position of the antenna layer.

[0010] In the aforementioned electronic device and its manufacturing method, an electronic component is further disposed on the first side of the support structure, and when the encapsulation layer is formed on the first side of the support structure, the encapsulation layer is also made to cover the electronic component.

[0011] As can be seen from the above, the electronic device and its manufacturing method of the present invention mainly achieve better antenna performance by placing microstrip lines on the second side of the carrier structure and placing each conductive element only on a portion of the electrical contact pad. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the antenna module of the electronic device of the present invention.

[0014] Figures 3A to 3G This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the manufacturing method of the electronic device of the present invention.

[0015] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0016] 2: Electronic devices

[0017] 2a: Antenna Module

[0018] 2b: Circuit board

[0019] 20: Load-bearing structure

[0020] 20a: First side

[0021] 20b: Second side

[0022] 200: Insulation layer

[0023] 201: Line Layer

[0024] 202: Antenna Layer

[0025] 203: Microstrip Line

[0026] 21: Electronic Components

[0027] 21a: Surface of Action

[0028] 21b: Non-acting surface

[0029] 210: Conductive bump

[0030] 22: Antenna spacer

[0031] 220: Bonding layer

[0032] 23: Encapsulation layer

[0033] 24: Antenna section

[0034] 24a: Antenna body

[0035] 24b: Cover body

[0036] 240: Dielectric layer

[0037] 242: Insulating protective layer

[0038] 25: Reflector

[0039] 26: Conductive elements

[0040] 260: Electrical contact pad

[0041] 9: Support components

[0042] 90: Adhesive layer

[0043] A: First Area

[0044] B: Second Area

[0045] H: Distance

[0046] P1: Width of the reflector

[0047] P2: Width of the coplanar waveguide. Detailed Implementation

[0048] The following describes the implementation of the present invention through specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0049] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., illustrated in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effects and objectives achieved by the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, the terms such as "above," "first," "second," and "a" used in this specification are merely for clarity of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electronic device of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 2 includes at least an antenna module 2a and a circuit board 2b with a reflector 25. The antenna module 2a includes a support structure 20, an electronic component 21, an antenna spacer 22, an encapsulation layer 23, and an antenna section 24.

[0051] The supporting structure 20 has a first side 20a and a second side 20b. At least one antenna layer 202 is disposed on the first side 20a to serve as a coplanar waveguide (CPW), and a microstrip line 203 is disposed on the second side 20b, such that the position of the antenna layer 202 corresponds to the position of the microstrip line 203, and the antenna layer 202 covers the microstrip line 203. Furthermore, multiple conductive elements 26 are embedded on the second side 20b, allowing the antenna module 2a to be stacked on the circuit board 2b via these conductive elements 26. The conductive elements 26 can be ball grid array connectors, solder balls, metal pillars, microbumps, or other similar components, and the material forming the conductive elements 26 can be solder, copper, aluminum, gold, nickel, silver, palladium, tin, or combinations thereof.

[0052] Electronic component 21 is disposed on the first side 20a of the support structure 20 and electrically connected to the support structure 20.

[0053] Antenna spacer 22 is also disposed on the first side 20a of the support structure 20, and the antenna spacer 22 is disposed separately from the electronic component 21.

[0054] The encapsulation layer 23 is disposed on the first side 20a of the support structure 20 and covers the electronic component 21 and the antenna spacer 22.

[0055] The antenna section 24 has an antenna body 24a covered by an insulating material, which is disposed on the encapsulation layer 23 and is communicatively connected to the support structure 20.

[0056] The reflector 25 is disposed on a surface of the circuit board 2b facing the second side 20b of the support structure 20 (i.e., the reflector 25 is disposed between the second side 20b of the support structure 20 and the circuit board 2b), and is communicatively connected to the support structure 20.

[0057] In one embodiment, the electronic device 2 of the present invention may form a plurality of electrical contact pads 260 on the second side 20b of the support structure 20 to connect the conductive elements 26, and the conductive elements 26 are only disposed on a portion of the electrical contact pads 260, such as disposed on a portion of the conductive elements 260. Figure 2 The row shown (but not limited to) is used to increase the gain of the electronic device 2 of the present invention.

[0058] Therefore, the electronic device 2 of the present invention positions the microstrip line 203 within the second side 20b of the support structure to increase the length of the microstrip line 203. Compared with the conventional technology that places the microstrip line on the top surface of the circuit board, the electronic device 2 of the present invention can significantly improve performance, for example, by increasing the bandwidth by about 7.4 GHz, the center frequency by about 60 GHz, and / or the gain by about 6.7 dB.

[0059] Furthermore, the antenna layer 202 (CPW) of the electronic device 2 of the present invention is connected to the reflector 25 through the conductive element 26 and part of the electrical contact pad 260, so that the CPW is grounded. Compared with the conventional technology of connecting all the solder balls on the circuit board, the electronic device 2 of the present invention can significantly improve performance, for example, improve the antenna gain of the present invention (about 5dB).

[0060] Figures 3A to 3G This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the manufacturing method of the electronic device 2 of the present invention.

[0061] like Figure 3A As shown, a load-bearing structure 20 is provided on a support member 9. The load-bearing structure 20 has a first side 20a and a second side 20b, wherein the first side 20a defines an adjacent first region A and a second region B, and the load-bearing structure 20 is attached to the support member 9 with its second side 20b.

[0062] In this embodiment, the supporting structure 20 is composed of an insulating layer (dielectric layer) 200 and a circuit layer 201, such as a fan-out redistribution layer (RDL). The material forming the circuit layer 201 can be copper or gold, while the material forming the insulating layer 200 can be a dielectric material such as polybenzoxazole (PBO), polyimide (PI), or prepreg (PP).

[0063] Furthermore, the carrier structure 20 has at least one antenna layer 202 disposed in the uppermost (i.e., top layer) insulating layer 200 for use as a coplanar waveguide (CPW), and the carrier structure 20 has a microstrip line 203 in the lowermost (i.e., bottom layer) insulating layer 200 (such as a PI layer), so that the position of the antenna layer 202 corresponds to the position of the microstrip line 203, so that the antenna layer 202 covers the microstrip line 203.

[0064] Furthermore, the support member 9 may be, for example, a plate of semiconductor material (such as silicon or glass), and the load-bearing structure 20 may be fixed to the support member 9 by means of a material such as an adhesive layer 90.

[0065] like Figure 3B As shown, at least one electronic component 21 is disposed on a first region A of the first side 20a of the support structure 20, and at least one antenna spacer 22 is disposed on a second region B of the first side 20a of the support structure 20. The antenna spacer 22 is disposed separately from the electronic component 21.

[0066] In this embodiment, the electronic component 21 is an active component, a passive component, or a combination of both. The active component is, for example, a semiconductor chip, while the passive component is, for example, a resistor, capacitor, or inductor. In this embodiment, the electronic component 21 is a semiconductor chip, such as a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFID) chip, which has opposing active surfaces 21a and non-active surfaces 21b. The electronic component 21 is disposed on the circuit layer 201 via multiple conductive bumps 210 made of solder material in a flip-chip manner and is electrically connected to the circuit layer 201; alternatively, the electronic component 21 can be electrically connected to the circuit layer 201 via multiple wire bonding wires (not shown) in a wire bonding manner; or, the electronic component 21 can directly contact the circuit layer 201. However, the manner in which the electronic component 21 is electrically connected to the carrier structure 20 is not limited to the above.

[0067] Furthermore, the antenna spacer 22 is a block made of glass or silicon. In this embodiment, the antenna spacer 22 is of chip specification, such as a carrier chip. For example, the antenna spacer 22 can be attached to the support structure 20 via a bonding layer 220, such as an adhesive, to cover the antenna layer 202.

[0068] like Figure 3C As shown, an encapsulation layer 23 is formed on the first side 20a of the support structure 20 to encapsulate the electronic component 21 and the antenna spacer 22. In this embodiment, the encapsulation layer 23 is an insulating dielectric material, such as ABF (Ajinomoto Build-up Film), photosensitive resin, polyimide (PI), bismaleimide triazine (BT), FR5 prepreg (PP), dry film, epoxy resin, molding compound, epoxy molding compound (EMC), or other suitable materials, which can be formed on the first side 20a of the support structure 20 by lamination or molding.

[0069] like Figure 3D As shown, an antenna portion 24 is formed on the encapsulation layer 23, and the antenna portion 24 includes a dielectric layer 240 formed on the encapsulation layer 23 and an antenna body 24a formed on the dielectric layer 240. In this embodiment, the antenna body 24a is a patch antenna, which is attached to the dielectric layer 240. In other embodiments, a metal layer can also be formed as the antenna body 24a by means such as electroplating, chemical plating, physical vapor deposition, sputtering, or other suitable methods.

[0070] Furthermore, the antenna body 24a and the antenna layer 202 are communicatively connected (e.g., by signal inductive coupling). For example, the position of the antenna body 24a corresponds to the position of the antenna spacer 22, that is, the two are vertically opposite each other.

[0071] Furthermore, the encapsulation layer 23 and the dielectric layer 240 can be made of the same or different materials, without any particular restrictions.

[0072] Additionally, the antenna section 24 may be provided with an insulating protective layer 242 covering the antenna body 24a as needed. This insulating protective layer 242 is a dielectric material formed on the dielectric layer 240. Therefore, the insulating protective layer 242 and the dielectric layer 240 can be considered as a single unit, serving as an enclosure 24b to cover the antenna body 24a. It should be understood that the dielectric layer 240 may also be omitted, and the antenna body 24a may be directly disposed on the encapsulation layer 23.

[0073] like Figure 3E As shown, the support member 9 and its adhesive layer 90 are removed, exposing the second side 20b of the support structure 20. In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 90 may be a release film to facilitate the removal of the support member 9.

[0074] like Figure 3F As shown, a plurality of conductive elements 26, such as solder balls, are disposed on the second side 20b of the support structure 20, which are electrically connected to the circuit layer 201 of the support structure 20.

[0075] In this embodiment, a plurality of electrical contact pads 260 electrically connected to the circuit layer 201 can be formed on the second side 20b of the support structure 20 to combine the conductive elements 26. The arrangement of the electrical contact pads 260 facilitates the installation of the conductive elements 26.

[0076] Furthermore, these conductive elements 26 are only distributed on a portion of the electrical contact pads 260, such as... Figure 2 The row shown.

[0077] like Figure 3G As shown, the carrier structure 20 is mounted on a circuit board 2b having at least one reflector 25 via the conductive elements 26, such that the line layer 201 of the carrier structure 20 is electrically connected to the circuit board 2b via the multiple conductive elements 26, and the reflector 25 is communicatively connected to the antenna layer 202, so that the microstrip line 203, antenna layer 202, antenna spacer 22, antenna section 24 and reflector 25 constitute an antenna structure, wherein the antenna layer 202 serves as the coplanar waveguide (CPW) of the antenna structure, which is electrically connected to the reflector 25 of the circuit board 2b via the line layer 201 and the conductive elements 26, so that the coplanar waveguide (CPW) is grounded.

[0078] In this embodiment, the reflector 25 can be formed on the circuit board 2b using an RDL wiring process, so that the reflector 25 does not contact the second side 20b of the support structure 20. Therefore, by laying the antenna layer 202 (coplanar waveguide) on the first side 20a of the support structure 20, the distance H between the CPW and the reflector 25 will be increased, so that the electronic device 2 can obtain a better resonance effect and better antenna performance.

[0079] Furthermore, by placing the reflector 25 on the circuit board 2b, the reflector 25 can effectively reflect the signal from the antenna body 24a of the antenna section 24 through the antenna layer 202 of the support structure 20, thereby improving the signal directivity of the antenna body 24a and enabling the radiation direction of the antenna body 24a to be in the ideal direction.

[0080] Furthermore, the reflector 25 and the antenna layer 202 are mutually inducedly coupled. For example, the position of the reflector 25 corresponds to the position of the antenna layer 202, that is, the two are vertically aligned with respect to the second side 20b.

[0081] In addition, the width P1 of the reflector 25 is greater than the width P2 of the coplanar waveguide, thereby avoiding scattering and gain reduction problems.

[0082] Therefore, in the manufacturing method of the electronic device 2 of the present invention, the support structure 20, the antenna spacer 22, the antenna part 24 and the reflector 25 are stacked to form a three-dimensional antenna structure. In the process, the support structure 20, the antenna spacer 22 and the antenna part 24 can be integrated with the electronic component 21, that is, they are packaged together. The packaging layer 23 can cover the electronic component 21 and the antenna spacer 22. Therefore, the mold used in the packaging process can correspond to the size of the support structure 20, which is beneficial to the packaging process.

[0083] Furthermore, the manufacturing method of the present invention, by placing the antenna section 24 in the same antenna module 2a as the electronic component 21, allows the reflector 25 of the antenna structure to only need to be communicatively connected to the radio frequency chip (the electronic component 21) of any frequency of the antenna module 2a, so that the antenna section 24 of the electronic device 2 can emit 5G millimeter waves of the required frequency. Therefore, when mass-producing the electronic device 2, the manufacturing method of the present invention can produce radio frequency products of various frequencies, thereby reducing the number of production lines to reduce production costs and increasing production speed to improve production capacity.

[0084] Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, the antenna structure is fabricated using a circuit board process, so that the antenna structure can be fabricated using a packaging process during the process, which is beneficial to the packaging operation.

[0085] Furthermore, 5G systems require more wiring configurations due to signal quality and transmission speed requirements to improve signal quality and transmission speed. The manufacturing method of the present invention utilizes circuit board fabrication processes to fabricate the microstrip line 203 and antenna layer 202 of the carrier structure 20. Under the condition that the length and width dimensions of the carrier structure 20 are fixed, the wiring space (number of layers) can be increased, thereby increasing the functionality of the antenna structure. Therefore, the electronic device 2 can provide the electrical functions required to operate the 5G system, that is, it can meet the antenna operation requirements of the 5G system.

[0086] Furthermore, the electronic device and manufacturing method of the present invention achieve better antenna performance by placing microstrip lines on the bottom layer of the carrier structure and placing coplanar waveguides on the top layer of the carrier structure, with each conductive element only disposed on a portion of the electrical contact pad.

[0087] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be as set forth in the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized by comprising: The application includes: a circuit board; a carrier structure having opposite first and second sides and stacked on the circuit board via the second side with a plurality of conductive elements; an antenna layer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure; a microstrip line disposed on the second side of the carrier structure, wherein the position of the antenna layer corresponds to the position of the microstrip line; an electronic component disposed on the first side of the carrier structure and electrically connected to the carrier structure; an antenna spacer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure corresponding to the position of the antenna layer; a packaging layer disposed on the first side of the carrier structure to cover the electronic component and the antenna spacer; an antenna part disposed on the packaging layer and communicatively connected to the antenna layer, and the antenna spacer is between the antenna layer and the antenna part; and a reflector disposed on the side of the circuit board facing the carrier structure and communicatively connected to the antenna layer. 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The second side of the carrier structure is formed with a plurality of electrical contact pads, and the plurality of conductive elements are only disposed on part of the plurality of electrical contact pads. 3.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The antenna layer is a coplanar waveguide, the width of the reflector is greater than the width of the coplanar waveguide, and the antenna layer is communicatively connected to the reflector through the plurality of conductive elements and part of the plurality of electrical contact pads. 4.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The antenna part includes an antenna body communicatively connected to the antenna layer, and the position of the antenna body corresponds to the position of the antenna spacer, wherein the position of the reflector corresponds to the position of the antenna layer.

5. A method of manufacturing an electronic device, characterized by The application includes the following steps: providing a carrier structure having opposite first and second sides, wherein the first side is provided with an antenna layer and the second side is provided with a microstrip line, and the position of the antenna layer corresponds to the position of the microstrip line; disposing an electronic component and an antenna spacer on the first side of the carrier structure; forming a packaging layer on the first side of the carrier structure to cover the electronic component and the antenna spacer; combining an antenna part on the packaging layer of the first side of the carrier structure, the antenna part being communicatively connected to the antenna layer; and placing the carrier structure on a circuit board provided with a reflector via the second side with a plurality of conductive elements, wherein the reflector is disposed on the side of the circuit board facing the carrier structure and is communicatively connected to the antenna layer.

6. The method of manufacturing the electronic device according to claim 5, wherein The second side of the carrier structure is formed with a plurality of electrical contact pads, and the plurality of conductive elements are only disposed on part of the plurality of electrical contact pads.

7. The method of manufacturing the electronic device according to claim 5, wherein The antenna layer is a coplanar waveguide, the width of the reflector is greater than the width of the coplanar waveguide, and the antenna layer is communicatively connected to the reflector through the plurality of conductive elements and part of the plurality of electrical contact pads.

8. The method of manufacturing the electronic device according to claim 5, wherein The antenna part includes an antenna body communicatively connected to the antenna layer, and the position of the antenna body corresponds to the position of the antenna spacer, wherein the position of the reflector corresponds to the position of the antenna layer.

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