Antenna unit and manufacturing method thereof, AIP module and phased array antenna

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of communication, and discloses an antenna unit, an AIP module and a phased-array antenna, the antenna unit comprises metal layers and low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers which are sequentially and alternately stacked from bottom to top, and the antenna unit is prepared according to the following process: ceramic powder is processed into a green tape through a tape casting technology; sequentially laminating the green ceramic tape and the metal layer to form a laminated structure; the uppermost layer of the stacked structure is a metal layer, and the metal layer comprises an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer and a reference ground layer; applying pressure to the laminated structure and heating the laminated structure to form a green ceramic chip structure; heating the green ceramic chip structure to remove colloid in the green ceramic tape; and co-firing the green ceramic chip structure, and changing the green ceramic tape into a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer to obtain the antenna unit. The low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology can provide a dielectric material with lower loss and a reliable multi-layer process, and is easier to integrate and miniaturize. Compared with a PCB, the manufacturing process of the antenna unit is simpler, the processing cost can be reduced, and the yield of the antenna unit is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to an antenna unit and a manufacturing method thereof, an AIP module and a phased array antenna. Background Art

[0002] Phased array antennas have been widely used in radar, high and low orbit satellite communications, 5G millimeter wave communications and other fields. Antenna units are important components of phased array antennas and are used to receive or transmit signals. Currently, antenna units are implemented based on PCB (Printed Circuit Board). The processing of PCB is difficult and the process is complicated. It is also inconvenient to make vias on PCB, which leads to high production costs of antenna units and low yield of antenna units.

[0003] Therefore, how to solve the above technical problems should be the focus of technical personnel in this field. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide an antenna unit and a manufacturing method thereof, an AIP module and a phased array antenna, so as to reduce the processing cost of the antenna unit and improve the yield.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an antenna unit, comprising: metal layers and low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers alternately stacked from bottom to top, and the antenna unit is prepared according to the following process:

[0006] Processing ceramic powder into green ceramic tape by tape casting technology;

[0007] The green ceramic tape and the metal layer are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure; the uppermost layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer and a reference ground layer;

[0008] applying pressure and heating to the laminated structure to form a green ceramic sheet structure;

[0009] heating the green ceramic sheet structure to remove colloid in the green ceramic tape;

[0010] The green ceramic sheet structure is co-fired, and the green ceramic tape is converted into a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer to obtain an antenna unit.

[0011] Optionally, when the metal layer further includes a bridge mixed layer, after the ceramic powder is processed into a green ceramic tape by tape casting technology, the method further includes:

[0012] The green porcelain tape and the metal layer are perforated, and the holes are filled with conductive material.

[0013] Optionally, the metal layer further includes a bridge mixed layer, the antenna radiation layer includes a first antenna radiation unit layer and a second antenna radiation unit layer, and the reference ground layer includes a first reference ground unit layer and a second reference ground unit layer;

[0014] The metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer, the second antenna radiation unit layer, the coupling feed layer, the first reference ground unit layer, the bridge mixing layer and the second reference ground unit layer.

[0015] Optionally, the antenna radiation layer includes a first antenna radiation unit layer and a second antenna radiation unit layer, and the reference ground layer includes a first reference ground unit layer and a second reference ground unit layer;

[0016] The metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer, the second antenna radiation unit layer, the coupling feed layer, the first reference ground unit layer and the second reference ground unit layer.

[0017] The present application also provides an AIP module, comprising at least one antenna unit described in any one of the above; and also comprising: an active carrier, the active carrier comprising a carrier and a chip, the chip being located on a first surface of the carrier, and the antenna unit being located on a second surface of the carrier.

[0018] Optionally, the active carrier further includes a heat sink, and the heat sink is used to package the chip.

[0019] Optionally, the carrier board includes signal interconnection vias, and projections of adjacent signal interconnection vias do not overlap on a horizontal plane parallel to the carrier board.

[0020] The present application also provides a phased array antenna, comprising any one of the above-mentioned AIP modules, signal processing devices, frequency conversion circuit chips and wave control processors, wherein the wave control processor is respectively connected to the frequency conversion circuit chip and the AIP module, the frequency conversion circuit chip is connected to the signal processing device, and the signal processing device is connected to the AIP module.

[0021] Optionally, it also includes:

[0022] A motherboard, wherein the signal processing device, the frequency conversion circuit chip and the wave control processor are all located on the motherboard; and / or,

[0023] The AIP module is located on the motherboard, the motherboard is provided with a groove, a thermal pad and a heat dissipation boss are provided in the groove, and a side of the AIP module where the chip is located is located in the groove.

[0024] The present application also provides a method for manufacturing an antenna unit, comprising:

[0025] Processing ceramic powder into green ceramic tape by tape casting technology;

[0026] The green ceramic tape and the metal layer are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure; the uppermost layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer and a reference ground layer;

[0027] applying pressure and heating to the laminated structure to form a green ceramic sheet structure;

[0028] heating the green ceramic sheet structure to remove colloid in the green ceramic tape;

[0029] The green ceramic sheet structure is co-fired, and the green ceramic tape is converted into a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer to obtain an antenna unit.

[0030] An antenna unit provided in the present application includes: metal layers and low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers alternately stacked from bottom to top, and the antenna unit is prepared according to the following process: ceramic powder is processed into a raw porcelain tape by a tape casting technology; the raw porcelain tape and metal layers are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure; the top layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer and a reference ground layer; pressure is applied to the stacked structure and heating is performed to form a raw porcelain sheet structure; the raw porcelain sheet structure is heated to remove the colloid in the raw porcelain tape; the raw porcelain sheet structure is co-fired, and the raw porcelain tape becomes a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer to obtain the antenna unit.

[0031] It can be seen that the antenna unit in the present application includes a metal layer and a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer, and a reference stratum. That is, the antenna unit in the present application is an antenna unit based on low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology, and low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology can provide lower loss dielectric materials, reliable multi-layer processes, and is easier to integrate and miniaturize. Compared with PCB boards, when making antenna units in the present application, the manufacturing process is simpler, which can reduce processing costs and improve the yield of antenna units.

[0032] In addition, the present application also provides an AIP module and a phased array antenna and a method for manufacturing an antenna unit having the above advantages. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0034] Figure 1A schematic diagram of an antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0035] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The architecture diagram of the antenna unit shown;

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0037] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an AIP module provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an antenna unit integrated into an array provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the principle of the AIP module provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a carrier board including signal interconnection vias provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an AIP module provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0042] Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional view of an AIP module provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0043] Fig.10 A schematic cross-sectional view of an AIP module provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0044] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of a phased array antenna provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Fig.12 A schematic diagram of a structure of heat dissipation of an AIP module on a motherboard provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Fig.13 A process flow chart of manufacturing an antenna unit provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] In the figure, 1, low temperature co-fired ceramic layer, 2, antenna radiation layer, 3, coupling feed layer, 4, reference ground layer, 5, bridge mixing layer, 6, via, 7, carrier board, 8, chip, 9, heat sink, 10, signal interconnection via, 11, power divider, 12, synthesizer, 13, up-conversion circuit chip, 14, down-conversion circuit chip, 15, transmitting wave control processor, 16, receiving wave control processor, 17, main controller, 18, positioning and attitude module, 19, power supply module, 20, antenna cover, 21, first antenna radiation unit layer, 22, second antenna radiation unit layer, 23, motherboard, 24, substrate, 25, passive components, 26, strip line, 27, antenna feed hole, 28, First interconnection via, 29, coupling gap, 30, first grounding via, 31, second grounding via, 32, third grounding via, 33, second interconnection via, 34, package, 35, connector, 36, coupling feeder, 241, RF switching layer, 242, ground layer, 243, low-frequency functional layer, 244, dielectric layer, 231, receiving motherboard, 232, transmitting motherboard, 233, groove, 41, first reference ground unit layer, 42, second reference ground unit layer, 301, transmitting AIP module, 302, receiving AIP module, 100, antenna unit, 200, active carrier board, 300, AIP module, 400, thermal pad, 500, heat dissipation boss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0049] In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present invention, but the present invention may also be implemented in other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art may make similar generalizations without violating the connotation of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0050] As described in the background technology section, the antenna unit is currently implemented based on a PCB board. The processing of the PCB board is difficult and the process is complicated. In addition, it is inconvenient to make vias on the PCB board, which leads to high production costs of the antenna unit and a relatively low yield of the antenna unit.

[0051] In view of this, the present application provides an antenna unit 100, please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , which may include:

[0052] The antenna (ANT) unit 100 is prepared according to the following process: processing ceramic powder into a raw ceramic tape by tape casting technology; stacking the raw ceramic tape and metal layers in sequence to form a stacked structure; the top layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer 2, a coupling feed layer 3 and a reference ground layer 4; applying pressure to the stacked structure and heating it to form a raw ceramic sheet structure; heating the raw ceramic sheet structure to remove the colloid in the raw ceramic tape; co-firing the raw ceramic sheet structure, the raw ceramic tape becomes a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer, and the antenna unit 100 is obtained.

[0053] The metal layer is formed on a raw ceramic tape on which the metal layer needs to be laminated, and the metal layer can be manufactured by electroplating, etc. The uppermost layer of the antenna unit 100 is a metal layer.

[0054] When forming a stacked structure, metal layers are respectively made on the upper and lower surfaces of a green porcelain tape, and then the green porcelain tape is stacked on the metal layer on the upper surface, and then a metal layer is made on the upper surface of the newly stacked green porcelain tape, and then the green porcelain tape is stacked again and a metal layer is grown on the green porcelain tape, and so on, to obtain the desired stacked structure.

[0055] The material of the low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) layer includes ceramic powder. For example, the ceramic powder may be a material with a low dielectric constant (εr is less than 10), etc., which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0056] The material of the metal layer can be copper or the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0057] It should be noted that the antenna unit 100 may further include vias 6 to implement antenna feeding at different layers. The specific situation may be set according to the type of the antenna unit 100.

[0058] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the number of metal layers is not limited and may be determined according to the type of the antenna unit 100 .

[0059] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, as an implementation method, when the antenna unit 100 is a circularly polarized antenna unit, the metal layer also includes a bridge mixing layer 5, the antenna radiation layer 2 includes a first antenna radiation unit layer 21 and a second antenna radiation unit layer 22, and the reference ground layer 4 includes a first reference ground unit layer 41 and a second reference ground unit layer 42; the metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer 21, the second antenna radiation unit layer 22, the coupling feed layer 3, the first reference ground unit layer 41, the bridge mixing layer 5 and the second reference ground unit layer 42.

[0060] Figure 2 (a) Schematic diagram of the patch antenna unit on the front (patch on top), Figure 2 (b) Schematic diagram of the patch antenna unit on the bottom. The circularly polarized antenna unit includes a left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) feeding pin and a right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) feeding pin.

[0061] The bridge hybrid layer 5 (Hybird layer) can achieve polarization configurability. For example, the bridge hybrid layer 5 can be a 3dB Hybird layer.

[0062] The first antenna radiation unit layer 21 and the second antenna radiation unit layer 22 are directly coupled to each other, and the second antenna radiation unit layer 22 and the coupling feed layer 3 are directly coupled to each other.

[0063] The coupling feed layer 3 and the bridge hybrid layer 5 are coupled through the via hole 6 , and the bridge hybrid layer 5 and the second reference ground unit layer 42 are coupled through the via hole 6 .

[0064] like Figure 3 As shown, as another possible implementation mode, when the antenna unit 100 is a linearly polarized antenna unit, the antenna radiation layer 2 includes a first antenna radiation unit layer 21 and a second antenna radiation unit layer 22, and the reference ground layer 4 includes a first reference ground unit layer 41 and a second reference ground unit layer 42; the metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer 21, the second antenna radiation unit layer 22, the coupling feed layer 3, the first reference ground unit layer 41 and the second reference ground unit layer 42.

[0065] The difference between the linear polarization antenna unit and the circular polarization antenna unit is that there is no bridge hybrid layer 5 .

[0066] The first antenna radiation unit layer 21 and the second antenna radiation unit layer 22 are directly coupled to each other, and the second antenna radiation unit layer 22 and the coupling feed layer 3 are directly coupled to each other.

[0067] In this embodiment, the antenna unit 100 includes a metal layer and a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer 1, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer 2, a coupling feed layer 3 and a reference ground layer 4. That is, the antenna unit 100 in this application is an antenna unit 100 based on low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology, and the low-temperature co-fired ceramic technology can provide a dielectric material with lower loss, a reliable multi-layer process, and is easier to integrate and miniaturize. Compared with the PCB board, when manufacturing the antenna unit 100 in this embodiment, the manufacturing process is simpler, which can reduce the processing cost and improve the yield of the antenna unit 100. The antenna unit 100 based on the LTCC process is convenient for independent detection of the antenna unit 100, and the mass production cost is low. In addition, when multiple antenna units 100 are integrated together to form an antenna unit 100 array, the manufacturing cost can be further reduced compared to a single antenna unit 100.

[0068] On the basis of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, when the metal layer further includes a bridge mixed layer 5, after the ceramic powder is processed into a green ceramic tape by a tape casting technique, and before the green ceramic tape and the metal layer are sequentially stacked, the following may also be included:

[0069] The green porcelain tape and the metal layer are perforated, and the holes are filled with conductive material.

[0070] Punching methods include but are not limited to laser punching or CNC drilling.

[0071] By punching holes, antenna feeding and 3dB Hybird feeding signal routing of different layers can be interconnected. Conductive materials can be filled into vias of different layers to achieve via metallization processing, so that the bridge hybrid layer and the coupling feed layer can be coupled through vias.

[0072] The present application also provides an AIP (Antenna in Package) module 300, please refer to Figures 4 to 6 , may include at least one antenna unit 100 described in any of the above embodiments.

[0073] The AIP module 300 can have two different structures, which are introduced below respectively.

[0074] Example 1

[0075] The AIP module 300 may further include: an active carrier 200 , wherein the active carrier 200 includes a carrier 7 and a chip 8 , wherein the chip 8 is located on a first surface of the carrier 7 , and the antenna unit 100 is located on a second surface of the carrier 7 .

[0076] The AIP module 300 may be a transmitting AIP module 301 or a receiving AIP module 302 , which is specifically set according to actual needs.

[0077] The carrier board 7 may be a multi-layer low expansion rate halogen-free carrier board, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces.

[0078] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the type and quantity of the chip 8 are not limited and can be set at will. For example, the chip 8 can be any one or any combination of a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) chip, a SiGe chip, or a GaAs+CMOS beamforming bare chip.

[0079] The chip 8 is flipped on the first surface of the carrier 7 . The chip 8 integrates a plurality of channels for receiving and / or transmitting signals. Each channel is directly and vertically connected to a pad on the antenna unit 100 through an internal strip line.

[0080] The antenna unit 100 is surface mounted on the second surface of the carrier board 7 via a solder pad.

[0081] It should be noted that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on the number of antenna units 100 in the AIP module 300, which depends on the circumstances.

[0082] The antenna units 100 in the AIP module 300 may be integrated into an array. Figure 5 As shown, every four antenna units 100 can form a 2×2 array.

[0083] Taking the antenna unit 100 as a circular polarization antenna unit as an example, the principle of the AIP module 300 is introduced. Figure 6 As shown, the antenna unit 100 realizes one-to-four power division (transmission) and four-in-one synthesis (reception) of the RF signal, 32-channel amplitude and phase control, power conversion and SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) control through the surface or inner layer routing of the carrier board 7. For the transmitting module, after the RF input signal passes through multiple power division networks, it is input to the left-handed feeding pin or the right-handed feeding pin of the antenna unit 100 by controlling the enable of each channel, so that the switching of the antenna left-hand circular polarization and right-hand circular polarization can be quickly realized. Similarly, for the receiving module, by controlling the enable of each channel, the signal output by the left-handed feeding pin or the right-handed feeding pin of the receiving antenna unit 100 is realized to receive the left-handed circular polarization or right-handed circular polarization signal, the amplitude and phase control realizes the antenna beam synthesis by adjusting the phase and amplitude of each channel, the power conversion realizes the processing of the internal power supply, and the SPI control realizes the register configuration of the amplitude and phase multi-function chip 8 by the external processor.

[0084] In this embodiment, the AIP module 300 includes an antenna unit 100 and an active carrier 200. The antenna pattern test can be performed on the antenna unit 100 based on LTCC technology, and the gain, amplitude and phase, standing wave and other parameter tests and temperature compensation can be performed on the active carrier 200. Compared with the integrated test of the AIP module 300 in the prior art, the requirements for the test system can be reduced in this embodiment, thereby reducing the test cost.

[0085] Compared with the microstrip antenna AIP module 300 based on PCB board in the prior art, the bridge and the antenna are all integrated in a PCB board with more than 18 layers, which leads to cumbersome PCB routing, complex via design, and very expensive production cost. In the AIP module 300 of this embodiment, the antenna unit 100 is surface mounted on the carrier board 7, which can simplify the design and reduce costs.

[0086] As an implementable embodiment, the active carrier 200 in the AIP module 300 may further include a heat sink 9 , and the heat sink 9 is used to encapsulate the chip 8 .

[0087] After the chip 8 is flip-chip mounted on the carrier 7, it is packaged into an LGA (Land Grid Array) pad through a heat sink 9. The heat sink 9 is provided to facilitate heat dissipation of the chip 8 and reduce thermal resistance.

[0088] The carrier board 7 in the AIP module 300 is provided with signal interconnection vias 10 for interconnecting signals of different layers.

[0089] In one embodiment of the present application, Figure 7 As shown, the carrier board 7 includes signal interconnection vias 10, and projections of adjacent signal interconnection vias 10 do not overlap on a horizontal plane parallel to the carrier board 7. That is, the signal interconnection vias 10 are arranged in a staggered manner.

[0090] In the prior art, internal wiring is added inside the PCB board and multiple vias are used to achieve signal interconnection, resulting in large link loss and large PCB size. However, the staggered holes in this embodiment can meet the high integration and low loss of the internal wiring of the chip 8 in the AIP module 300, reduce the length and loss of the signal line transmission line, and also reduce the requirements for the size of the carrier board 7.

[0091] Example 2

[0092] like Figure 8 As shown, the AIP module 300 may also include a substrate 24, a chip 8 and a passive device 25, the antenna unit 100 is located on the upper surface of the substrate 24, the chip 8 and the passive device 25 are located on the lower surface of the substrate 24, the chip 8 and the antenna unit 100 are electrically connected, and the chip 8 and the passive device 25 are electrically connected; the chip 8 is used to receive and / or send signals.

[0093] The passive device 25 may be one or more of a capacitor, an inductor, a resistor, a balun, a power divider, a combiner, and the like.

[0094] The chip 8 may be a T / R (Transmit / Receive) chip, or a single transmitting chip, or a single receiving chip. The number of the chips 8 is not limited in this embodiment and depends on the situation.

[0095] The chip 8 and the passive device 25 may be connected by a gold wire bonding process.

[0096] Please refer to Fig. 9 The substrate 24 may include an RF switching layer 241, the RF switching layer 241 includes a strip line 26, a first end of the strip line 26 is connected to a first end of the antenna feed hole 27, and a second end of the strip line 26 is connected to a first end of the first interconnect via 28; the second end of the antenna feed hole 27 is connected to a feed port of the antenna unit 100, and a second end of the first interconnect via 28 is connected to a signal port of the chip 8.

[0097] The number of stacked layers in the substrate 24 is not limited in this embodiment and can be set as needed. A dielectric layer 244 is distributed between adjacent metal layers in the substrate 24. The metal layer includes but is not limited to a radio frequency switching layer 241, a ground layer 242, and a functional layer.

[0098] like Figure 2 As shown, the second end of the antenna feeding hole 27 is connected to the feeding port of the antenna unit 100, that is, the antenna unit 100 adopts a direct feeding form.

[0099] like Fig.10 As shown, the substrate 24 includes a radio frequency switching layer 241 and a ground layer 242 located above the radio frequency switching layer 241 , the radio frequency switching layer 241 includes a strip line 26 , and the strip line 26 includes a coupling feed line 36 ;

[0100] One end of the stripline 26 is connected to a first end of a first interconnection via 28 , and a second end of the first interconnection via 28 is connected to a signal port of the chip 8 ;

[0101] A coupling slot 29 is provided on the ground layer, and the overlapping area of ​​the strip line 26 and the coupling slot 29 in the horizontal direction is a coupling feed line 36 , and the coupling feed line 36 realizes signal transmission with the antenna unit 100 through the coupling slot 29 .

[0102] In this embodiment, the antenna unit 100 adopts a coupled feeding form, and the signal in the chip 8 reaches the coupled feed line 36 through the strip line 26 and then enters the antenna through the coupling slot 29 .

[0103] like Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the AIP module 300 may also include:

[0104] The first ground via 30 is located around the strip line 26 and is at least connected to the ground layer 242 located above and below the RF switching layer 241 .

[0105] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, it may also include:

[0106] The second ground via 31 is located around the first interconnection via 28 .

[0107] The second ground via 31 needs to be connected to the ground layer 242 , which can improve the shielding effect of the radio frequency signal in the first interconnection via 28 and improve the overall electromagnetic isolation.

[0108] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 As shown, it may also include:

[0109] The third ground via 32 is located around the antenna feeding hole 27 .

[0110] The third ground via 32 needs to be connected to the ground layer 242, which can improve the shielding effect of the radio frequency signal in the antenna feed hole 27, improve the overall electromagnetic isolation, and increase the overall anti-interference ability.

[0111] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, the substrate 24 further includes a low-frequency functional layer 243 , the low-frequency functional layer 243 is connected to a first end of the second interconnection via 33 , and a second end of the second interconnection via 33 is connected to the chip 8 .

[0112] On the basis of any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, when the chip is a bare chip and the passive device 25 is an IPD (Integrated Passive Device) bare chip, the following may also be included:

[0113] The package body 34 is used to package the bare chip and the IPD bare chip together.

[0114] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, when the number of chips 8 in an AIP module 300 is at least two, a connector 35 is also included for connecting the chips 8 .

[0115] The present application also provides a phased array antenna, such as Fig.11As shown, it includes the AIP module 300, signal processing device, frequency conversion circuit chip and wave control processor described in any of the above embodiments, and the wave control processor is respectively connected to the frequency conversion circuit chip and the AIP module 300, the frequency conversion circuit chip is connected to the signal processing device, and the signal processing device is connected to the AIP module 300.

[0116] The phased array antenna may further include a power supply module 19 for providing power.

[0117] It should be pointed out that in this embodiment, there is no limitation on the types of signal processing devices, frequency conversion circuit chips and wave control processors, which depend on the type of the AIP module 300 .

[0118] As an implementable embodiment, the AIP module 300 includes a transmitting AIP module 301 , and accordingly, the signal processing device includes a power divider 11 , the frequency conversion circuit chip includes an up-conversion circuit chip 13 , and the wave control processor includes a transmitting wave control processor 15 .

[0119] The transmitting frequency band of the transmitting AIP module 301 may be the Ka band.

[0120] The power divider 11 is used to perform power division on the signal into M signals, where M is an integer greater than or equal to 2.

[0121] As another possible implementation mode, the AIP module 300 includes a receiving AIP module 302, and accordingly, the signal processing device includes a synthesizer 12, the frequency conversion circuit chip includes a down-conversion circuit chip 14, and the wave control processor includes a receiving wave control processor 16; it also includes a main controller 17 and a positioning and attitude module 18, and the main controller 17 is respectively connected to the positioning and attitude module 18 and the receiving wave control processor 16.

[0122] The receiving frequency band of the receiving AIP module 302 may be the K frequency band.

[0123] The synthesizer 12 is used for combining and can synthesize N received signals into one signal.

[0124] As another possible implementation, Fig.11 As shown, the AIP module 300 includes a transmitting AIP module 301 and a receiving AIP module 302. Correspondingly, the signal processing device includes a power divider 11 and a synthesizer 12, the frequency conversion circuit chip includes an up-conversion circuit chip 13 and a down-conversion circuit chip 14, and the wave control processor includes a transmitting wave control processor 15 and a receiving wave control processor 16; it also includes a main controller 17 and a positioning and attitude module 18, and the main controller 17 is respectively connected to the positioning and attitude module 18 and the receiving wave control processor 16.

[0125] The positioning and attitude module 18 is used to determine positioning and attitude information.

[0126] The up-conversion circuit chip 13 is used to convert the transmission intermediate frequency into a higher frequency signal, and simultaneously perform amplification and filtering processing to ensure the signal power drive level and signal quality of the input transmission AIP module 301.

[0127] The down-conversion circuit chip 14 is used to convert the received high-frequency signal into a received intermediate-frequency signal, and simultaneously amplify and filter the signal to ensure the required level and signal quality of the signal output to the baseband demodulation.

[0128] The beam control processor calculates the phase shift code corresponding to each channel in the array state of the AIP module 300 based on the baseband input antenna azimuth and elevation pointing information, and transmits it to each AIP module 300 through the SPI bus to complete the phase configuration, thereby realizing rapid pointing of the phased array antenna.

[0129] The power supply module 19 is used to convert the primary DC power input from the outside into the working voltage required by the AIP module 300, the up-conversion circuit chip 13, the down-conversion circuit chip 14, and the wave control processor, and complete the transmission of each power supply through the internal surface or internal wiring.

[0130] During the transmission, the external input C-band transmission intermediate frequency signal is converted into a Ka-band radio frequency signal through the up-conversion circuit chip 13, and transmitted to a high-orbit satellite or a low-orbit satellite through the phased array antenna composed of the transmitting AIP module 301. The transmitting beam control processor 15 receives the ephemeris information sent by the external modulation and demodulation unit, and calculates the attitude positioning and time information provided by the internal combined inertial navigation of the phased array antenna to obtain the beam pointing information, and controls the phase shift attenuation chip 8 corresponding to each beam according to the mapping relationship between each channel and each beam in the chip 8. The amplitude and phase control of the radio frequency channel corresponding to each beam are performed according to the pointing instruction requirements to complete the beam forming. Finally, it is radiated to space through each antenna unit 100 and points to the target satellite.

[0131] When receiving, after the K-band signal from the high-orbit satellite or the low-orbit satellite passes through the receiving AIP module 302, the signal of each receiving channel is energy synthesized in the back-end synthesizer 12. The synthesized signal is down-converted by the down-conversion circuit chip 14 and converted into a C-band receiving intermediate frequency signal output. The receiving wave control circuit is connected to the ephemeris information of the high-orbit satellite or the low-orbit satellite and the attitude positioning information provided by the internal combined inertial navigation of the phased array antenna for solution to obtain the real-time tracking beam pointing information of the phased array antenna; according to the mapping relationship between each channel and each beam, the phase shift attenuation chip 8 corresponding to each beam is controlled to perform amplitude and phase control of the RF channel corresponding to each beam according to the pointing instruction requirements.

[0132] On the basis of any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, the phased array antenna may further include: a radome 20 , wherein the radome 20 covers the antenna unit 100 in the AIP module 300 .

[0133] The antenna cover 20 can play a role of dustproof and waterproof, and protect the antenna unit 100.

[0134] Based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, the phased array antenna may further include:

[0135] The motherboard 23 , on which the signal processing device, the frequency conversion circuit chip and the wave control processor are all located.

[0136] The motherboard 23 may be a PCB board.

[0137] When the AIP module 300 in the phased array antenna includes a transmitting AIP module 301, the motherboard 23 includes a transmitting motherboard 232, and the power divider 11, the up-conversion circuit chip 13, and the transmitting wave control processor 15 are located on the transmitting motherboard 232. When the AIP module 300 in the phased array antenna includes a receiving AIP module 302, the motherboard 23 includes a receiving motherboard 231, and the synthesizer 12, the down-conversion circuit chip 14, the receiving wave control processor 16, and the main controller 17 are located on the receiving motherboard 231. When the AIP module 300 in the phased array antenna includes a transmitting AIP module 301 and a receiving AIP module 302, the motherboard 23 includes a transmitting motherboard 232 and a receiving motherboard 231, the power divider 11, the up-conversion circuit chip 13, and the transmitting wave control processor 15 are located on the transmitting motherboard 232, and the synthesizer 12, the down-conversion circuit chip 14, the receiving wave control processor 16, and the main controller 17 are located on the receiving motherboard 231.

[0138] In the prior art, separate components are used, and the frequency conversion module and the wave control circuit are both separate modules, which need to be interconnected with connectors and cables, with low integration, requiring additional reserved index margins, and large design redundancy. In the present application, components such as signal processing components, frequency conversion circuit chips, and wave control processors are integrated on the motherboard 23, which improves integration and does not require additional reserved index margins.

[0139] like Fig.12 As shown, based on any of the above embodiments, in one embodiment of the present application, the AIP module 300 can be located on the motherboard 23, the motherboard 23 is provided with a groove 233, the groove 233 is provided with a thermal pad 400 and a heat dissipation boss 500, and the side of the AIP module 300 where the chip 8 is located is located in the groove 233.

[0140] The AIP module 300 can be soldered on the motherboard 23. The groove 233 is set on the motherboard 23 to avoid the heat sink 9 area. The heat dissipation of each AIP module 300 is guided to the heat dissipation boss 500 in the groove 233 by the thermal pad 400, ensuring that the working junction temperature of the chip 8 is lower than the theoretical junction temperature at high temperature, avoiding damage to the chip 8 due to poor heat dissipation, and improving the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0141] In this embodiment, the AIP module, frequency conversion circuit chip, wave control processor, power supply module, main controller, etc. are all integrated on the motherboard, which reduces the use of connectors, increases the integration of phased array antennas, and reduces a large number of connector costs.

[0142] In the above scheme, combined with the different requirements of high and low orbit communications for the transmit EIRP value (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) and the receive G / T value (indicating the ratio of the gain G of the receiving antenna to the system equivalent noise temperature T), it is possible to design an array based on different numbers of AIP modules 300, that is, to achieve transmit or receive antenna beam synthesis through different channel reconstructions, and achieve different EIRP values ​​and G / T values. Based on the phased array antenna architecture of the AIP module 300, the motherboard 23 has an up-conversion circuit chip 13, a down-conversion circuit chip 14, a wave control processor and a power supply module 19. Compared with the integrated design in the prior art that requires 18 layers, the AIP module 300 architecture based on the LTCC antenna unit 100 in this application, the number of layers of the motherboard 23 PCB can be controlled within 6 layers, which greatly simplifies the process difficulty and cost of the motherboard 23.

[0143] This application also provides a method for manufacturing an antenna unit, please refer to Fig.13 , the method may include:

[0144] Step S101: Processing ceramic powder into green ceramic tape by tape casting technology.

[0145] By adding appropriate adhesion-promoting compounds (including resins, wetting agents, etc.) to the ceramic powder, the ceramic powder can be converted into a processable raw ceramic tape through a casting process.

[0146] Step S102: stacking the green ceramic tape and the metal layer in sequence to form a stacked structure; the top layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer, a coupling feed layer and a reference ground layer.

[0147] The metal layer is formed on the green porcelain tape to be laminated with the metal layer, and the metal layer can be manufactured by electroplating, etc. When further lamination is required, the green porcelain tape is further laminated on the metal layer.

[0148] The number of layers of the green porcelain tape and the metal layer is not limited in this embodiment and can be set according to actual needs.

[0149] The bottom layer and the top layer are both metal layers, and there is a raw porcelain zone between adjacent metal layers.

[0150] Step S103: applying pressure to the stacked structure and heating it to form a green ceramic sheet structure.

[0151] In order to improve the stability of the green ceramic sheet structure, the green ceramic sheet structure may be further fixed by hot pressing.

[0152] Step S104: heating the green ceramic sheet structure to remove the colloid in the green ceramic tape.

[0153] The purpose of heating in this step is to perform organic debinding, and the heating temperature may be 300°C.

[0154] It should be noted that after the green ceramic sheet structure is formed and before the colloid is removed, when the size of the green ceramic sheet structure is larger than the required size of the antenna unit, it can also be cut according to the designed size of the antenna unit.

[0155] Step S105: co-firing the green ceramic sheet structure, the green ceramic tape is converted into a low temperature co-fired ceramic layer, and an antenna unit is obtained.

[0156] The co-firing temperature in this step can be 850°C.

[0157] After co-firing, inspection can also be carried out to screen qualified antenna units.

[0158] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referenced to each other.

[0159] The antenna unit and its manufacturing method, AIP module and phased array antenna provided by the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the scheme of the present application and its core idea. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An antenna unit (100), characterized in that: include: The metal layers and the low-temperature co-fired ceramic layers (1) are alternately stacked from bottom to top, and the antenna unit (100) is prepared according to the following process: Processing ceramic powder into green ceramic tape by tape casting technology; The green ceramic tape and the metal layer are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure; the top layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer (2), a coupling feed layer (3) and a reference ground layer (4); applying pressure and heating to the laminated structure to form a green ceramic sheet structure; heating the green ceramic sheet structure to remove colloid in the green ceramic tape; The green ceramic sheet structure is co-fired, and the green ceramic tape is converted into a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer (1), thereby obtaining an antenna unit (100).

2. The antenna unit (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that When the metal layer further includes a bridge mixed layer (5), after the ceramic powder is processed into a green ceramic tape by tape casting technology, it also includes: The green porcelain tape and the metal layer are perforated, and the holes are filled with conductive material.

3. The antenna unit (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The metal layer further comprises a bridge mixing layer (5), the antenna radiation layer (2) comprises a first antenna radiation unit layer (21) and a second antenna radiation unit layer (22), and the reference ground layer (4) comprises a first reference ground unit layer (41) and a second reference ground unit layer (42); The metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer (21), the second antenna radiation unit layer (22), the coupling feed layer (3), the first reference ground unit layer (41), the bridge mixing layer (5) and the second reference ground unit layer (42).

4. The antenna unit (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that The antenna radiation layer (2) comprises a first antenna radiation unit layer (21) and a second antenna radiation unit layer (22); the reference ground layer (4) comprises a first reference ground unit layer (41) and a second reference ground unit layer (42); The metal layers are, from bottom to top, the first antenna radiation unit layer (21), the second antenna radiation unit layer (22), the coupling feed layer (3), the first reference ground unit layer (41) and the second reference ground unit layer (42).

5. An AIP module (300), characterized in that: Comprising at least one antenna unit (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4; It also comprises: an active carrier board (200), the active carrier board (200) comprising a carrier board (7) and a chip (8), the chip (8) being located on a first surface of the carrier board (7), and the antenna unit (100) being located on a second surface of the carrier board (7).

6. The AIP module (300) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The active carrier board (200) further comprises a heat sink (9), wherein the heat sink (9) is used to package the chip (8).

7. The AIP module (300) according to any one of claims 5 to 6, characterized in that: The carrier board (7) comprises signal interconnection vias (10), and on a horizontal plane parallel to the carrier board (7), projections of adjacent signal interconnection vias (10) do not overlap.

8. A phased array antenna, characterized in that: The invention comprises an AIP module (300) as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7, a signal processing device, a frequency conversion circuit chip (8) and a wave control processor, wherein the wave control processor is connected to the frequency conversion circuit chip (8) and the AIP module (300) respectively, the frequency conversion circuit chip (8) is connected to the signal processing device, and the signal processing device is connected to the AIP module (300).

9. The phased array antenna according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: A motherboard (23), wherein the signal processing device, the frequency conversion circuit chip (8) and the wave control processor are all located on the motherboard (23); and / or, The AIP module (300) is located on the motherboard (23), the motherboard (23) is provided with a groove (233), a thermal pad (400) and a heat dissipation boss (500) are provided in the groove (233), and a side of the AIP module (300) where the chip (8) is located is located in the groove (233).

10. A method for manufacturing an antenna unit (100), characterized in that: include: Processing ceramic powder into green ceramic tape by tape casting technology; The green ceramic tape and the metal layer are stacked in sequence to form a stacked structure; the top layer of the stacked structure is the metal layer, and the metal layer includes an antenna radiation layer (2), a coupling feed layer (3) and a reference ground layer (4); applying pressure and heating to the laminated structure to form a green ceramic sheet structure; heating the green ceramic sheet structure to remove colloid in the green ceramic tape; The green ceramic sheet structure is co-fired, and the green ceramic tape is converted into a low-temperature co-fired ceramic layer (1), thereby obtaining an antenna unit (100).

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