Miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line
By adopting LTCC process technology and strip line design in the delay line, the output of multiple delay quantities is achieved, which solves the problem that traditional delay lines cannot output multiple delay quantities, and improves the reliability and adaptability of the delay lines.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411991742.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-31
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-25
AI Technical Summary
Traditional chip delay lines mostly output a single delay amount by a single device, and it is impossible to achieve a single product output a variety of different delay amounts.
By using LTCC process technology, multiple metal delay line layers designed with stripline are integrated into one through stacking, and a three-dimensional internal structure and pad design of snake-shaped stripline stack are set to achieve different delays output in different installation directions of the device.
Three different delay amounts are realized for a single device, which reduces the loss of the delay line layer and improves the reliability of the delay line, so that the delay line can adapt to various working environments, and has the advantages of miniaturization, high reliability and long delay.
Smart Images
Figure CN119695439A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of electronic components, and in particular to a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line. Background Art
[0002] At present, Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC), as a high-density packaging technology with a wide range of applications, has become the preferred way for the integration and modularization of electronic components in the future due to its excellent electronic, mechanical and thermal properties. It is widely used in the modular design of multi-layer chip circuits. The RF microwave components and modules designed and produced based on LTCC technology include balun filters, filters, multiplexers, duplexers, antennas, couplers, bridges, baluns, antennas, etc. In addition to its advantages in cost and integrated packaging, it has many advantages in wiring line width and line spacing, low impedance metallization, design diversity and high-frequency performance. As modern electronic equipment continues to develop towards miniaturization and high frequency, they have been widely used in miniaturized electronic equipment.
[0003] The structures of serpentine delay lines generally include microstrip lines, coplanar waveguides and strip lines. In the coplanar structure, the lines are isolated from each other, which will reduce the crosstalk between each other. This is a major advantage of coplanar waveguides; another advantage is that the line width is flexible. Of course, coplanar lines also have disadvantages, because the current is concentrated at the edge, resulting in higher insertion loss. There is also the problem of mode. Odd-mode effects may occur due to the turning, bending or asymmetry of the center line. The microstrip line structure is a semi-open structure. This structure causes part of the transmission energy to be lost in the form of radiation, and its loss is greater than that of the strip line. In addition, the signal transmission speed of the microstrip line is faster than that of the strip line in the same material, which leads to the fact that to achieve the same delay, the microstrip line requires a larger space than the strip line. The strip line is the only planar transmission line without mode dispersion. Its advantages are as follows: First, because both sides of the strip line are dielectric media with determined dielectric properties, the electromagnetic field is better controlled; second, the effective dielectric constant is larger than that of other structures, and the delay per unit length is larger, which is suitable for miniaturization needs.
[0004] Traditional chip delay lines mostly output a single delay value for a single device, and it is impossible for a single product to output multiple different delay values. Summary of the invention
[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line, which utilizes the LTCC process technology to integrate multiple metal delay line layers using a stripline design into one by stacking, effectively reducing the volume and weight of the delay line. By setting a three-dimensional internal structure of a serpentine strip-shaped stack and a pad design, different delay amounts are output in different installation directions of the device, and a single device is achieved to output three different delay amounts. A metal delay line layer is arranged between two adjacent metal ground electrodes, which reduces the loss of the delay line layer and improves the reliability of the delay line, so that the delay line can adapt to various working environments. At the same time, it has the advantages of miniaturization, high reliability and long delay. It adopts a bottom electrode packaging method, which is convenient for mounting. The preparation method of the LTCC technology improves the compatibility of component processes.
[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line, comprising: a metal line delay unit laminate, a metal ground electrode laminate, a port external electrode and a ground external electrode;
[0007] The metal line delay unit stack is composed of metal delay line units printed on a ceramic substrate layer, and the metal ground electrode stack is composed of metal ground electrodes printed on the ceramic substrate layer. A preset number of the metal line delay unit stacks are alternately stacked with the same number of the metal ground electrode stacks.
[0008] The metal delay line units of the metal line delay unit stack are respectively connected to the port external electrodes, and the metal grounding electrodes of the metal ground electrode stack are respectively connected to the grounding external electrodes.
[0009] In the above technical solution, preferably, the port external electrode and the ground external electrode are printed on the ceramic base layer and are arranged at the bottom of the metal line delay unit stack and the metal ground electrode stack.
[0010] In the above technical solution, preferably, the four corners of the ceramic substrate layer at the bottom are respectively provided with rectangular or square port external electrodes, any two adjacent ones of which serve as input and output ports, and the other two serve as suspended ports, and a cross-shaped metal grounding electrode is independently provided in the middle.
[0011] In the above technical solution, preferably, a preset number of groups of metal delay line units are respectively connected to the port external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes, and a preset number of groups of metal grounding electrodes are respectively connected to the grounding external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes.
[0012] In the above technical solution, preferably, the metal line delay unit stack is composed of serpentine metal lines arranged in a zigzag manner on the ceramic substrate layer and metal planar conductors insulated from each other, the metal planar conductors are connected to the side electrodes, and the metal ground electrode stack is composed of a metal planar conductor with a preset number of holes printed on the ceramic substrate layer.
[0013] In the above technical solution, preferably, the relative dielectric constant of the ceramic base layer is in the range of 5 to 5000.
[0014] In the above technical solution, preferably, the metal delay line unit and the metal ground electrode adopt a gold, silver or copper sheet structure.
[0015] In the above technical solution, preferably, the miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line further includes a MARK identification layer, which is printed on the upper surface of the top ceramic base layer, and the MARK identification layer can identify the installation direction of the delay line.
[0016] In the above technical solution, preferably, according to the required output delay amount, the metal delay line units of the preset layer are connected to the port external electrodes respectively.
[0017] In the above technical solution, preferably, according to the required output delay amount and the direction indicated by the MARK identification layer, the LTCC delay line is installed in a preset direction relative to the pad.
[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0019] (1) The present invention utilizes LTCC process technology to integrate multiple metal delay line layers into one by laminating, thereby effectively reducing the volume and weight of the delay line; and the length and number of layers of the folded metal wire in the metal line delay unit can be manufactured according to actual needs, so as to achieve adjustable delay time within a certain range.
[0020] (2) The present invention realizes different delay amounts when the device is installed in different directions through the internal structure and pad design, and realizes a single device outputting three different delay amounts;
[0021] (3) In the structural design of the present invention, multiple metal delay line layers and metal ground layers are designed to have the same pattern, which reduces production costs and improves production efficiency and yield;
[0022] (4) The present invention adopts a stripline design and arranges a metal delay line layer between two adjacent metal ground electrodes, thereby reducing the loss of the delay line layer, improving the reliability of the delay line, and enabling the delay line to adapt to various different working environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an exploded perspective structure of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional appearance of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a metal grounding electrode of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a metal delay line unit of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the pad appearance of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an installation method of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line with an output delay of 1 (0.5 ns) disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0029] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an installation method of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line with an output delay of 2 (1.0 ns) disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the installation method of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line with an output delay of 3 (1.5 ns) disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention;
[0031] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the delay amount of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line when installed in different directions according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0032] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of insertion loss of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line when installed in different directions according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0033] Fig.11 A schematic diagram of return loss of a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line when installed in different directions according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0035] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:
[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line provided according to the present invention comprises: a metal line delay unit laminate, a metal ground electrode laminate, a port external electrode and a ground external electrode;
[0037] The metal line delay unit laminate is composed of metal delay line units printed on a ceramic substrate layer, the metal ground electrode laminate is composed of metal ground electrodes printed on a ceramic substrate layer, and a preset number of metal line delay unit laminates are alternately stacked with the same number of metal ground electrode laminates;
[0038] The metal delay line units of the metal line delay unit stack are respectively connected to the port external electrodes, and the metal grounding electrodes of the metal ground electrode stack are respectively connected to the grounding external electrodes.
[0039] In this embodiment, LTCC process technology is used to integrate multiple metal delay line layers using stripline design into one through lamination, which effectively reduces the volume and weight of the delay line. By setting a three-dimensional internal structure and pad design of a serpentine strip-shaped laminate, different delay amounts are output in different installation directions of the device, and a single device is achieved to output three different delay amounts. A metal delay line layer is set between two adjacent metal ground electrodes, which reduces the loss of the delay line layer and improves the reliability of the delay line, so that the delay line can adapt to various working environments. At the same time, it has the advantages of miniaturization, high reliability and long delay. The bottom electrode packaging method is adopted, which is convenient for mounting. The preparation method of LTCC technology improves the compatibility of component processes.
[0040] In the implementation process, the chip device is formed by LTCC stacking technology, and multiple output electrodes are printed on the surface of the ceramic dielectric substrate. The device layers are connected to each other through multi-layer interconnection technology and finally connected to the bottom input / output / ground electrodes to realize the function. Through the design of internal structure and pad structure, a single device can output multiple delay amounts through different installation directions. This design method not only greatly saves space compared to traditional planar transmission lines and increases the delay time of electromagnetic delay lines, but also this method can output three different delay amounts without increasing the volume, which reduces production costs and improves production efficiency, in line with the direction of device miniaturization and integration.
[0041] Specifically, using LTCC process technology, multiple metal delay line units are integrated into one through stacking. Through port and pad design, a single device can output 0.5ns, 1.0ns and 1.5ns delays, effectively reducing the volume and weight of the delay line, and has the characteristics of low insertion loss, stable delay, and wide operating bandwidth. At the same time, burying the metal line delay unit in the dielectric ceramic substrate layer can improve the reliability of the delay line, so that the delay line can adapt to various working environments.
[0042] The metal line delay unit stack and the metal ground electrode stack are cross-stacked, that is, a metal ground electrode stack is sandwiched between two adjacent metal line delay unit stacks or a metal line delay unit stack is sandwiched between two adjacent metal ground electrode stacks.
[0043] During implementation, the number of delay line layers is assumed to be N, which are the 1st, 2nd, ...N-1, Nth layers from top to bottom, where the odd-numbered layers are metal ground electrode stacks and the even-numbered layers are metal line delay unit stacks. The electrode length and number of layers can be adjusted according to the delay requirement.
[0044] Specifically, multiple metal delay line layers and metal ground layers are designed to have the same pattern, which reduces production costs and improves production efficiency and yield.
[0045] Among them, the present invention uses dielectric ceramics, which have the characteristics of good insulation performance, large quality factor, high self-resonance frequency, etc., and effectively broadens the working frequency band of the delay line; the present invention buries the metal conductor routing in the dielectric ceramic body, thereby effectively protecting the performance of the metal material used for the folded serpentine conductor, improving the reliability of the delay line, and allowing the delay line to adapt to various different working environments.
[0046] In the above embodiment, preferably, the port external electrode and the ground external electrode are printed on the ceramic base layer and are arranged at the bottom of the metal line delay unit laminate and the metal ground electrode laminate.
[0047] During the implementation process, the three-in-one LTCC delay line includes 11 ceramic substrate layers 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, and 111; the metal line delay unit stack is printed on the ceramic dielectric substrate 102, 104, 106, 108, and 110 layers using conductive metal paste, the metal ground electrode stack is printed on the ceramic substrate layers 101, 103, 105, 107, and 109 using conductive metal paste, and the external electrodes P1, P2, P3, P4, and P5 are printed on the ceramic dielectric substrate 111 layer using conductive metal paste.
[0048] In the above embodiment, preferably, rectangular or square port external electrodes are respectively provided at the four corners of the bottom ceramic substrate layer, any two adjacent ones serve as input and output ports, the other two serve as suspended ports, and a cross-shaped metal grounding electrode is independently provided in the middle.
[0049] In the above implementation, preferably, a preset number of groups of metal delay line units are respectively connected to the port external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes, and a preset number of groups of metal grounding electrodes are respectively connected to the grounding external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes.
[0050] Specifically, the layers of the metal line delay unit stack are connected through metallized through holes similar to H1. According to the delay amount required, a certain layer can be connected to ports P1, P2, P3, and P4 through metallized through holes similar to H2. The layers of the metal ground electrode stack are connected through a plurality of metallized through holes HG, and are connected to the grounded external electrode P5 through a plurality of metallized through holes HG. The connections between the layers are all realized through metallized through holes.
[0051] In the above embodiment, preferably, the metal line delay unit stack is composed of serpentine metal lines arranged in a zigzag manner on a ceramic substrate layer and mutually insulated metal planar conductors, the metal planar conductors are connected to the side electrodes, and the metal ground electrode stack is composed of a metal planar conductor with a preset number of holes printed on the ceramic substrate layer.
[0052] In the above embodiment, preferably, the relative dielectric constant of the ceramic base layer is in the range of 5 to 5000.
[0053] In the above implementation, preferably, the metal delay line unit and the metal ground electrode adopt a gold, silver or copper sheet structure.
[0054] In the above embodiment, preferably, the miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line further includes a MARK identification layer, which is printed on the upper surface of the top ceramic substrate layer using ink, and the MARK identification layer can identify the installation direction of the delay line.
[0055] In the above implementation, preferably, according to the required output delay amount, the metal delay line units of the preset layers are respectively connected to the port external electrodes.
[0056] During implementation, layer 102 is connected to P2 through metallized vias, layer 106 is connected to P1, layer 108 is connected to P4, and layer 110 is connected to P3.
[0057] In the above implementation, preferably, according to the required output delay amount and the direction indicated by the MARK identification layer, the LTCC delay line is installed in a preset direction relative to the pad.
[0058] In the implementation process, the length and number of layers of the folded metal wire in the metal wire delay unit can be made according to actual needs to achieve adjustable delay time within a certain range and distribution of port output delay. In addition, different installation directions of the LTCC delay line relative to the pad can also output different delay amounts.
[0059] like Figure 5 As shown, on this type of pad, use Figures 6 to 8 The LTCC delay line can be installed in three directions to output different delay amounts.
[0060] Specifically, the marking direction is as follows Figure 6 During installation, the output delay, insertion loss, voltage standing wave, etc. Fig. 9 , 10 , as shown by the 0.5ns curve in 11;
[0061] Mark the direction as Figure 7 During installation, the output delay, insertion loss, voltage standing wave, etc. Fig. 9 , 10 , as shown by the 1.0ns curve in 11;
[0062] Mark the direction as Figure 8 During installation, the output delay, insertion loss, voltage standing wave, etc. Fig. 9 , 10 , as shown by the 1.5ns curve in 11.
[0063] In addition to the above three installation methods that can output three delay amounts of 0.5ns, 1.0ns, and 1.5ns, the present invention is not limited to these, and can be adjusted as needed. Figure 3 , Figure 4 By changing the structure and number of layers, delay line products with other delay combinations can be obtained.
[0064] During implementation, those skilled in the art may adjust the structure and number of layers of the metal delay line unit laminate and the metal ground electrode laminate according to the teachings of the above embodiments of the present invention, adjust the specific layer at which the metal delay line unit laminate is connected to the port external electrode, and may also adjust the installation direction of the LTCC delay line relative to the pad. By combining the above adjustment methods, different delay amounts can be achieved, and the delay amounts achieved by the above combination methods are not listed here in detail.
[0065] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line, characterized in that: include: A metal line delay unit laminate, a metal ground electrode laminate, a port external electrode and a ground external electrode; The metal line delay unit stack is composed of metal delay line units printed on a ceramic substrate layer, and the metal ground electrode stack is composed of metal ground electrodes printed on the ceramic substrate layer. A preset number of the metal line delay unit stacks are alternately stacked with the same number of the metal ground electrode stacks. The metal delay line units of the metal line delay unit stack are respectively connected to the port external electrodes, and the metal grounding electrodes of the metal ground electrode stack are respectively connected to the grounding external electrodes.
2. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The port external electrode and the ground external electrode are printed on the ceramic base layer and are arranged at the bottom of the metal line delay unit stack and the metal ground electrode stack.
3. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 2, characterized in that: The four corners of the ceramic substrate layer at the bottom are respectively provided with rectangular or square port external electrodes, any two adjacent ones of which serve as input and output ports, and the other two serve as suspended ports, and a cross-shaped metal grounding electrode is independently provided in the middle.
4. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 3, characterized in that: A preset number of groups of metal delay line units are connected to the port external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes, and a preset number of groups of metal grounding electrodes are connected to the grounding external electrodes across layers through metallized through holes.
5. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 4, characterized in that: The metal line delay unit stack is composed of serpentine metal lines zigzagly arranged on the ceramic substrate layer and mutually insulated metal planar conductors, the metal planar conductors are connected to the side electrodes, and the metal ground electrode stack is composed of a metal planar conductor with a preset number of holes printed on the ceramic substrate layer.
6. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 5, characterized in that: The relative dielectric constant of the ceramic substrate layer ranges from 5 to 5000.
7. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 6, characterized in that: The metal delay line unit and the metal grounding electrode are made of gold, silver or copper sheet structures.
8. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: It also includes a MARK identification layer, which is printed on the upper surface of the top ceramic base layer, and the MARK identification layer can identify the installation direction of the delay line.
9. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 8, characterized in that: According to the required output delay amount, the metal delay line units of the preset layers are connected to the port external electrodes respectively.
10. The miniaturized three-in-one LTCC delay line according to claim 9, characterized in that: According to the required output delay amount and the direction indicated by the MARK identification layer, the LTCC delay line is installed in a preset direction relative to the pad.