Radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment, the radio frequency front-end module comprises a power amplifier, a filter and a matching element, the signal input end of the filter is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end of the filter is connected to the matching element. The signal input end of the filter is close to the first side edge of the filter, the signal output end of the filter is close to the second side edge of the filter, and the first side edge and the second side edge of the filter extend in the first direction. The first connecting end of the matching element is close to the first side of the matching element, the second connecting end of the matching element is close to the second side of the matching element, the first side and the second side of the matching element extend in the second direction, and the second direction intersects with the first direction. According to the invention, the position relation between the matching element and the filter is optimized, so that the matching element can reduce the influence degree on the filter under the condition of realizing impedance matching on the dominant frequency signal, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter, and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of radio frequency technology, and more particularly, to a radio frequency front-end module and an electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Currently, radio frequency front-end modules have been widely used in fields such as wireless communication, Internet of Things, and smart home. They can process radio frequency signals (for example, power amplification, filtering, impedance matching, etc.) to complete the tasks of receiving and transmitting radio frequency signals.

[0003] In existing radio frequency front-end modules, while the matching element achieves impedance matching for the main frequency signal in the radio frequency signal, it will affect the normal operation of the filter, resulting in a deterioration of the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter, thereby reducing the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a radio frequency front-end module and an electronic device.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present application, embodiments of the present application provide a radio frequency front-end module. The radio frequency front-end module includes a substrate and a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input end and a signal output end. The signal input end is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end is connected to the matching element. The signal input end of the filter is close to a first side of the filter, and the signal output end of the filter is close to a second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend along a first direction. The matching element includes a first connection end and a second connection end. The first connection end is close to a first side of the matching element, and the second connection end is close to a second side of the matching element. The first side and the second side of the matching element are oppositely arranged and both extend along a second direction, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction.

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide a radio frequency front-end module, which may include a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element. Among them, the signal input end of the filter is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end of the filter is connected to the matching element.

[0007] Specifically, the signal input end of the filter is close to a first side of the filter, and the signal output end of the filter is close to a second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend along a first direction. For example, the filter may be integrated in a chip, and its outer contour may be generally rectangular, and the first side and the second side may be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0008] The first connection end of the matching element is close to the first side of the matching element, and the second connection end of the matching element is close to the second side of the matching element. The first side and the second side of the matching element are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction. For example, the matching element can be a surface-mounted device (SMD), and its outer contour can be generally rectangular. The first side and the second side of the matching element can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0009] Since the second direction intersects the first direction, the first side and the second side of the filter can form a certain angle with the first side and the second side of the matching element. Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element and the filter in this application, the matching element is inclined relative to the filter (that is, the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the filter and the matching element. For example, when the matching element is a matching inductor, the eddy current between the inductor in the filter and the matching inductor can be reduced. When the matching element realizes impedance matching for the main frequency signal, the influence on the filter can be reduced, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0010] According to the second aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application further provides a radio frequency front-end module, which includes a substrate and a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input end and a signal output end. The signal input end is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end is connected to the matching element. The signal input end of the filter is close to the first side of the filter, and the signal output end of the filter is close to the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction. The matching element includes opposite first and second connection ends. The first virtual straight line defined by the first and second connection ends has an extension direction that is not perpendicular to the first direction.

[0011] An embodiment of this application provides a radio frequency front-end module, which may include a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element. Among them, the signal input end of the filter is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end of the filter is connected to the matching element.

[0012] Specifically, the signal input end of the filter is close to the first side of the filter, and the signal output end of the filter is close to the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction. For example, the filter can be integrated in a chip, and its outer contour can be generally rectangular. The first side and the second side can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0013] The first virtual straight line defined jointly by the first connection end and the second connection end of the matching element is not perpendicular to the extension direction of the first direction. For example, the two can be parallel or intersecting. Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element and the filter in the present application and arranging the matching element obliquely relative to the filter, the coupling degree between the filter and the matching element can be reduced. For example, in the case where the matching element is a matching inductor, the eddy current between the inductor in the filter and the matching inductor can be reduced, so that when the matching element achieves impedance matching for the main frequency signal, the influence on the filter can be reduced, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0014] According to the third aspect of the present application, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, and the electronic device includes the above-mentioned radio frequency front-end module. Description of the Drawings

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Figure 2 is Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the substrate in the radio frequency front-end module shown.

[0018] Figure 3 is Figure 1 A schematic circuit structure diagram of the matching element in the radio frequency front-end module shown.

[0019] Figure 4 It is a signal simulation schematic diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Figure 5 It is another schematic structural diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Figure 6 It is another signal simulation schematic diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Figure 7 is Figure 5 A schematic circuit structure diagram of the matching element and the suppression unit in the radio frequency front-end module shown.

[0023] Figure 8It is another schematic structural diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Figure 9 is Figure 8 The circuit schematic diagram of the matching element and the suppression unit in the radio frequency front-end module shown.

[0025] Figure 10 It is still another schematic structural diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Figure 11 It is the schematic structural diagram of the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0028] The embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency front-end module 100. The radio frequency front-end module 100 is an element that integrates two or more discrete devices such as radio frequency switches, low-noise amplifiers, filters, duplexers, and power amplifiers into an independent module, thereby improving the integration degree and hardware performance and miniaturizing the volume.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 1 , the radio frequency front-end module 100 may include a substrate 20 and a power amplifier 30, a filter 40, and a matching element 50 disposed on the substrate 20. The filter 40 may include a signal input end 401 and a signal output end 403. The signal input end 401 is connected to the power amplifier 30, and the signal output end 403 is connected to the matching element 50.

[0030] Specifically, the signal input end 401 of the filter 40 is close to the first side 410 of the filter 40, the signal output end 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction X. For example, the filter 40 may be integrated in a chip, and its outer contour may be generally rectangular, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 may be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0031] It should be noted here that "the XX end is close to the side edge" in this embodiment can be understood as the XX end is located on the side edge, or there may be a gap between the XX end and the side edge, and the distance between the XX end and this side edge is the smallest compared to other side edges.

[0032] Specifically, the matching element 50 may include a first connection end 502 and a second connection end 504. The first connection end 502 is close to the first side 520 of the matching element 50, and the second connection end 504 is close to the second side 540 of the matching element 50. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the matching element 50 may be a Surface Mounted Devices (SMD), and its outer contour may be generally rectangular. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 may be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0033] Since the second direction Y and the first direction X intersect, the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 can form a certain angle with the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50. In some possible embodiments, the angle between the first direction X and the second direction Y is greater than or equal to 60 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees. For example, the angle between them may be 60 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 82 degrees, 87 degrees, 90 degrees, etc.

[0034] Therefore, in this embodiment, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, the matching element 50 is inclined relative to the filter 40 (that is, the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching element 50. For example, when the matching element 50 is a matching inductor, it can reduce the eddy current between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor, so that when the matching element 50 realizes impedance matching for the main frequency signal, it can reduce the influence on the filter 40, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0035] Next, the specific implementation manner of the radio frequency front-end module 100 will be introduced.

[0036] In this embodiment, the substrate 20 is generally rectangular and is used to fixedly support the components in the radio frequency front-end module 100 (such as the power amplifier 30, the filter 40, the matching element 50, etc.). Specifically, the substrate 20 may be a copper-clad laminate. By performing hole processing, electroless copper plating, electroplating copper, etching, etc. on the copper-clad laminate, a circuit can be printed on the surface of the substrate 20.

[0037] In some possible embodiments, the substrate 20 may include a plurality of metal layers 210 stacked spaced apart from each other. The plurality of metal layers 210 may include a top metal layer 2102 and a bottom metal layer 2104, and the bottom metal layer 2104 is used for grounding.

[0038] In Figure 2 the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 20 may further include a substrate 250 and a plurality of dielectric layers 230. Among them, the plurality of metal layers 210 are sequentially stacked on the substrate 250. Specifically, the substrate 250 may be a silicon substrate, which serves to support the plurality of metal layers 210. The metal layer 210 may be a copper layer, which is used for routing (for example, equivalent traces of inductors, equivalent traces of baluns, connections between different components, etc.), or a grounding metal plate is provided to form a grounding metal layer (that is, the above-mentioned bottom metal layer 2104). In addition, the top metal layer 2102 (that is, the metal layer 210 with the largest distance from the substrate 250 among the plurality of metal layers 210) may also be used to carry electronic components (such as chips, chip capacitors, chip inductors, etc.). It is not difficult to understand that the above-mentioned bottom metal layer 2104 refers to the metal layer 210 with the smallest distance from the substrate 250 among the plurality of metal layers 210.

[0039] The dielectric layer 230 is disposed between two adjacent metal layers 210, which serves for electrical isolation and insulation. In addition, the dielectric layer 230 may also be provided with metal vias (not shown in the figure) to connect traces or electronic components located on different metal layers 210. Specifically, the material of the dielectric layer 230 may be fiberglass, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc.

[0040] In some possible embodiments, the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular to each other, and one of the first direction X and the second direction Y is the length direction of the substrate 20, and the other is the width direction of the substrate 20. For example, in Figure 1 it, the first direction X is the length direction of the substrate 20, and the second direction Y is the width direction of the substrate 20.

[0041] In this embodiment, the power amplifier 30 is disposed on the substrate 20, which is used for power amplifying an input radio frequency signal. For example, the power amplifier 30 may be integrated in a chip, and the chip may be connected to the substrate 20 by a flip-chip process or a bonding process. Specifically, the power amplifier 30 may be integrated in a Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT) chip.

[0042] In Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the power amplifier 30 adopts a differential architecture, which is used to convert the input radio frequency signal into a pair of radio frequency differential signals and then output them. Specifically, the power amplifier 30 may include a first output terminal 302 and a second output terminal 304, and the first output terminal 302 and the second output terminal 304 are used to output a pair of radio frequency differential signals. In some possible embodiments, the first output terminal 302 and the second output terminal 304 may be located on the same side of the power amplifier 30 and are symmetrically arranged with respect to the central axis of the power amplifier 30 to ensure the signal balance when the radio frequency differential signals are output.

[0043] When the power amplifier 30 adopts a differential architecture, the radio frequency front-end module 100 may further include a balun 70. The balun 70 is connected between the power amplifier 30 and the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40, and can play a role in impedance matching and synthesizing a pair of radio frequency differential signals into a single radio frequency signal.

[0044] Specifically, the balun 70 may include a primary coil 720 and a secondary coil 740 that are magnetically coupled. The primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740 are respectively wound on the substrate 20. Among them, the primary coil 720 is connected between the first output terminal 302 and the second output terminal 304. One end of the secondary coil 740 is connected to the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40, and the other end of the secondary coil 740 is grounded.

[0045] As an implementation manner, the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740 may be respectively wound on different metal layers 210, and the projection of the primary coil 720 in the thickness direction of the substrate 20 coincides with at least part of the structure of the secondary coil 740 to realize the magnetic coupling between the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740. Specifically, the turn ratio between the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740 may be 4:1, 3:1, 2.5:1, 2:1, etc., and this embodiment does not make specific limitations.

[0046] In some other possible embodiments, the power amplifier 30 may adopt a single-ended architecture, which is used to amplify the input radio frequency signal and then output it. In this case, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 may be directly connected to the output terminal of the power amplifier 30. That is to say, there is no need to set a balun between the filter 40 and the power amplifier 30, which can save the layout space of the substrate 20 and make the overall structure of the radio frequency front-end module 100 more compact.

[0047] In this embodiment, the signal input end 401 of the filter 40 is connected to the power amplifier 30, which is used to filter the radio frequency signal to suppress the harmonic signals (e.g., second-order harmonic signal, third-order harmonic signal) in the radio frequency signal, so as to achieve "out-of-band suppression" of the radio frequency signal. Specifically, the filter 40 can be integrated in a chip, and the chip can be connected to the substrate 20 by means of a flip-chip process or a bonding process. For example, the filter 40 can be integrated in an Integrated Passive Device (IPD) chip or a Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic (LTCC) chip. This embodiment does not limit the specific circuit architecture of the filter 40. For example, the filter 40 can adopt circuit architectures such as LC type, LCL type, CLC type, etc.

[0048] In Figure 1 the illustrated embodiment, the power amplifier 30, the balun 70, and the filter 40 are arranged in sequence in the first direction X. The filter 40 can include a first side 410, a second side 430, a third side 450, and a fourth side 470. Among them, the first side 410, the third side 450, the second side 430, and the fourth side 470 are connected in sequence to jointly define the outer contour of the filter 40. Specifically, the first side 410 and the second side 430 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction X, the third side 450 and the fourth side 470 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction Y, the third side 450 is arranged at an interval close to the balun 70, and the fourth side 470 is arranged away from the balun 70.

[0049] Specifically, the outer contour of the filter 40 can be generally rectangular, the first side 410 and the second side 430 can correspond to two short sides of the rectangle, and the third side 450 and the fourth side 470 can correspond to two long sides of the rectangle. In this case, the size of the filter 40 in the second direction Y is greater than the size of the filter 40 in the first direction X. Therefore, Figure 1 the filter 40 in

[0050] is arranged on the substrate 20 in a "horizontal placement" manner, which can save the layout space of the substrate 20.

[0051] Of course, in some other possible embodiments, the specific setting manner of the filter 40 can be flexibly adjusted according to the layout positions of other components on the substrate 20, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations in this regard. In addition, the outer contour of the filter 40 can also be generally square, and the lengths of the first side 410, the second side 430, the third side 450, and the fourth side 470 can be approximately equal.

[0051] In Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is close to the first side 410 of the filter 40 and is closer to the third side 450 of the filter 40 than to the fourth side 470. That is to say, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is disposed at the upper left corner of the filter 40 to facilitate connection to the secondary coil 740 of the balun 70. The signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40 and is closer to the fourth side 470 of the filter 40 than to the third side 450, so as to facilitate connection to other components (such as a radio frequency switch) in the radio frequency front-end module 100, making the overall layout of the radio frequency front-end module 100 more reasonable.

[0052] In this embodiment, the matching element 50 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 to perform impedance matching and improve the transmission efficiency of radio frequency signals. In some possible embodiments, the matching element 50 may be a matching inductor 560. The matching inductor 560 is a surface mount device. That is to say, the matching inductor 560 is mounted on the substrate 20 in the form of an SMD device, which can save the layout space of the substrate 20. Of course, the matching inductor 560 can also be wound around the substrate 20 in the form of a trace to reduce the hardware cost of the radio frequency front-end module 100. Specifically, the inductance value of the matching inductor 560 can be greater than or equal to 1 nH and less than or equal to 10 nH. For example, the inductance value of the matching inductor 560 can be 1 nH, 3 nH, 5 nH, 8 nH, 10 nH, etc.

[0053] In some other possible embodiments, the matching element 50 may be a matching capacitor (not shown in the figure), and the matching capacitor can be mounted on the substrate 20 in the form of an SMD device. In still some other possible embodiments, the number of the matching elements 50 may be multiple. A part of the multiple matching elements 50 is a matching inductor, and the other part is a matching capacitor. The specific implementation manner of the matching element 50 in this embodiment is not limited. Specifically, in the following description of the specification, the matching element 50 is taken as an example of the matching inductor 560 for introduction.

[0054] In this embodiment, the matching inductor 560 may include a first connection end 502 and a second connection end 504 that are oppositely arranged. Please refer to Figure 3 , in Figure 3 in the (a) area, the matching inductor 560 may be connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 in a parallel manner. Specifically, the first connection end 502 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the second connection end 504 of the matching inductor 560 is grounded. It is not difficult to find here that Figure 1 the matching inductor 560 shown in Figure 3In the (b) region of , the matching inductor 560 can be connected in series to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40. Specifically, the RF front-end module 100 can further include an RF switch 60. The first connection end 502 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the second connection end 504 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the RF switch 60. The specific connection manner of the matching element 50 in this embodiment is not limited.

[0055] Specifically, the first connection end 502 is close to the first side 520 of the matching inductor 560, and the second connection end 504 is close to the second side 540 of the matching inductor 560. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching inductor 560 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, when the matching inductor 560 is a surface-mount device, its outer contour can be generally rectangular, and the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching inductor 560 can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0056] Therefore, the matching inductor 560 in this embodiment is inclined with respect to the filter 40 (that is, the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560, so as to reduce the eddy current between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560. When the matching inductor 560 realizes impedance matching for the main frequency signal, it can reduce the influence on the filter 40, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the RF signal. Specifically, in Figure 1 the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching inductor 560 are perpendicular to the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40, so that the matching inductor 560 and the filter 40 are orthogonally and vertically arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560.

[0057] It should be noted here that in the related art, there is an unreasonable positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40 (for example, the matching element 50 and the filter 40 are arranged in parallel), which will cause the matching element 50 to affect the normal operation of the filter 50 while realizing the main frequency impedance matching, and deteriorate the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 50.

[0058] Please refer to Figure 4 , Curve 41 is the simulation curve of the RF front-end module in the related art, and curve 43 is the simulation curve of the RF front-end module in this application. It is not difficult to find from Figure 4 that in the out-of-band frequency band greater than 9 GHz, this application can achieve stronger signal attenuation, indicating that compared with the related art, this application optimizes the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, so that the filter 40 has a better out-of-band rejection effect.

[0059] Please refer to again Figure 1 The filter 40 is symmetrically arranged with respect to the specified axis L, and the extending direction of the specified axis L is the second direction Y. Specifically, the specified axis L is the central axis of the filter 40. The center of the matching element 50 does not coincide with the specified axis. For example, the outer contour of the matching element 50 can be generally rectangular, and the "center of the matching element 50" refers to the geometric center of the rectangle.

[0060] Therefore, in this embodiment, the matching element 50 is not only inclined with respect to the filter 40, but also deviated from the central axis of the filter 40, which can increase the distance between the matching element 50 and the filter 40 to further reduce the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching element 50. Specifically, the distance between the matching element 50 and the filter 40 is greater than or equal to 100 μm and less than or equal to 400 μm. For example, the distance between the two can be 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 320 μm, 400 μm, etc.

[0061] In some possible embodiments, the power amplifier 30 is implemented using a differential architecture, and a balun 70 is connected between the power amplifier 30 and the filter 40. In this case, the distance between the matching element 50 and the balun 70 is greater than or equal to 100 μm and less than or equal to 400 μm. For example, the distance between the two can be 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 320 μm, 400 μm, etc. Therefore, there is a certain distance between the matching element 50 and the balun 70 in this embodiment, which can reduce the coupling degree between the balun 70 and the matching element 50 to ensure the normal operation of the balun 70.

[0062] It should be noted here that in the related art, the filter 40 can usually only suppress specified harmonic signals, such as low-order harmonic signals such as second-order harmonic signals and third-order harmonic signals, resulting in poor suppression effects on high-order harmonic signals in the related RF front-end module 100, or even unable to effectively suppress high-order harmonic signals. Therefore, to solve the above problems, the RF front-end module 100 in this embodiment may further include a suppression unit 80, which is connected to the signal output end 403 of the filter 40 and is used to suppress high-order harmonic signals, and can improve the suppression effect on high-order harmonic signals. Specifically, the frequency of the high-order harmonic signal is greater than or equal to 8.4 GHz, and the high-order harmonic signal can be a fourth-order harmonic signal, a fifth-order harmonic signal, etc. Exemplarily, the high-order harmonic signal can be a fourth-order harmonic signal in the frequency band of 13.2 GHz to 16.8 GHz.

[0063] It should be noted that the suppression unit 80 in this embodiment is connected to the signal output end 403 of the filter 40, rather than being connected between the balun 70 and the filter 40, which can avoid the influence of the suppression unit 80 on the impedance conversion of the balun 70. Specifically, since the distance between the balun 70 and the filter 40 is small, if the suppression unit 80 is arranged between the balun 70 and the filter 40, the distance between the suppression unit 80 and the balun 70 will be small, resulting in signal coupling. Therefore, in this embodiment, by optimizing the installation position of the suppression unit 80, the signal coupling between the suppression unit 80 and the balun 70 can be reduced.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 5 , the power amplifier 30, the balun 70 and the filter 40 are arranged in the first direction X. The substrate 20 is also provided with a layout area K, and the layout area K can be a partial area of the substrate 20. Among them, the layout area K and the filter 40 are arranged in the second direction Y, and the matching element 50 and the suppression unit 80 are arranged in the layout area K. Specifically, the suppression unit 80 can be located on the side of the matching element 50 away from the balun 70, so that the matching element 50 is arranged between the balun 70 and the suppression unit 80, so as to increase the distance between the suppression unit 80 and the balun 70, thereby reducing the signal coupling between the two.

[0065] In addition, arranging the layout area K and the filter 40 in the second direction Y instead of the first direction X is also beneficial to the rational use of the layout space of the substrate 20. It is not difficult to understand that on the actual substrate 20, there may be no obvious dividing line for the layout area K, but the area where the matching element 50 and the suppression unit 80 are located is regarded as the layout area K.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 6 , the curve 61 is the simulation curve graph of the radio frequency front-end module in the related art, and the suppression unit is not provided in the radio frequency front-end module in the related art. The curve 63 is the simulation curve graph of the radio frequency front-end module in this application. It can be easily found from Figure 6 that in the frequency band greater than 10 GHz, this application can achieve stronger signal attenuation, indicating that compared with the related art, this application can significantly improve the suppression effect on high-order harmonic signals by setting the suppression unit 80 to ensure the transmission quality of radio frequency signals.

[0067] The specific implementation manner of the suppression unit 80 will be described below.

[0068] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7, the suppression unit 80 can adopt an LC trap structure, which can include a first capacitor 810 and a first inductor 830 connected in series. Among them, the first capacitor 810 can include a third connection terminal 812 and a fourth connection terminal 814. The third connection terminal 812 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the fourth connection terminal 814 is connected to one end of the first inductor 830, and the other end of the first inductor 830 is grounded.

[0069] In Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the third connection terminal 812 is close to the first side 801 of the first capacitor 810, the fourth connection terminal 814 is close to the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810, and the first side 801 and the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810 are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction X. Specifically, the first capacitor 810 can be a surface mount device, which can be disposed on the top metal layer 2102. The outer contour of the first capacitor 810 can be generally rectangular, and the first side 801 and the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810 can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0070] Therefore, the first capacitor 810 in this embodiment is inclined with respect to the matching element 50 (that is, the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the first capacitor 810 and the matching element 50 to improve the harmonic suppression ability of the suppression unit 80. Specifically, in Figure 5 , the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 are perpendicular to the first side 801 and the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810, so that the matching element 50 and the first capacitor 810 are orthogonally and perpendicularly disposed, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the first capacitor 810 and the matching element 50.

[0071] In Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the first inductor 830 is wound on the substrate 20 in the form of a trace to save the hardware cost of the suppression unit 80. Among them, the projection of the first capacitor 810 in the thickness direction of the substrate 20 coincides with at least a part of the trace corresponding to the first inductor 830, so that the first capacitor 810 can be in series resonance with the first inductor 830 to achieve the suppression of high-order harmonic signals.

[0072] Specifically, the first inductor 830 can include a plurality of continuous trace segments (not shown in the figure), and the plurality of trace segments are respectively wound on a plurality of metal layers 210, so that the first inductor 830 is connected between the top metal layer 2102 and the bottom metal layer 2104. Therefore, the first inductor 830 in this embodiment is wound on a plurality of metal layers 210 in the form of a trace, which can save the layout space of the substrate 20 and make the overall layout of the RF front-end module 100 more compact and reasonable.

[0073] In some possible embodiments, the capacitance value of the first capacitor 810 is greater than or equal to 0.2 pF and less than or equal to 0.4 pF. For example, the capacitance value of the first capacitor 810 can be 0.2 pF, 0.3 pF, 0.4 pF, etc. The inductance value of the first inductor 830 is greater than or equal to 0.1 nH and less than or equal to 0.5 nH. For example, the inductance value of the first inductor 830 can be 0.1 nH, 0.3 nH, 0.4 nH, etc.

[0074] Specifically, the capacitance value of the first capacitor 810 and the inductance value of the first inductor 830 can be determined by R & D personnel based on the frequency band coverage range of the high-order harmonic signals to be suppressed, and this embodiment does not limit this. In addition, it is not difficult to find here that since the inductance value of the first inductor 830 in this embodiment is small (that is, less than or equal to 0.5 nH), it can be smoothly equivalently realized by the trace wound around the substrate 20.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 , the radio frequency front-end module 100 may further include a radio frequency switch 60, a power amplifier 30, a balun 70, a filter 40, and the radio frequency switch 60, the power amplifier 30, and the balun 70 are arranged in the first direction X. Among them, the matching element 50 is connected to the signal branch between the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 and the radio frequency switch 60. For example, the matching element 50 can be connected in series on the signal branch; or, one end of the matching element 50 is connected to the signal branch and the other end is grounded.

[0076] The suppression unit 80 can adopt an LC trap structure, which may include a second capacitor 850 and a second inductor 870 connected in parallel. Among them, the second capacitor 850 has opposite fifth connection end 852 and sixth connection end 854, the fifth connection end 852 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the sixth connection end 854 is connected to the radio frequency switch 60.

[0077] In Figure 8 the shown embodiment, the fifth connection end 852 is close to the first side 805 of the second capacitor 850, the sixth connection end 854 is close to the second side 807 of the second capacitor 850, the first side 805 and the second side 807 of the second capacitor 850 are arranged oppositely and both extend along the first direction X. Specifically, the second capacitor 850 can be a surface-mount device, which can be mounted on the substrate 20. The outer contour of the second capacitor 850 can be generally rectangular, and the first side 805 and the second side 807 of the second capacitor 850 can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0078] Therefore, the second capacitor 850 in this embodiment is inclined with respect to the matching element 50 (i.e., the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the second capacitor 850 and the matching element 50, so as to improve the harmonic suppression ability of the suppression unit 80. Specifically, in Figure 8 the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 are perpendicular to the first side 805 and the second side 807 of the second capacitor 850, so that the matching element 50 and the second capacitor 850 are orthogonally and vertically arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the second capacitor 850 and the matching element 50.

[0079] In Figure 8 the illustrated embodiment, both the second inductor 870 and the second capacitor 850 are surface mount devices, and the matching element 50, the second capacitor 850, and the second inductor 870 are arranged in sequence in the first direction X. Therefore, in this embodiment, the second capacitor 850 is spaced between the matching element 50 and the second inductor 870, which can increase the distance between the matching element 50 and the second inductor 870 to avoid coupling between the second inductor 870 and the matching element 50, so as to improve the harmonic suppression ability of the suppression unit 80.

[0080] Specifically, the second inductor 870 has opposite seventh connection end 872 and eighth connection end 874, and the seventh connection end 872 and the eighth connection end 874 are connected in parallel across the two ends of the second capacitor 850. Among them, the seventh connection end 872 is close to the first side 808 of the second inductor 870, the eighth connection end 874 is close to the second side 809 of the second inductor 870, and the first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the outer contour of the second inductor 870 can be generally rectangular, and the first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0081] Therefore, in this embodiment, by optimizing the positional relationship between the second inductor 870 and the filter 40, the second inductor 870 is inclined with respect to the filter 40 (i.e., the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the second inductor 870 and the filter 40, so as to reduce the eddy current between the inductor in the filter 40 and the second inductor 870, and ensure that the second inductor 870 can resonate smoothly with the second capacitor 850. Specifically, in Figure 8 the first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 are perpendicular to the first side edge 410 and the second side edge 430 of the filter 40, so that the second inductor 870 and the filter 40 are orthogonally and vertically arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the second inductor 870 and the filter 40.

[0082] In some possible embodiments, the capacitance value of the second capacitor 850 is greater than or equal to 0.2 pF and less than or equal to 0.4 pF. For example, the capacitance value of the second capacitor 850 can be 0.2 pF, 0.3 pF, 0.4 pF, and so on. The inductance value of the second inductor 870 is greater than or equal to 0.1 nH and less than or equal to 0.5 nH. For example, the inductance value of the second inductor 870 can be 0.1 nH, 0.3 nH, 0.4 nH, and so on. Specifically, the capacitance value of the second capacitor 850 and the inductance value of the second inductor 870 can be determined by the R & D personnel based on the frequency band coverage of the high-order harmonic signals to be suppressed, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0083] An embodiment of the present application provides a radio frequency front-end module 100, which may include a substrate 20, a power amplifier 30, a filter 40, and a matching element 50 disposed on the substrate 20. The filter 40 may include a signal input terminal 401 and a signal output terminal 403. The signal input terminal 401 is connected to the power amplifier 30, and the signal output terminal 403 is connected to the matching element 50.

[0084] Specifically, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is close to the first side 410 of the filter 40, the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction X. For example, the filter 40 can be integrated in a chip, and its outer contour can be generally rectangular, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0085] Specifically, the matching element 50 may include a first connection terminal 502 and a second connection terminal 504. The first connection terminal 502 is close to the first side 520 of the matching element 50, the second connection terminal 504 is close to the second side 540 of the matching element 50, and the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the matching element 50 can be a surface mount device, and its outer contour can be generally rectangular, and the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50 can be the sides where the short sides of the rectangle are located.

[0086] Since the second direction Y intersects with the first direction X, the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 can form an angle with the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching element 50. Therefore, in this embodiment, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, the matching element 50 is disposed obliquely with respect to the filter 40 (that is, the two are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching element 50. For example, when the matching element 50 is a matching inductor, the eddy current between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor can be reduced, so that when the matching element 50 realizes impedance matching for the main frequency signal, the influence on the filter 40 can be reduced, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0087] Please refer to Figure 10 , the radio frequency front-end module 100 may include a substrate 20, and a power amplifier 30, a filter 40, and a matching element 50 disposed on the substrate 20. The filter 40 may include a signal input terminal 401 and a signal output terminal 403. The signal input terminal 401 is connected to the power amplifier 30, and the signal output terminal 403 is connected to the matching element 50.

[0088] Specifically, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is close to the first side 410 of the filter 40, the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 are oppositely disposed and both extend along the first direction X. For example, the filter 40 may be integrated in a chip, and its outer contour may be generally rectangular, and the first side 410 and the second side 430 may be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0089] It should be noted here that "XX terminal is close to the side" in this embodiment can be understood as that the XX terminal is located on the side, or there may be a gap between the XX terminal and the side, and compared with other sides, the distance between the XX terminal and the side is the smallest.

[0090] Specifically, the matching element 50 may include a first connection terminal 502 and a second connection terminal 504. The first virtual straight line J defined by the first connection terminal 502 and the second connection terminal 504, and the extending direction of the first virtual straight line J is not perpendicular to the first direction X. For example, the two may be parallel or intersecting. In some possible examples, the matching element 50 may be implemented by a surface mount device, and the first connection terminal 502 and the second connection terminal 504 are two connection terminals of the surface mount device. In some other possible examples, the matching element 50 may be a matching inductor 560, and the matching inductor 560 may be implemented by a way of winding traces, and the first connection terminal 502 and the second connection terminal 504 are two connection terminals of the traces.

[0091] Therefore, in the embodiments of the present application, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, and setting the matching element 50 to be inclined relative to the filter 40, the coupling degree between the filter 40 and the matching element 50 can be reduced. For example, when the matching element 50 is a matching inductor, the eddy current between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor 50 can be reduced, so that when the matching element 50 realizes impedance matching for the main frequency signal, the influence on the filter 40 can be reduced, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0092] Specifically, for the relevant introductions of the substrate 20, the power amplifier 30, the filter 40, and the matching element 50, reference can be made to the relevant introductions in the above text of the specification. To save space, they will not be elaborated here.

[0093] In addition, the radio frequency front-end module 100 in this embodiment may also have other features of the radio frequency front-end module 100 in the above embodiments. For example, the balun 70, the suppression unit 80, the radio frequency switch 60, etc. in the above text of the specification. Without conflict, the relevant technical features corresponding to the balun 70, the suppression unit 80, and the radio frequency switch 60 in the above embodiments can also be incorporated into the radio frequency front-end module 100 of this embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0094] Please refer to Figure 11 , this embodiment also provides an electronic device 200, which can be a 4G or 5G communication device such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, etc. Specifically, the electronic device 200 may include the radio frequency front-end module 100 in the above embodiments to realize the receiving and sending of radio frequency signals.

[0095] In addition, with the development of 5G technology, the requirements for the performance of the radio frequency front-end module are getting higher and higher. The technical solution of the present application can be applied to the 5G radio frequency front-end module to improve the communication performance of 5G communication devices.

[0096] In the specification of the present application, when certain terms are used to refer to specific components in the specification and claims. Those skilled in the art should understand that hardware manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. The specification and claims do not use the difference in names as a way to distinguish components, but use the difference in functions of components as the criterion for distinction. As mentioned throughout the specification and claims, "including" is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to"; "substantially" means that those skilled in the art can solve technical problems within a certain error range and basically achieve the technical effect.

[0097] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "inside", etc. indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0098] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected to", "fixed", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and can also be the communication inside two elements, or just surface contact. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0099] In the description of this specification, the description referring to terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0100] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0101] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A radio frequency front-end module, characterized in that, It includes a substrate, a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input end and a signal output end. The signal input end is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end is connected to the matching element; The signal input end of the filter is close to the first side of the filter, and the signal output end of the filter is close to the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend in a first direction; The matching element includes a first connection end and a second connection end. The first connection end is close to the first side of the matching element, and the second connection end is close to the second side of the matching element. The first side and the second side of the matching element are oppositely arranged and both extend in a second direction, wherein the second direction intersects with the first direction.

2. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The included angle between the first direction and the second direction is greater than or equal to 60 degrees and less than or equal to 90 degrees.

3. The RF front-end module according to claim 2, wherein, The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, and one of the first direction and the second direction is the length direction of the substrate, and the other is the width direction of the substrate.

4. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The filter is symmetrically arranged with respect to a specified axis, the extending direction of the specified axis is the second direction, and the center of the matching element does not coincide with the specified axis.

5. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The size of the filter in the second direction is greater than the size of the filter in the first direction.

6. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The distance between the matching element and the filter is greater than or equal to 100 μm and less than or equal to 400 μm.

7. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The matching element is a matching inductor, and the matching inductor is a surface mount device; the first connection end of the matching inductor is connected to the signal output end of the filter; The second connection end of the matching inductor is grounded; or, the radio frequency front-end module further includes a radio frequency switch, and the second connection end of the matching inductor is connected to the radio frequency switch.

8. The RF front-end module according to claim 7, wherein The inductance value of the matching inductor is greater than or equal to 1 nH and less than or equal to 10 nH.

9. The RF front-end module according to claim 1, wherein The radio frequency front-end module further includes a balun, and the balun is connected between the power amplifier and the signal input end of the filter; The distance between the matching element and the balun is greater than or equal to 100 μm and less than or equal to 400 μm.

10. The RF front-end module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The radio frequency front-end module further includes a suppression unit; the suppression unit is connected to the signal output end of the filter for suppressing high-order harmonic signals; The power amplifier and the filter are arranged in the first direction; the substrate is further provided with a layout area, the layout area and the filter are arranged in the second direction, and the matching element and the suppression unit are arranged in the layout area.

11. The RF front-end module according to claim 10, wherein, The suppression unit includes a first capacitor and a first inductor connected in series; the first capacitor includes a third connection end and a fourth connection end, the third connection end is connected to the signal output end of the filter, the fourth connection end is connected to one end of the first inductor, and the other end of the first inductor is grounded; The third connection end is close to the first side of the first capacitor, the fourth connection end is close to the second side of the first capacitor, and the first side and the second side of the first capacitor are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction.

12. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 11, wherein The first capacitor is a surface mount device, and the first inductor is wound around the substrate in the form of a trace; The projection of the first capacitor in the thickness direction of the substrate coincides with at least part of the trace corresponding to the first inductor.

13. The RF front-end module according to claim 12, wherein The substrate includes a plurality of metal layers stacked at intervals, and the plurality of metal layers include a top metal layer and a bottom metal layer. The first capacitor is disposed on the top metal layer, and the bottom metal layer is used for grounding; The first inductor includes a plurality of wire segments connected in succession, and the plurality of wire segments are respectively wound around the plurality of metal layers so that the first inductor is connected between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer.

14. The RF front-end module according to claim 11, wherein The capacitance value of the first capacitor is greater than or equal to 0.2 pF and less than or equal to 0.4 pF; or / and The inductance value of the first inductor is greater than or equal to 0.1 nH and less than or equal to 0.5 nH.

15. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 10, wherein The RF front-end module further includes an RF switch, and the matching element is connected to a signal branch between the signal output end of the filter and the RF switch; The suppression unit includes a second capacitor and a second inductor connected in parallel; the second capacitor has opposite fifth and sixth connection ends, the fifth connection end is connected to the signal output end of the filter, and the sixth connection end is connected to the RF switch; The fifth connection end is close to the first side of the second capacitor, the sixth connection end is close to the second side of the second capacitor, and the first side and the second side of the second capacitor are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction.

16. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 15, wherein Both the second capacitor and the second inductor are surface mount devices, and the matching element, the second capacitor, and the second inductor are arranged in sequence along the first direction.

17. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 15, wherein The second inductor is a surface mount device, and the second inductor has opposite seventh and eighth connection ends, and the seventh and eighth connection ends are connected in parallel across the two ends of the second capacitor; The seventh connection end is close to the first side of the second inductor, the eighth connection end is close to the second side of the second inductor, and the first side and the second side of the second inductor are oppositely arranged and both extend along the second direction.

18. The RF front-end module according to claim 10, wherein The frequency of the high-order harmonic signal is greater than or equal to 8.4 GHz.

19. A radio frequency front-end module, characterized in that, It includes a substrate and a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input end and a signal output end. The signal input end is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output end is connected to the matching element; The signal input end of the filter is close to the first side edge of the filter, the signal output end of the filter is close to the second side edge of the filter, and the first side edge and the second side edge of the filter are oppositely arranged and both extend along the first direction; The matching element includes opposite first and second connection ends, a first virtual straight line jointly defined by the first and second connection ends, and the extending direction of the first virtual straight line is not perpendicular to the first direction.

20. An electronic device, characterized in that, Comprising: The radio frequency front-end module according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

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