Radio frequency front-end module and electronic device

Abstract

The application discloses a radio frequency front-end module and electronic equipment, the radio frequency front-end module includes power amplifier, filter and matching element, the signal input end of filter is connected to power amplifier, and the signal output end is connected to matching element.The signal input end of filter is close to the first side of filter, and the signal output end of filter is close to the second side of filter, and the first side and the second side of filter extend along the first direction.The first connecting end of matching element is close to the first side of matching element, and the second connecting end is close to the second side of matching element, and the first side and the second side of matching element extend along the second direction, and the second direction and the first direction intersect.The application optimizes the position relationship between the matching element and the filter, so that the matching element can reduce the influence degree on the filter under the condition of realizing impedance matching on the main frequency signal, and further improves the out-of-band suppression effect of the filter, and ensures the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of radio frequency technology, and more specifically, to a radio frequency front-end module and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, radio frequency (RF) front-end modules are widely used in wireless communication, the Internet of Things (IoT), smart homes, and other fields. They can process RF signals (e.g., power amplification, filtering, impedance matching, etc.) to complete the tasks of receiving and transmitting RF signals.

[0003] In existing RF front-end modules, while matching components achieve impedance matching for the main frequency signal in the RF signal, they also affect the normal operation of the filter, resulting in a deterioration of the filter's out-of-band rejection effect, which in turn reduces the transmission quality of the RF signal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a radio frequency front-end module and an electronic device.

[0005] According to a first aspect of this application, an embodiment of this application provides a radio frequency (RF) front-end module. The RF 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 terminal and a signal output terminal. The signal input terminal is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal is connected to the matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is near a first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal is near a second side of the filter. The first and second sides of the filter are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along a first direction. The matching element includes a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal. The first connection terminal is near a first side of the matching element, and the second connection terminal is near a second side of the matching element. The first and second sides of the matching element are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along a second direction, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction.

[0006] This application provides a radio frequency (RF) front-end module, which may include a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal of the filter is connected to the matching element.

[0007] Specifically, the signal input terminal of the filter is located near the first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal of the filter is located near the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are positioned opposite each other and both extend along a first direction. For example, the filter can be integrated into a chip, and its outer contour can be approximately rectangular. The first side and the second side can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0008] The first connection end of the mating element is close to the first side of the mating element, and the second connection end of the mating element is close to the second side of the mating element. The first side and the second side of the mating element are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the second direction. For example, the mating element can be a surface mounted device (SMD), and its outer contour can be approximately rectangular. The first side and the second side of the mating element can be the side containing the short side of the rectangle.

[0009] Since the second direction intersects with the first direction, the first and second sides of the filter can form a certain angle with the first and second sides of the matching element. Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element and the filter, and setting the matching element at an angle relative to the filter (i.e., not parallel), this application can reduce the coupling degree between the filter and the matching element. For example, when the matching element is a matching inductor, the eddy currents between the inductor in the filter and the matching inductor can be reduced. This allows the matching element to achieve impedance matching for the main frequency signal while reducing its impact on the filter, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0010] According to a second aspect of this application, embodiments of this application also provide a radio frequency (RF) front-end module. The RF 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 terminal and a signal output terminal. The signal input terminal is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal is connected to the matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is located near a first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal is located near a second side of the filter. The first and second sides of the filter are disposed opposite each other and both extend along a first direction. The matching element includes opposing first and second connection terminals. A first virtual straight line is defined by the first and second connection terminals, and the extension direction of the first virtual straight line is not perpendicular to the first direction.

[0011] This application provides a radio frequency (RF) front-end module, which may include a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal of the filter is connected to the matching element.

[0012] Specifically, the signal input terminal of the filter is located near the first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal of the filter is located near the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are positioned opposite each other and both extend along a first direction. For example, the filter can be integrated into a chip, and its outer contour can be approximately rectangular. The first side and the second side can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

[0013] A first virtual straight line is defined by the first and second connection terminals of the matching element, and the extension direction of the first virtual straight line is not perpendicular to a first direction. For example, they can be parallel or intersect. Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element and the filter, and by tilting the matching element relative to the filter, this application can reduce the coupling degree between the filter and the matching element. For example, when the matching element is a matching inductor, the eddy currents between the inductor in the filter and the matching inductor can be reduced. This allows the matching element to achieve impedance matching for the main frequency signal while reducing its impact on the filter, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0014] According to a third aspect of this application, embodiments of this application also provide an electronic device, which includes the radio frequency front-end module described above. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the substrate in the RF front-end module.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the circuit structure of the matching components in the RF front-end module.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a signal simulation diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0020] Figure 5 This is another structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0021] Figure 6 This is another signal simulation diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0022] Figure 7 yes Figure 5 The diagram shows the circuit structure of the matching element and suppression unit in the RF front-end module.

[0023] Figure 8This is another structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 The diagram shows the circuit structure of the matching element and suppression unit in the RF front-end module.

[0025] Figure 10 This is another structural schematic diagram of the radio frequency front-end module provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand 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. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0028] This application provides a radio frequency front-end module 100, which is a component 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 integration and hardware performance, and miniaturizing the size.

[0029] Please see 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 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.

[0030] Specifically, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is close to the first side 410 of the filter 40, and the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40. The first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction X. For example, the filter 40 can be integrated into a chip, and its outer contour can be approximately rectangular. The first side 410 and the second side 430 can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

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

[0032] Specifically, the mating element 50 may include a first connecting end 502 and a second connecting end 504. The first connecting end 502 is close to a first side 520 of the mating element 50, and the second connecting end 504 is close to a second side 540 of the mating element 50. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the mating element 50 are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the mating element 50 may be a surface mount device (SMD), and its outer contour may be approximately rectangular. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the mating element 50 may be the side containing the short side of the rectangle.

[0033] Because the second direction Y intersects the first direction X, 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 can be 60 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 82 degrees, 87 degrees, 90 degrees, etc.

[0034] Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, this embodiment sets the matching element 50 at an angle relative to the filter 40 (i.e., they 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 currents between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor can be reduced, so that the matching element 50 can reduce its influence on the filter 40 while achieving impedance matching for the main frequency signal, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0035] The specific implementation of the RF front-end module 100 is described below.

[0036] In this embodiment, the substrate 20 is generally rectangular and serves to fix and support the components (e.g., power amplifier 30, filter 40, matching element 50, etc.) in the RF front-end module 100. Specifically, the substrate 20 can be a copper-clad laminate. By performing hole processing, chemical copper plating, electroplating, etching, and other processes on the copper-clad laminate, circuits 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 at intervals from each other, the plurality of metal layers 210 may include a top metal layer 2102 and a bottom metal layer 2104, the bottom metal layer 2104 being used for grounding.

[0038] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the substrate 20 may further include a substrate 250 and a plurality of dielectric layers 230, wherein a 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 layers 210 may be copper layers, which are used for laying out traces (e.g., equivalent traces of inductors, equivalent traces of baluns, connections between different components, etc.), or for setting a ground metal plate to form a ground metal layer (i.e., the aforementioned bottom metal layer 2104). In addition, the top metal layer 2102 (i.e., 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 (e.g., chips, surface mount capacitors, surface mount inductors, etc.). It is easy to understand that the aforementioned 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, serving as electrical isolation and insulation. Furthermore, the dielectric layer 230 may also have metal vias (not shown) to connect traces or electronic components located on different metal layers 210. Specifically, the material of the dielectric layer 230 can be glass fiber, polytetrafluoroethylene, etc.

[0040] In some possible embodiments, the first direction X and the second direction Y are perpendicular, one of the first direction X and the second direction Y being the length direction of the substrate 20 and the other being the width direction of the substrate 20. For example, in Figure 1 In the diagram, 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 and is used to amplify the power of the input radio frequency signal. For example, the power amplifier 30 can be integrated into a chip, which can be connected to the substrate 20 using a flip-chip process or a bonding process. Specifically, the power amplifier 30 can be integrated into a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) chip.

[0042] exist Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the power amplifier 30 employs a differential architecture to convert the input radio frequency (RF) signal into a pair of RF differential signals for output. Specifically, the power amplifier 30 may include a first output terminal 302 and a second output terminal 304, which are used to output a pair of RF 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 symmetrically arranged about the central axis of the power amplifier 30 to ensure signal balance of the RF differential signals during output.

[0043] When the power amplifier 30 adopts a differential architecture, the RF front-end module 100 may also 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 the role of impedance matching and combining a pair of RF differential signals into a single RF signal.

[0044] Specifically, the balun 70 may include a primary coil 720 and a secondary coil 740 coupled together, which are wound on the substrate 20. 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] In one implementation, the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740 can be 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 a portion of the structure of the secondary coil 740, so as to achieve coupling between the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740. Specifically, the turns ratio between the primary coil 720 and the secondary coil 740 can be 4:1, 3:1, 2.5:1, 2:1, etc., and this embodiment does not impose a specific limitation.

[0046] In some other possible embodiments, the power amplifier 30 may employ a single-ended architecture, which amplifies the input RF signal before outputting it. In this case, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 can be directly connected to the output terminal of the power amplifier 30. That is, no balun is needed between the filter 40 and the power amplifier 30, saving layout space on the substrate 20 and making the overall structure of the RF front-end module 100 more compact.

[0047] In this embodiment, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is connected to the power amplifier 30, and it is used to filter the radio frequency signal to suppress harmonic signals (e.g., second-order harmonic signals and third-order harmonic signals) in the radio frequency signal, thereby achieving "out-of-band rejection" of the radio frequency signal. Specifically, the filter 40 can be integrated into a chip, which can be connected to the substrate 20 using a flip-chip process or a bonding process. For example, the filter 40 can be integrated into 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 LC type, LCL type, CLC type, and other circuit architectures.

[0048] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the power amplifier 30, balun 70, and filter 40 are arranged sequentially in the first direction X. The filter 40 may include a first side 410, a second side 430, a third side 450, and a fourth side 470. These sides are connected sequentially to collectively define the outer contour of the filter 40. Specifically, the first side 410 and the second side 430 are positioned opposite each other and both extend along the first direction X; the third side 450 and the fourth side 470 are positioned opposite each other and both extend along the second direction Y; the third side 450 is spaced apart from the balun 70, and the fourth side 470 is positioned away from the balun 70.

[0049] Specifically, the outer contour of the filter 40 can be approximately rectangular, with the first side 410 and the second side 430 corresponding to the two shorter sides of the rectangle, and the third side 450 and the fourth side 470 corresponding to the two longer sides of the rectangle. In this case, the dimension of the filter 40 in the second direction Y is larger than the dimension of the filter 40 in the first direction X. Therefore, Figure 1 The filter 40 is placed horizontally on the substrate 20, which saves layout space on the substrate 20.

[0050] Of course, in other possible embodiments, the specific arrangement of the filter 40 can be flexibly adjusted according to the layout of other components on the substrate 20, and this embodiment does not impose a specific limitation on this. In addition, the outer contour of the filter 40 can also be approximately 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] exist 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, the signal input terminal 401 of the filter 40 is located at the upper left corner of the filter 40 to facilitate connection with 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, to facilitate connection with other components (e.g., RF switches) in the RF front-end module 100, making the overall layout of the RF front-end module 100 more rational.

[0052] In this embodiment, the matching element 50 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 to perform impedance matching, thereby improving the transmission efficiency of the radio frequency signal. In some possible embodiments, the matching element 50 can be a matching inductor 560, which is a surface-mount device (SMD) mounted on the substrate 20, saving layout space on the substrate 20. Alternatively, the matching inductor 560 can be wound around the substrate 20 as 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 1nH and less than or equal to 10nH. For example, the inductance value of the matching inductor 560 can be 1nH, 3nH, 5nH, 8nH, 10nH, etc.

[0053] In some other possible embodiments, the matching element 50 can be a matching capacitor (not shown in the figure), which can be mounted on the substrate 20 in the form of an SMD device. In still other possible embodiments, there can be multiple matching elements 50, some of which are matching inductors and others are matching capacitors. This embodiment does not limit the specific implementation of the matching element 50. Specifically, in the following description, the matching element 50 is described as a matching inductor 560.

[0054] In this embodiment, the matching inductor 560 may include a first connection terminal 502 and a second connection terminal 504 disposed opposite to each other. See also... Figure 3 ,exist Figure 3 In region (a), the matching inductor 560 can be connected in parallel to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40. Specifically, the first connection terminal 502 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the second connection terminal 504 of the matching inductor 560 is grounded. It is not difficult to see here that... Figure 1 The matching inductor 560 shown also uses a parallel connection to ground. Figure 3In region (b), 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 may also include an RF switch 60. The first connection terminal 502 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the second connection terminal 504 of the matching inductor 560 is connected to the RF switch 60. This embodiment does not limit the specific connection method of the matching element 50.

[0055] Specifically, the first connection terminal 502 is close to the first side 520 of the matching inductor 560, and the second connection terminal 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 arranged opposite to each other 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 approximately rectangular, and the first side 520 and the second side 540 of the matching inductor 560 can be the side containing the short side of the rectangle.

[0056] Therefore, in this embodiment, the matching inductor 560 is tilted relative to the filter 40 (i.e., they are not parallel). This reduces the coupling between the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560, thereby reducing the eddy currents between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560. This allows the matching inductor 560 to achieve impedance matching for the main frequency signal while minimizing its impact on the filter 40, thus improving the out-of-band rejection performance of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal. Specifically... Figure 1 In this configuration, 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 perpendicularly arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling between the filter 40 and the matching inductor 560.

[0057] It should be noted that in related technologies, there are unreasonable positional relationships between matching element 50 and filter 40 (for example, matching element 50 and filter 40 are set in parallel), which will cause matching element 50 to affect the normal operation of filter 50 while achieving impedance matching at the main frequency, and deteriorate the out-of-band suppression effect of filter 50.

[0058] Please see Figure 4 Curve 41 is a simulation curve of the RF front-end module in related technologies, and curve 43 is a simulation curve of the RF front-end module in this application. From Figure 4 It is not difficult to see that in out-of-band frequencies greater than 9 GHz, this application can achieve stronger signal attenuation, indicating that compared with related technologies, 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 suppression effect.

[0059] Please refer to it again. Figure 1 The filter 40 is symmetrically arranged about a specified axis L, which extends in 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 approximately 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 tilted relative to the filter 40, but also offset from the central axis of the filter 40. This increases the distance between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, thereby further reducing the coupling between them. 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 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 connects 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 them can be 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 320 μm, 400 μm, etc. Therefore, the existence of a certain spacing between the matching element 50 and the balun 70 in this embodiment can reduce the coupling degree between the balun 70 and the matching element 50, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the balun 70.

[0062] It should be noted that in related technologies, the filter 40 typically only suppresses specified harmonic signals, such as second-order and third-order harmonic signals, which leads to poor or even ineffective suppression of higher-order harmonic signals by the RF front-end module 100 in related technologies. Therefore, to address this issue, the RF front-end module 100 in this embodiment may further include a suppression unit 80 connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40. This suppression unit 80 is used to suppress higher-order harmonic signals, improving the suppression effect. Specifically, the higher-order harmonic signal has a frequency greater than or equal to 8.4 GHz, and can be a fourth-order harmonic signal, a fifth-order harmonic signal, etc. For example, the higher-order harmonic signal can be a fourth-order harmonic signal in the frequency band of 13.2 GHz to 16.8 GHz.

[0063] It is important to note that in this embodiment, the suppression unit 80 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, rather than between the balun 70 and the filter 40. This avoids the suppression unit 80 affecting the impedance transformation of the balun 70. Specifically, since the distance between the balun 70 and the filter 40 is small, if the suppression unit 80 were placed between them, signal coupling would occur due to the small distance between them. Therefore, this embodiment reduces signal coupling between the suppression unit 80 and the balun 70 by optimizing the placement of the suppression unit 80.

[0064] Please see Figure 5 The power amplifier 30, balun 70, and filter 40 are arranged in the first direction X. The substrate 20 also has a layout region K, which can be a portion of the substrate 20. The layout region K and filter 40 are arranged in the second direction Y, and a matching element 50 and a suppression unit 80 are disposed within the layout region 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 positioned between the balun 70 and the suppression unit 80, thereby increasing the distance between the suppression unit 80 and the balun 70 and reducing signal coupling between them.

[0065] Furthermore, arranging the layout region K and the filter 40 in the second direction Y, rather than in the first direction X, also helps to make better use of the layout space of the substrate 20. It is easy to understand that on the actual substrate 20, the layout region K may not have a clear boundary line, but rather the area where the matching element 50 and the suppression unit 80 are located can be regarded as the layout region K.

[0066] Please see Figure 6 Curve 61 is a simulation curve of the RF front-end module in the related art, where the RF front-end module does not have a suppression unit. Curve 63 is a simulation curve of the RF front-end module in this application. From Figure 6 It is not difficult to see that in frequency bands greater than 10 GHz, this application can achieve stronger signal attenuation, indicating that compared with related technologies, this application can significantly improve the suppression effect on high-order harmonic signals by setting the suppression unit 80, so as to ensure the transmission quality of radio frequency signals.

[0067] The specific implementation of the suppression unit 80 is explained below.

[0068] Please see Figure 5 and Figure 7The suppression unit 80 can adopt an LC trap structure, which can include a first capacitor 810 and a first inductor 830 connected in series. 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. The other end of the first inductor 830 is grounded.

[0069] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the third connection terminal 812 is close to the first side 801 of the first capacitor 810, and the fourth connection terminal 814 is close to the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810. 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 approximately rectangular, and the first side 801 and the second side 803 of the first capacitor 810 can be the sides containing the shorter side of the rectangle.

[0070] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first capacitor 810 is tilted relative to the matching element 50 (i.e., they are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling between the first capacitor 810 and the matching element 50, thereby improving the harmonic suppression capability of the suppression unit 80. Specifically in Figure 5 In this configuration, 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 perpendicularly arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the first capacitor 810 and the matching element 50.

[0071] exist Figure 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the first inductor 830 is wound around the substrate 20 in the form of a trace to save on the hardware cost of the suppression unit 80. The projection of the first capacitor 810 in the thickness direction of the substrate 20 coincides with at least a portion of the trace corresponding to the first inductor 830, enabling the first capacitor 810 and the first inductor 830 to resonate in series, thereby suppressing higher-order harmonic signals.

[0072] Specifically, the first inductor 830 may include multiple interconnected trace segments (not shown in the figure), which are respectively wound around multiple metal layers 210, so that the first inductor 830 is connected between the top metal layer 2102 and the bottom metal layer 2104. Therefore, in this embodiment, the first inductor 830 is wound around multiple metal layers 210, 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 0.2pF and less than or equal to 0.4pF. For example, the capacitance value of the first capacitor 810 can be 0.2pF, 0.3pF, 0.4pF, etc. The inductance value of the first inductor 830 is greater than or equal to 0.1nH and less than or equal to 0.5nH. For example, the inductance value of the first inductor 830 can be 0.1nH, 0.3nH, 0.4nH, etc.

[0074] Specifically, the capacitance value of the first capacitor 810 and the inductance value of the first inductor 830 can be determined by the researchers based on the frequency band coverage of the high-order harmonic signal to be suppressed, and this embodiment does not limit this. In addition, it is not difficult to find that since the inductance value of the first inductor 830 in this embodiment is relatively small (that is, less than or equal to 0.5nH), it can be easily and equivalently implemented by the traces wound on the substrate 20.

[0075] Please see Figure 8 and Figure 9 The RF front-end module 100 may further include an RF switch 60, a power amplifier 30, a balun 70, a filter 40, and the RF switch 60 arranged in the first direction X. A matching element 50 is connected to the signal branch between the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 and the RF switch 60. For example, the matching element 50 may be connected in series in the signal branch; or, one end of the matching element 50 may be connected to the signal branch, and the other end may be 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. The second capacitor 850 has a fifth connection terminal 852 and a sixth connection terminal 854, respectively. The fifth connection terminal 852 is connected to the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40, and the sixth connection terminal 854 is connected to the radio frequency switch 60.

[0077] exist Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, the fifth connection terminal 852 is close to the first side 805 of the second capacitor 850, and the sixth connection terminal 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 disposed opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction X. Specifically, the second capacitor 850 can be a surface mount device that can be mounted on the substrate 20. The outer contour of the second capacitor 850 can be approximately rectangular, and the first side 805 and the second side 807 of the second capacitor 850 can be the sides containing the shorter side of the rectangle.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, the second capacitor 850 is tilted relative to the matching element 50 (i.e., they are not parallel), which can reduce the coupling between the second capacitor 850 and the matching element 50, thereby improving the harmonic suppression capability of the suppression unit 80. Specifically in Figure 8 In this configuration, 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 perpendicularly arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling degree between the second capacitor 850 and the matching element 50.

[0079] exist Figure 8 In 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 sequentially 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 increases the spacing between the matching element 50 and the second inductor 870, thereby avoiding coupling between the second inductor 870 and the matching element 50 and improving the harmonic suppression capability of the suppression unit 80.

[0080] Specifically, the second inductor 870 has a seventh connection terminal 872 and an eighth connection terminal 874, which are connected in parallel across the two ends of the second capacitor 850. The seventh connection terminal 872 is located near the first side 808 of the second inductor 870, and the eighth connection terminal 874 is located near the second side 809 of the second inductor 870. The first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 are positioned opposite each other and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the outer contour of the second inductor 870 can be approximately rectangular, and the first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 can be the sides containing the shorter side of the rectangle.

[0081] Therefore, this embodiment optimizes the positional relationship between the second inductor 870 and the filter 40 by tilting the second inductor 870 relative to the filter 40 (i.e., they are not parallel). This reduces the coupling between the second inductor 870 and the filter 40, thereby reducing the eddy currents between the inductor in the filter 40 and the second inductor 870, and ensuring that the second inductor 870 can resonate smoothly with the second capacitor 850. Specifically... Figure 8 In this configuration, the first side 808 and the second side 809 of the second inductor 870 are perpendicular to the first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40, so that the second inductor 870 and the filter 40 are orthogonally perpendicularly arranged, which can maximize the reduction of the coupling 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 0.2pF and less than or equal to 0.4pF. For example, the capacitance value of the second capacitor 850 can be 0.2pF, 0.3pF, 0.4pF, etc. The inductance value of the second inductor 870 is greater than or equal to 0.1nH and less than or equal to 0.5nH. For example, the inductance value of the second inductor 870 can be 0.1nH, 0.3nH, 0.4nH, etc. Specifically, the capacitance value of the second capacitor 850 and the inductance value of the second inductor 870 can be determined by the researchers based on the frequency band coverage of the high-order harmonic signal to be suppressed; this embodiment does not limit this.

[0083] This application provides a radio frequency front-end module 100, which 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.

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

[0085] Specifically, the mating element 50 may include a first connecting end 502 and a second connecting end 504. The first connecting end 502 is close to a first side 520 of the mating element 50, and the second connecting end 504 is close to a second side 540 of the mating element 50. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the mating element 50 are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along the second direction Y. For example, the mating element 50 may be a surface mount device, and its outer contour may be approximately rectangular. The first side 520 and the second side 540 of the mating element 50 may be the side containing the short side of the rectangle.

[0086] Since the second direction Y intersects the first direction X, 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. Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, and by setting the matching element 50 at an angle relative to the filter 40 (i.e., not parallel), 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 currents between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor can be reduced. This allows the matching element 50 to reduce its influence on the filter 40 while achieving impedance matching for the main frequency signal, thereby improving the out-of-band rejection effect of the filter 40 and ensuring the transmission quality of the radio frequency signal.

[0087] Please see 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, and the signal output terminal 403 of the filter 40 is close to the second side 430 of the filter 40. The first side 410 and the second side 430 of the filter 40 are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction X. For example, the filter 40 can be integrated into a chip, and its outer contour can be approximately rectangular. The first side 410 and the second side 430 can be two short sides or two long sides of the rectangle.

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

[0090] Specifically, the matching element 50 may include a first connection terminal 502 and a second connection terminal 504, which together define a first virtual straight line J. The extension direction of the first virtual straight line J is not perpendicular to a first direction X; for example, they may be parallel or intersect. In some possible examples, the matching element 50 may be implemented using a surface mount device, in which case the first connection terminal 502 and the second connection terminal 504 are the two connection terminals of the surface mount device. In other possible examples, the matching element 50 may be a matching inductor 560, which may be implemented using a trace routing method, in which case the first connection terminal 502 and the second connection terminal 504 are the two connection terminals of the trace.

[0091] Therefore, by optimizing the positional relationship between the matching element 50 and the filter 40, and by tilting the matching element 50 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 currents between the inductor in the filter 40 and the matching inductor 50 can be reduced. This allows the matching element 50 to reduce its influence on the filter 40 while achieving impedance matching for the main frequency signal, 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 details regarding the substrate 20, power amplifier 30, filter 40, and matching element 50, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the instruction manual above. To save space, these details will not be repeated here.

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

[0094] Please see Figure 11 This embodiment also provides an electronic device 200, which can be a 4G or 5G communication device such as a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch. Specifically, the electronic device 200 may include the radio frequency front-end module 100 in the above embodiment to realize the reception and transmission of radio frequency signals.

[0095] Furthermore, with the development of 5G technology, the requirements for the performance of radio frequency front-end modules are becoming increasingly stringent. The technical solution of this application can be applied to 5G radio frequency front-end modules to improve the communication performance of 5G communication equipment.

[0096] In this application specification, certain terms are used to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same component. The specification and claims do not distinguish components based on differences in name, but rather on differences in function. The term "comprising" throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to"; "generally" means that those skilled in the art can solve the technical problem within a certain margin of error and basically achieve the technical effect.

[0097] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inside", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the purpose of simplifying the description of this application and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0098] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or merely surface contact. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

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

[0100] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0101] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions 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 this application.

Claims

1. A radio frequency front-end module, characterized in that, The device includes a substrate and a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal. The signal input terminal is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal is connected to the matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is close to the first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal of the filter is close to the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction. The matching element includes a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal. The first connection terminal is close to a first side of the matching element, and the second connection terminal is close to a second side of the matching element. The first side and the second side of the matching element are disposed opposite to each other and both extend along a second direction, wherein the second direction intersects the first direction to reduce the degradation of the out-of-band rejection performance of the filter by the matching element. The filter is symmetrically arranged about a specified axis, the extension direction of which is the second direction, and the center of the matching element does not coincide with the specified axis.

2. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 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 radio frequency front-end module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, one of which is the length direction of the substrate and the other is the width direction of the substrate.

4. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The size of the filter in the second direction is larger than the size of the filter in the first direction.

5. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the matching element and the filter is greater than or equal to 100. and less than or equal to 400 .

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

7. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inductance value of the matching inductor is greater than or equal to 1. and less than or equal to 10 .

8. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radio frequency front-end module also includes a balun, which is connected between the power amplifier and the signal input terminal of the filter; The distance between the matching element and the baron is greater than or equal to 100. and less than or equal to 400 .

9. The radio frequency front-end module according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The radio frequency front-end module also includes a suppression unit; the suppression unit is connected to the signal output terminal of the filter and is used to suppress high-order harmonic signals; The power amplifier and the filter are arranged in the first direction; the substrate also has a layout area, the layout area and the filter are arranged in the second direction, and the matching element and the suppression unit are disposed in the layout area.

10. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 9, characterized in that, The suppression unit includes a first capacitor and a first inductor connected in series; the first capacitor includes a third connection terminal and a fourth connection terminal, the third connection terminal is connected to the signal output terminal of the filter, the fourth connection terminal is connected to one end of the first inductor, and the other end of the first inductor is grounded; The third connection terminal is close to the first side of the first capacitor, and the fourth connection terminal is close to the second side of the first capacitor. The first side and the second side of the first capacitor are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction.

11. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 10, characterized in that, 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 a portion of the trace corresponding to the first inductor.

12. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 11, characterized in that, The substrate includes multiple metal layers stacked at intervals, each metal layer including 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 interconnected traces, which are respectively wound around a plurality of metal layers to connect the first inductor between the top metal layer and the bottom metal layer.

13. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 10, characterized in that, The capacitance value of the first capacitor is greater than or equal to 0.

2. And less than or equal to 0.4 ; or / and The inductance value of the first inductor is greater than or equal to 0.

1. And less than or equal to 0.5 .

14. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 9, characterized in that, The radio frequency front-end module also includes a radio frequency switch, and the matching element is connected to the signal branch between the signal output terminal of the filter and the radio frequency switch; The suppression unit includes a second capacitor and a second inductor connected in parallel; the second capacitor has a fifth connection terminal and a sixth connection terminal opposite to each other, the fifth connection terminal being connected to the signal output terminal of the filter, and the sixth connection terminal being connected to the radio frequency switch; The fifth connection terminal is close to the first side of the second capacitor, and the sixth connection terminal is close to the second side of the second capacitor. The first side and the second side of the second capacitor are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction.

15. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 14, characterized in that, 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 sequentially in the first direction.

16. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 14, characterized in that, The second inductor is a surface mount device, and the second inductor has a seventh connection terminal and an eighth connection terminal opposite to each other, the seventh connection terminal and the eighth connection terminal being connected in parallel across the two ends of the second capacitor; The seventh connection terminal is close to the first side of the second inductor, and the eighth connection terminal is close to the second side of the second inductor. The first side and the second side of the second inductor are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the second direction.

17. The radio frequency front-end module according to claim 9, characterized in that, The frequency of the higher-order harmonic signal is greater than or equal to 8.4 GHz.

18. A radio frequency front-end module, characterized in that, The device includes a substrate and a power amplifier, a filter, and a matching element disposed on the substrate. The filter includes a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal. The signal input terminal is connected to the power amplifier, and the signal output terminal is connected to the matching element. The signal input terminal of the filter is close to the first side of the filter, and the signal output terminal of the filter is close to the second side of the filter. The first side and the second side of the filter are arranged opposite to each other and both extend along the first direction. The matching element includes a first connection terminal and a second connection terminal opposite to each other, and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal together define a first virtual straight line. The extension direction of the first virtual straight line is not perpendicular to the first direction, so as to reduce the degradation of the out-of-band rejection performance of the filter by the matching element. The filter is symmetrically arranged about a specified axis, the extension direction of which is the second direction, and the center of the matching element does not coincide with the specified axis.

19. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The radio frequency front-end module as described in any one of claims 1 to 18.

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