Housing on antenna housing and method for its manufacture

Abstract

Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600), which includes the following: a semiconductor package (102, 202, 402, 602) on which at least one chip (120, 208, 308, 404, 606) and a first coupling pad (124) are arranged, wherein the semiconductor package comprises a first dielectric material (108, 110, 112); and An antenna housing (126, 162, 220, 314, 406, 614) attached to a semiconductor package, comprising at least one radiative element (140, 224) and a second coupling pad (138, 166, 222, 318) communicatively coupled to the first coupling pad, wherein the at least one radiative element is designed to wirelessly transmit or receive a signal, wherein the antenna housing comprises a second dielectric material (132, 134, 164), wherein the first coupling pad is inductively or capacitively coupled to the second coupling pad, and wherein the radiative element is connected to the second coupling pad via an electrically conductive path.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to semiconductor packages and in particular to a package on an antenna package. BACKGROUND

[0002] Integrated circuit(s) and other electronic devices can be encapsulated on a semiconductor package. The semiconductor package can be integrated into an electronic system, such as a consumer electronics system. The package may include an antenna with an array of antenna elements. In this case, the design freedom of the antenna may be limited by the design requirements of the rest of the semiconductor package, or vice versa.

[0003] US 2014 / 0 111 394 A1 teaches a device containing an antenna package and an integrated circuit (IC). US 2003 / 0 103 006 A1 teaches a dielectric multilayer substrate formed by laminating a first through third dielectric layer. Documents JP 2001-28 413 A and US 2016 / 0 056 544 A1 describe other known semiconductor devices.

[0004] The invention is described by the independent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0005] Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, and whereby: Fig. Figures 1A-1C represent a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram of exemplary radio modules having chip packages and antenna packages according to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B simplified cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrate a further configuration of a radio module comprising an antenna housing and a chip housing, wherein housing-board connections are arranged on the same side as one or more chips in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. Figure 3 shows a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a further configuration of a radio module comprising an antenna housing and a chip housing, wherein housing-board connections are arranged on the same side as the antenna housing in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. Figure 4 shows a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module having an antenna housing and an interposer interface in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The unclaimed Fig. Figure 5 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module having an antenna housing coupled to a semiconductor housing via a printed circuit board in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. 6A and Fig. 6B simplified cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating a configuration of a radio module comprising an antenna housing and molded through-contacts in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The unclaimed Fig. Figure 7 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module comprising antenna array elements arranged on a semiconductor package in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The unclaimed Fig. Figure 8 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module, wherein antenna beam elements are arranged on a printed circuit board in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. 9 presents a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for manufacturing a radio module having a housing on an antenna housing in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Fig. 10 represents a flowchart illustrating a further exemplary method for manufacturing a radio module in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FORMS OF DISCLOSURE

[0006] In the following, embodiments of the disclosure are described in more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. However, the disclosure can take many different forms and should not be considered limited to the exemplary embodiments presented here; rather, these embodiments are provided to ensure that this disclosure is thorough and complete, and they will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Throughout this document, identical numbers refer to the same, but not necessarily the same or identical, elements.

[0007] The following embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable at least a person skilled in the art to understand and use the disclosure. It is understood that other embodiments would be obvious based on the present disclosure, and that changes to the process, mechanics, material, dimensions, process equipment, and parameters can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0008] The following description provides numerous specific details to offer a sound understanding of the various embodiments of the disclosure. However, it is evident that the disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. To avoid obscuring the present disclosure, some known system configurations and process steps may not be disclosed in full detail. Likewise, the drawings depicting embodiments of the disclosure are semi-schematic and not to scale, and in particular, some dimensions are exaggerated for clarity of presentation.Furthermore, where several embodiments are disclosed and described as having some features in common, similar and identical features are usually described with the same reference numerals for the sake of clarity and ease of presentation, description and understanding, even if the features are not identical.

[0009] The term "horizontal," as used here, can be defined as a direction parallel to a plane or surface (e.g., the surface of a substrate) regardless of its orientation. The term "vertical," as used here, can refer to a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, as just described. Terms such as "on," "above," "below," "below," "above," "side" (as in "sidewall"), "higher," "lower," "upper," "over," and "lower" can be referenced with respect to the horizontal plane. The term "process," as used here, includes deposition of material or photoresist, texturing, irradiation, development, etching, cleaning, ablation, polishing, and / or removal of the material or photoresist as necessary to form a described structure.

[0010] In accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, radio modules can comprise a semiconductor package and an antenna package. The semiconductor package can have one or more electrical components mounted thereon (e.g., integrated circuit (IC) chips, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), surface-mount devices (SMDs), etc.). The antenna package can have antenna beam elements mounted thereon. The antenna elements can be of any suitable type, such as patch antennas, stacked patches, dipoles, monopoles, etc., and can have different orientations and / or polarizations. In exemplary embodiments, the antenna package can be constructed of different materials than the semiconductor package. For example, the antenna module can use materials with higher dielectric constants (high-k), tunable materials, ultra-low-k materials, metamaterials, or magnetic materials.In exemplary embodiments, the antenna package and the semiconductor package can have different numbers of build-up and / or interconnect layers. For example, the semiconductor package can have six build-up layers, and the antenna package can have a single-layer dielectric strip. In exemplary embodiments, the antenna package can be attached to the semiconductor package by any suitable mechanism, such as epoxy, adhesives, glue, tape, lamination, soldering, and / or metallic bonding. Furthermore, the main package can be formed with relatively thinner layers, while the antenna package can be formed with relatively much thicker materials. In exemplary embodiments where the antenna package is attached to the semiconductor package with epoxy, I / O pads of the semiconductor package can be inductively and / or capacitively coupled to I / O pads of the antenna package.The antenna housing can be smaller or larger than the main RFIC carrier. The antenna housing itself can have several components mounted / soldered to it, which are electrically and / or electromagnetically connected to the main RFIC carrier.

[0011] In some further exemplary embodiments according to the disclosure, the semiconductor package and the antenna package can be coupled to each other via a printed circuit board (PCB) on which both the semiconductor package and the antenna package are arranged. In still further embodiments, the semiconductor package can have a plurality of antenna beam elements arranged thereon. The semiconductor substrate can be populated with these beam elements. The populated components can be soldered on and establish a physical electrical connection or an electromagnetic coupling. In some embodiments, the structure can be partially contained in the main RFIC package and partially in the secondary / tertiary antenna package. In still further exemplary embodiments, beam elements can be arranged on a side wall of a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the semiconductor package is arranged.In these exemplary embodiments, the signals to be transmitted wirelessly from an RFIC on the semiconductor package can be transmitted via PCB traces to the radiating elements located on the PCB's sidewall. The sidewalls can include monopoles, folded dipoles, or spiral antennas that function as radiating elements using vias and / or edge-coated walls or tins.

[0012] According to exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package can include a substrate. In some cases, the package substrate can be an organic structure. In other cases, the package substrate can be inorganic (e.g., ceramic, glass, etc.). In exemplary embodiments, the package substrate can include a core layer with one or more interconnect layers built up on one or both sides of the core layer. The interconnect layers built up on the core can have connections formed therein. The connections can form electrical paths for signals between electronic components (e.g., integrated circuits, passive devices, etc.).The components provide input / output (I / O) connections on the semiconductor package, signal propagation to / from electronic components, signal connections between two or more electrical components, power supply to electrical components, ground connections to electrical components, clock signal supply to electrical components, combinations thereof, or the like. The build layers can be fabricated on one or both sides of the package core. In some cases, the same number of build layers may be present on both sides of the package core. In other cases, the build layers formed on both sides of the package core may be asymmetrical. The layering may also be asymmetrical, exhibiting different layer thicknesses on each side of the core.Furthermore, the core of the semiconductor package can feature a multitude of vias to establish electrical connections from one side of the core to the other. Thus, vias in the core can allow electrical connections between one or more build-up layers on the top side of the semiconductor package and one or more build-up layers on the bottom side. In some alternative embodiments, a coreless substrate can be used. In some cases, the package substrate may lack a core or be referred to as a coreless substrate. The layers within the substrate can be disparate and of varying thicknesses. Such a package can incorporate embedded components, such as silicon / encapsulated silicon and / or other SMT components.

[0013] One or more electronic components, enclosing at least one integrated circuit chip, can be electrically and mechanically coupled to the package substrate by any suitable mechanism, such as metal pillars (e.g., copper pillars), flip-chip bumps, solder bumps, any type of low-lead or lead-free solder bumps, tin-copper bumps, wire connections, wedge connections, C4 (controlled collapse chip connect) assembly, anisotropic conductive film (ACF), non-conductive film (NCF), combinations thereof, copper pillars, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the chips (e.g., integrated circuits) encapsulated in the semiconductor package as described herein can have input / output (I / O) connections of different sizes. For example, one particular chip can have I / O connections with a finer pitch than another chip encapsulated on the semiconductor package.In some exemplary embodiments, the build layers on the underside of the core can have one or more input / output (I / O) connections between the semiconductor package and a circuit board. In other exemplary embodiments, the build layers on the top side of the semiconductor package can have one or more package-board connections. Semiconductor package-board layer connections can be present on one or both sides of the package substrate. In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package-board layer connections can be ball grid array (BGA) connections, other planar connections, peripheral connections, or the like. The semiconductor component can also be pre-encapsulated as a wafer-level chip-scale package (WL-CSP), embedded wafer-level ball grid array (e-WLB), or flip-chip chip-scale package (FC-CSP).

[0014] In exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing may also include a substrate. The antenna housing may have interconnects on one side for receiving and / or transmitting radio signals to / from the semiconductor housing. For example, such interconnects may be metallic connections between pads on the antenna housing and pads on the semiconductor housing. Thus, in these exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing may be coupled to the semiconductor housing by conductive contacts. Examples of such metallic conductive connections may include flip-chip interconnects, a metal pillar (e.g., copper), solder bumps, any type of low-lead or lead-free solder bumps, anisotropic conductive film (ACF), or any other suitable connections between the antenna housing and the semiconductor housing.In other exemplary embodiments, the pads on the antenna package can be aligned with corresponding pads on the semiconductor package and secured using epoxy and / or adhesives (e.g., tape). In these cases, the epoxy can be sufficiently thick so that leakage current through it may be relatively negligible. Therefore, when epoxy and / or adhesive is used to secure the antenna package to the semiconductor package, the signals (e.g., RF signals) between the semiconductor package and the antenna package can be inductively and / or capacitively coupled. For example, if a pad of the antenna module is separated from a corresponding pad of the semiconductor module while a dielectric epoxy is placed between them, the reactance of both pads can be sufficient to transmit the signal from one pad to the other by utilizing electromagnetic fields generated by one or the other pad.In some exemplary embodiments, the epoxy and / or adhesive bonding the semiconductor package to the antenna package can be relatively thick, such as more than 10 micrometers (µm). In some exemplary embodiments, the epoxy can have a relatively high dielectric constant (high-k), such that sufficient reactance-based coupling exists between pads on the antenna package and corresponding pads on the semiconductor package.

[0015] In exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing can, in addition to a coupling mechanism with the semiconductor housing, include a mechanism for radiating electromagnetic signals (e.g., RF radio signals). The antenna housing can have one or more radiating elements arranged on it, which can radiate the radio signals received by the semiconductor housing. Furthermore, the antenna housing can have radiative receiving elements that can receive electromagnetic signals that can be directed to the semiconductor housing (e.g., to RFICs arranged on the semiconductor housing). In some exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing can have a simple interconnect layer that includes both the coupling elements (e.g., pads) with the semiconductor housing and the radiative elements (e.g., receiving and / or transmitting radiative elements).In some exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing can have an area smaller than the area of ​​the housing substrate. In other exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing can have an area larger than the semiconductor housing.

[0016] In exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing can be mounted on the opposite side of the semiconductor package from the electronic components. In this case, an interposer can be arranged on the same surface as the electronic components. This interposer can be taller than the integrated circuits mounted on the semiconductor package. The interposer can be used to route signals from the semiconductor package through a thickness of the interposer to a side of the interposer that is opposite the side of the interposer that is in contact with and / or near the semiconductor package. The interposer can be used to attach the semiconductor package to a PCB. In this way, signals can be provided from the semiconductor package to / from the PCB via the interposer, which is located on the same side as one or more electronic components on the semiconductor package.Furthermore, the antenna package can be provided on the semiconductor package on the opposite side of the interposer. In exemplary embodiments, the interposer can be constructed from organic and / or inorganic materials. In some exemplary cases, the interposer can be constructed from a relatively rigid material (e.g., silicon, ceramic, glass, etc.). In other exemplary cases, the interposer can be constructed in a similar manner to the semiconductor package, for example, with a core layer and build-up layers (e.g., prepreg, metal) on one or both sides of the core layer. In exemplary embodiments, the interposer can have vias (e.g., vias in a core layer, stacked vias in a coreless organic interposer, silicon vias (TSVs) in a silicon interposer, etc.).

[0017] In exemplary embodiments, the radio module can be configured with a semiconductor package on an antenna package such that the antenna package is positioned on one side opposite a side of the semiconductor package on which one or more electronic components (e.g., RFICs, SMDs, etc.) are mounted. A molded part can be formed on the side of the semiconductor package with the electronic components. Holes (e.g., vias) can then be formed in the molded part, such that the holes are aligned to make contact with corresponding pads on the surface of the semiconductor package. The holes can then be filled with a conductive material (e.g., electroplated copper, electroless copper, aluminum, conductive paste, solder paste, etc.) so that a portion of the conductive material protrudes above the top of the molded part.In this way, the protrusions can form a mechanism for housing-PCB connection. For example, pillars projecting from the surface of the molded part can be used to form contacts with a PCB in a manner similar to the use of solder balls or contact pillars. When the housing is mounted to a PCB in this way using molded part through-contacts, the semiconductor housing can make contact with the antenna housing on the side opposite the molded part. In some exemplary embodiments, additional vias and / or grooves can be formed in the molded part to enclose one or more electronic components present on the surface of the semiconductor housing. In this way, shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be formed in the molded part.In some cases, such EMI shielding can be formed simultaneously with the formation of the molded part through-contacts.

[0018] In some exemplary embodiments, radiative elements can be mounted directly onto a surface of the semiconductor package. In these embodiments, a placement mechanism can be used to position each of the radiative elements onto the surface of the semiconductor package and bond them electrically and / or mechanically. Therefore, the radiative elements can be prefabricated and placed after and / or during the assembly of the semiconductor package. In exemplary embodiments, the radiative elements can be mounted directly onto a surface of the semiconductor package, and an antenna housing can be attached to the semiconductor package. In other words, radiative elements can be present on both sides of the semiconductor package (e.g., an antenna housing on the underside and mounted radiative elements on the top).

[0019] It is understood that by manufacturing an antenna package separately from the semiconductor package, greater design freedom, lower costs, a reduced form factor, higher production yield, and / or better performance can be achieved for both the antenna package and the semiconductor package. If the antenna package and the semiconductor package were integrated into the same package, both elements would be forced to have the same number and type of core and / or build-up layers (e.g., dielectric prepreg layers, metal layers, etc.) with the same thicknesses, dielectric constants, and other properties. By separating the antenna package and the semiconductor package, each element can be manufactured with materials, structure, and / or processes that may be relatively optimal for that element. For example, the semiconductor package can be manufactured with eight interconnect layers (e.g.,Four build-up layers on both sides of the core are fabricated to accommodate routing to, from, and between a multitude of chips on the semiconductor package, as in SiP-type implementations. In contrast, the antenna package in this example may consist of only a single layer (e.g., a dielectric strip with pad interfaces on one side and beam elements on the other). It is understood that forcibly integrating the antenna package with the semiconductor package can result in the antenna portion of an integrated package having a number of routing layers and all those additional materials and processing steps that can be eliminated by separating the semiconductor package from the antenna package. Furthermore, the antenna package may be forced to use the same dielectric and / or metallic materials selected for the semiconductor package if an integrated package were formed.Alternatively, the semiconductor package can be forced to use the same dielectric and / or metallic materials as the antenna element in an integrated package. Therefore, by separating the semiconductor package from the antenna package, in non-restrictive examples, a low-k dielectric can be used in the semiconductor package to conduct signals with reduced interference (e.g., reduced resistive-capacitive (RC) delays), while materials with a relatively higher k can be used in the antenna package to enable antennas with a reduced form factor.Furthermore, thinner dielectric layers can be chosen for the semiconductor package, as they can result in tightly bound fields to minimize unwanted radiation and coupling of transmission lines; and thicker dielectric layers can be chosen for the antenna package to provide better efficiency, loosely bound fields for improved spatial radiation, and / or greater bandwidth. It is also understood that by constructing smaller package substrates, using the structures, devices, systems, and methods disclosed herein, the semiconductor package and the antenna package can each have a smaller area and require fewer individual processes, leading to potential advantages in production yield.

[0020] Fig. 1A-1C represent a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram of exemplary radio modules 100, 150, 160, which have chip packages 102 and antenna packages 126, 162 according to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

[0021] The radio module 100 from Fig. 1A can have a semiconductor package 102, the core 104 of which has one or more vias 106 and one or more build-up layers 108, 110, 112. The build-up layers 108, 110, 112 can have one or more vias 114 and / or metallic conductors 116 formed therein to conduct signals, ground, and / or current throughout the semiconductor package 102. A top build-up layer 110 can have one or more pads 118 to which the chip 120 can be connected by chip-package connections 122. The semiconductor package 102 can further have pads on a bottom build-up layer 112, which can be used to make a connection with an antenna package 126 that is attached to the semiconductor package 102 by epoxy and / or adhesive 128. The antenna substrate can have a core layer 130 and build-up layers 132, 134. The build-up layers can have vias 136 and metallic conductor tracks 138, 140.The metallic conductor 138 in an uppermost layer 138 of the antenna housing 126 can connect to corresponding pads 124 of the semiconductor housing 102 to send and / or receive signals to and / or from the semiconductor housing 102. The metallic conductor 140 of a lowermost layer 134 of the antenna housing 126 can include antenna elements (e.g., beaming elements and / or receiving elements).

[0022] In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package core 104 and / or the antenna core 130, on which the build layers 108, 110, 112, 132, 134 are located, can be larger than the package substrate 102 and / or the antenna substrate 126. In other words, the package substrate 102 and / or the antenna substrate 126 can be separated into individual semiconductor packages and / or antenna packages after other fabrication processes have been completed in a stacked manner with other package substrates on the same panel. The package core 102 and / or the antenna core 130 can be of any suitable size and / or shape. For example, in exemplary embodiments, the package core 102 and / or the antenna core can be a rectangular plate.In exemplary embodiments, the cores 104, 130 can be made of any suitable material, including polymer material, ceramic material, plastics, composite materials, glass, epoxy laminates of glass fiber mats, FR-4 materials, FR-5 materials, combinations thereof, or the like. The cores 104, 130 can have vias 106 formed therein. Vias 106 can be used to propagate electrical signals from the top of the housing core 104, 130 to the bottom of the housing core 104, 130 and vice versa. It is understood that in some exemplary embodiments, the material of the core 104 can be the same as the material of the core 130. In other exemplary embodiments, the core 104 of the semiconductor housing 102 and the core 130 of the antenna housing can be made of different materials.

[0023] The build layers 108, 110, 112, 132, 134 can have dielectric materials and electrical connections 114, 116, 124, 136, 138, 140 (e.g., vias, pads, traces, etc.) on them. The coupling pads 124 of the semiconductor package and the coupling pads 138 of the antenna package can have a relatively larger area compared to other electrical connections 114, 116, 138.

[0024] The build-up layers 108, 110, 112, 132, 134, or the interlink layer, can be formed by a number of suitable processes. Dielectric material can be laminated onto the semiconductor package core 104 and / or the antenna package core 130. In exemplary embodiments, the dielectric laminate can be made of any suitable material, including polymer material, ceramic material, plastics, composite materials, liquid crystal polymer (LCP), epoxy laminates of glass fiber mats, prepreg, FR-4 materials, FR-5 materials, combinations thereof, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the package core 104, 130 and the dielectric material 108, 110, 112, 132, 134 of the build-up layer can be made of the same type of material. In other exemplary embodiments, the housing core 104, 130 and the dielectric material 108, 110, 112, 132, 134 of the build-up layer may not be made of the same type of material.Vias and / or trenches can be structured in the build layer using any suitable mechanism, including photolithography, plasma etching, laser ablation, wet etching, combinations thereof, or the like. The vias and trenches can each be defined by vertical and horizontal metal traces within the build layer 102. The vias and trenches can then be filled with metal, for example, by electroless metal plating, electrolytic metal plating, physical vapor deposition, combinations thereof, or the like. Excess metal can be removed by any suitable mechanism, such as etching, cleaning, polishing, and / or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), combinations thereof, or the like.

[0025] It is understood that the number of build layers in the semiconductor package 102 may differ from the number of build layers in the antenna package 126. Although the semiconductor package 102 is shown with six interconnect layers (e.g., three build layers 108, 110, 112 on each side of the core 104), it is understood that any suitable number of interconnect layers may be present. It is further understood that the number of build layers on both sides of the core 104 may be asymmetric in some cases. Likewise, the antenna package 126 may also have any suitable number of build layers and may have an asymmetric structure on both sides of the core 130. Indeed, in some exemplary embodiments, the antenna package may have a single layer of radiative elements (e.g., radiative patch antenna elements) coupled to corresponding pads of the semiconductor package 102.Although the antenna housing 130 is shown with a smaller area than the semiconductor housing 102, it is understood that, according to exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor housing 102 and the antenna housing of the radio module 100 can have any suitable relative area. It is understood that, due to the fact that the antenna housing 126 is manufactured separately from the semiconductor housing 102, the number of layers for the structure and the selected materials can be specifically tailored to the applications of the semiconductor housing 102 and the antenna housing 126, respectively. For example, low-k prepreg layers can be used in the semiconductor housing 102 to allow signaling with high frequency and low signal attenuation. In contrast, high-k materials can be used for the antenna housing 126 to enable miniaturization of the radiating elements 140.In exemplary embodiments, the dielectrics used in the semiconductor package 102 and / or in the antenna package 126 can have k-values ​​in the range of approximately 2 to approximately 9. In exemplary embodiments, build-up layers can comprise dielectric layers with a thickness in the range of approximately 25 micrometers (µm) to approximately a few hundred µm and metal layers in the range of approximately 10 µm to approximately 40 µm.

[0026] The chip 120 can be mounted by any suitable mechanism. The chip 120 can consist of any suitable electronic components, including, but not limited to, integrated circuits, surface-mount devices, active devices, passive devices, diodes, transistors, connectors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMSs), combinations thereof, or the like. The chip can be electrically and mechanically coupled to the corresponding pads 118 of the semiconductor package 102 via suitable chip-package connections 122, such as metal pillars (e.g., copper pillars), flip-chip bumps, solder bumps, any type of low-lead or lead-free solder bumps, tin-copper bumps, wire connections, wedge connections, C4 assembly technology (controlled collapse chip connect), anisotropic conductive film (ACF), non-conductive film (NCF), combinations thereof, or the like.In some exemplary embodiments, the contact type for chips mounted on the semiconductor package 102 can differ. For example, one chip can have copper pillar contacts, and another chip can have solder bump contacts. In other exemplary embodiments, different chips mounted on the semiconductor package 102 can have the same type of contacts (e.g., all chips have copper pillar contacts). In some cases, underfilling (e.g., with or without fillers) can be present between the chip 120 and the semiconductor package 102, such as surrounding chip-package connections 122.

[0027] The semiconductor package 102 can be mechanically coupled to the antenna package 126 via a suitable mechanism, such as epoxy, adhesives, tape, mechanical retainers, metal contacts, or the like. In exemplary embodiments, the epoxy can be applied to either the semiconductor package 102 or the antenna package 126. Subsequently, the other element of the semiconductor package 102 and the antenna package 126 can be aligned and placed onto the package 102, 126, on which the epoxy is located. This alignment and placement mechanism can be implemented using a placement tool, such as a tool that optically aligns objects to be joined. The epoxy can then be cured to form the epoxy-based attachment of the semiconductor package 102 to the antenna package 126. It is understood that the hardening of the epoxy can drive cross-linking and / or solidification of the epoxy material.In some cases, B-stage epoxy can be used for intermediate mounting of the semiconductor package to the antenna package, and then a curing process can be used for the final curing of the B-stage epoxy. In other exemplary embodiments, adhesives or tape can be applied to either the semiconductor package 102 or the antenna package 126, and the other element of the semiconductor package 102 or the antenna package 126 can be aligned and positioned. In exemplary embodiments, epoxy / adhesive / tape 128 can be selected for desired properties in the coupling between the pads 124 of the semiconductor package 102 and the pads 138 of the antenna package 126.

[0028] In some cases, electrical components can be provided on the antenna housing 126. For example, inductors, capacitors, and / or resistors can be arranged on the antenna housing 126. By placing these components on the antenna housing 126, processing steps for the semiconductor package 102 can be reduced. Furthermore, general area and / or volumetric reductions (e.g., a relatively desirable form factor) can be achieved not only by placing discrete components on the antenna housing but also by separating the antenna portion and the chip portions into separate packages.

[0029] The radio module 150 from Fig. 1B can have a semiconductor package 102 and an antenna package 126, similar to the radio module 100 of Fig. 1A. In Fig. However, in embodiment 1B, the antenna housing 126 can be attached to the semiconductor housing 102 by means of one or more metallic contacts 152 between the coupling pads 124 on the semiconductor housing side and the coupling pads 138 on the antenna housing side. The one or more metallic contacts can be made of any suitable materials, including, but not limited to, copper, lead-tin solder, lead-free solder, any tin-based solder, tin-copper alloys and / or intermetallic compounds, aluminum, alloys, intermetallic compounds and / or combinations thereof, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the metallic contacts can be solder-based contacts that can be relatively easily mounted after the semiconductor housing 102 or the antenna housing 126 has been fabricated.It is understood that in some exemplary embodiments the presence of a metal contact 152 between corresponding pads 124, 138 can provide improved signal transmission between them.

[0030] In some exemplary embodiments, underfill 154 can be provided between the semiconductor housing 102 and the antenna housing 126. The underfill can surround the contacts 152, pads 124, and / or pads 138. Underfill epoxy can be distributed by a nozzle under and / or beside the antenna housing 126 and / or the semiconductor housing 102. The underfill epoxy can move into the position shown by capillary action and / or van der Waals forces.

[0031] Representative underfill epoxy materials can be an amine epoxy, a polyimide resin epoxy, a phenolic epoxy, or an anhydride epoxy. Other examples of underfill material include polyimide, benzocyclobutene (BCB), a bismaleimide-type underfill, a polybenzoxazine (PBO) underfill, or a polynorbornene underfill. Additionally, the underfill epoxy can contain one or more suitable fillers, such as silicon dioxide. In exemplary embodiments, the underfill epoxy can contain fillers and / or other materials to preferably control the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), reduce stresses, impart flame-retardant properties, promote adhesion, and / or reduce moisture absorption in the underfill epoxy. Additives and / or chemicals can be included for desired properties, such as…a preferred viscosity range, a preferred tackiness range, a preferred hydrophobicity range (e.g. surface wetting), a preferred range of particle suspension properties, a preferred range of curing temperatures, combinations thereof or the like, may be included in the underfill epoxy.

[0032] The underfill epoxy can be cured to form the underfill 154. The curing process may involve heating and / or irradiation (e.g., ultraviolet (UV) curing) and / or combinations thereof. During the curing process, the underfill epoxy can crosslink and harden. Although the underfill epoxy is shown with a relatively straight sidewall, it is understood that in some exemplary embodiments the underfill epoxy may have a rounded, curved sidewall. Additionally, underfill epoxy residue may remain in portions of the surface of the semiconductor housing substrate 102 where the underfill epoxy may have originally been applied.

[0033] The radio module 160 from Fig. 1C can have a semiconductor package 102 similar to the radio module 100 from Fig. 1A and an antenna housing 162, which may be a single-layer antenna housing. In this exemplary embodiment, the antenna housing may have a simple dielectric layer 164, and the material for the dielectric layer 164 may be similar to the dielectric material of the core or build-up layer. In exemplary embodiments, the dielectric layer 164 may be made of any suitable material, including polymer material, ceramic material, plastics, composite materials, LCP, epoxy laminates of glass fiber mats, prepreg, FR-4 materials, FR-5 materials, combinations thereof, or the like. Coupling pads 166 may be provided for electrical coupling (e.g., inductive, capacitive, and / or conductive, etc.) with pads 124 of the semiconductor housing. The antenna housing 162 may further include a variety of radiative elements 168, such asThe antenna elements are configured for wireless reception and / or transmission of signals. In exemplary embodiments, the signals received via the coupling pads 166 can be transmitted wirelessly via the radiative elements 168. In the same or other embodiments, radio signals received via the radiative elements 168 can be supplied to the coupling pads 166 so that these signals can be received by the semiconductor package and / or the chip 120 (e.g., RFIC) located thereon.

[0034] It is understood that the coupling between the antenna housing 126, 162 and the semiconductor housing can employ any suitable mechanism other than epoxy 128 or metal contacts 152. According to exemplary embodiments, adhesives, tape, glue, and / or lamination, or even any suitable joining mechanism, can be used to fasten the semiconductor housing 102 and the antenna housing 126, 162. Although one of the aforementioned joining mechanisms may be shown in this disclosure for illustrative purposes, it should be noted that it can be replaced by any of the other joining mechanisms in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. It should also be clear that in the following descriptions, the semiconductor housing 102 and / or the antenna housing can have any suitable number of intermediate interconnect layers.For example, even if an antenna housing similar to antenna housing 126 is shown in a particular configuration, it is understood that a different configuration of the antenna housing, such as antenna housing 162, can be substituted in the particular representation without deviating from the embodiments of the disclosure.

[0035] Although a single antenna housing is shown, it is understood that in some exemplary embodiments, two or more antenna housings can be provided on a single semiconductor package. For example, a first antenna housing can be arranged on one side of a semiconductor package, and a second antenna housing can be arranged on the other side of the semiconductor package. In some cases, the arrangement of more than one antenna housing on a semiconductor package can improve the performance of the radio module, for example, by providing greater unidirectional wireless transmit / receive power. In other words, the presence of an antenna housing on both sides of a semiconductor package can provide improved uniformity of energy density in receive and / or transmit over a full 360°.

[0036] Fig. 2A and Fig. Figure 2B presents simplified cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating a further configuration of a radio module 200, 250 comprising an antenna housing 220 and a chip housing 202, wherein housing-board connections 216 are arranged on the same side as one or more chips 208 in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

[0037] The chip package 202 can have a number of connections, as related to the Fig. 1A-1C described. The intermediate connections may further include one or more pads 204, 206. Some of the pads 204 may be used to make contact with chips 208, which may be located on the chip package 202. As discussed above, the chips 208 may be any suitable chip (RFIC, low-noise amplifier (LNA), wireless baseband, microcontroller, etc.) and may be attached using any suitable connection 210 and / or mechanism (e.g., flip-chip, copper pillar, ACF, NCF, etc.). Pads 206 may be shaped pads 204 of the same or different sizes and may be used to contact package-board connections 216. The package-board connections 216 may be of any suitable type, such as ball grid array (BGA), land grid array (LGA), or any other suitable package-board connection.In exemplary embodiments, the chips 208 can be surrounded by a molded part 212 and / or a shield 214 against electromagnetic interference (EMI) and / or a cover. The EMI shield 214 can be any suitable shielding mechanism, such as a metal can.

[0038] The molding material can be any suitable material for forming the molded part 212. For example, the molding material can be a liquid-dispersed, thermosetting epoxy resin casting compound. A casting compound can be applied to the surface of the semiconductor package substrate 202 by means of a suitable mechanism, including, but not limited to, liquid dispensing, centrifugal coating, spray coating, combinations thereof, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments, the casting compound can be arranged within the EMI shield 214 or the cover, which is then picked up and placed over the chips 208. The casting compound can be cured after being applied to the top of the semiconductor package 202. After curing (e.g., crosslinking), the applied casting compound can harden and form the molded part 212 to adhere to the semiconductor package 202 and encapsulate the chips 208.In exemplary embodiments, the molded part 212 can contain fillers and / or other materials to preferably control CTE, reduce stresses, impart flame-retardant properties, promote adhesion, and / or reduce moisture absorption in the molded part 212. The molded part 212 can have any suitable thickness in exemplary embodiments. For example, the molded part 212 can be approximately 1 millimeter (mm) thick. In other cases, the molded part 212 can be approximately in the range of about 200 micrometers (µm) to 800 µm in thickness. In still other cases, the molded part 212 can be approximately in the range of about 1 mm to 2 mm in thickness.

[0039] The antenna housing 220 is shown here with an area larger than the area of ​​the chip housing 202. However, it is understood that the relative sizes of the chip housing 202 and the antenna housing 220 can have any suitable ratio. The chip housing 220 can have coupling pads 222 for transmitting / receiving signals from the chip housing 202 and can have radiative elements 224 for transmitting and / or receiving radio signals (e.g., RF signals). The antenna housing 220 can be connected to the chip housing 202 by means of epoxy 218, as described above. The epoxy can be of any suitable thickness and / or material properties to effectively couple signals from the chip housing 202 to / from the antenna housing 220. It is understood that any alternative joining mechanism (e.g. adhesives, glue, metallic bonding, lamination, etc.) is acceptable.) can be used to couple the chip package 202 to the antenna package in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

[0040] In exemplary embodiments, the radio module 200 can be arranged on a PCB 252 by attaching the housing-PCB connections 216 to corresponding pads (not shown) on the PCB 252. The PCB 252 can optionally have a cavity 254 formed therein to accommodate the height of the chips 208, the chip-housing connections 210, the molded part 212, and / or the EMI shield 214. Thus, in this configuration of the radio module 250, the antenna housing 220 can be arranged on one side of the semiconductor housing 202, on which the radio module 200 is mounted, opposite the PCB 252.

[0041] Fig. Figure 3 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module 300 comprising an antenna housing 314 and a chip housing 302, with housing-board connections 328 arranged on the same side as the antenna housing 314, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. Similar to the chip housing 202 of Fig. 2. The chip package 302 can have a number of intermediate connections 304, 306, as described in connection with the Fig. Described in Sections 1A-1C. As discussed above, the chips 308 can be any suitable chip (RFIC, low-noise amplifier (LNA), wireless baseband, microcontroller, etc.) and can be mounted using any suitable connection and / or mechanism (e.g., flip-chip, copper pillar, ACF, NCF, etc.). In exemplary embodiments, the chips 308 can be surrounded by a molded part 310 and / or an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield 312. The EMI shield 312 can be any suitable shielding mechanism, such as a metal can. The antenna housing 314 can include coupling pads 318 and beaming elements 320 and can be attached to the chip housing 302 by any suitable mechanism, such as epoxy 316. Package-board connections 328 can be formed on the chip package 302 on the same surface on which the antenna package is located.The package-board connections 328 can be of any suitable type, such as Ball Grid Array (BGA), Land Grid Array (LGA), or any other suitable package-board connection. The package-board connections 328 can be used to establish an electrical contact with a PCB 326. In some cases, the PCB 326 may have a cavity or recess 324 to accommodate the height of the antenna module 314.

[0042] Fig. Figure 4 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module 400 comprising an antenna housing 406 and an interposer interface 410 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The chips 404 can be any suitable chip (RFIC, low-noise amplifier (LNA), wireless baseband, microcontroller, etc.) and can be attached to a semiconductor housing 402 using any suitable connection and / or mechanism (e.g., flip-chip, copper pillar, ACF, NCF, etc.). The antenna housing 406 can include coupling pads and beaming elements and can be attached to the chip housing 402 by any suitable mechanism, such as epoxy 408. According to exemplary embodiments, the interposer 410 can be arranged on the same surface of the semiconductor housing 402 as the chips 404.This interposer 410 can have a greater height than the chips 404 arranged on the semiconductor package 402. The interposer 410 can be used to guide signals from the semiconductor package 402 through a thickness of the interposer 410 to a side of the interposer opposite the side of the interposer that is in contact with and / or near the semiconductor package 402. The interposer can be used to attach the semiconductor package 402 to a PCB 420. In this way, signals from the semiconductor package to / from the PCB 420 can be provided via the interposer, which is arranged on the same side as the chips 404 on the semiconductor package. In exemplary embodiments, the interposer 410 can be made of organic and / or inorganic materials. In some exemplary cases, the interposer 410 can be made of a relatively rigid material (e.g., silicon, ceramic, glass, etc.).In other exemplary cases, the interposer 410 can be constructed in a similar manner to the semiconductor package 402, for example, with a core layer and build-up layers (e.g., prepreg, metal) on one or both sides of the core layer. In exemplary embodiments, the interposer 410 can have vias (e.g., vias in a core layer, stacked vias in a coreless organic interposer, silicon vias (TSVs) in a silicon interposer, etc.). In exemplary embodiments, the interposer 410 can have a cavity to accommodate the chips 404, which are arranged on the same semiconductor package surface as the interposer 410. The interposer can have one or more connections 414 with the semiconductor package 402. The connections 414 can be of any suitable type and / or extent. The connection 414 can employ any suitable mechanism (e.g., a screw or a wire).The connection 416 between the interposer 410 and the PCB 420 can also be of any suitable type and / or mechanism (e.g., copper pillar, flip chip, etc.). In some cases, electrically conductive material 418 can be arranged on the interposer 410. The electrically conductive material can be applied to the side walls of the interposer 410, among other methods, by electroplating, electroless plating, or as a conductive paste. The conductive material can serve as EMI shielding during the operation of the radio module 400.

[0043] The unclaimed Fig. Figure 5 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module 500, which has an antenna housing 514 coupled to a semiconductor housing 502 via a printed circuit board (PCB) 512, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. One or more chips 504 may be arranged on the semiconductor housing. The semiconductor housing may optionally include an EMI shield 506 around one or more of the chips 504. According to exemplary embodiments, one or more semiconductor housing-PCB connections 510 may be made on corresponding pads 508 of the semiconductor housing 502. The housing-PCB connections 510 may be of any suitable type, such as a ball grid array (BGA), a land grid array (LGA), or any other suitable housing-PCB connection.The housing-board connections 510 can conduct signals between the semiconductor housing 502 and the PCB 512. Some of these signals can be routed via the PCB 512 to / from the antenna housing 514. The antenna housing can have antenna housing-board connections 526 to receive and / or transmit signals to / from the PCB 512, such as signals transmitted to / from the semiconductor housing 502. The antenna housing 514 can have a variety of beaming elements 518 to transmit and / or receive electromagnetic radio signals.

[0044] Fig. 6A and Fig. Figure 6B presents simplified cross-sectional schematic diagrams illustrating a configuration of a radio module comprising an antenna housing 614 and molded through-contacts 610 in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. A semiconductor housing 602 can be coupled to the antenna housing 614 by any suitable mechanism, such as epoxy 612. The semiconductor housing 602 and the antenna housing 614 can be coupled in such a way that signals (e.g., RF signals) are transmitted between them. The antenna housing 614 can further comprise one or more beaming elements 616 from which radio signals can be transmitted and / or received. One or more chips 606 can be encapsulated on the semiconductor housing 602. The chips 606 can be encapsulated in the molded part 608, and molded part through-connections 610 can be provided to conduct signals via pads 604 to and / or from the semiconductor housing 602.The molded through-connections 610 can be used to establish an electrical connection between the radio module 600 and a PCB 618. The connections can result in a contact formation 620 between the radio module 600 and the PCB 618. In some cases, the molded through-connection 610 can deform to form the contact 620 between the radio module 600 and the PCB 618. In other exemplary embodiments, other mechanisms for connecting the radio module 600 and the PCB 618 can be provided. Such mechanisms can include elements such as copper pillars, solder joints, conductive paste connections, connections with ACF, NCF, combinations thereof, or the like.

[0045] The molded part 608 can be formed on the side of the semiconductor package 602 containing the chips 606. A casting compound can be applied to the surface of the semiconductor package 602 by means of a suitable mechanism, including, but not limited to, liquid dispensing, centrifugal coating, spray coating, combinations thereof, or the like. The casting compound can be hardened after dispensing onto the top surface of the semiconductor package 602. In some exemplary embodiments, the casting compound can be hardened while pressure is exerted upon it by means of a conduction channel surface. In exemplary embodiments, the conduction channel (e.g., a relatively flat surface pressed onto the liquid molding material arranged on the top surface of the semiconductor package substrate) can itself be heated. After hardening (e.g.,Crosslinking allows the applied casting compound to harden and form the molded part 602, which adheres to the semiconductor package 602 and encapsulates the chips 606. In exemplary embodiments, the molded part 608 may contain fillers and / or other materials to preferably control CTE, reduce stresses, impart flame-retardant properties, promote adhesion, and / or reduce moisture absorption in the molded part 608. The molded part 608 may have any suitable thickness in exemplary embodiments. For example, the molded part 608 may be approximately 1 millimeter (mm) thick. In other cases, the molded part 608 may be approximately in the range of about 200 micrometers (µm) to 800 µm in thickness. In still other cases, the molded part 608 may be approximately in the range of about 1 mm to 2 mm in thickness.

[0046] Subsequently, holes (e.g., vias) and / or trenches can be formed in the component 608 such that the holes are aligned to make contact with corresponding pads 604 on the surface of the semiconductor package 602. The holes and / or trenches can be formed by any variety of suitable processes, such as light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (laser) ablation, dry etching, embossing, plasma etching, and / or wet etching. In laser ablation processes, a laser frequency and laser power can be selected to achieve relatively efficient energy transfer to the component 608 for relatively effective ablation of the B-step epoxy and the component 608. The width of the holes and / or trenches can be any suitable width. In some cases, the trenches 610 can have a width of approximately 500 µm.In other cases, the trench widths can be approximately in the range between about 100 µm and 500 µm.

[0047] In exemplary embodiments, the holes and / or grooves in the molded part 608 can be formed such that the underside of the holes and / or grooves opens towards the pads 604 and / or conductive traces of the semiconductor package 602. In some exemplary embodiments, the mechanism used to open the grooves (e.g., laser ablation, etching, etc.) can be selective in removing the molded material relative to the material (e.g., copper, aluminum, etc.) of the pad 604. In some exemplary embodiments, the formation of the holes and / or grooves 610 can involve an initial removal of the molded part 608, followed by cleaning of the holes and / or grooves. The initial removal of the molded material can be any suitable process (e.g., laser ablation, photolithography, dry etching, wet etching, stamping, etc.). This initial removal can leave residues in exemplary embodiments (e.g.,Molding residues, etching by-product residues, etc.). The subsequent cleaning process can also be any suitable process (e.g., laser ablation, photolithography, dry etching, wet etching, embossing, etc.). In exemplary embodiments, the initial removal process can be a different type of process (e.g., laser ablation, photolithography, dry etching, wet etching, embossing, etc.) than the subsequent cleaning process. For example, an initial laser ablation removal process can be followed by a flash wet etching process to form the holes and / or grooves in the molded part 608. In other exemplary embodiments, the initial removal process can be the same type of process as the subsequent cleaning process, but with different parameters. For example, a high-power laser ablation process can be followed by a lower-power laser ablation process.In further exemplary embodiments, the initial removal process can be the same as a subsequent process. Of course, in exemplary embodiments, any number of subsequent processes (e.g., three laser ablation processes followed by a wet etching process) can be used to remove the full depth of the mold material 608 to form the holes and / or grooves of the molded part through-connection 610.

[0048] The holes and / or grooves can then be filled with a conductive material (e.g., electroplated copper, unplated copper, aluminum, conductive paste, solder paste, etc.) so that a portion of the conductive material protrudes above a top surface of the molded part 608. In this way, the protrusions can form a mechanism for housing-PCB connection. When the radio module 600 is mounted to a PCB 618 in this manner using molded part through-hole contacts 610, the semiconductor housing 602 can make contact with the antenna housing 614 on the side opposite the molded part 608. In some exemplary embodiments, additional through-holes and / or grooves can be formed in the molded part 608 to enclose the chips 606 present on the semiconductor housing 602. In this way, shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be formed in the molded part.In some cases, such EMI shielding can be formed simultaneously with the formation of the molded part through-contacts. In some exemplary embodiments, underfilling can be provided between the radio module 600 and the PCB 618.

[0049] The unclaimed Fig. Figure 7 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module 700 comprising antenna array elements 710 arranged on a semiconductor package 702, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. In these exemplary embodiments, the radiative antenna array elements 710 can be any suitable type of radiative element, such as a patch antenna element. These antenna elements 710 can be placed and bonded to appropriate surface pads 704 of the semiconductor package 702. Additionally, chips 706 can be placed and bonded to the semiconductor package 702 via any suitable chip-package contact 708. Any suitable contacts 712 (e.g. copper pillar, flip chip, etc.) can be used to attach the antenna array elements 710 to the corresponding pads 712 of the semiconductor package 702.Housing-board connections 714 can be formed to establish contact between the semiconductor housing 702 and a circuit board. In exemplary embodiments, the antenna array elements 710 can be mounted directly on a surface of the semiconductor housing, and an antenna housing can also be attached to the semiconductor housing 702.

[0050] In other words, radiative elements (e.g., antenna housing on the underside and mounted antenna array elements 710 on the top) can be present on both sides of the semiconductor housing 702.

[0051] The unclaimed Fig. Figure 8 presents a simplified cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a radio module 800, wherein antenna beam elements 814 are arranged on a printed circuit board (PCB) 812 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. The radio module 800 can include a semiconductor housing 802 having one or more electrical conductors. One or more chips 806 and optionally an EMI shield and / or a cover 808 can also be attached to the semiconductor housing 802. The semiconductor housing 802 can further be electrically and mechanically connected to the PCB 812 via a plurality of housing-PCB connections 810. The housing-PCB connections 810 can allow the semiconductor housing to exchange signals with the PCB 812. In exemplary embodiments, the signals received by the PCB 812 from the semiconductor housing 802 can be signals to be transmitted wirelessly.These signals can be used to drive antenna elements 814 of PCB 812 to transmit wireless electromagnetic signals from semiconductor package 802. Likewise, RF transmission can be received from the antenna elements 814 of PCB 812, and the corresponding signals can be supplied to one or more of the chips 806 via the package-board connections 810 and the conductor tracks 804 of the semiconductor package 802.

[0052] Fig. Figure 9 presents a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 900 for manufacturing a radio module having a housing on an antenna housing in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. This method 900 can be used to manufacture any of the radio modules shown in the preceding figures. It is understood that some processes may be carried out in a different order than that shown here. It is further understood that some processes may have suitable substitutes that can be implemented without deviating from embodiments of the disclosure.

[0053] Block 902 can be used to fabricate a semiconductor package. In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package can be manufactured in the form of a plate, which is subsequently separated into individual semiconductor packages. The semiconductor package can have a core and several build-up layers with interconnects on one or both sides of the core. The interconnects can define electrical paths for signals to / from electrical components to be mounted on the semiconductor package, as well as for signals routed to a circuit board and / or for signals routed to an antenna package. The semiconductor package can have any suitable number of interconnect layers and can further include package-board connections, such as BGA, LGA, or the like.

[0054] Block 904 allows electronic components to be mounted onto the semiconductor package substrate. This process can involve a placement system to align the electronic components onto the semiconductor package. Any suitable mounting mechanism (e.g., copper pillar, flip-chip, ACF, NCF, etc.) can be used to mount the electronic components onto the semiconductor package. The electronic components can be any suitable electronic components, such as ICs, RFICs, microcontrollers, baseband chips, microprocessors, memory chips, surface-mount devices (SMDs), discrete components, transistors, diodes, resistors, inductors, capacitors, combinations thereof, or the like.

[0055] Block 906 can be used to fabricate an antenna package. As described above, the antenna package can have any suitable number of interconnect layers and can include pads for receiving and / or transmitting signals to / from the semiconductor package. The antenna package can further include a variety of radiative antenna elements for transmitting and / or receiving radio signals (e.g., RF, millimeter wave, 60 GHz, etc.).

[0056] In Block 908, the antenna package can be attached to the semiconductor package. Alternatively, the semiconductor package can be attached to the antenna package. Any suitable fastening mechanism can be used, such as metallic bonding, epoxy, adhesive, mechanical fastening, lamination, combinations thereof, or the like.

[0057] It should be noted that Method 900 can be modified in various ways in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. For example, in other embodiments of the disclosure, one or more operations of Method 900 may be eliminated or performed out of sequence. Additionally, other operations may be added to Method 900 in accordance with other embodiments of the disclosure.

[0058] Fig.Figure 10 presents a flowchart illustrating a further exemplary method 1000 for fabricating a radio module in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the disclosure. This method 1000 can be used to fabricate any of the radio modules shown in the preceding figures, where the antenna housing and the semiconductor housing are joined with epoxy. It is understood that some processes may be carried out in a different sequence than that shown here. It is further understood that some processes may have suitable substitutes that can be implemented without deviating from embodiments of the disclosure.

[0059] Block 1002 can be used to fabricate a semiconductor package substrate plate. In exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package plate can have a plurality of semiconductor packages fabricated on it. The semiconductor package substrate plate can be fabricated by building up layers of interconnect traces. In some exemplary embodiments, the plate can have a core and multiple build-up layers with connections on one or both sides of the core. In other cases, coreless integration can be used. The connections can define electrical paths for signals to / from electrical components to be mounted on the semiconductor package, as well as for signals routed to a circuit board and / or for signals routed to an antenna package.

[0060] In Block 1004, electronic components can be mounted onto the semiconductor package substrate plate. This process can involve a placement system to align the electronic components onto the semiconductor package. Any suitable mounting mechanism (e.g., copper pillar, flip-chip, ACF, NCF, etc.) can be used to mount the electronic components onto the semiconductor package. The electronic components can be any suitable electronic components, such as ICs, RFICs, microcontrollers, baseband chips, microprocessors, memory chips, surface-mount devices (SMDs), discrete components, transistors, diodes, resistors, inductors, capacitors, combinations thereof, or the like. In Block 1006, molded parts, shielding, and package-board interconnects can be formed on the package substrate plate.

[0061] Block 1008 can be used to fabricate an antenna package. The antenna packages can be fabricated on a single plate and then singulated to form a multitude of antenna packages from a single antenna package substrate. As described above, the antenna package can have any suitable number of interconnect layers and can include pads for receiving and / or transmitting signals to / from the semiconductor package. The antenna package can further include a multitude of radiative antenna elements for transmitting and / or receiving radio signals (e.g., RF, millimeter wave, 60 GHz, etc.).

[0062] At block 1010, the antenna package can be aligned and positioned on the semiconductor package substrate and held in place using epoxy. Alignment can be performed with a placement system to align the corresponding pads of the semiconductor package substrate and the antenna package. At block 1012, the epoxy can be cured. At block 1014, the semiconductor package substrate can be separated to form the semiconductor package as a radio module on the antenna package.

[0063] It should be noted that Method 1000 can be modified in various ways in accordance with certain embodiments of the disclosure. For example, in other embodiments of the disclosure, one or more operations of Method 1000 may be eliminated or performed out of sequence. Additionally, other operations may be added to Method 1000 in accordance with other embodiments of the disclosure.

[0064] It is understood that the device described herein can be any suitable type of microelectronic package and configurations thereof, including, for example, system-in-package (SiP), system-on-package (SOP), package-on-package (PoP), interposer package, 3D-stacked package, etc. In fact, any suitable type of microelectronic component can be contained within the semiconductor packages as described herein. For example, microcontrollers, microprocessors, baseband processors, digital signal processors, memory chips, field-gate arrays, logic gate chips, passive component chips, MEMSs, surface-mount devices, application-specific integrated circuits, baseband processors, amplifiers, filters, combinations thereof, or the like can be encapsulated within the semiconductor packages as disclosed herein.The semiconductor packages, as revealed here, can be supplied in a variety of electronic devices, including consumer, industrial, military, communications, infrastructure, and / or other electronic equipment.

[0065] The semiconductor package, as described here, can be used to house one or more processors. The one or more processors can, without restriction, be a central processing unit (CPU), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), a reduced instruction set computer (RISC), a complex instruction set computer (CISC), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or any combination thereof. The processors can also include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or application-specific standard products (ASSPs) for performing specific data processing functions or tasks.In certain embodiments, the processors may be based on a system with Intel® architecture, and the one or more processors and any chipset included in an electronic device may be from a family of Intel® processors and chipsets, such as the Intel® Atom® processor family or the Intel 64 processor family (e.g., Sandy Bridge®, Ivy Bridge®, Haswell®, Broadwell®, Skylake®, etc.).

[0066] Additionally or alternatively, the semiconductor package, as described here, can be used to accommodate one or more memory chips. The memory element can include one or more volatile and / or non-volatile memory devices, including magnetic memory devices, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), double data rate (DDR) SDRAM, RAM bus DRAM (RDRAM), flash memory devices, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), removable universal serial bus (USB) memory, or combinations thereof.

[0067] In exemplary embodiments, the electronic device in which the semiconductor package is provided can be a computing device. Such a computing device can accommodate one or more circuit boards on which the terminals of the semiconductor package can be arranged. The circuit board can include a number of components, including a processor and / or at least one communication chip. The processor can be physically and electrically connected to the circuit board, for example, by electrical terminals of the semiconductor package. The computing device can further include a plurality of communication chips. For example, a first communication chip can be dedicated to shorter-range wireless communication, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a second communication chip can be dedicated to longer-range wireless communication, such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, and others.In various exemplary embodiments, the computing device may be a laptop, netbook, notebook, ultrabook, smartphone, tablet, personal digital assistant (PDA), ultra-portable PC, mobile phone, desktop computer, server, printer, scanner, monitor, set-top box, entertainment control unit, digital camera, portable music player, digital video recorder, combinations thereof, or the like. In further exemplary embodiments, the computing device may be any other electronic device that processes data.

[0068] While the disclosure includes various embodiments, at least one of which is best, it is understood that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be obvious to the person skilled in the art in view of the preceding description. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to encompass all such alternatives, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the claims contained herein. All matters disclosed herein or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted in an illustrative and non-limiting sense.

[0069] According to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, a radio module may be present. The radio module may comprise a semiconductor package on which at least one electronic component and a first coupling pad are arranged; and an antenna housing attached to the semiconductor package, the antenna housing having at least one radiating element and a second coupling pad communicatively coupled to the first coupling pad, the at least one radiating element being configured to wirelessly transmit or receive a signal. In some exemplary embodiments, the radio module further comprises an epoxy layer arranged between the semiconductor package and the antenna housing. In further exemplary embodiments, the first coupling pad is at least one of the pads that is inductively or capacitively coupled to the second coupling pad.In further exemplary embodiments, the antenna housing is attached to the semiconductor housing by one or more metallic connections. In still further embodiments, the radio module can also have an underfill arranged between the semiconductor housing and the antenna housing, wherein the underfill encapsulates the metallic connections.

[0070] According to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, the radio module comprises a patch antenna element in addition to the radiative element. In further exemplary embodiments, the semiconductor package also includes an electromagnetic shield arranged around the at least one electronic component. In still further exemplary embodiments, the antenna package comprises one or more discrete electrical components arranged thereon. In some exemplary embodiments, the radio module may have an interposer arranged on the semiconductor package, the interposer comprising a first connection to the semiconductor package and an interposer-circuit board connection.In further exemplary embodiments, a molded part can be provided that encapsulates the at least one electronic component, wherein the molded part has a conductive column extending from a first side of the molded part to a second side of the molded part and projecting at least partially beyond the second side of the molded part, the second side being opposite the first side, and the conductive column being electrically coupled to a first contact pad on the semiconductor package. In still further exemplary embodiments, the at least one radiative element is a first set of radiative elements, and wherein the radio module further comprises a second set of radiative elements arranged on the semiconductor package.

[0071] According to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, a method may be provided. The method may include: forming a semiconductor package having a first top surface and a first bottom surface opposite the first top surface, the first top surface having a connection pad and the first bottom surface having a first coupling pad; forming an antenna package having a second top surface and a second bottom surface opposite the second top surface, the second top surface having a second coupling pad and the second bottom surface having a radiative element; attaching a chip to the connection pad; and attaching the semiconductor package to the antenna package.In some exemplary embodiments, forming the semiconductor package includes providing a package core with a first core surface and a second core surface; forming vias in the package core; forming a first build-up layer superimposed on the first core surface, wherein the interconnect pad is formed on the first build-up layer; and forming a second build-up layer superimposed on the second core surface, wherein the first coupling pad is formed on the second build-up layer. In further exemplary embodiments, forming the semiconductor package includes forming one or more build-up layers, wherein forming the antenna package includes forming one or more second build-up layers, and wherein the number of the one or more first build-up layers differs from the number of the one or more second build-up layers.

[0072] In accordance with exemplary embodiments, attaching the semiconductor package to the antenna package involves applying epoxy to the first underside; aligning and positioning the antenna package so that the first coupling pad is substantially aligned with the second coupling pad; and curing the epoxy. In some exemplary embodiments, attaching the semiconductor package to the antenna package involves forming a package-to-package connection on the second coupling pad; aligning and positioning the antenna package so that the first coupling pad is substantially aligned with the package-to-package connection; and forming a bond between the package-to-package connection and the first coupling pad.In further exemplary embodiments, the method may also include forming an underfill between the semiconductor package and the antenna package, wherein the underfill encapsulates the package-package connection. In still further exemplary embodiments, the method may include providing an electromagnetic shield that at least partially surrounds the chip. In some further exemplary embodiments, the method may include forming a molded part that overlays at least a portion of the first top surface and encapsulates the chip; forming a hole in the molded part; and filling the hole with a conductive material. In still further exemplary embodiments, the conductive material is a first conductive material, and the method further includes forming a trench in the molded part that surrounds the chip; and applying a second conductive material within the trench.

Claims

[1] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) comprising the following: a semiconductor package (102, 202, 402, 602) on which at least one chip (120, 208, 308, 404, 606) and a first coupling pad (124) are arranged, wherein the semiconductor package comprises a first dielectric material (108, 110, 112); and An antenna housing (126, 162, 220, 314, 406, 614) attached to a semiconductor package, comprising at least one radiative element (140, 224) and a second coupling pad (138, 166, 222, 318) communicatively coupled to the first coupling pad, wherein the at least one radiative element is designed to wirelessly transmit or receive a signal, wherein the antenna housing comprises a second dielectric material (132, 134, 164), wherein the first coupling pad is inductively or capacitively coupled to the second coupling pad, and wherein the radiative element is connected to the second coupling pad via an electrically conductive path. [2] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, further comprising an epoxy layer (128) arranged between the semiconductor housing and the antenna housing. [3] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, wherein the radiative element comprises a patch antenna element. [4] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor housing further comprises an electromagnetic shield (214, 312) arranged around the at least one chip. [5] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, wherein the antenna housing comprises one or more discrete electrical components arranged thereon. [6] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, which further comprises an interposer (410) arranged on the semiconductor housing, wherein the interposer comprises a first connection to the semiconductor housing and an interposer-board connection. [7] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, further comprising a molded part (212, 310, 608) encapsulating the at least one chip, wherein the molded part has a conductive column extending from a first side of the molded part to a second side of the molded part and projecting at least partially beyond the second side of the molded part, wherein the second side is opposite the first side and the conductive column is electrically coupled to a first contact pad on the semiconductor housing. [8] Radio module (100, 150, 160, 200, 250, 300, 400, 600) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one radiative element is a first set of radiative elements (224), and wherein the radio module further comprises a second set of radiative elements arranged on the semiconductor package. [9] Method (900, 1000) comprising the following: Forming a semiconductor package (902, 1002) having a first top and a first bottom opposite the first top, wherein the first top has a connecting pad and the first bottom has a first coupling pad, wherein the semiconductor package has a first dielectric material (108, 110, 112); Forming an antenna housing (906, 1008) having a second top and a second bottom opposite the second top, wherein the second top has a second coupling pad and the second bottom has a radiative element, wherein the antenna housing has a second dielectric material (132, 134, 164) wherein the radiative element is connected to the second coupling pad via an electrically conductive path; Attaching a chip (904, 1004) to the connection pad; and Attaching the semiconductor package (908, 1010) to the antenna package, wherein attaching the semiconductor package to the antenna package comprises the following: Applying epoxy to the first underside; Align and position the antenna housing so that the first coupling pad is essentially aligned with the second coupling pad; and Hardening of the epoxy. [10] Method (900, 1000) according to claim 9, wherein forming the semiconductor package comprises: Providing a housing core that has a first core surface and a second core surface; Forming vias in the housing core; Forming a first build-up layer that overlays the first core surface, with the bonding pad being formed on the first build-up layer; and Forming a second build-up layer that overlays the second core surface, with the first coupling pad being formed on the second build-up layer. [11] Method (900, 1000) according to claim 9, wherein forming the semiconductor housing comprises forming one or more build-up layers, wherein forming the antenna housing comprises forming one or more second build-up layers, and wherein a number of the one or more first build-up layers differs from a number of the one or more second build-up layers. [12] Method (900, 1000) according to claim 9, further comprising providing an electromagnetic shield that at least partially encloses the chip. [13] Method (900, 1000) according to claim 9, further comprising: Forming a molded part that overlaps at least part of the first top surface and encapsulates the chip; and Forming a hole in the molded part; and Filling the hole with a conductive material. [14] Method (900, 1000) according to claim 13, wherein the conductive material is a first conductive material and the method further comprises: Forming a trench in the molded part surrounding the chip; and Applying a second conductive material inside the trench.

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