Antenna module and communication device

Abstract

To provide an antenna substrate, an integrated circuit, an IC package, an antenna module, and a communication device that enable millimeter wave communication in a compact form.SOLUTION: An antenna module 100 includes an antenna patch support 110 including a flexible portion 115 and other portions 113, an integrated circuit (IC) package 108 coupled to the antenna patch support, and an antenna unit 104 having an antenna patch coupled to the antenna patch support.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16B

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Wireless communication devices, such as handheld computing devices and wireless access points, have antennas. The frequencies at which communication may occur may depend, among other things, on the shape and placement of the antenna or antenna array. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0002] The embodiments will be readily understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: To facilitate this description, like reference numerals refer to like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which:

[0003] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0004] [Diagram 2] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 4] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0005] [Diagram 5] 1 is a top view of an exemplary antenna patch according to various embodiments.

[0006] [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 7] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 8] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 9] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 10]1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 11] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0007] [Figure 12] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary antenna patch according to various embodiments. [Figure 13] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary antenna patch according to various embodiments.

[0008] [Figure 14] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an integrated circuit (IC) package that may be included in an antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0009] [Figure 15A] 1 illustrates an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 15B] 1 illustrates an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 15C] 1 illustrates an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0010] [Figure 16A] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 16B] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 17] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 18] 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0011] [Figure 19] FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary antenna patch arrangement on an antenna substrate, according to various embodiments. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary antenna patch arrangement on an antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0012] [Figure 21] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary antenna patch arrangement within an antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0013] [Figure 22] 1 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of a communications device having an antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0014] [Figure 23] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary assembly having an antenna module and a circuit board, according to various embodiments. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary assembly having an antenna module and a circuit board, according to various embodiments.

[0015] [Figure 25A] 1A-1D are various views of an exemplary communication device having an antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 25B] 1A-1D are various views of an exemplary communication device having an antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0016] [Figure 26A] 1A-1D are various views of an exemplary communication device having an antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 26B] 1A-1D are various views of an exemplary communication device having an antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0017] [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0018] [Figure 28] FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional side view of the antenna board of FIG. 27 coupled to an antenna board fixture, according to various embodiments.

[0019] [Figure 29]FIG. 2 is a top view of an exemplary antenna substrate, according to various embodiments.

[0020] [Diagram 30] FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional side view of the antenna board of FIG. 29 coupled to an antenna board fixture, according to various embodiments.

[0021] [Figure 31A] 1A and 1B are top and side cross-sectional views, respectively, of an antenna substrate coupled to an antenna substrate fixture, according to various embodiments. [Figure 31B] 1A and 1B are top and side cross-sectional views, respectively, of an antenna substrate coupled to an antenna substrate fixture, according to various embodiments.

[0022] [Diagram 32] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of an antenna substrate coupled to an antenna substrate fixture, according to various embodiments.

[0023] [Diagram 33] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Diagram 34] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Diagram 35] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Diagram 36] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0024] [Figure 37A] 1A and 1B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments. [Figure 37B] 1A and 1B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of an exemplary antenna module, according to various embodiments.

[0025] [Figure 38] 1 is a perspective view of a handheld communication device having an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0026] [Figure 39] 1 is a perspective view of a notebook communication device having multiple antenna modules, according to various embodiments.

[0027] [Diagram 40] FIG. 2 is a top view of a wafer and die that may be included in an antenna module according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0028] [Diagram 41] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC device that may be included in an antenna module according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0029] [Diagram 42] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC device assembly that may be included in an antenna module according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0030] [Diagram 43] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example communication device that may be included in an antenna module according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Conventional mmWave antenna arrays use circuit boards with more than 14 layers (e.g., more than 18 layers) of dielectric / metal stacks to achieve the desired performance. Such boards are typically expensive, have low yields, and have a poor balance of metal density and dielectric thickness. In addition, such boards can be difficult to test and may not easily incorporate the shielding required for regulatory compliance.

[0032] Disclosed herein are antenna substrates, integrated circuits, IC packages, antenna modules, and communication devices that may enable millimeter wave communication in a compact form. In some embodiments disclosed herein, an antenna module may include an antenna substrate and one or more IC packages that may be manufactured and assembled separately for design freedom and improved yield. The various antenna modules disclosed herein may have little or no warping during operation or installation, be easily assembled, be low cost, be quickly shipped, have good carrier management, and / or have good thermal performance. The various antenna modules disclosed herein may allow existing modules to be swapped with different antennas and / or IC packages.

[0033] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout, and which show, by way of example, embodiments which may be practiced. It should be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0034] Various operations may be described as multiple separate processes or operations in a sequence that is most conducive to an understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be construed as implying that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order presented. The described operations may be performed in a different order than in the described embodiment. Various additional operations may be performed and / or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

[0035] For purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A and / or B" means (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrase "A, B and / or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). The drawings are not necessarily to scale. While many of the drawings show rectilinear structures with flat walls and square corners, this is for illustrative purposes only. Actual devices made using these techniques will exhibit rounded corners, surface roughness, and other features.

[0036] The description uses the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment," each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, terms such as "comprising," "including," and "having," as used with respect to multiple embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous. In this specification, "package" and "IC package" are synonymous. In describing a range of dimensions, the phrase "X to Y" refers to the range inclusive of X and Y. For convenience, the phrase "FIG. 15" may collectively refer to FIG. 15A, FIG. 15B, and FIG. 15C, and the phrase "FIG. 16" may collectively refer to FIG. 16A, FIG. 16B, and so forth.

[0037] Any of the features described with reference to any of the accompanying drawings may be combined with any other features to form an antenna substrate 102, an antenna module 100, or a communication device 151 as appropriate. In the figures, many elements are common to other figures. For the sake of brevity, the description of these elements will not be repeated. These elements may take the form of any of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an antenna module 100, according to various embodiments. The antenna module 100 may include an IC package 108 coupled to an antenna substrate 102. As described further below, the antenna module 100 may provide an RF head and may be coupled to a circuit board by a cable or other connection. Although a single IC package 108 is shown in FIG. 1, the antenna module 100 may include multiple IC packages 108 (e.g., as described below with reference to FIGS. 34-37). As described in further detail below, the antenna substrate 102 may include conductive paths (e.g., provided by conductive vias and lines through one or more dielectric materials) and radio frequency (RF) transmission structures (e.g., antenna feed structures such as striplines, microstriplines, coplanar waveguides, etc.) that may enable one or more antenna units 104 (not shown) to receive and transmit electromagnetic waves under the control of circuitry within the IC package 108. In some embodiments, the IC package 108 may be coupled to the antenna substrate 102 by a second-level interconnect (not shown, but described below with reference to FIG. 14). In some embodiments, at least a portion of the antenna substrate 102 may be fabricated using printed circuit board (PCB) technology and may have two to eight PCB layers. Examples of IC packages 108 and antenna substrates 102 are described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may include different IC packages 108 for controlling different antenna units 104, respectively. In another embodiment, the antenna module 100 may include a single IC package 108 having circuitry for controlling multiple antenna units 104. In some embodiments, the total z-height of the antenna module 100 may be less than 3 millimeters (e.g., between 2 millimeters and 3 millimeters). In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may include multiple IC packages 108 coupled to a single antenna substrate 102. In another embodiment, the antenna module 100 may include multiple antenna substrates 102 coupled to a single IC package 108.

[0039] 2-4 are side cross-sectional views of an exemplary antenna substrate 102 according to various embodiments. FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an example antenna substrate 102 including one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an antenna patch support 110. In some embodiments, the antenna units 104 may be electrically coupled to the antenna patch support 110 by a conductive material path through the antenna patch support 110 that is in conductive contact with the conductive material of the antenna units 104. Meanwhile, in other embodiments, the antenna units 104 may be mechanically coupled to the antenna patch support 110 but without contacting the conductive material path through the antenna patch support 110. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the antenna patch support 110 may be produced by PCB technology and may include 2 to 8 PCB layers. Although the antenna units 104 are specifically shown in FIG. 2 (and other accompanying figures), this is merely exemplary and the antenna substrate 102 may include fewer or more antenna units 104. For example, the antenna substrate 102 may include four antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in a linear array, as described below with reference to Figures 29-31 and 39), eight antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in one linear array, or two linear arrays, as described below with reference to Figures 35, 37, 38), sixteen antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in a 4x4 array, as described below with reference to Figures 34, 36), or thirty-two antenna units 104 (e.g., arranged in two 4x4 arrays, as described below with reference to Figures 34, 36). In some embodiments, the antenna units 104 may be surface mounted components.

[0040] In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may include one or more arrays of antenna units 104 to support multiple communication bands (e.g., dual-band operation or tri-band operation). For example, some of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support tri-band operation at 28 gigahertz, 39 gigahertz, and 60 gigahertz. Various antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support tri-band operation at 24.5 gigahertz to 29 gigahertz, 37 gigahertz to 43 gigahertz, and 57 gigahertz to 71 gigahertz. Various antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support 5G communication and 60 gigahertz communication. Various antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support 28 gigahertz and 39 gigahertz communication. Various antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support mmWave communication. The various antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may support high and low frequency bands.

[0041] In some embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may include an antenna unit 104 bonded to an antenna patch support 110 by adhesive. FIG. 3 shows an antenna substrate 102 with an antenna patch support 110 comprising a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and an adhesive 106 on the opposite side of the circuit board 112. As used herein, a "conductive contact" may refer to a portion of a conductive material (e.g., a metal) that interfaces between different components. The conductive contact may be recessed, flush, or spaced apart from the surface of the component, and may be in any suitable form (e.g., a conductive pad or socket). The circuit board 112 may include traces, vias, and other structures made of a conductive material (e.g., a metal such as copper) as known in the art. The conductive structures in the circuit board 112 may be electrically insulated from each other by a dielectric material. Any suitable dielectric material may be used (e.g., a laminate material). In some embodiments, the dielectric material can be an organic dielectric material, a flame retardant grade 4 material (FR-4), a bismaleimide triazine (BT) resin, a polyimide material, a glass reinforced epoxy matrix material, or low-k and ultra-low-k dielectrics (e.g., carbon-doped dielectrics, fluorine-doped dielectrics, porous dielectrics, and organic polymer dielectrics).

[0042] In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the antenna unit 104 may be affixed to an adhesive 106. The adhesive 106 may be non-conductive, and therefore the antenna unit 104 may not be electrically coupled to the circuit board 112 by a conductive material path. In some embodiments, the adhesive 106 may be an epoxy. The thickness of the adhesive 106 may control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112. When the antenna board 102 of FIG. 3 (and others in the accompanying drawings) is used in the antenna module 100, the IC package 108 may be coupled to a portion of the conductive contacts 118. In some embodiments, the thickness of the circuit board 112 of FIG. 3 may be less than 1 millimeter (e.g., 0.35 millimeters to 0.5 millimeters). In some embodiments, the thickness of the antenna unit 104 may be less than 1 millimeter (e.g., 0.4 millimeters to 0.7 millimeters).

[0043] In some embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may include an antenna unit 104 solder-coupled to an antenna patch support 110. FIG. 4 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 with an antenna patch support 110 including a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2-8 PCB layers), a solder mask 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and a solder mask 114 and conductive contacts 116 on the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The antenna unit 104 may be secured to the circuit board 112 by solder 122 (or other secondary interconnect) between the conductive contacts 120 of the antenna unit 104 and the conductive contacts 116. In some embodiments, the conductive contacts 116 / solder 122 / conductive contacts 120 may provide a conductive material path through which signals may be transmitted to and from the antenna unit 104. In another embodiment, the conductive contacts 116 / solder 122 / conductive contacts 120 may be used only for mechanical coupling between the antenna unit 104 and the antenna patch support 110. The height of the solder 122 (or other interconnect) may control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112. FIG. 5 is a top view of an exemplary antenna unit 104 that may be used in an antenna board 102, such as the antenna board 102 of FIG. 4, according to various embodiments. The antenna unit 104 of FIG. 5 may have multiple conductive contacts 120 regularly distributed over a surface. Other antenna units 104 having conductive contacts 120 may have different arrangements of the conductive contacts 120.

[0044] In some embodiments, the antenna substrate may have an antenna unit 104 coupled to a bridge structure. FIG. 6 shows an antenna substrate 102 in which an antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and a bridge structure 124 secured to the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an inner surface of the bridge structure 124 and one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an outer surface of the bridge structure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the antenna unit 104 is coupled to the bridge structure 124 by an adhesive 106. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the bridge structure 124 may be coupled to the circuit board 112 by an adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106 and the dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the distance between the inner surface and the adjacent surface of the circuit board 112 and the thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface of the bridge structure 124) can control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent surface of the circuit board 112 (including the distance between the "inner" antenna unit 104 and the "outer" antenna unit 104). The bridge structure 124 can be made of any suitable material. For example, the bridge structure 124 can be formed of a non-conductive plastic. In some embodiments, the bridge structure 124 of FIG. 6 can be manufactured using 3D printing techniques. In some embodiments, the bridge structure 124 of FIG. 6 can be fabricated in a PCB as a recess defining an inner surface (e.g., using a recessed board manufacturing technique). In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the bridge structure 124 can introduce an air gap 149 between the antenna unit 104 and the circuit board 112 to increase the bandwidth of the antenna module 100.

[0045] FIG. 7 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 similar to that of FIG. 6, but with a curved (e.g., arch-shaped) bridge structure 124. Such bridge structure 124 may be formed, for example, of flexible plastic or other materials. FIG. 7 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 in which an antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and a bridge structure 124 secured to the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an inner surface of the bridge structure 124 and one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an outer surface of the bridge structure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the antenna units 104 are coupled to the bridge structure 124 by adhesive 106. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the bridge structure 124 may be coupled to the circuit board 112 by adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106 and the dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the distance between the inner surface and the adjacent surface of the circuit board 112, and the thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface of the bridge structure 124) can control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112 (including the distance between the "inner" antenna unit 104 and the "outer" antenna unit 104). The bridge structure 124 of FIG. 7 can be made of any suitable material. For example, the bridge structure 124 can be formed of a non-conductive plastic. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the bridge structure 124 can introduce an air gap 149 between the antenna unit 104 and the circuit board 112 to increase the bandwidth of the antenna module 100.

[0046] FIG. 8 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 similar to that of FIGS. 6 and 7, but in which the bridge structure 124 is itself a flat circuit board or other structure with conductive contacts 126. The bridge structure 124 may be coupled to the circuit board 112 by solder 122 (or other interconnections) between the conductive contacts 126 and the conductive contacts 116 of the circuit board 112. In the antenna substrate 102 of FIG. 8, the antenna patch support 110 comprises a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder mask 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and a bridge structure 124 fixed to the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an inner surface of the bridge structure 124 and one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an outer surface of the bridge structure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the antenna units 104 are coupled to the bridge structure 124 by an adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106, the height of the solder 122, and the dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the thickness of the bridge structure 124 between the inner and outer surfaces) can control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112 (including the distance between the "inner" antenna unit 104 and the "outer" antenna unit 104). The bridge structure 124 of FIG. 8 can be formed of any suitable material. For example, the bridge structure 124 can be formed of a non-conductive plastic or PCB. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the bridge structure 124 can introduce an air gap 149 between the antenna unit 104 and the circuit board 112 to increase the bandwidth of the antenna module 100.

[0047] FIG. 9 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 similar to that of FIG. 8, but in which the bridge structure 124 is itself a flat circuit board or other structure. The bridge structure 124 and the antenna units 104 coupled thereto are all coupled to the circuit substrate 112 by adhesive 106. In the antenna substrate 102 of FIG. 9, the antenna patch support 110 comprises a circuit substrate 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder mask 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit substrate 112, and a bridge structure 124 fixed to the opposite side of the circuit substrate 112. The bridge structure 124 may have one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an inner surface of the bridge structure 124 and one or more antenna units 104 coupled to an outer surface of the bridge structure 124. In the embodiment of FIG. 9, the antenna units 104 are coupled to the bridge structure 124 by adhesive 106. The thickness of the adhesive 106 and the dimensions of the bridge structure 124 (i.e., the thickness of the bridge structure 124 between the inner and outer surfaces) can control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112 (including the distance between the "inner" antenna unit 104 and the "outer" antenna unit 104). The bridge structure 124 of FIG. 9 can be formed of any suitable material. For example, the bridge structure 124 can be formed of a non-conductive plastic or PCB. In some embodiments, the circuit board 112 can be a 1-2-1 core board and the bridge structure 124 can be a 0-2-0 core board. In some embodiments, the circuit board 112 can use a different dielectric material than the dielectric material of the bridge structure 124 (e.g., the bridge structure 124 can include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or a PTFE-based formulation and the circuit board 112 can include another dielectric material).

[0048] In some embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may include recesses "above" the antenna units 104 to provide an air gap 149 between the antenna units 104 and other portions of the antenna substrate 102. FIG. 10 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 similar to that of FIG. 3, but in which the circuit board 112 includes recesses 130 "above" each antenna unit 104. These recesses 130 may provide air gaps 149 between the antenna units 104 and other portions of the antenna substrate 102 that may provide improved performance. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and an adhesive 106 on the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The antenna units 104 may be affixed to the adhesive 106. The adhesive 106 may be non-conductive, such that the antenna unit 104 may not be electrically coupled to the circuit board 112 by a conductive material path. In some embodiments, the adhesive 106 may be an epoxy. The thickness of the adhesive 106 may control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112. In some embodiments, the recess 130 may have a depth of 200 microns to 400 microns.

[0049] In some embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may have recesses located between the attachment locations of the different antenna units 104 to the circuit board 112, rather than "above" the antenna units 104. For example, FIG. 11 illustrates an antenna substrate 102 similar to that of FIG. 10, but where the circuit board 112 includes additional recesses 132 located "between" each of the antenna units 104. These recesses 132 may help isolate the different antenna units 104 from each other, thereby improving performance. In the embodiment of FIG. 11, the antenna patch support 110 includes a circuit board 112 (e.g., having 2 to 8 PCB layers), a solder resist 114 and conductive contacts 118 on one side of the circuit board 112, and an adhesive 106 on the opposite side of the circuit board 112. The antenna units 104 may be affixed to the adhesive 106. The adhesive 106 may be non-conductive, and thus the antenna units 104 may not be electrically coupled to the circuit board 112 by a conductive material path. In some embodiments, the adhesive 106 can be an epoxy. The thickness of the adhesive 106 can control the distance between the antenna unit 104 and the adjacent side of the circuit board 112. In some embodiments, the recess 132 can have a depth of 200 microns to 400 microns. In some embodiments, the recess 132 can be a through hole (i.e., the recess 132 can extend completely through the circuit board 112).

[0050] Any suitable antenna structure may provide the antenna unit 104 of the antenna module 100. In some embodiments, the antenna unit 104 may have one, two, or three antenna layers. For example, Figures 12 and 13 are side cross-sectional views of exemplary antenna units 104, according to various embodiments. In Figure 12, the antenna unit 104 has one antenna patch 172, while in Figure 13, the antenna unit 104 has two antenna patches 172 separated by an intervening structure 174.

[0051] The IC package 108 included in the antenna module 100 may have any suitable structure. For example, FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary IC package 108 that may be included in the antenna module 100. The IC package 108 may have a package substrate 134 to which one or more components 136 may be coupled by a first-level interconnect 150. Specifically, conductive contacts 146 on one side of the package substrate 134 may be coupled to conductive contacts 148 on a side of the component 136 by a first-level interconnect 150. The primary interconnects 150 illustrated in FIG. 14 are solder bumps, although any suitable primary interconnects 150 may be used. A solder mask 114 may be disposed around the conductive contacts 146. The package substrate 134 may include a dielectric material and may have conductive paths (e.g., including conductive vias and lines) extending through the dielectric material between faces or between different portions of each face. In some embodiments, the package substrate 134 may have a thickness of less than 1 millimeter (e.g., 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters). Conductive contacts 144 may be disposed on the other side of the package substrate 134, and secondary interconnects 142 may couple these conductive contacts 144 to the antenna substrate 102 (not shown) in the antenna module 100. The secondary interconnects 142 shown in FIG. 14 are solder balls (e.g., for a ball grid array arrangement), but any suitable secondary interconnects 142 may be used (e.g., pins in a pin grid array arrangement or lands in a land grid array arrangement). Solder resist 114 may be disposed around the conductive contacts 144. In some embodiments, a molding material 140 may be disposed around the component 136 (e.g., between the component 136 and the package substrate 134 as an underfill material). In some embodiments, the molding material may be less than 1 millimeter thick. Exemplary materials that may be used for the molding material 140 include suitable epoxy molding materials. In some embodiments, a conformal shield 152 may be disposed around the component 136 and the package substrate 134 to provide electromagnetic shielding for the IC package 108.

[0052] The components 136 may include any suitable IC components. In some embodiments, one or more of the components 136 may include a die. For example, one or more of the components 136 may be an RF communication die. In some embodiments, one or more of the components 136 may include resistors, capacitors (e.g., bypass capacitors), inductors, DC-DC conversion circuitry, or other circuit elements. In some embodiments, the IC package 108 may be a system-in-package (SiP). In some embodiments, the IC package 108 may be a flip-chip (FC) chip-scale package (CSP). In some embodiments, one or more of the components 136 may include a memory device programmed with instructions to perform beamforming, scanning, and / or codebook functions.

[0053] In some embodiments, the antenna patch support 110 of the antenna substrate 102 may include one or more flexible portions. For example, the antenna patch support 110 may include a flexible PCB (also referred to as a "flexible circuit"). The antenna patch support 110 may be entirely flexible, or in another embodiment, may include one or more rigid portions and one or more flexible portions. This latter embodiment may also be referred to as a "rigid / flexible substrate." The antenna patch support 110, referred to herein as having a "flexible portion," may be entirely flexible. In some embodiments in which the antenna patch support 110 has a flexible portion, one or more antenna units 104 may be disposed on the flexible portion, some antenna units 104 may be disposed on the flexible portion, some antenna units 104 may be disposed on the rigid portion (if present), or no antenna units may be disposed on the flexible portion. In some embodiments, the flexible portion(s) of the antenna board 102 may be used to electrically connect the antenna board 102 to another component (eg, the circuit board 101 described below with reference to FIG. 22).

[0054] The flexible portion of the antenna patch support 110 may be fabricated using any suitable technique and any suitable material. For example, the flexible portion of the antenna patch support 110 may include a flexible insulating material (e.g., polyimide, polyester, polyethylene terephthalate, polyether ether ketone, etc.) printed or laminated with a conductive material (e.g., copper, aluminum, silver, etc.). The flexible portion of the antenna patch support 110 may include one or more layers of circuitry. In some embodiments, the flexible portion of the antenna patch support 110 may be bonded to one or more local stiffeners to provide mechanical support as appropriate. In some embodiments, the flexible portion of the antenna patch support 110 may be thinner than other less flexible flexible portions of the antenna patch support 110. For example, if the antenna patch support 110 is a rigid / flexible substrate, the flexible portion(s) may be thicker than the rigid portion(s).

[0055] Any of the antenna substrates 102 disclosed herein may include an antenna patch support 110 having a flexible portion. For example, any of the antenna patch support 110 or antenna substrates 102 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 11 or below with reference to Figures 18 to 29 may have one or more flexible portions or may be part of an antenna patch support 110 having one or more flexible portions. Figures 15 to 17 show various examples of antenna modules 100 including a flexible portion. Any of the antenna modules 100 of Figures 15 to 17 may have any of the other structures disclosed herein (for example, the antenna patch support 110 of the antenna modules of Figures 15 to 17 may include or take the form of any of the antenna patch support 110 described above with reference to Figures 3 to 11).

[0056] 15A and 15B show an antenna module 100 with an antenna patch support 110 having a flexible portion 115 between two other portions 113. The other portions 113 can be flexible or rigid. The flexible portion 115 can allow the antenna module 100 to bend or twist into a desired configuration without significantly damaging the antenna patch support 110. FIG. 15A shows a "flat" configuration, and FIG. 15B shows a configuration in which one of the portions 113 is disposed at an angle θ relative to the other portions 113. Thus, the flexible portion 115 can act as a hinge that allows the antenna module 100 to bend such that different portions of the antenna module 100 are not flush with each other. In the antenna module 100 of FIG. 15, an IC package 108 is provided on one side of the antenna patch support 110, and multiple antenna units 104 are provided on the opposite side of the antenna patch support 110 (e.g., as described in any of the embodiments disclosed herein). In the embodiment of FIG. 15, the IC package is coupled to one of the portions 113 and the antenna unit 104 is coupled to the other portion 113. The antenna module 100 as shown in FIG. 15 may be arranged in any desired configuration within a communication device. For example, the antenna module 100 as shown in FIG. 15 may be used in a communication device 151 as described below with reference to FIG. 25 or as described below with reference to FIG. 26. More generally, the antenna module 100 may be mounted to an electronic component (e.g., within a communication device 151) in a non-coplanar configuration (e.g., using any of the mounting fixtures described herein with reference to FIGS. 27-32, 37, 38). This allows the antenna units 104 at different locations on the antenna substrate 102 to radiate and receive at different angles. Alternatively, the antenna units 104 may radiate and receive at different angles than in a substantially "flat" arrangement. In some embodiments, the thickness of the flexible portion 115 may be less than the thickness of the other portions 113. In some embodiments, the other portion 113 may be rigid (and thus the antenna patch support portion 110 may be a rigid / flexible substrate).In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 of FIG. 15 may have an additional flexible portion 115 or other portion 113 (not shown). In some embodiments, the IC package 108 and the antenna unit 104 may be disposed on the same surface of the antenna patch support portion 110 of FIG.

[0057] In some embodiments, the flexible portion 115 may be used to transmit control and / or RF signals to various other electronic components of the communication device 151, eliminating or reducing the need for additional connectors and cables. For example, such control lines may control how the antenna unit 114 interacts with the IC package 108 (e.g., active RF IC chips). RF signals transmitted through the flexible portion 115 may carry transmit signals from a circuit board (e.g., circuit board 101, described below, which may be a motherboard), and these RF signals may be radiated through the antenna unit (e.g., after post-processing by the antenna module 100).

[0058] In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may have multiple flexible portions 115 between a pair of other portions 113. For example, FIG. 15C is a perspective view of the antenna module 100 with a portion 113-1 (e.g., a rigid portion) coupled to another portion 113-2 (e.g., a rigid portion) by two flexible portions 115. The portion 113-2 may have an "L-shape" that extends around the portion 113-1 as shown, and each of the flexible portions 115 may be coupled to a different "leg" of the portion 113-2. In some embodiments of the antenna module 100 of FIG. 15C, a large antenna unit 104-1 may be disposed (e.g., by printing) on ​​the portion 113-2, and one or more smaller antenna units 104-2 may be disposed (e.g., by printing) within the boundaries of the large antenna unit 104-1. The large antenna unit 104-1 may communicate at a lower frequency than the smaller antenna unit 104-2. Thus, the operation of the large antenna unit 104-1 may be avoided from interfering with the operation of the smaller antenna unit 104-2 (and vice versa). For example, the antenna unit 104-1 may be a WiFi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), or Global Positioning System (GNSS) antenna, while the antenna unit 104-2 may be a millimeter wave antenna. In some embodiments, the antenna unit 104-1 may be a planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA).

[0059] FIG. 16A illustrates an antenna module 100 with an antenna patch support 110 having two flexible portions 115 sandwiching another portion 113 therebetween. The other portion 113 can be flexible or rigid. Although the flexible portions 115 of the antenna module 100 of FIG. 16 are shown as being substantially flush with one another, this is merely one configuration. As described above with reference to FIG. 15, the flexible portions 115 can be bent or twisted into a desired configuration. In the antenna module 100 of FIG. 16, an IC package 108 is provided on one side of the antenna patch support 110 and a plurality of antenna units 104 are provided on the opposite side of the antenna patch support 110 (e.g., as described in any of the embodiments disclosed herein). In the embodiment of FIG. 16, the IC package is coupled to the portion 113 and one or more antenna units 104 are coupled to each flexible portion 115. The antenna module 100 as shown in FIG. 16 can be arranged in any desired configuration within a communication device. For example, the antenna module 100 as shown in FIG. 15 may be used in a communication device 151 as described below with reference to FIG. 25 or as described below with reference to FIG. 26. More generally, the antenna module 100 may be mounted in a non-coplanar configuration (e.g., using any of the mounting fixtures described herein with reference to FIGS. 27-32, 37, 38) to an electronic component (e.g., in a communication device 151). This allows the antenna units 104 at different locations on the antenna substrate 102 to radiate and receive at different angles. Alternatively, the antenna units 104 may radiate and receive at angles different from those in a substantially "flat" arrangement. In some embodiments, the thickness of the flexible portion 115 may be less than the thickness of the other portion 113. In some embodiments, the other portion 113 may be rigid (and thus the antenna patch support portion 110 may be a rigid / flexible substrate). In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 of FIG. 16 may have additional flexible portions 115 or other portions 113 (not shown). In some embodiments, the IC package 108 and the antenna unit 104 may be disposed on the same surface of the antenna patch support 110 of FIG.

[0060] As described above with reference to FIG. 15, the flexible portion 115 of the antenna patch support 110 allows the antenna module 100 to be positioned in any of a number of orientations. For example, FIG. 16B shows an antenna module 100 with a flexible portion 115 "folded over" at portion 113, which allows the corresponding antenna unit 104 to radiate in a direction above the IC package 108 (and may use the ground of the IC package 108 as a reference, for example). An antenna unit 104 located on another flexible portion 115 (and / or on the bottom surface of portion 113, not shown) may radiate in a direction below the IC package 108. Thus, an antenna module 100 as shown in FIG. 16B may be capable of radiating in all or multiple directions. Further, by arranging one or more antenna units 104 to be located "above" the IC package 108, the antenna module 100 disclosed in this specification may be able to enjoy the advantage that available space is not limited to "below" the IC package 108, but also exists "above" the IC package 108 within the communication device 151.

[0061] FIG. 17 illustrates an antenna module 100 similar to that of FIG. 16, but with an antenna unit 104 provided on one flexible portion 115 and a connector 105 provided on the other flexible portion 115. The connector 105 may be used to transmit signals into and out of the antenna module 100. In some embodiments, the connector 105 may be a coaxial cable connector or any other connector (e.g., a flat cable connector, as described below with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38). The connector 105 may be suitable for transmitting RF signals and may be used instead of or in conjunction with a cable, for example, in the antenna module 100 of FIG. 17. Although a single connector 105 is shown in FIG. 17, the antenna module 100 may have one or more connectors 105. Additionally, although the connector 105 is shown in FIG. 17 as being on the same side of the antenna patch support 110 as the antenna unit 104, the connector 105 may be on the opposite side of the antenna patch support 110. More generally, the elements of the antenna module 100 of FIG. 17 may take the form of any of the embodiments described above with reference to FIG.

[0062] The array of antenna units 104 in the antenna module 100 may be used in any of a number of ways. For example, the array of antenna units 104 may be used as a broadside array, or an end-fire array. In some embodiments where the array of antenna units 104 is used as an end-fire array, the side of the conformal shield 152 on the IC package 108 may provide a reflector or ground plane for the end-fire array. For example, FIG. 18 shows an example of an antenna module 100 where the array of antenna units 104 is used as an end-fire array, where the transmission is directed in the direction shown in the bold array. In this embodiment, the portion of the conformal shield 152 on the side of the IC package 108 may act as a reflector or ground plane for the array of antenna units 104 to operate as an end-fire array. Although a specific antenna module 100 is shown in FIG. 18, any suitable antenna module 100 disclosed herein may operate as an end-fire array as described with reference to FIG. 18.

[0063] In an antenna module 100 that includes multiple antenna units 104, the multiple antenna units 104 may be arranged in any suitable manner. For example, Figures 19 and 20 are bottom views of example arrangements of antenna units 104 in an antenna substrate 102, according to various embodiments. In the embodiment of Figure 19, the antenna units 104 are arranged in a linear array in the x-direction, with the x-axis of each antenna unit 104 (as shown in Figure 19 by the small arrows adjacent to each antenna unit 104) aligned with the axis of the linear array. In another embodiment, the antenna units 104 may be arranged such that one or more of their axes are not aligned with the direction of the array. For example, Figure 20 illustrates an embodiment in which the antenna units 104 are distributed in a linear array in the x-direction, but the antenna units 104 are rotated (relative to the embodiment of Figure 19) in the xy plane, such that the x-axis of each antenna unit 104 is not aligned with the axis of the linear array. As another example, FIG. 21 illustrates an embodiment in which the antenna units 104 are distributed in a linear array in the x direction, but the antenna patches are rotated in the xz plane (relative to the embodiment of FIG. 19) such that the x-axis of each antenna unit 104 is not aligned with the axis of the linear array. In the embodiment of FIG. 21, the antenna patch support 110 may include an antenna board mount 164 that may maintain the antenna units 104 at a desired angle. In some embodiments, the "rotations" of FIGS. 20 and 21 may be combined. That is, the antenna units 104 are rotated in the xy and xz planes when the antenna units 104 are part of a linear array distributed in the x direction. In some embodiments, some, but not all, of the antenna units 104 in a linear array may be "rotated" relative to the axis of the array. Rotating the antenna units 104 relative to the direction of the array may reduce inter-patch coupling (by reducing mutual addition of resonant currents between the antenna units 104). This may improve impedance bandwidth and beam pointing range. The arrangements of Figures 19 to 21 (and combinations of such arrangements) are referred to herein as having the antenna units 104 "rotated off" from a linear array.

[0064] 19-21 are shown as being mounted on a common antenna patch support 110 on a single antenna substrate 102, the rotationally offset arrangements of FIGURES 19-21 may also be utilized when the antenna units 104 are distributed among different antenna substrates 102. For example, in an embodiment in which different antenna substrates 102 are mounted on a common IC package 108, the antenna units 104 of each of the different antenna substrates 102 may together provide a linear array and may be rotationally offset with respect to the linear array.

[0065] The antenna module 100 disclosed herein may be included in any suitable communication device (e.g., a computing device with wireless communication capabilities, a wearable device with wireless communication circuitry, etc.). FIG. 22 is a side cross-sectional view of a portion of a communication device 151 including an antenna module 100, according to various embodiments. Specifically, the communication device 151 shown in FIG. 22 may be a handheld communication device, such as a smartphone or a tablet. The communication device 151 may have a glass or plastic back cover 176 adjacent to a metal or plastic housing 178. In some embodiments, the housing 178 may be laminated onto an inner surface of the back cover 176 or may be attached to the back cover 176 by an adhesive. In some embodiments, the portion of the housing 178 adjacent to the back cover 176 may have a thickness of 0.1 to 0.4 millimeters. In some such embodiments, the portion of the housing 178 may be made of metal. In some embodiments, the back cover 176 may have a thickness of 0.3 to 1.5 millimeters. In some such embodiments, the back cover 176 may be made of glass. The housing 178 may have one or more windows 181 aligned with the antenna units 104 (not shown) of the antenna module 100 for improved performance. An air gap 180-1 may separate at least a portion of the antenna module 100 from the back cover 176. In some embodiments, the height of the air gap 180-1 may be 0.5 millimeters to 3 millimeters. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be mounted on one side of the circuit board 101 (e.g., a motherboard) and other components 129 (e.g., other IC packages) may be provided on the opposite side of the circuit board 101. In some embodiments, the circuit board 101 may have a thickness of 0.2 millimeters to 1 millimeter (e.g., 0.3 millimeters to 0.5 millimeters). Another air gap 180-2 may be disposed between the circuit board 101 and the display 182 (e.g., a touch screen display).In another embodiment, the antenna module 100 may not be mounted on the circuit board 101; instead, the antenna module 100 may be fixed directly to a housing 178 (e.g., as described below). In some embodiments, the spacing between the antenna unit 104 (not shown) of the antenna module 100 and the back cover 176 may be selected and controlled to within tens of microns to achieve desired performance. An air gap 180-2 may separate the antenna module 100 from a display 182 on the front side of the communication device 151. In some embodiments, the display 182 may have a metal layer adjacent the air gap 180-2 to conduct heat away from the display 182. A metal or plastic housing 184 may provide the "side" of the communication device 151.

[0066] The antenna module 100 may be coupled to a circuit board 101 in the communication device 151 in any suitable manner. For example, the antenna module 100 may have a connector 105 to which a cable (e.g., a coaxial cable or a flat printed circuit cable) may mate. The cable may mate at the other end to a connector 105 on the circuit board 101 (not shown). In some embodiments, the connectors 105 of the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101 may mate directly with each other without the use of an intervening cable. For example, FIGS. 23 and 24 show two different arrangements in which the connector 105-1 of the antenna module 100 mates directly with a connector 105-2 on the circuit board 101, thereby electrically coupling the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101. The connector 105-1 of the antenna module 100 may be located on the antenna board 102 or the IC package 108, as appropriate. In the embodiment of FIG. 23, the circuit board 101 and the antenna module 100 are oriented such that the circuit board 101 is substantially "over" the antenna module 100. In the embodiment of FIG. 24, the circuit board 101 and the antenna module 100 are oriented such that the circuit board 101 and the antenna module 100 are "offset" from one another. The connectors 105 may take any suitable form. For example, the connectors 105 may be coaxial connectors suitable for transmitting RF signals between the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101. Furthermore, although a single connector 105 is shown for each of the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101, the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101 may be interconnected by multiple connectors 105. In such an embodiment, a cable between the antenna module 100 and the circuit board 101 may be eliminated, reducing the complexity and volume of components within the communication device 151.

[0067] As mentioned above, the antenna module 100 with the flexible portion 115 may be oriented in any suitable manner within the communication device 151. In particular, the antenna module 100 with the flexible portion 115 may be used such that an array of antenna units 104 is oriented within the communication device such that the antenna units 104 are positioned at a desired angle relative to the display 182, the back cover 176, and / or the housing 184. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 with an array of antenna units 104 "tilted" relative to the display 182, the back cover 176, and / or the housing 184 may achieve a combination of edge-fire and broadside radiation coverage from the array. In some embodiments, the angle at which the antenna units 104 are positioned within the communication device 151 may be selected to adjust the array radiation direction to achieve a desired spatial coverage depending on the integration environment (e.g., of the handheld communication device 151 and the glass back cover 176) and the desired application.

[0068] For example, Figure 25 shows a communications device 151 with a first antenna module 100-1 that is substantially "flat" and a second antenna module 100-2. The second antenna module 100-2 has a flexible section 115 that acts as a hinge to allow different sections of the second antenna module 100-2 to not be flush with each other. Figure 25A is an "unfolded view" showing the antenna module 100 outside the communications device 151, while Figure 25B shows the antenna module 100 located within the communications device 151.

[0069] In the embodiment of FIG. 25, the antenna module 100-1 has an IC package 108 on one side of the antenna substrate 102 and an array of antenna units 104 on the opposite side. The antenna module 100-1 may be disposed within the communication device 151 such that the array of antenna units 104 is disposed parallel to and proximate to a window 181 in the back cover 176. The window 181 may allow for improved transmission of RF signals between the antenna module 100-1 and the external environment compared to an embodiment without the window 181. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100-1 may generate radiation beams for both the 5G communication path and the 60 gigahertz communication path. In some embodiments, an audio speaker (not shown) may be disposed proximate the antenna module 100-1 and may emit audio signals through the window 181. The window 181 may have any suitable dimensions. In some embodiments, for example, window 181 may have an area of ​​50 square millimeters to 200 square millimeters (e.g., 75 square millimeters to 125 square millimeters). In some embodiments, window 181 may not be present. There may also be a window 179 in housing 178 adjacent back cover 176 (not shown in FIG. 25). In some embodiments, window 179 may not be present.

[0070] The antenna module 100-2 of FIG. 25 has an IC package 108 on the same side of the antenna substrate 102 as the array of antenna units 104. The antenna module 100-2 may have a substantially similar configuration as described above with reference to FIG. 15, but the IC package 108 and the antenna units 104 are on the same side of the antenna patch support 110. The flexible portion 115 of the antenna module 100-2 may act as a hinge. This allows the antenna module 100-2 to be positioned within the communication device 151 such that the portion of the antenna patch support 110 (not labeled in FIG. 25) to which the IC package 108 is coupled may be parallel to the back cover 176, and the portion of the antenna patch support 110 to which the antenna units 104 are coupled may be perpendicular to the back cover 176 (and parallel to the side of the communication device 151 provided by the housing 184). In some embodiments, the antenna module 100-2 may generate radiation beams for both the 5G communication path and the 60 gigahertz communication path. In some embodiments, the housing 184 may have a window 187. The array of antenna units 104 may be arranged parallel to and proximate to the window 187. The window 187 may allow for improved transmission of RF signals between the antenna module 100-2 and the external environment compared to an embodiment without the window 187. The window 187 may have any suitable dimensions. In some embodiments, for example, the window 187 may have an area of ​​50 square millimeters to 200 square millimeters (e.g., 75 square millimeters to 125 square millimeters, or rectangular in shape with dimensions of about 5 millimeters by 18 millimeters or greater). In some embodiments, the window 187 may be absent.

[0071] FIG. 26 illustrates another exemplary communication device 151 including a first antenna module 100-1 and a second antenna module 100-2. The first and second antenna modules 100 of FIG. 26 each have a flexible portion 115 that acts as a hinge to allow different portions of the antenna module 100 to not be flush with each other. FIG. 26A is an "unfolded view" showing the antenna module 100 located outside the communication device 151, while FIG. 26B shows the antenna module 100 located inside the communication device 151.

[0072] In the embodiment of FIG. 26, the antenna module 100 has an IC package 108 on the same side of the antenna substrate 102 as the array of antenna units 104, and the antenna module 100 may have a configuration substantially similar to that described above with reference to FIG. 15, but the IC package 108 and the antenna units 104 are on the same side of the antenna patch support 110. The flexible portion 115 of the antenna module 100 may act as a hinge, which allows the antenna module 100 to be positioned within the communication device 151 such that the portion of the antenna patch support 110 (not labeled in FIG. 26) to which the IC package 108 is coupled may be parallel to the back cover 176, and the portion of the antenna patch support 110 to which the antenna units 104 are coupled may be positioned at an angle that is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the back cover 176 (and neither parallel nor perpendicular to the side of the communication device 151 provided by the housing 184). For example, the antenna units 104 may be oriented at a 45 degree angle relative to the back cover 176 / housing 184. In some embodiments, there may be windows 187-1 and 187-2 in the housing 184. The arrays of antenna units 104 of the antenna modules 100-1 and 100-2 may be disposed proximate the windows 187-1 and 187-2, respectively. These windows 187 may allow for improved transmission of RF signals between the antenna modules 100, as discussed above. In some embodiments, there may be one or fewer windows 187.

[0073] The antenna module 100 disclosed herein may be fixed in a communication device in any desired manner. For example, as described above, in some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be fixed to the housing 178. In the embodiments described below, a fixture for fixing the antenna module 100 (or the antenna substrate 102 for ease of illustration) to the housing 178 of the communication device is referenced, but any of the fixtures described below may be used to fix the antenna module 100 to any suitable portion of the communication device. For example, in some embodiments, the portion to which the antenna substrate 102 may be fixed may be the flexible portion 115 or other portion 113 of the antenna patch support portion 110 as described above.

[0074] In some embodiments, the antenna board 102 may have notches that may be used to secure the antenna board 102 to the housing 178. For example, FIG. 27 is a top view of an exemplary antenna board 102 having two notches 154 at both long ends of the antenna board 102. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 27 may be part of an antenna module 100, but only the antenna board 102 is shown in FIG. 27 for ease of illustration. FIG. 28 is a side cross-sectional view of the antenna board 102 of FIG. 27 coupled to an antenna board fixture 164, according to various embodiments. Specifically, the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 28 may have two assemblies at both long ends of the antenna board 102. Each assembly may have a boss 160 (on or part of the housing 178), a spacer 162 on the top surface of the boss 160, and a screw 158 that extends through a hole in the spacer 162 and screws into a threaded hole in the boss 160. A tightened screw 158 can clamp the antenna substrate 102 between the spacer 162 and the top of the boss 160. At least a portion of the boss 160 can be disposed within the adjacent notch 154. In some embodiments, the outer dimensions of the antenna substrate 102 of FIG. 27 can be about 5 millimeters by about 38 millimeters.

[0075] In some embodiments, the screw 158 disclosed herein may be used to dissipate heat generated from the antenna module 100 during operation. Specifically, in some embodiments, the screw 158 may be made of metal, and the boss 160 and the housing 178 may also be made of metal (or may not be made of metal but have high thermal conductivity). During operation, heat generated from the antenna module 100 may be conducted through the screw 158 into the housing 178 away from the antenna module 100, thereby mitigating or preventing an overheating condition. In some embodiments, a thermal interface material (TIM), such as thermal grease, may be present between the antenna substrate 102 and the screw 158 / boss 160 to increase thermal conductivity.

[0076] In some embodiments, the screw 158 disclosed herein may be used as an additional antenna for the antenna module 100. In some such embodiments, the boss 160 (and other materials that the screw 158 contacts) may be made of plastic, ceramic, or other non-conductive materials. The shape and location of the screw 158 may be selected such that the screw 158 acts as an antenna unit 104 for the antenna substrate 102.

[0077] The antenna board 102 may include other arrangements of cutouts. For example, FIG. 29 is a top view of an exemplary antenna board 102 having a cutout 154 at one long end and a hole 168 proximate the other long end. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 29 may be part of an antenna module 100, but for ease of illustration, only the antenna board 102 is shown in FIG. 29. FIG. 30 is a side cross-sectional view of the antenna board 102 of FIG. 29 coupled to an antenna board fixture 164, according to various embodiments. Specifically, the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 30 may have two assemblies at both long ends of the antenna board 102. The assembly proximate the cutout 154 may include a boss 160 / spacer 162 / screw 158 arrangement as described above with reference to FIG. 28. The assembly proximate the hole 168 may include a pin 170 extending from a housing 178. At one longitudinal end (at least a portion of the boss 160 may be provided within the adjacent notch 154), the antenna substrate 102 may be clamped between the spacer 162 and the top of the boss 160 by a tightened screw 158. At the other longitudinal end, a pin 170 in a hole 168 may prevent movement in the xy plane.

[0078] In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be secured to a communication device at one or more points along the length of the antenna substrate 102 in addition to or instead of the long ends of the antenna substrate 102. For example, FIGS. 31A and 31B are top and side cross-sectional views, respectively, of an antenna substrate 102 coupled to an antenna substrate fixture 164, according to various embodiments. The antenna substrate 102 of FIG. 31 may be part of the antenna module 100, but for ease of illustration, only the antenna substrate 102 is shown in FIG. 31. The antenna substrate fixture 164 of FIG. 31 has a boss 160 (on or part of the housing 178), a spacer 162 on the top surface of the boss 160, and a screw 158 that extends through a hole in the spacer 162 and screws into the thread of the boss 160. The profile of the boss 160 of FIG. 31 may have a square cross section, and the spacer 162 may have a square recess on its bottom surface to partially encompass the boss 160 while being prevented from rotating around the boss 160. A tightened screw 158 may clamp the antenna substrate 102 between the spacer 162 and the top of the boss 160. In some embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may not have a notch 154 along its longitudinal length (as shown), while in other embodiments, the antenna substrate 102 may have one or more notches 154 along its longitudinal edges.

[0079] In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 may be secured to a surface of a communications device such that the antenna module 100 (e.g., an array of antenna units 104 within the antenna module) is not parallel to the surface of the communications device. In general, the antenna units 104 may be positioned at any desired angle relative to the housing 178 or other elements of the communications device. FIG. 32 shows an antenna board fixture 164 in which the antenna board 102 may be held at an angle relative to the surface of the housing 178 below it. The antenna board 102 of FIG. 32 may be part of the antenna module 100, but for ease of illustration, only the antenna board 102 is shown in FIG. 32. The antenna board fixture 164 may be similar to the antenna board fixture of FIGS. 28, 30, and 31, but may have a boss 160 with an angled portion on which the antenna board 102 rests. When the screw 158 is tightened, the antenna board 102 may be held at a desired angle relative to the housing 178.

[0080] The antenna substrate 102, IC package 108, and other elements disclosed herein may be arranged in any suitable manner within the antenna module 100. For example, the antenna module 100 may have one or more connectors 105 for transmitting signals into and out of the antenna module 100. Figures 33 through 36 are exploded perspective views of an exemplary antenna module 100, according to various embodiments.

[0081] In the embodiment of FIG. 33, the antenna substrate 102 includes four antenna units 104. The antenna units 104 may be disposed in the antenna substrate 102 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., on the bridge structure 124, with the recesses 130 / 132 rotated relative to the axis of the array, etc.). One or more connectors 105 may be disposed on the antenna substrate 102. As shown, the connectors 105 may be coaxial cable connectors or any other connectors (e.g., flat cable connectors, as described below with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38). The connectors 105 may be suitable for transmitting RF signals, for example. The IC package 108 may include a package substrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to the package substrate 134, and a conformal shield 152 covering the components 136 and the package substrate 134. In some embodiments, the four antenna units 104 may provide a 1×4 array for 28 / 39 GHz communication and a 1×8 array of 60 GHz dipoles.

[0082] In the embodiment of FIG. 34, the antenna substrate 102 has two sets of 16 antenna units 104, each arranged in a 4×4 array. The antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna substrate 102 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., on the bridge structure 124, with the recesses 130 / 132 rotated with respect to the axis of the array, etc.). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 34 has two IC packages 108. One IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) one set of antenna units 104, and the other IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) the other set of antenna units 104. In some embodiments, one set of antenna units 104 may support 28 GHz communication, and the other set of antenna units 104 may support 39 GHz communication. The IC package 108 may include a package substrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to the package substrate 134, and a conformal shield 152 covering the components 136 and the package substrate 134. One or more connectors 105 may be disposed on the package substrate 134. The connectors 105 may be coaxial cable connectors as shown, or any other connectors (e.g., flat cable connectors, as described below with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38). The conformal shield 152 may not extend over the connectors 105. In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 of FIG. 34 may be suitable for use in routers and customer premises equipment (CPE). In some embodiments, the outer dimensions of the antenna substrate 102 may be approximately 22 millimeters by approximately 40 millimeters.

[0083] In the embodiment of FIG. 35, the antenna substrate 102 has two sets of four antenna units 104, each arranged in a 1×4 array. In some embodiments, one set of antenna units 104 may support 28 GHz communication, and the other set of antenna units 104 may support 39 GHz communication. The antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna substrate 102 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., on the bridge structure 124, with the recesses 130 / 132 rotated with respect to the axis of the array, etc.). One or more connectors 105 may be arranged on the antenna substrate 102. As shown, the connectors 105 may be coaxial cable connectors or any other connectors (e.g., flat cable connectors, as described below with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 35 has two IC packages 108. One IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) one set of antenna units 104, and the other IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) the other set of antenna units 104. The IC package 108 may include a package substrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to the package substrate 134, and a conformal shield 152 covering the components 136 and the package substrate 134. In some embodiments, the outer dimensions of the antenna substrate 102 may be approximately 5 millimeters by approximately 32 millimeters.

[0084] In the embodiment of FIG. 36, the antenna substrate 102 has two sets of 16 antenna units 104, each arranged in a 4×4 array. The antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna substrate 102 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., on the bridge structure 124, with the recesses 130 / 132 rotated with respect to the axis of the array, etc.). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 36 has four IC packages 108. Two IC packages 108 are associated with (disposed on) one set of antenna units 104, and two other IC packages 108 are associated with (disposed on) the other set of antenna units 104. The IC packages 108 may include a package substrate 134, one or more components 136 coupled to the package substrate 134, and a conformal shield (not shown) covering the components 136 and the package substrate 134. One or more connectors 105 may be arranged on the antenna substrate 102. These connectors 105 may be coaxial cable connectors as shown, or any other connectors (eg, flat cable connectors, as described below with reference to Figures 37 and 38).

[0085] 37A and 37B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of another exemplary antenna module 100, according to various embodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 37, the antenna substrate 102 has two sets of four antenna units 104, each arranged in a 1×4 array. The antenna units 104 may be arranged in the antenna substrate 102 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein (e.g., on the bridge structure 124, with the recesses 130 / 132 rotated with respect to the axis of the array, etc.). One or more connectors 105 may be arranged on the antenna substrate 102. The connectors 105 may be flat cable connectors (e.g., flexible printed circuit (FPC) cable connectors) to which a flat cable 196 may be coupled. The antenna module 100 of FIG. 35 has two IC packages 108. One IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) one set of antenna units 104, and the other IC package 108 is associated with (disposed on) the other set of antenna units 104. The antenna module 100 of FIG. 35 may also have notches 154 at both long ends. FIG. 37A shows the antenna module 100 secured with the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 28 (both long ends) and the antenna board fixture 164 of FIG. 31 (middle). In some embodiments, the antenna unit 104 of the antenna module 100 of FIG. 37 may use the end proximate to the antenna board 102 for vertically and horizontally polarized edge-fire antennas. In such embodiments, the conformal shield 152 of the IC package 108 may act as a reference. More generally, the antenna units 104 disclosed herein may be used for broadside or edge-fire applications as appropriate.

[0086] Any suitable communications device may include one or more antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. For example, Figure 38 is a perspective view of a handheld communications device 198 including an antenna module 100, according to various embodiments. Specifically, Figure 38 shows the antenna module 100 (and associated antenna board mount 164) of Figure 37 coupled to a housing 178 of a handheld communications device 198 (which may be the communications device 151 of Figure 22). In some embodiments, the handheld communications device 198 may be a smartphone.

[0087] FIG. 39 is a perspective view of a notebook communication device 190 with multiple antenna modules 100, according to various embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 38 shows an antenna module 100 with four antenna units 104 on either side of the keyboard of the notebook communication device 190. The antenna units 104 may occupy an area on the outer housing of the notebook communication device 190. The area is approximately equal to or less than the area required for two adjacent Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors (i.e., approximately 5 millimeters (height) by 22 millimeters (width) by 2.2 millimeters (depth)). The antenna module 100 of FIG. 39 may be adjusted for operation within the housing of the device 190 (e.g., ABS plastic). In some embodiments, the antenna module 100 in the device 190 may be tilted at a desired angle relative to the housing of the device 190.

[0088] An antenna module 100 included in a communications device (eg, a fixed wireless access device) may comprise an antenna array having any desired number of antenna units 104 (eg, 4×8 antenna units 104).

[0089] Although various of the accompanying figures illustrate the antenna substrate 102 having a larger footprint than the IC package 108, the antenna substrate 102 and the IC package 108 (which may be, for example, a SiP) may have any suitable relative dimensions. For example, in some embodiments, the footprint of the IC package 108 in the antenna module 100 may be larger than the footprint of the antenna substrate 102. Such embodiments may occur, for example, when the IC package 108 includes multiple dies as components 136.

[0090] The antenna modules 100 disclosed herein may include or be included in any suitable electronic components. Figures 40 through 43 show various examples of devices that may include or be included in any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein.

[0091] FIG. 40 is a top view of a wafer 1500 and a die 1502 that may be included in any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. For example, the die 1502 may be included in an IC package 108 (e.g., as a component 136) or an antenna unit 104. The wafer 1500 may be composed of a semiconductor material and may include one or more dies 1502 having IC structures formed on a surface of the wafer 1500. Each die 1502 may be a repeating unit of a semiconductor product, including any suitable IC. After the semiconductor product is completed, the wafer 1500 may undergo a dicing process that separates the dies 1502 from one another and provides individual "chips" of the semiconductor product. The die 1502 may include one or more transistors (e.g., a portion of the transistor 1640 in FIG. 41 described below) and / or supporting circuitry that transmits electrical signals to the transistors, as well as any other IC components. In some embodiments, the wafer 1500 or die 1502 may include memory devices (e.g., random access memory (RAM) devices, such as static RAM (SRAM) devices, magnetic RAM (MRAM) devices, resistive RAM (RRAM) devices, conductive bridge RAM (CBRAM) devices, etc.), logic devices (e.g., AND, OR, NAND, or NOR gates), or any suitable circuit elements. A plurality of these devices may be combined on a single die 1502. For example, a memory array formed of a plurality of memory devices may be formed on the same die 1502, as may processing devices (e.g., processing device 1802 of FIG. 43) or other logic configured to store information in the memory devices or execute instructions stored in the memory array.

[0092] FIG. 41 is a cross-sectional side view of an IC device 1600 that may be included in any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. For example, the IC device 1600 may be included in an IC package 108 (e.g., as a component 136). The IC device 1600 may be formed on a substrate 1602 (e.g., wafer 1500 of FIG. 40) and included in a die (e.g., die 1502 of FIG. 40). The substrate 1602 may be a semiconductor substrate comprised of a semiconductor material system. The material system may include, for example, an n-type or p-type material system (or a combination of both). The substrate 1602 may include, for example, a crystalline substrate formed using bulk silicon, or a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substructure. In some embodiments, the substrate 1602 may be formed using alternative materials. These may or may not be combined with silicon and include, but are not limited to, germanium, indium antimonide, lead telluride, indium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium arsenide, or gallium antimonide. Additionally, materials classified as II-VI, III-V, or IV may also be used to form the substrate 1602. Some examples of materials that may form the substrate 1602 are provided herein, however, any material that may underlie the IC device 1600 may be used. The substrate 1602 may be part of a singulated die (e.g., die 1502 of FIG. 40) or a wafer (e.g., wafer 1500 of FIG. 40).

[0093] The IC device 1600 may include one or more device layers 1604 disposed on a substrate 1602. The device layer 1604 may include features of one or more transistors 1640 (e.g., metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs)) formed on the substrate 1602. The device layer 1604 may include, for example, one or more source and / or drain (S / D) regions 1620, a gate 1622 that controls the current flow of the transistor 1640 between the S / D regions 1620, and one or more S / D contacts 1624 that transmit electrical signals to / from the S / D regions 1620. The transistors 1640 may include additional features such as device isolation regions, gate contacts, and the like, which are not shown for purposes of clarity. The transistors 1640 are not limited to the types and configurations shown in FIG. 41 and may include a variety of other types and configurations, such as, for example, planar transistors, non-planar transistors, or a combination of both. Planar transistors may include bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), or high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Non-planar transistors may include FinFET transistors, such as double-gate or tri-gate transistors, and wrap-around or all-around gate transistors, such as nanoribbon and nanowire transistors.

[0094] Each transistor 1640 may include a gate 1622 formed of at least two layers, a gate dielectric and a gate electrode. The gate dielectric may include one layer or a stack of layers. The one or more layers may include silicon oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon carbide, and / or high-k dielectric materials. The high-k dielectric materials may include elements such as hafnium, silicon, oxygen, titanium, tantalum, lanthanum, aluminum, zirconium, barium, strontium, yttrium, lead, scandium, niobium, and zinc. Examples of high-k materials that may be used in the gate dielectric include, but are not limited to, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicon oxide, lanthanum oxide, lanthanum aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium silicon oxide, tantalum oxide, titanium oxide, barium strontium titanium oxide, barium titanium oxide, strontium titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, aluminum oxide, lead scandium tantalum oxide, and lead zinc niobate. In some embodiments, an annealing process may be performed on the gate dielectric to improve its quality if a high-k material is used.

[0095] A gate electrode may be formed on the gate dielectric and may include at least one p-type work function metal or n-type work function metal depending on whether the transistor 1640 is to be a p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) or n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor. In some implementations, the gate electrode may be comprised of a stack of two or more metal layers, where one or more metal layers are work function metal layers and at least one metal layer is a fill metal layer. Additional metal layers may be included for other purposes, such as barrier layers. For PMOS transistors, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, ruthenium, palladium, platinum, cobalt, nickel, conductive metal oxides (e.g., ruthenium oxide), and any of the metals described below with respect to NMOS transistors (e.g., for work function tuning). For NMOS transistors, metals that may be used for the gate electrode include, but are not limited to, hafnium, zirconium, titanium, tantalum, aluminum, alloys of these metals, carbides of these metals (e.g., hafnium carbide, zirconium carbide, titanium carbide, tantalum carbide, and aluminum carbide), and any of the metals described above for PMOS transistors (e.g., for work function tuning).

[0096] In some embodiments, when viewed as a cross-section of the transistor 1640 along the source-channel-drain direction, the gate electrode may be comprised of a U-shaped structure, which includes a bottom portion substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate and two sidewalls substantially perpendicular to the substrate top surface. In another embodiment, at least one of the metal layers forming the gate electrode may simply be a planar layer substantially parallel to the substrate top surface, and does not include sidewalls substantially perpendicular to the substrate top surface. In another embodiment, the gate electrode may be comprised of a combination of U-shaped and planar non-U-shaped structures. For example, the gate electrode may be comprised of one or more U-shaped metal layers formed on one or more planar non-U-shaped layers.

[0097] In some embodiments, pairs of sidewall spacers that sandwich the gate stack may be formed on opposing surfaces of the gate stack. The sidewall spacers may be formed from materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon carbide, carbon-doped silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride. The process of forming the sidewall spacers is well known in the art and generally includes deposition and etching steps. In some embodiments, multiple spacer pairs may be used. For example, two pairs, three pairs, or four pairs of sidewall spacers may be formed on opposing surfaces of the gate stack.

[0098] The S / D regions 1620 may be formed in the substrate 1602 adjacent to the gates 1622 of each transistor 1640. The S / D regions 1620 may be formed using, for example, an implantation / diffusion process or an etching / deposition process. In the former process, dopants such as boron, aluminum, antimony, phosphorous, or arsenic may be ion-implanted into the substrate 1602 to form the S / D regions 1620. An annealing process may be performed after the ion-implantation process to activate the dopants and diffuse them further into the substrate 1602. In the latter process, the substrate 1602 may first be etched to form recesses at the locations of the S / D regions 1620. An epitaxial deposition process may then be performed to fill the recesses with the material used to create the S / D regions 1620. In some forms, the S / D regions 1620 may be created using silicon alloys such as silicon germanium or silicon carbide. In some embodiments, the epitaxially deposited silicon alloy may be doped in situ with dopants such as boron, arsenic, or phosphorous. In some embodiments, the S / D regions 1620 may be formed using one or more alternative semiconductor materials, such as germanium or III-V materials or alloys. In further embodiments, one or more layers of metal and / or metal alloys may be used to form the S / D regions 1620.

[0099] Electrical signals, such as power and / or input / output (I / O) signals, may be transmitted to and / or from devices (e.g., transistors 1640) of the device layer 1604 through one or more interconnect layers (shown as interconnect layers 1606-1610 in FIG. 41 ) disposed on the device layer 1604. For example, electrically conductive features (e.g., gates 1622 and S / D contacts 1624) of the device layer 1604 may be electrically coupled with interconnect structures 1628 of the interconnect layers 1606-1610. The one or more interconnect layers 1606-1610 may form a metallization stack (also referred to as an “ILD stack”) 1619 of the IC device 1600.

[0100] Interconnect structures 1628 may be disposed within interconnect layers 1606-1610 and transmit electrical signals according to a variety of designs (specifically, the arrangement is not limited to the specific configuration of interconnect structures 1628 shown in FIG. 41 ). Although a specific number of interconnect layers 1606-1610 are shown in FIG. 41 , embodiments of the present disclosure include IC devices having more or fewer interconnect layers than those shown.

[0101] In some embodiments, the interconnect structures 1628 may include lines 1628a and / or vias 1628b filled with a conductive material such as a metal. The lines 1628a may be arranged to carry electrical signals in a direction in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate 1602 on which the device layer 1604 is formed. For example, the lines 1628a may carry electrical signals in a direction into and out of the page from the perspective of FIG. 41. The vias 1628b may be arranged to carry electrical signals in a direction in a plane substantially perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 1602 on which the device layer 1604 is formed. In some embodiments, the vias 1628b may electrically interconnect the lines 1628a of different interconnect layers 1606 to 1610.

[0102] 41, the interconnect layers 1606-1610 can include a dielectric material 1626 disposed between interconnect structures 1628. In some embodiments, the dielectric material 1626 disposed between the interconnect structures 1628 of different ones of the interconnect layers 1606-1610 can have different compositions, while in other embodiments, the composition of the dielectric material 1626 between different interconnect layers 1606-1610 can be the same.

[0103] A first interconnect layer 1606 can be formed above the device layer 1604. In some embodiments, the first interconnect layer 1606 can include lines 1628a and / or vias 1628b as shown. The lines 1628a of the first interconnect layer 1606 can be coupled to contacts (e.g., S / D contacts 1624) of the device layer 1604.

[0104] The second interconnect layer 1608 can be formed above the first interconnect layer 1606. In some embodiments, the second interconnect layer 1608 can include vias 1628b coupling the lines 1628a of the second interconnect layer 1608 to the lines 1628a of the first interconnect layer 1606. Although the lines 1628a and the vias 1628b are structurally defined by lines within each interconnect layer (e.g., within the second interconnect layer 1608) for purposes of clarity, in some embodiments the lines 1628a and the vias 1628b can be structurally and / or materially continuous (e.g., can be filled simultaneously during a dual damascene process).

[0105] The third interconnect layer 1610 (and optionally additional interconnect layers) may be formed successively on the second interconnect layer 1608 according to similar techniques and configurations described with respect to the second interconnect layer 1608 or the first interconnect layer 1606. In some embodiments, interconnect layers that are "higher" in the metallization stack 1619 in the IC device 1600 (i.e., further from the device layer 1604) may be thicker.

[0106] The IC device 1600 may have a solder resist material 1634 (e.g., polyimide or similar material) and one or more conductive contacts 1636 formed on the interconnect layers 1606-1610. In FIG. 41, the conductive contacts 1636 are shown to take the form of bond pads. The conductive contacts 1636 may be electrically coupled to the interconnect structure 1628 and configured to transmit an electrical signal of the transistor 1640 to another external device. For example, solder joints may be formed on the one or more conductive contacts 1636 to mechanically and / or electrically couple a chip including the IC device 1600 to another component (e.g., a circuit board). The IC device 1600 may include additional or alternative structures that transmit electrical signals from the interconnect layers 1606-1610. For example, the conductive contacts 1636 may include other similar features (e.g., posts) that transmit electrical signals to an external component.

[0107] 42 is a side cross-sectional view of an IC device assembly 1700 that may include one or more antenna modules 100 disclosed herein. In particular, any suitable antenna module 100 disclosed herein may replace any of the components of the IC device assembly 1700 (e.g., an antenna module 100 may replace any of the IC packages of the IC device assembly 1700).

[0108] The IC device assembly 1700 has multiple components disposed on a circuit board 1702 (which may be, for example, a motherboard). The IC device assembly 1700 includes components disposed on a first side 1740 of the circuit board 1702 and an opposing second side 1742 of the circuit board 1702. In general, the components may be disposed on one or both of the sides 1740 and 1742.

[0109] In some embodiments, the circuit board 1702 may be a PCB including multiple metal layers spaced apart from one another by layers of dielectric material and interconnected by conductive vias. Any one or more of the metal layers may be formed (optionally in conjunction with other metal layers) to carry electrical signals between components coupled to the circuit board 1702 in a desired circuit pattern. In another embodiment, the circuit board 1702 may be a non-PCB substrate.

[0110] The IC device assembly 1700 shown in Figure 42 has a package-on-interposer structure 1736 coupled to a first side 1740 of a circuit board 1702 by coupling components 1716. The coupling components 1716 may electrically and mechanically couple the package-on-interposer structure 1736 to the circuit board 1702 and may include solder balls (shown in Figure 42), male and female sockets, adhesive, underfill material, and / or any other electrical and / or mechanical coupling structure.

[0111] The package-on-interposer structure 1736 may include an IC package 1720 coupled to the interposer 1704 by a bonding component 1718. The bonding component 1718 may take any suitable form depending on the application, such as those described above with reference to the bonding component 1716. Although a single IC package 1720 is shown in FIG. 42, multiple IC packages may be coupled to the interposer 1704. Indeed, additional interposers may be coupled to the interposer 1704. The interposer 1704 may provide an intermediate substrate used to bridge the circuit board 1702 and the IC package 1720. The IC package 1720 may be or include, for example, a die (die 1502 in FIG. 40), an IC device (e.g., IC device 1600 in FIG. 41), or any suitable component. In general, the interposer 1704 may spread connections to a wider pitch or reroute connections to different connections. For example, the interposer 1704 may couple an IC package 1720 (e.g., a die) to a set of ball grid array (BGA) conductive contacts of the mating component 1716 for coupling to the circuit board 1702. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 42, the IC package 1720 and the circuit board 1702 are each mounted on opposite sides of the interposer 1704. In another embodiment, the IC package 1720 and the circuit board 1702 may each be mounted on the same side of the interposer 1704. In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may couple more than two components.

[0112] In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be a PCB including multiple metal layers separated from each other by layers of dielectric material and interconnected by conductive vias. In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be formed of a polymeric material, such as epoxy, fiberglass reinforced epoxy, epoxy with inorganic fillers, ceramic material, or polyimide. In some embodiments, the interposer 1704 may be formed of alternating rigid or flexible materials, including the same materials described above for use in semiconductor substrates, such as silicon, germanium, and other III-V and IV materials. The interposer 1704 may include vias 1710, including but not limited to metal interconnects 1708 and through silicon vias (TSVs) 1706. The interposer 1704 may further include embedded devices 1714, including both passive and active devices. Such devices may include, but are not limited to, capacitors, decoupling capacitors, resistors, inductors, fuses, diodes, transformers, sensors, electrostatic discharge (ESD) devices, and memory devices. More complex devices such as RF devices, power amplifiers, power management devices, antennas, arrays, sensors, and micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) devices may also be formed on the interposer 1704. The package-on-interposer structure 1736 may take the form of any of the package-on-interposer structures known in the art.

[0113] IC device assembly 1700 may include an IC package 1724 coupled to a first surface 1740 of circuit board 1702 by a coupling component 1722. Coupling component 1722 may take the form of any of the embodiments described above with reference to coupling component 1716, and IC package 1724 may take the form of any of the embodiments described above with reference to IC package 1720.

[0114] 42 has a package-on-package structure 1734 coupled to a second side 1742 of a circuit board 1702 by a coupling component 1728. The package-on-package structure 1734 may include an IC package 1726 and an IC package 1732 coupled together by a coupling component 1730 such that the IC package 1726 is disposed between the circuit board 1702 and the IC package 1732. The coupling components 1728 and 1730 may take the form of any of the embodiments of the coupling component 1716 described above, and the IC packages 1726 and 1732 may take the form of any of the embodiments of the IC package 1720 described above. The package-on-package structure 1734 may take the form of any of the package-on-package structures known in the art.

[0115] FIG. 43 is a block diagram of an example communication device 1800 that may have one or more antenna modules 100 according to any of the embodiments disclosed herein. The communication device 151 (FIG. 22), the handheld communication device 198 (FIG. 38), and the notebook communication device 190 (FIG. 39) may be examples of the communication device 1800. Any suitable components of the communication device 1800 may include one or more of the IC package 1650, the IC device 1600, or the die 1502 disclosed herein. Although multiple components are shown in FIG. 43 as being included in the communication device 1800, any one or more of these components may be omitted or provided in duplicate depending on the application. In some embodiments, some or all of the components included in the communication device 1800 may be mounted on one or more motherboards. In some embodiments, some or all of these components may be produced on a single system-on-chip (SoC) die.

[0116] 43, but may have interface circuitry for coupling to one or more of the components. For example, the communications device 1800 may not have a display device 1806, but may have display device interface circuitry (e.g., connectors and driver circuits) to which the display device 1806 may be coupled. In various other examples, the communications device 1800 may not have an audio input device 1824 or an audio output device 1808, but may have audio input or output device interface circuitry (e.g., connectors and supporting circuits) to which the audio input device 1824 or the audio output device 1808 may be coupled.

[0117] The communications device 1800 may have a processing device 1802 (e.g., one or more processing devices). As used herein, the term “processing device” or “processor” may refer to any device or part of a device that processes electronic data from registers and / or memory and converts the electronic data into other electronic data that may be stored in registers and / or memory. The processing device 1802 may include one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), central processing units (CPUs), graphic processing units (GPUs), cryptoprocessors (dedicated processors that perform cryptographic logic in hardware), server processors, or any other suitable processing devices. The communications device 1800 may include a memory 1804. The memory 1804 may itself include one or more memory devices, such as volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)), flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or a hard drive. In some embodiments, the memory 1804 may include memory that shares a die with the processing device 1802. This memory may be used as cache memory and may include embedded dynamic random access memory (eDRAM) or spin-transfer magnetoresistive memory (STT-MRAM).

[0118] In some embodiments, the communication device 1800 may include a communication module 1812 (e.g., one or more communication modules). For example, the communication module 1812 may be configured to manage wireless communication for data transfer to or from the communication device 1800. The term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc. that may perform data communication using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The term does not imply that the associated device does not include any wires, although in some embodiments it may not. The communication module 1812 may be or include any of the antenna modules 100 disclosed herein.

[0119] The communications module 1812 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including, but not limited to, Wi-Fi (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 family), Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards, including the IEEE 802.16 standard (e.g., the IEEE 802.16-2005 amendment), the LTE project (e.g., the Advanced LTE project, the Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) project (also referred to as "3GPP2")), with any amendments, updates, and / or revisions. Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks compatible with IEEE 802.16 are commonly referred to as WiMAX networks. The acronym stands for Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, which is a certification mark for products that have passed IEEE 802.16 standard compliance and interoperability testing. The communication module 1812 may operate in accordance with a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Evolved HSPA (E-HSPA), or LTE network. The communication module 1812 may operate in accordance with Enhanced Data for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), or Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). The communication module 1812 may operate in accordance with any other wireless protocol designated as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), and derivatives thereof, 3G, 4G, 5G, and beyond. In other embodiments, the communications module 1812 may operate according to other wireless protocols.The communications device 1800 may include an antenna 1822 for improving wireless communications and / or receiving other wireless communications (such as AM or FM radio transmissions).

[0120] In some embodiments, the communication module 1812 may manage wired communications, such as electrical, optical, or any other suitable communication protocol (e.g., Ethernet). As mentioned above, the communication module 1812 may include multiple communication modules. For example, the first communication module 1812 may be dedicated to short-range wireless communications, such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The second communication module 1812 may be dedicated to longer-range wireless communications, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, or EV-DO. In some embodiments, the first communication module 1812 may be dedicated to wireless communications and the second communication module 1812 may be dedicated to wired communications. In some embodiments, the communication module 1812 may include an antenna module 100 that supports millimeter wave communications.

[0121] The communications device 1800 may include a battery / power circuit 1814. The battery / power circuit 1814 may include one or more power storage devices (e.g., batteries or capacitors) and / or circuitry for coupling components of the communications device 1800 to a power source separate from the communications device 1800 (e.g., AC line power).

[0122] The communications device 1800 may include a display device 1806 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). The display device 1806 may include any visual display, such as a head-up display, a computer monitor, a projector, a touch screen display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode display, or a flat panel display.

[0123] The communications device 1800 may include an audio output device 1808 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). The audio output device 1808 may include any device that generates an audible indication, such as a speaker, a headset, or earphones.

[0124] The communications device 1800 may include an audio input device 1824 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). The audio input device 1824 may include any device that generates a signal representing sound, such as a microphone, a microphone array, or a digital device (e.g., a device having a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) output).

[0125] The communications device 1800 may include a GPS device 1818 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above), which may communicate with a satellite-based system and receive the position of the communications device 1800, as is well known in the art.

[0126] The communications device 1800 may include other output devices 1810 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). Examples of the other output devices 1810 may include an audio codec, a video codec, a printer, a wired or wireless transmitter for providing information to other devices, or additional storage devices.

[0127] The communications device 1800 may include other input devices 1820 (or corresponding interface circuitry as described above). Examples of the other input devices 1820 may include an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a compass, an image capture device, a keyboard, a cursor control device such as a mouse, a stylus, a touch pad, a barcode reader, a quick response (QR) code reader, any sensor, or a radio frequency identification tag (RFID) reader.

[0128] Communications device 1800 may take any desired form, such as a handheld or mobile communications device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smartphone, a mobile Internet device, a music player, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a netbook computer, an ultrabook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an ultra-mobile personal computer, etc.), a desktop communications device, a server or other network computing component, a printer, a scanner, a monitor, a set-top box, an entertainment control unit, a vehicle control unit, a digital camera, a digital video recorder, or a wearable communications device. In some embodiments, communications device 1800 may be any other electronic device that processes data.

[0129] The following paragraphs provide examples of various embodiments disclosed herein.

[0130] Example 1 is an electronic assembly comprising an antenna module having an antenna patch support including a flexible portion, an integrated circuit (IC) package coupled to the antenna patch support, and an antenna patch coupled to the antenna patch support.

[0131] Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, and further specifies that the antenna patch is a millimeter wave antenna patch.

[0132] Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-2, and further specifies that the IC package and the antenna patch are coupled to opposing sides of the antenna patch support.

[0133] Example 4 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 to 3, and further specifies that the IC package is coupled to a first portion of the antenna patch support, the antenna patch is coupled to a second portion of the antenna patch support, and the flexible portion is between the first portion and the second portion.

[0134] Example 5 includes the subject matter of example 4, and further specifies that the plane of the first region is not parallel to the plane of the second region.

[0135] Example 6 includes the subject matter of example 5, and further specifies that the plane of the first region is not perpendicular to the plane of the second region.

[0136] Example 7 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-3, and further specifies that the antenna patch is coupled to the flexible portion.

[0137] Example 8 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 to 7, and further specifies that the flexible portion is a first flexible portion, the antenna patch support portion further includes a second flexible portion and a rigid portion, and the rigid portion is between the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion.

[0138] Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1 to 8, and further specifies that the flexible portion includes a flexible printed circuit board.

[0139] Example 10 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1-9, further including a connector on the flexible portion.

[0140] Example 11 includes the subject matter of Example 10, and further specifies that the connector is a first connector, and the electronic assembly further comprises a circuit board having a second connector that mates with the first connector.

[0141] Example 12 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-11, and further specifies that the IC package and the antenna patch are coupled to the same surface of the antenna patch support.

[0142] Example 13 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-12, and further specifies that the thickness of the flexible portion is less than a thickness of other portions of the antenna patch support portion.

[0143] Example 14 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-13, and further specifies that the electronic assembly is a communications device, the communications device comprising a housing, the housing having a window, and the antenna patch is proximate to the window.

[0144] Example 15 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-14, and further specifies that the plane of the antenna patch is neither perpendicular nor parallel to the plane of the display.

[0145] Example 16 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-15, and further specifies that the antenna module is a first antenna module and the electronic assembly further includes a second antenna module, the second antenna module having an antenna patch support, an IC package coupled to the antenna patch support of the second antenna module, and an antenna patch coupled to the antenna patch support of the second antenna module.

[0146] Example 17 includes the subject matter of Example 16, and further specifies that the first antenna module includes a first array of antenna patches, the second antenna module includes a second array of antenna patches, and an axis of the first array is perpendicular to an axis of the second array.

[0147] Example 18 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 1-17, and further specifies that the antenna patch is one of a plurality of antenna patches of the antenna module.

[0148] Example 19 includes the subject matter of Example 18 and further specifies that the IC package has a conformal shield.

[0149] Example 20 includes the subject matter of example 19 and further specifies that the conformal shield provides a reflector or ground plane for multiple antenna patches acting as an edge-fire array.

[0150] Example 21 is an electronic assembly comprising: an antenna module having an integrated circuit (IC) package, an antenna substrate, and a first connector, the IC package coupled to the antenna substrate, the antenna substrate having an antenna patch array, and the first connector secured to a rigid portion of the IC package or the antenna substrate; and a circuit board having a second connector, the second connector secured to a rigid portion of the circuit board, and the first connector mated to the second connector.

[0151] Example 22 includes the subject matter of Example 21, and further specifies that the first connector mates with the second connector without an intervening cable.

[0152] Example 23 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21-22, and further specifies that the antenna module is coupled to the circuit board via a first connector mated to the second connector, and the antenna board is between the array of antenna patches and the circuit board.

[0153] Example 24 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21-23, and further specifies that the display includes a display, and at least a portion of the circuit board is between at least a portion of the antenna module and the display.

[0154] Example 25 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21 to 24, and further specifies that the electronic assembly is a handheld communication device.

[0155] Example 26 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 21-25, and further specifies that the first connector and the second connector are radio frequency connectors.

[0156] Example 27 is a communications device comprising a display, a back cover, and an antenna array between the back cover and the display, where the plane of the antenna array is not parallel to the display or the back cover.

[0157] Example 28 includes the subject matter of Example 27, and further specifies that the antenna array is a first antenna array, and the communication device further comprises a second antenna array between the back cover and the display, and a plane of the second antenna array is not parallel to a plane of the first antenna array.

[0158] Example 29 includes the subject matter of Example 28, and further specifies that the plane of the second antenna array is perpendicular to the plane of the first antenna array.

[0159] Example 30 includes the subject matter of example 28, and further specifies that the plane of the second antenna array is not perpendicular to the plane of the first antenna array.

[0160] Example 31 includes the subject matter of Example 28, and further specifies that the plane of the second antenna array is parallel to the display.

[0161] Example 32 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 27-31, further comprising a housing providing a side surface for the communications device.

[0162] Example 33 includes the subject matter of Example 32, and further specifies that the plane of the antenna array is parallel to a proximal side of the communication device.

[0163] Example 34 includes the subject matter of Example 32, and further specifies that the plane of the antenna array is not parallel to a proximal side of the communications device.

[0164] Example 35 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 32-34, and further specifies that the housing has a window on at least one side of the communications device.

[0165] Example 36 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 27-35, and further specifies that the antenna array is coupled to an antenna patch support having a flexible portion.

[0166] Example 37 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 27 to 36, and further specifies that the antenna array is a millimeter wave antenna array.

[0167] Example 38 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 27-37, and further specifies that the communication device is a handheld communication device.

[0168] Example 39 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 27-38, and further specifies that the communication device is a tablet computer.

[0169] Example 40 is a method of manufacturing a communication device, the method including: disposing an antenna module having at least one flexible portion within a housing of the communication device; and bending the at least one flexible portion.

[0170] Example 41 includes the subject matter of example 40, further including fixing the antenna module within the communication device to maintain bending of the at least one flexible portion.

[0171] Example 42 includes the subject matter of Example 41, and further specifies that the antenna module comprises at least one antenna unit on the flexible portion.

[0172] Example 43 includes the subject matter of any of Examples 41-42, and further specifies that bending the at least one flexible portion includes folding the at least one flexible portion over an integrated circuit (IC) package of the antenna module.

[0173] Example 44 includes the subject matter of any of examples 41-42, further including coupling the antenna module to a circuit board of the communication device.

Claims

1. an antenna patch support section including a flexible section and other sections; an integrated circuit (IC) package coupled to the antenna patch support; an antenna patch coupled to the antenna patch support, the flexible portion being thinner than the other portion.

2. The electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein the IC package and the antenna patch are coupled to opposing sides of the antenna patch support.

3. the other portion is a first portion, the IC package is coupled to the first portion of the antenna patch support; the antenna patch is coupled to a second portion of the antenna patch support; The electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flexible portion is between the first portion and the second portion.

4. The electronic assembly of claim 3 , wherein the plane of the first portion is non-parallel to the plane of the second portion.

5. 5. The electronic assembly of claim 4, wherein the plane of the first portion is not perpendicular to the plane of the second portion.

6. The electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein the antenna patch is coupled to the flexible portion.

7. 2. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible portion is a first flexible portion, and the antenna patch support further comprises a second flexible portion and a rigid portion, the rigid portion being between the first flexible portion and the second flexible portion.

8. The electronic assembly of claim 1 , wherein the IC package and the antenna patch are bonded to the same surface of the antenna patch support.

9. 10. The electronic assembly of claim 1, wherein the IC package has a conformal shield that provides a reflector or ground plane for multiple antenna patches acting as an edge-firing array.

10. A display and Back cover and an antenna array between the back cover and the display; the plane of the antenna array is not parallel to the display or the back cover; The antenna array is mounted on a support; The support portion includes a flexible portion and another portion, A communication device, wherein the flexible portion is thinner than the other portions.

11. The antenna array is a first antenna array, The communication device further comprises: a second antenna array between the back cover and the display; The communications device of claim 10 , wherein a plane of the second antenna array is not parallel to a plane of the first antenna array.

12. The communications device of claim 11 , wherein the plane of the second antenna array is perpendicular to the plane of the first antenna array.

13. The communications device of claim 11 , wherein the plane of the second antenna array is not perpendicular to the plane of the first antenna array.

14. The communication device of claim 10 further comprising a housing providing a side surface of the communication device.

15. The communications device of claim 14 , wherein the plane of the antenna array is parallel to an adjacent side of the communications device.

16. The communications device of claim 14 , wherein the plane of the antenna array is not parallel to a near side of the communications device.

17. 1. A method for manufacturing a communication device, comprising: disposing an antenna module within a housing of the communication device, the antenna module having at least one flexible portion and another portion, the at least one flexible portion being thinner than the other portion; bending the at least one flexible section.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising: fixing the antenna module within the communication device to maintain bending of the at least one flexible portion.

19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the antenna module comprises at least one antenna unit on the flexible portion.

20. 20. The method of claim 17, wherein bending the at least one flexible portion comprises folding the at least one flexible portion over an integrated circuit (IC) package of the antenna module.

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