Antenna and electronic device including same

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention relate to an electronic device including an antenna. The electronic device may include a housing, a main board disposed in an interior space of the housing, the main board including a first side facing a first direction and a second side facing a direction opposite to the first side, the main board including a through hole, and an antenna module disposed on the main board, the main board including a board at least partially disposed in the through hole and including a plurality of antenna elements, and a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a specified frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements on the second side of the main board. Other embodiments are possible.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Various embodiments of the present invention relate to antennas and electronic devices including same. [Background technology]

[0002] With the development of wireless communication technology, electronic devices (e.g., electronic devices for communication) are commonly used in daily life, and the accompanying content usage is increasing exponentially. Such a rapid increase in content usage is pushing network capacity to its limit, and since the commercialization of 4G (4th generation) communication systems, research has been conducted on communication systems (e.g., 5G (5th generation), pre-5G communication systems, or NR (new radio)) that transmit and / or receive signals using frequencies in high frequency bands (e.g., mmWave, about 3 GHz to about 300 GHz band) to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] The electronic device may include an antenna capable of transmitting and / or receiving signals using frequencies in a high frequency band (e.g., mmWave, about 3 GHz to 300 GHz band). Antennas (e.g., antenna modules) have been developed with efficient mounting structures and various corresponding forms to overcome free space loss and increase gain due to the characteristics of the high frequency band. For example, the antenna (e.g., antenna module) may include an array antenna in which various numbers of antenna elements (e.g., conductive patches and / or conductive patterns) are arranged at regular intervals on a dielectric structure (e.g., a substrate).

[0004] The electronic device may include a wireless communication circuit (e.g., a radio frequency front end (RFFE)) for substantially simultaneously transmitting and / or receiving signals through multiple antenna elements included in the array antenna. The wireless communication circuit may include multiple amplifier circuits (e.g., power amplifiers (PA) and / or low noise amplifiers (LNA)) and / or multiple frequency conversion devices (e.g., mixers and / or phase lock loops (PLLs)) for transmitting and / or receiving signals through the respective antenna elements. The wireless communication circuit (e.g., an RFFE) may require a relatively large physical area such that the structure is relatively complex.

[0005] As electronic devices become slimmer, the size of the internal space of the electronic devices decreases, and it may be difficult to secure space for arranging the array antenna and / or the wireless communication circuit.

[0006] Various embodiments of the present invention disclose apparatus and methods for reducing the amount of space (eg, physical area) in which an antenna (eg, an antenna module) and / or wireless communication circuitry is located in an electronic device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a housing, a main board disposed in an internal space of the housing, the main board including a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing a direction opposite to the first surface, and including a through hole, and an antenna module disposed on the main board, the antenna module including a board at least partially disposed in the through hole and including a plurality of antenna elements, and a wireless communication circuit configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a specified frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements on the second surface of the main board.

[0008] According to various embodiments, an electronic device may include a housing, a main board disposed in an internal space of the housing, the main board including a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing a direction opposite to the first surface, and including a through hole, and an antenna module disposed on the main board, the antenna module including a board including a plurality of antenna elements and a wireless communication circuit disposed at least partially in the through hole, electrically coupled to the board, and configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a specified frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to various embodiments of the present invention, an electronic device can at least partially arrange multiple antenna elements, a first substrate including multiple antenna elements, and / or a wireless communication circuit in a through hole formed in a main substrate, thereby securing space for arranging an array antenna and / or a wireless communication circuit and reducing impedance matching loss and / or insertion loss due to the main substrate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device for supporting legacy network communication and 5G network communication in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 3A] 1 is a perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments. [Figure 3C] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a mobile electronic device according to various embodiments. [Figure 4A] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 4B] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 4C] 4C is a cross-sectional view of an antenna module taken along line AA of FIG. 4B according to various embodiments. [Figure 4D] FIG. 4C is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the -z axis of FIG. 4B according to various embodiments. [Figure 4E] FIG. 4C is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the z-axis of FIG. 4B according to various embodiments. [Figure 4F] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication circuit disposed in an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 5A] 1A to 1C are process diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 5B] 1A to 1C are process diagrams illustrating a manufacturing process of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating an example of a structure of an antenna module using an interposer according to various embodiments. [Figure 7A] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a matching circuit in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 7B] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a matching circuit in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 7C] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a matching circuit in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 8A] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of a structure in which antenna elements according to various embodiments are disposed in through holes in a main substrate. [Figure 8B] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating an example of a structure in which antenna elements according to various embodiments are disposed in through holes in a main substrate. [Figure 9A] 1 illustrates another example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 9B] 1 illustrates another example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 9C] 9C is a cross-sectional view of an antenna module taken along line BB of FIG. 9B according to various embodiments. [Figure 9D] FIG. 9C is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the -z axis of FIG. 9B according to various embodiments. [Figure 9E] FIG. 9C is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the z-axis of FIG. 9B according to various embodiments. [Figure 9F] FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a wireless communication circuit disposed in an antenna module according to various embodiments. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating another example of the structure of an antenna module using an interposer according to various embodiments. [Figure 11A] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the structure of an antenna module including multiple array antennas in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 11B] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the structure of an antenna module including multiple array antennas in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 12A] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing a structure in which through holes are arranged in a partial region of the periphery of a main substrate according to various embodiments. [Figure 12B] 11A to 11C are diagrams showing a structure in which through holes are arranged in a partial region of the periphery of a main substrate according to various embodiments. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the structure of an antenna module including multiple array antennas in accordance with various embodiments. [Figure 14] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating amplifier circuit layouts according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Various embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, in the network environment 100, the electronic device 101 can communicate with the electronic device 102 through a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with at least one of the electronic device 104 or the server 108 through a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device 101 can communicate with the electronic device 104 through the server 108. According to one embodiment, the electronic device 101 can include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input module 150, an audio output module 155, a display module 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a connection terminal 178, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a subscriber identity module 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal 178) may be omitted and one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module 176, the camera module 180, or the antenna module 197) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., the display module 160).

[0013] The processor 120 may, for example, execute software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device 101 coupled to the processor 120, and perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may store instructions or data received from other components (e.g., the sensor module 176 or the communication module 190) in the volatile memory 132, process the instructions or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the result data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to one embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit or application processor) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that may operate independently or together with the main processor 121. For example, if electronic device 101 includes a main processor 121 and an auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be configured to use less power or to be dedicated to a designated function compared to main processor 121. The auxiliary processor 123 may be embodied separately from main processor 121 or as part of it.

[0014] The auxiliary processor 123 can control at least a part of the functions or states associated with at least one of the components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the display module 160, the sensor module 176, or the communication module 190), for example, instead of the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor 121 while the main processor 121 is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be embodied as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., the camera module 180 or the communication module 190). According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural network processing device) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing the artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated by machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, in the electronic device 101 itself, where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or via a separate server (e.g., the server 108). The learning algorithm may include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the above examples. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple artificial neural network layers. The artificial neural network may be, but is not limited to, a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more thereof.The artificial intelligence model may include software structures in addition to or as an alternative to hardware structures.

[0015] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176) of the electronic device 101. The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (e.g., the program 140) and associated instructions. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a non-volatile memory 134.

[0016] The programs 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 and may include, for example, an operating system 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0017] The input module 150 can receive commands or data from outside (e.g., a user) of the electronic device 101 for use by components (e.g., the processor 120) of the electronic device 101. The input module 150 can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, keys (e.g., buttons), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0018] The audio output module 155 can output an audio signal outside the electronic device 101. The audio output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver may be used to receive incoming phone calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be embodied separately from or as part of the speaker.

[0019] The display module 160 can visually provide information to an external (e.g., user) of the electronic device 101. The display module 160 can include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and control circuitry for controlling the device. According to one embodiment, the display module 160 can include a touch sensor configured to sense a touch or a pressure sensor configured to measure the strength of a force generated by the touch.

[0020] The audio module 170 can convert sound into electrical signals and vice versa. According to one embodiment, the audio module 170 can receive sound from the input module 150 and output sound from the audio output module 155 or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) that is directly or wirelessly coupled to the electronic device 101 (e.g., a speaker or headphones).

[0021] The sensor module 176 can sense an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an external environmental state (e.g., a user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the sensed state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module 176 can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0022] The interface 177 may support one or more specified protocols that may be used by the electronic device 101 to interface directly or wirelessly with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0023] The connection terminal 178 may include a connector through which the electronic device 101 may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0024] Haptic module 179 can convert electrical signals into mechanical (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that can be perceived tactilely or kinesthetically by a user. According to one embodiment, haptic module 179 can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0025] Camera module 180 is capable of capturing still and video images and, according to one embodiment, may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0026] The power management module 188 may manage the power provided to the electronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the power management module 188 may be embodied, for example, as at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0027] The battery 189 can provide power to at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to one embodiment, the battery 189 can include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0028] The communication module 190 can facilitate establishing a direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102, the electronic device 104, or the server 108) and performing communication through the established communication channel. The communication module 190 can include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor) and facilitate the direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 can include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among those communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with the external electronic device 104 through a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various communication modules may be integrated as one component (e.g., a single chip) or embodied as separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can identify or authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identity module 196.

[0029] The wireless communication module 192 can support a 5G network after the 4G network and a next-generation communication technology, for example, a new radio access technology (NR) access technology. The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module 192 can support a high frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module 192 can support various technologies for ensuring performance in a high frequency band, for example, beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module 192 can support various requirements defined by the electronic device 101, an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 104), or a network system (e.g., the second network 199). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for implementing eMBB, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for implementing URLLC. According to various embodiments, the subscriber identity module 196 may include multiple subscriber identity modules. For example, the multiple subscriber identity modules can store different subscriber information from each other.

[0030] The antenna module 197 can transmit or receive signals or power to or from the outside (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 can include an antenna including a radiator made of a conductor or conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 can include multiple antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as the first network 198 or the second network 199 can be selected from the multiple antennas by, for example, the communication module 190. The signals or power can be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, in addition to the radiator, other components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) can also be formed as part of the antenna module 197.

[0031] According to various embodiments, the antenna module 197 can form a radio frequency (e.g., mmWave) antenna module. According to one embodiment, the radio frequency (e.g., mmWave) antenna module can include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent a first side (e.g., bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated radio frequency band (e.g., mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on or adjacent a second side (e.g., top or side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated radio frequency band. For example, the plurality of antennas can include a patch array antenna and / or a dipole array antenna.

[0032] At least some of the components are connected to each other via a peripheral communication method (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input and output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and can exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) between each other.

[0033] According to an embodiment, commands or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via a server 108 coupled to the second network 199. Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or part of the operations performed by the electronic device 101 may be performed by one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104 or 108). For example, when the electronic device 101 has to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a part of the function or service instead of or in addition to performing the function or service itself. The one or more external electronic devices receiving the request may perform at least a part of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and communicate the results of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a part of a response to the request, either directly or after further processing. For example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used for this purpose. The electronic device 101 may provide an ultra-low latency service using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, the external electronic device 104 or the server 108 may be included in a second network 199. The electronic device 101 may be applied to an intelligent service (e.g., a smart home, a smart city, a smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0034] The electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be devices of various forms. The electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computing devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or consumer electronic devices. The electronic devices according to the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0035] The various embodiments and the terms used therein in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a particular embodiment, but should be understood as including various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiments. Features described in connection with separate embodiments or recited in separate claims may be combined unless the combination is expressly excluded or the features are incompatible. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference signs may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless otherwise indicated in the relevant context. In this document, each of the phrases such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B or C," "at least one of A, B and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase in these phrases, or any possible combination thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish a component from other relevant components and do not limit the component in other respects (e.g., importance or order). When one (e.g., a first) component is "coupled" or "coupled" to another (e.g., a second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the one component can be coupled to the other component directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0036] The term "module" as used in various embodiments herein may include a unit implemented as hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integrated component or the smallest unit or part of such a component having one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0037] Various embodiments of this document may be embodied as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may retrieve at least one instruction from the storage medium and execute the at least one instruction stored therein. This allows the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one retrieved instruction. The at least one instruction may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently on the storage medium and data being stored temporarily.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the methods according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be distributed in the form of an application store (e.g., Playstore). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In online distribution, at least a part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated on a machine-readable storage medium, such as a memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0039] According to various embodiments, each of the components described above (e.g., modules or programs) may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be located separately in another component. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components described above may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component, in which case the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as performed by the multiple components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other components may be performed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0040] FIG. 2 is a block diagram 200 of an electronic device 101 for supporting legacy network communications and 5G network communications in accordance with various embodiments.

[0041] According to various embodiments with reference to FIG. 2, the electronic device 101 may include a first communication processor 212 (e.g., including a processing circuit), a second communication processor 214 (e.g., including a processing circuit), a first radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) 222, a second RFIC 224, a third RFIC 226, a fourth RFIC 228, a first radio frequency front end (RFFE) 232, a second RFFE 234, a first antenna module 242, a second antenna module 244, and an antenna 248. The electronic device 101 may further include a processor 120 and a memory 130. The network 199 may include a first network 292 and a second network 294. According to other embodiments, the electronic device 101 may further include at least one of the components described in FIG. 1, and the network 199 may further include at least one other network. According to one embodiment, the first communications processor 212, the second communications processor 214, the first RFIC 222, the second RFIC 224, the fourth RFIC 228, the first RFFE 232, and the second RFFE 234 may form at least a portion of the wireless communication module 192. According to other embodiments, the fourth RFIC 228 may be omitted or may be included as part of the third RFIC 226.

[0042] The first communication processor 212 can support establishment of a communication channel of a band used for wireless communication with the first network 292, and legacy network communication through the established communication channel. According to an embodiment, the first network may be a legacy network including a second generation (2G), 3G, 4G, or LTE (long term evolution) network. The second communication processor 214 can support establishment of a communication channel corresponding to a designated band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) among bands used for wireless communication with the second network 294, and 5G network communication through the established communication channel. According to an embodiment, the second network 294 may be a 5G network (e.g., NR (new radio)) defined by 3GPP (registered trademark). Furthermore, according to an embodiment, the first communication processor 212 or the second communication processor 214 can support establishment of a communication channel corresponding to another designated band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) among bands used for wireless communication with the second network 294, and 5G network communication through the established communication channel. According to one embodiment, the first communication processor 212 and the second communication processor 214 may be implemented in a single chip or package. According to one embodiment, the first communication processor 212 or the second communication processor 214 may be formed in a single chip or package with the processor 120, the auxiliary processor 123, or the communication module 190.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the first communications processor 212 can send data to and receive data from the second communications processor 214. For example, data that was classified for transmission over the second network 294 may be re-assigned to be transmitted over the first network 292.

[0044] In this case, the first communication processor 212 may receive transmission data from the second communication processor 214. For example, the first communication processor 212 may transmit and receive data to and from the second communication processor 214 via an inter-processor interface. As an example, the inter-processor interface may be implemented by a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) (e.g., high speed-UART (HS-UART)) or a peripheral component interconnect bus express (PCIe) interface, but is not limited to such a type. For example, the first communication processor 212 and the second communication processor 214 may exchange control information and packet data information using a shared memory. As an example, the first communication processor 212 may transmit and receive various information, such as sensing information, information on output intensity, and resource block (RB) allocation information, to and from the second communication processor 214.

[0045] Depending on the implementation, the first communication processor 212 may not be directly connected to the second communication processor 214. In this case, the first communication processor 212 may transmit and receive data to and from the second communication processor 214 via the processor 120 (e.g., application processor). For example, the first communication processor 212 and the second communication processor 214 may transmit and receive data to and from the processor 120 (e.g., application processor) via an HS-UART interface or a PCIe interface, but the type of interface is not limited. For example, the first communication processor 212 and the second communication processor 214 may exchange control information and packet data information with the processor 120 (e.g., application processor) using a shared memory. According to an embodiment, the first communication processor 212 and the second communication processor 214 may be implemented in a single chip or a single package. According to various embodiments, the first communications processor 212 or the second communications processor 214 may be formed in a single chip or in a single package with the processor 120, the auxiliary processor 123, or the communications module 190.

[0046] The first RFIC 222 can convert a baseband signal generated by the first communication processor 212 to a radio frequency (RF) signal of about 700 MHz to about 3 GHz for use in the first network 292 (e.g., a legacy network) during transmission. During reception, an RF signal can be obtained from the first network 292 (e.g., a legacy network) through an antenna (e.g., the first antenna module 242) and preprocessed in an RFFE (e.g., the first RFFE 232). The first RFIC 222 can convert the preprocessed RF signal to a baseband signal so that it can be processed by the first communication processor 212.

[0047] The second RFIC 224 can convert the baseband signal generated by the first communication processor 212 or the second communication processor 214 to an RF signal (hereinafter, 5G Sub6 RF signal) in the Sub6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz or less) used in the second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network) during transmission. During reception, the 5G Sub6 RF signal can be obtained from the second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network) through an antenna (e.g., the second antenna module 244) and pre-processed in an RFFE (e.g., the second RFFE 234). The second RFIC 224 can convert the pre-processed 5G Sub6 RF signal to a baseband signal so that it can be processed by a corresponding communication processor of the first communication processor 212 or the second communication processor 214.

[0048] The third RFIC 226 can convert the baseband signal generated by the second communication processor 214 into an RF signal (hereinafter, 5G Above 6 RF signal) in a 5G Above 6 band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) used in the second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network). On reception, the 5G Above 6 RF signal may be obtained from the second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network) through an antenna (e.g., antenna 248) and pre-processed in the third RFFE 236. The third RFIC 226 can convert the pre-processed 5G Above 6 RF signal into a baseband signal so that it can be processed by the second communication processor 214. According to an embodiment, the third RFFE 236 may be formed as a part of the third RFIC 226.

[0049] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a fourth RFIC 228 separately from or at least as a part of the third RFIC 226. In this case, the fourth RFIC 228 may convert the baseband signal generated by the second communication processor 214 to an RF signal (hereinafter, IF signal) in an intermediate frequency band (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) and then transmit the IF signal to the third RFIC 226. The third RFIC 226 may convert the IF signal to a 5G Above 6 RF signal. On reception, the 5G Above 6 RF signal may be received from the second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network) through an antenna (e.g., antenna 248) and converted to an IF signal by the third RFIC 226. The fourth RFIC 228 may convert the IF signal to a baseband signal so that the second communication processor 214 can process it.

[0050] According to an embodiment, the first RFIC 222 and the second RFIC 224 may be implemented as at least part of a single chip or a single package. According to an embodiment, the first RFFE 232 and the second RFFE 234 may be implemented as at least part of a single chip or a single package. According to an embodiment, at least one of the first antenna module 242 or the second antenna module 244 may be omitted or combined with another antenna module to process RF signals of corresponding multiple bands.

[0051] According to an embodiment, the third RFIC 226 and the antenna 248 may be disposed on the same substrate to form the third antenna module 246. For example, the wireless communication module 192 or the processor 120 may be disposed on the first substrate (e.g., main PCB). In this case, the third RFIC 226 may be disposed on a part of the second substrate (e.g., sub PCB) that is separate from the first substrate, and the antenna 248 may be disposed on another part of the second substrate (e.g., upper surface) to form the third antenna module 246. By disposing the third RFIC 226 and the antenna 248 on the same substrate, it is possible to reduce the length of the transmission line between them. This can reduce, for example, the loss (e.g., attenuation) of a signal in a high frequency band (e.g., about 6 GHz to about 60 GHz) used in 5G network communication by the transmission line. This can improve the quality or speed of communication between the electronic device 101 and the second network 294 (e.g., 5G network).

[0052] According to an embodiment, the antenna 248 may be formed of an antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements that can be used for beamforming. In this case, the third RFIC 226 may include a plurality of phase shifters 238 corresponding to the plurality of antenna elements, for example as part of the third RFFE 236. During transmission, each of the plurality of phase shifters 238 may shift the phase of a 5G Above 6 RF signal transmitted to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a base station of a 5G network) through the corresponding antenna element. During reception, each of the plurality of phase shifters 238 may shift the phase of a 5G Above 6 RF signal received from the outside through the corresponding antenna element to the same or substantially the same phase. This enables transmission or reception using beamforming between the electronic device 101 and the outside.

[0053] The second network 294 (e.g., a 5G network) may be operated independently (e.g., stand-alone (SA)) or connected (e.g., non-stand alone (NSA)) with the first network 292 (e.g., a legacy network). For example, the 5G network may have only an access network (e.g., a 5G radio access network (RAN) or a next generation (NG) RAN), and may not have a core network (e.g., a next generation core (NGC)). In this case, the electronic device 101 can access an external network (e.g., the Internet) under the control of a core network (e.g., evolved packed core (EPC)) of the legacy network after accessing the access network of the 5G network. Protocol information (e.g., LTE protocol information) for communication with the legacy network or protocol information (e.g., new radio (NR) protocol information) for communication with the 5G network may be stored in the memory 130 and accessed by other components (e.g., the processor 120, the first communication processor 212, or the second communication processor 214).

[0054] Figure 3A is a front perspective view of an electronic device 300 according to various embodiments. Figure 3B is a rear perspective view of the electronic device 300 according to various embodiments. The electronic device 300 of Figures 3A and 3B may be at least partially similar to the electronic device 101 of Figures 1 or 2, or may include another embodiment of an electronic device.

[0055] 3A and 3B, an electronic device 300 (e.g., electronic device 101 of FIG. 1) according to various embodiments may include a housing 310 including a first side (or front side) 310A, a second side (or back side) 310B, and a side surface 310C surrounding a space (or interior space) between the first side 310A and the second side 310B. In one embodiment (not shown), the housing 310 may represent a structure forming a part of the first side 310A, the second side 310B, and the side surface 310C. According to one embodiment, the first side 310A may be formed by a front plate 302 (e.g., a glass plate including various coating layers, or a polymer plate), at least a portion of which is substantially transparent. The second side 310B may be formed by a back plate 311, which is substantially opaque. The back plate 311 may be formed of, for example, coated or tinted glass, ceramic, polymer, metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel (STS), or magnesium), or a combination of at least two of the above materials. The side 310C may be formed by a side bezel structure (or "side member") 318 that mates with the front plate 302 and the back plate 311 and comprises a metal and / or a polymer. In some embodiments, the back plate 311 and the side bezel structure 318 are integrally formed and may comprise the same material (e.g., a metallic material such as aluminum).

[0056] According to various embodiments, the front plate 302 may include a first region 310D on either side of a long edge of the front plate 302, the first region 310D extending seamlessly from the first side 310A toward the back plate 311. In the illustrated embodiment (see FIG. 3B), the back plate 311 may include a second region 310E on either side of a long edge, the second region 310E extending seamlessly from the second side 310B toward the front plate 302. In some embodiments, the front plate 302 (or the back plate 311) may include only one of the first regions 310D (or the second regions 310E). In one embodiment, the front plate 302 (or the back plate 311) may not include all of the first regions 310D (or the second regions 310E). In one embodiment, when viewed from a side of the electronic device 300, the side bezel structure 318 may have a first thickness (or width) on a side that does not include the first region 310D or the second region 310E, and a second thickness that is thinner than the first thickness on a side that includes the first region 310D or the second region 310E.

[0057] According to one embodiment, electronic device 300 may include at least one of display 301, audio modules 303, 307, 314, sensor modules 304, 319, camera modules 305, 312, 313, key input device 317, indications (not shown), and connector holes 308, 309. In some embodiments, electronic device 300 may omit at least one of the components (e.g., key input device 317, indicators, or connector holes 308, 309) or may further include other components.

[0058] According to various embodiments, the display 301 may be visually exposed from a substantial portion of the front plate 302. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the display 301 may be visually exposed from the front plate 302 forming the first face 310A and the first region 310D of the side 310C. In some embodiments, the edge of the display 301 may be formed to be substantially identical to the adjacent perimeter of the front plate 302. In one embodiment (not shown), the spacing between the perimeter of the display 301 and the perimeter of the front plate 302 may be substantially identical to increase the area over which the display 301 is exposed.

[0059] In one embodiment (not shown), a recess or opening may be formed in a portion of the screen display area of ​​the display 301, and at least one of the audio module 314, the sensor module 304, the camera module 305, or the indicator may be included, aligned with the recess or opening. In one embodiment (not shown), at least one of the audio module 314, the sensor module 304, the camera module 305, or the indicator may be included behind the screen display area of ​​the display 301. For example, the audio module 314, the camera module 305, the sensor module 304, and / or the indicator may be arranged in the internal space of the electronic device 300 so as to be in contact with the external environment through an opening drilled through the front plate 302 of the display 301. In another example, some of the sensor module 304, the camera module 305, and / or the indicator may be arranged in the internal space of the electronic device 300 so as to perform their functions without being visually exposed from the front plate 302. As an example, areas of the display 301 facing the sensor module 304, the camera module 305 and / or the indicators may not require drilled openings.

[0060] In one embodiment (not shown), the display 301 may be coupled to or adjacent to touch sensing circuitry, a pressure sensor capable of measuring the intensity (pressure) of a touch, and / or a digitizer for detecting a magnetic field-based stylus pen. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the sensor modules 304, 319 and / or at least a portion of the key input device 317 may be located in the first region 310D and / or the second region 310E.

[0061] According to various embodiments, the audio modules 303, 307, 314 may include a microphone hole 303 and a speaker hole 307, 314. The microphone hole 303 may have a microphone disposed therein for capturing external sound, and in some embodiments, may have multiple microphones disposed therein for sensing the direction of sound. The speaker holes 307, 314 may include an external speaker hole 307 and a call receiver hole 314. In some embodiments, the speaker holes 307, 314 and the microphone hole 303 may be embodied as a single hole, or a speaker (e.g., a piezo speaker) may be included without the speaker hole 307, 314.

[0062] According to various embodiments, the sensor modules 304, 319 can generate electrical signals or data values ​​corresponding to internal operating conditions or external environmental conditions of the electronic device 300. The sensor modules 304, 319 can include, for example, a first sensor module 304 (e.g., a proximity sensor) and / or a second sensor module (not shown) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor) disposed on the first side 310A of the housing 310, and / or a third sensor module 319 (e.g., an HRM sensor) disposed on the second side 310B of the housing 310. The fingerprint sensor can be disposed on the first side 310A (e.g., the display 301) as well as on the second side 310B of the housing 310. For example, a fingerprint sensor (e.g., an ultrasonic or optical fingerprint sensor) can be disposed below the display 301 on the first side 310A. The electronic device 300 may further include at least one sensor module (not shown), such as a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an air pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor 304.

[0063] According to various embodiments, the camera modules 305, 312, 313 may include a first camera device 305 disposed on a first side 310A of the electronic device 300, and a second camera device 312 and / or a flash 313 disposed on a second side 310B. The camera modules 305, 312 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, and / or an image signal processor. The flash 313 may include, for example, a light emitting diode or a xenon lamp. In some embodiments, two or more lenses (an infrared camera, a wide angle and a telephoto lens) and an image sensor may be disposed on one side of the electronic device 300.

[0064] According to various embodiments, the key input device 317 may be disposed on a side surface 310C of the housing 310. In one embodiment, the electronic device 300 may not include some or all of the key input device 317, and the key input device 317 that is not included may be embodied in the form of a soft key on the display 301. In one embodiment, the key input device 317 may be embodied by a pressure sensor included in the display 301.

[0065] According to various embodiments, an indicator (not shown) may be disposed on the first surface 310A of the housing 310. The indicator may provide, for example, status information in the form of light for the electronic device 300. In one embodiment, the indicator may provide, for example, a light source in conjunction with operation of the camera module 305. The indicator may include, for example, an LED, an IR LED, and a xenon lamp.

[0066] According to various embodiments, the connector holes 308, 309 may include a first connector hole 308 that can accommodate a connector (e.g., a USB connector) for transmitting and receiving power and / or data to and from an external electronic device, and / or a second connector hole 309 that can accommodate a connector (e.g., an earphone jack) for transmitting and receiving audio signals to and from an external electronic device.

[0067] FIG. 3C is an exploded perspective view of electronic device 300 in accordance with various embodiments.

[0068] According to various embodiments with reference to FIG. 3C, the electronic device 300 may include a side bezel structure 321, a first support member 3211 (e.g., a bracket), a front plate 322, a display 323, a printed circuit board 324 (e.g., a main board), a battery 325, a second support member 326 (e.g., a rear case), an antenna 327, and a rear plate 328. In some embodiments, the electronic device 300 may omit at least one of the components (e.g., the first support member 3211 or the second support member 326) or may further include other components. At least one of the components of the electronic device 300 may be the same as or similar to at least one of the components of the electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A or FIG. 3B, and therefore, a duplicated description will be omitted below.

[0069] According to various embodiments, the first support member 3211 may be disposed inside the electronic device 300 and connected to the side bezel structure 321 or may be formed integrally with the side bezel structure 321. The first support member 3211 may be formed of, for example, a metal material and / or a non-metallic (e.g., polymer) material. The first support member 3211 may have a display 323 coupled to one side and a printed circuit board 324 coupled to the other side. A processor (e.g., processor 120 of FIG. 1), a memory (e.g., memory 130 of FIG. 1), and / or an interface (e.g., interface 177 of FIG. 1) may be mounted on the printed circuit board 324. The processor may include, for example, one or more of a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

[0070] The memory may include, for example, volatile memory (eg, volatile memory 132 of FIG. 1) or non-volatile memory (eg, non-volatile memory 134 of FIG. 1).

[0071] The interface may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, and / or an audio interface. The interface may, for example, electrically or physically couple the electronic device 300 to an external electronic device and may include a USB connector, an SD card / MMC connector, or an audio connector.

[0072] According to various embodiments, the battery 325 is a device for supplying power to at least one component of the electronic device 300 and may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell. At least a portion of the battery 325 may be disposed, for example, on substantially the same plane as the printed circuit board 324. The battery 325 may be disposed integrally within the electronic device 300 or may be disposed detachably from the electronic device 300.

[0073] According to various embodiments, the antenna 327 may be disposed between the back plate 328 and the battery 325. The antenna 327 may include, for example, a near field communication (NFC) antenna, a wireless charging antenna, and / or a magnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna. The antenna 327 may, for example, communicate with an external device in a short distance or wirelessly transmit and receive power required for charging. In one embodiment, the antenna structure may be formed by a portion of the side bezel structure 321 and / or the first support member 3211 or a combination thereof.

[0074] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 300 may have a bar-type or plate-type appearance, but is not limited thereto. For example, the electronic device 300 may be part of a foldable electronic device, a slidable electronic device, a stretchable electronic device, and / or a rollable electronic device.

[0075] 4A and 4B show an example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of FIG. 4A and 4B may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of FIG. 2, and may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0076] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, and a wireless communication circuit 430 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410.

[0077] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include multiple conductive layers and multiple non-conductive layers alternated with the conductive layers. The first substrate 410 may provide electrical connections between various electronic components disposed on the first substrate 410 and / or externally using traces and conductive vias formed in the conductive layers.

[0078] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include multiple antenna elements 420 spaced at a specified interval to form a directional beam. According to one embodiment, the antenna elements 420 may be formed on or within a first surface 412 of the first substrate 410. According to one embodiment, the multiple antenna elements 420 may be configured to form a beam pattern in a first direction (e.g., the z-axis direction). According to other embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a single antenna element.

[0079] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may be at least partially disposed in a hole (e.g., through hole 402) formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C ), as shown in FIG. 4B . As an example, the hole may include a hole or any type of opening in the main substrate 400 that penetrates partially or completely through the main substrate 400. As an example, the hole may include a recess or other type of hole that may not penetrate completely through the main substrate 400. As an example, the hole may include a groove and / or a cut-out portion. As an example, the hole may be located in an interior region, an edge region, and / or a corner region of the main substrate 400. According to an embodiment, the first surface 412 of the first substrate 410 may protrude beyond the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 when the first substrate 410 is disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400. According to an embodiment, the first surface 412 of the first substrate 410 may be disposed to be substantially flush with the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 when the first substrate 410 is disposed in the through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400. According to an embodiment, the first surface 412 of the first substrate 410 may be disposed lower than the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 when the first substrate 410 is disposed in the through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400. According to an embodiment, the first substrate 410 may be formed of a material having a lower dielectric constant than the main substrate 400.

[0080] According to various embodiments, when the first substrate 410 is inserted into the through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400, the first substrate 410 may be coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 disposed on the second surface 406 of the main substrate 400. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive bonding method. As an example, the conductive bonding method may include soldering, jet soldering, and / or anisotropic conductive film (ACF).

[0081] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be disposed so as to at least partially overlap the main substrate 400 when the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction) as shown in FIG. 4B. According to an embodiment, when viewed in the z-axis direction, at least a portion of the wireless communication circuit 430 may overlap the main substrate 400, and at least a remaining portion of the wireless communication circuit 430 may overlap the first substrate 410 disposed in the through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400 and the through-hole 402. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be coupled or connected to the main substrate 400. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 and the main substrate 400 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive bonding method. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may include one chipset or package.

[0082] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 430 can transmit and / or receive radio signals in a designated frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements 420 arranged on the first board 410. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 (e.g., the third RFIC 226 in FIG. 2) may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., a communication processor (CP) 452 and / or a PMIC 454) arranged on the main board 400 through the main board 400. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 can upconvert a baseband signal acquired from the communication processor 452 to an RF signal in a designated band during transmission. The RF signal may be transferred to the plurality of antenna elements 420 through the first board 410. During reception, the wireless communication circuit 430 can downconvert an RF signal received through the plurality of antenna elements 420 (e.g., an array antenna) arranged on the first board 410 to a baseband signal and transfer the signal to the communication processor 452. As another example, the wireless communication circuit 430 can up-convert an IF signal (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) acquired from an IFIC (intermediate frequency integrate circuit) (e.g., the fourth RFIC 228 in FIG. 2) to an RF signal of a specified band during transmission. The wireless communication circuit 430 can down-convert an RF signal acquired via a plurality of antenna elements 420 (e.g., an array antenna) arranged on the first substrate 410 during reception to an IF signal and transmit the IF signal to the IFIC.

[0083] According to various embodiments, the main board 400 may be disposed in a housing (e.g., the housing 310 in FIG. 3A) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 300 in FIG. 3A). According to one embodiment, at least one circuit may be disposed on one side (e.g., the first side 404 and / or the second side 406) of the main board 400. For example, the main board 400 may have a communication processor 452 and / or a power management integrate circuit (PMIC) 454 disposed on the first side 404 (or the second side 406).

[0084] According to one embodiment, the communication processor 452 (e.g., the processor 120 in FIG. 1, the first communication processor 212 or the second communication processor 214 in FIG. 2) can process baseband signals. For example, the communication processor 452 can generate baseband signals and transmit them to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the main board 400. For example, the communication processor 452 can process baseband signals received from the wireless communication circuit 430 via the main board 400. According to one embodiment, the PMIC 454 can receive voltage from the main board 400 and provide the necessary power for various components (e.g., the wireless communication circuit 430) on the antenna module.

[0085] Figure 4C is a cross-sectional view of an antenna module along line AA of Figure 4B according to various embodiments, Figure 4D is a plan view of an antenna module along the -z axis of Figure 4B according to various embodiments, and Figure 4E is a plan view of an antenna module along the z axis of Figure 4B according to various embodiments.

[0086] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 4C to 4E, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400, and may be coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 410 may be disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 as shown in FIG. 4D when the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be disposed to at least partially overlap the main substrate 400 so that the first substrate 410 disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 is supported as shown in FIG. 4E when the second surface 406 of the main substrate 400 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction).

[0087] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 and / or a plurality of matching circuits 461, 462, 463, 464. For example, the plurality of antenna elements 420 may include a first element 421, a second element 422, a third element 423, or a fourth element 424. According to an embodiment, the plurality of matching circuits 461, 462, 463, 464 may play a role of matching impedances of the antenna elements 421, 422, 423, 424 electrically connected thereto. For example, the first element 421 may be electrically connected to the first matching circuit 461 through a first via 471. The second element 422 may be electrically connected to the second matching circuit 462 through a second via 472. The third element 423 may be electrically connected to the third matching circuit 463 through a third via 473. The fourth element 424 may be electrically coupled to the fourth matching circuit 464 through a fourth via 474. For example, a via may represent a component for providing a connection (e.g., an electrical connection) between multiple different elements (or components, circuits). As an example, the first via 471 may provide an electrical connection between the first element 421 and the first matching circuit 461.

[0088] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may be electrically and / or physically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 by a conductive bonding method. According to one embodiment, the first matching circuit 461 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a fifth via 475. According to one embodiment, the second matching circuit 462 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a sixth via 476. According to one embodiment, the third matching circuit 463 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a seventh via 477. According to one embodiment, the fourth matching circuit 464 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through an eighth via 478.

[0089] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., the communication processor 452 and / or the PMIC 454) disposed on the main board 400 via the main board 400. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically coupled to a second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 through a fifteenth via 488 of the main board 400. The second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 may be electrically coupled to the communication processor 452 through a sixteenth via 490. As an example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, baseband signals, or IF signals) to and from the communication processor 452 electrically coupled to the main board 400 via the main board 400.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to a fourth electrical wiring 495 of the main board 400 through a nineteenth via 494 of the main board 400. The fourth electrical wiring 495 of the main board 400 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 454 through a tenth via 496. As an example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may receive a power signal from the PMIC 454 electrically connected to it through the main board 400.

[0091] According to various embodiments, the main board 400 may include at least one circuit. According to one embodiment, the main board 400 may have a communication processor (CP) 452 and / or a PMIC 454 disposed on a first surface 404. According to one embodiment, the main board 400 may have at least one other circuit 456 and / or 458 disposed on a second surface 406. According to one embodiment, the main board 400 may further include a shielding member (not shown). For example, the shielding member may be disposed on a portion of the main board 400 to electromagnetically shield at least one circuit 452, 454, 456, and / or 458 disposed on the main board 400. For example, the shielding member may include a shielding can.

[0092] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the main substrate 400. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 410 and the main substrate 400 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other via a conductive bonding method. The first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the main substrate 400 that is electrically and / or physically coupled to each other via a conductive bonding method.

[0093] FIG. 4F illustrates an example of a wireless communication circuit disposed on an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0094] According to various embodiments with reference to FIG. 4F, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400, and may be coupled or connected to the second substrate 440. According to one embodiment, the second substrate 440 may be disposed to at least partially overlap the main substrate 400 when the second surface 406 of the main substrate 400 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction), so that the first substrate 410 disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 is supported. According to one embodiment, detailed description of the first substrate 410 in FIG. 4F will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with FIG. 4C.

[0095] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may be electrically and / or physically connected to the second substrate 440 by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to one embodiment, the first matching circuit 461 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the fifth via 475 and the ninth via 481 of the second substrate 440. As an example, the fifth via 475 and the ninth via 481 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to one embodiment, the second matching circuit 462 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the sixth via 476 and the tenth via 482 of the second substrate 440. As an example, the sixth via 476 and the tenth via 482 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to an embodiment, the third matching circuit 463 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the seventh via 477 and the eleventh via 483 of the second substrate 440. As an example, the seventh via 477 and the eleventh via 483 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to an embodiment, the fourth matching circuit 464 of the first substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the eighth via 478 and the twelfth via 484 of the second substrate 440. As an example, the eighth via 478 and the twelfth via 484 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering).

[0096] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be disposed on one surface of the second substrate 440. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be fixed on one surface of the second substrate 440 by a protective layer 440-1 (e.g., resin).

[0097] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to at least one circuit (e.g., the communication processor 452 and / or the PMIC 454) disposed on the main board 400 through the second board 440 and the main board 400. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to a first electrical wiring 486 of the second board 440 through a thirteenth via 485. The first electrical wiring 486 of the second board 440 may be electrically connected to a second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 through a fourteenth via 487 and a fifteenth via 488 of the main board 400. The second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 may be electrically connected to the communication processor 452 through a sixteenth via 490. As an example, the fourteenth via 487 and the fifteenth via 488 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other through a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the wireless communication circuit 430 can transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, baseband signals, or IF signals) to and from a communication processor 452 electrically connected via the second board 440 and the main board 400.

[0098] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to a third electrical wiring 492 of the second substrate 440 through a seventeenth via 491. The third electrical wiring 492 of the second substrate 440 may be electrically connected to a fourth electrical wiring 495 of the main substrate 400 through an eighteenth via 493 and a nineteenth via 494 of the main substrate 400. The fourth electrical wiring 495 of the main substrate 400 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 454 through a tenth via 496. For example, the eighteenth via 493 and the nineteenth via 494 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other through a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering). For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may receive a power signal from the PMIC 454 electrically connected to the second substrate 440 and the main substrate 400 through the eighteenth via 493 and the nineteenth via 494.

[0099] According to various embodiments, at least one of the circuits 452, 454, 456, and / or 458 disposed on the main board 400 may be disposed on the main board 400 via a separate board (not shown), such as the wireless communication circuit 430.

[0100] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or 300 can reduce the space (e.g., height) required for the antenna module by placing a first substrate 410 including multiple antenna elements 420 (e.g., an array antenna) within a through hole 402 in the main substrate 400.

[0101] 5A and 5B are a process diagram 500 illustrating a process for manufacturing an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0102] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, in operation 501, the first substrate 410 may be coupled to one surface (e.g., the first surface 432) of the wireless communication circuit 430. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 410 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to the first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430 (510 and 520). For example, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 and / or a plurality of matching circuits 461, 462, 463, 464 disposed on or within the first substrate 410 to form a directional beam. For example, the first substrate 410 may include a ground formed on or within the second substrate 414. According to one embodiment, the plurality of antenna elements 420 disposed on the first substrate 410 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the first substrate 410.

[0103] In operation 503, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 disposed on one side (e.g., first side 432) of the wireless communication circuit 430 may be disposed inside the through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400. According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be coupled to the main substrate 400 so as to overlap at least a portion of the main substrate 400. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 and the main substrate 400 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering) for a portion of the overlapping area (530). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., communication processor 452 and / or PMIC 454) disposed on the main substrate 400 via the main substrate 400.

[0104] According to various embodiments, the order of the operations for manufacturing the antenna module shown in FIG. 5A may be at least partially changed, or some operations may be omitted. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be coupled to the main substrate 400 so as to at least partially overlap the main substrate 400. The first substrate 410 may be disposed inside a through hole of the main substrate 400 coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 so as to at least partially overlap the main substrate 400.

[0105] An example of the structure of an antenna module using an interposer according to various embodiments is shown in Figure 6. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of Figure 6 may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of Figure 2, and may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0106] According to various embodiments with reference to Fig. 6, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, and a wireless communication circuit 430 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410. For example, the plurality of antenna elements 420 may include a first element 421, a second element 422, a third element 423, or a fourth element 424. According to one embodiment, detailed descriptions of the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 in Fig. 6 will be omitted to avoid overlapping descriptions with Figs. 4A, 4B, 4C, and / or 4F.

[0107] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., the communication processor 452 and / or the PMIC 454) disposed on the main board 400 through the interposer 600 and / or 610 and the main board 400. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically coupled to the second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 through the twenty-first via 621 of the first interposer 600 and the fifteenth via 488 of the main board 400. As an example, the twenty-first via 621 and the fifteenth via 488 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other through a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, baseband signals, or IF signals) to the communication processor 452 electrically coupled thereto.

[0108] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to a fourth electrical wiring 495 of the main board 400 through a 22nd via 623 of the second interposer 610 and a 19th via 494 of the main board 400. As an example, the 22nd via 623 and the 19th via 494 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may receive a power signal from the PMIC 454 to which it is electrically connected.

[0109] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or 300 can electrically and / or physically connect the main board 400 and the wireless communication circuit 430 via the interposer 600, 610, thereby positioning the first board 410 including multiple antenna elements 420 (e.g., an array antenna) relatively deep within the through hole 402 of the main board 400, thereby reducing the space (e.g., height) required for the antenna module.

[0110] 7A-7C show examples of matching circuits according to various embodiments. FIG. 7B is a plan view of the second surface 414 of the first substrate 410. FIG. 7C is a plan view of the first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of FIG. 7A-7C may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of FIG. 2, or may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0111] 7A to 7C, according to various embodiments, the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may be disposed in a bonding region between the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430. According to one embodiment, at least some of the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may be disposed on the first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430. At least some of the remaining of the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may be disposed on the second surface 414 of the first substrate 410.

[0112] According to an embodiment, among the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2, a first matching circuit 701-1, a third matching circuit 702-1, a fifth matching circuit 703-1, and a seventh matching circuit 704-1 associated with a first polarization (e.g., horizontal polarization) may be disposed on a first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430 as shown in FIG. 7C. For example, the first matching circuit 701-1 may be electrically connected to a first element 421 disposed on the first substrate 410 through a first via 471 of the first substrate 410. The first matching circuit 701 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the third matching circuit 702-1 may be electrically connected to the second element 422 arranged on the first substrate 410 through the second via 472 of the first substrate 410. The third matching circuit 702-1 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the fifth matching circuit 703-1 may be electrically connected to the third element 423 arranged on the first substrate 410 through the third via 473 of the first substrate 410. The fifth matching circuit 703-1 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the seventh matching circuit 704-1 may be electrically connected to the fourth element 424 arranged on the first substrate 410 through the fourth via 474 of the first substrate 410. The seventh matching circuit 704-1 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430.

[0113] According to an embodiment, among the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2, the second matching circuit 701-2, the fourth matching circuit 702-2, the sixth matching circuit 703-2, and the eighth matching circuit 704-2 associated with a second polarization (e.g., vertical polarization) may be disposed on the second surface 414 of the first substrate 410 as shown in FIG. 7B. For example, the second matching circuit 701-2 may be electrically connected to the first element 421 through a via (not shown) of the first substrate 410. The second matching circuit 701-2 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the fourth matching circuit 702-2 may be electrically connected to the second element 422 through a via (not shown) of the first substrate 410. The fourth matching circuit 702-2 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the sixth matching circuit 703-2 may be electrically connected to the third element 423 through a via (not shown) of the first substrate 410. The sixth matching circuit 703-2 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. For example, the eighth matching circuit 704-2 may be electrically connected to the fourth element 424 through a via (not shown) of the first substrate 410. The eighth matching circuit 704-2 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430. As an example, each of the multiple matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may include a port for electrical connection with the via.

[0114] According to one embodiment, the first matching circuit 701-1, the third matching circuit 702-1, the fifth matching circuit 703-1 and the seventh matching circuit 704-1 arranged on the first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430 and the second matching circuit 701-2, the fourth matching circuit 702-2, the sixth matching circuit 703-2 and the eighth matching circuit 704-2 arranged on the second surface 414 of the first substrate 410 may be arranged so as not to overlap, as shown in Figures 7B and 7C, when the first surface 404 of the main substrate 400 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction).

[0115] According to an embodiment, the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may be embodied in the form of conductive patterns on the first substrate 410 and / or the wireless communication circuit 430. According to an embodiment, the plurality of matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may include passive elements disposed on one surface of the first substrate 410 and / or the wireless communication circuit 430.

[0116] According to an embodiment, the multiple matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 may be disposed on the second surface 414 of the first substrate 410 or the first surface 432 of the wireless communication circuit 430.

[0117] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 430 may include a plurality of conductive pads 730 for the interposer 600 and / or 610. For example, at least some of the conductive pads 730 may be connected to a ground layer through vias to electromagnetically shield the matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2. For example, at least some of the conductive pads 730 may be used as paths for electrical connection with the main board 400. For example, at least some of the conductive pads 730 may be used as conductive bonding pads for conductive bonding (e.g., soldering) with the interposer 600 and / or 610.

[0118] According to various embodiments, the antenna module arranges multiple matching circuits 701-1, 701-2, 702-1, 702-2, 703-1, 703-2, 704-1, and 704-2 for multiple antenna elements 420 in the joint area of ​​the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430, thereby eliminating the ground layer associated with the electrical wiring of the antenna elements 420 and the wireless communication circuit 430 within the first substrate 410 and relatively reducing the height of the first substrate 410.

[0119] 8A and 8B show examples of structures in which antenna elements according to various embodiments are disposed in through holes in a main substrate. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of Fig. 8A and 8B may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of Fig. 2, or may include other embodiments of an antenna module. In the following description, detailed description of the wireless communication circuit 430 of Fig. 8A and 8B will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with Fig. 4A, Fig. 4B, Fig. 4C, and / or Fig. 4F.

[0120] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a plurality of antenna structures 811, 812, 813, and 814 of the array antenna may be arranged in a manner of being inserted into respective through holes 801, 802, 803, and 804 formed in the main board 400. For example, the first board (e.g., the first board 410) may be omitted. According to one embodiment, the first antenna structure 811 may be arranged in the first through hole 801 of the main board 400. The second antenna structure 812 may be arranged in the second through hole 802 of the main board 400. The third antenna structure 813 may be arranged in the third through hole 803 of the main board 400. The fourth antenna structure 814 may be arranged in the fourth through hole 804 of the main board 400.

[0121] According to various embodiments, when multiple antenna structures 811, 812, 813, and 814 are arranged to be inserted into respective through holes 801, 802, 803, and 804 of the main board 400, they may be coupled or connected to a wireless communication circuit 430 arranged on the second surface 406 of the main board 400, as shown in FIG. 8A.

[0122] According to an embodiment, the plurality of antenna structures 811, 812, 813, and 814 may include a plurality of antenna elements 811-1, 812-1, 813-1, and 814-1. For example, the first antenna element 811-1 may be formed on or within the first antenna structure 811. For example, the second antenna element 812-1 may be formed on or within the second antenna structure 812. For example, the third antenna element 813-1 may be formed on or within the third antenna structure 813. For example, the fourth antenna element 814-1 may be formed on or within the fourth antenna structure 814.

[0123] According to an embodiment, the first element 811-1 included in the first antenna structure 811 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 48th via 811-2 of the first antenna structure 811.

[0124] According to one embodiment, the second element 812-1 included in the second antenna structure 812 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 49th via 812-2 of the second antenna structure 812.

[0125] According to an embodiment, the third element 813-1 included in the third antenna structure 813 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a 50th via 813-2 of the third antenna structure 813.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the fourth element 814-1 included in the fourth antenna structure 814 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a fifty-first via 814-2 of the fourth antenna structure 814.

[0127] According to various embodiments, when multiple antenna structures 811, 812, 813, and 814 are arranged to be inserted into respective through holes 801, 802, 803, and 804 of the main board 400, they may be coupled or connected to a second board 440 arranged on the second surface 406 of the main board 400, as shown in FIG. 8B.

[0128] According to an embodiment, the first element 811-1 included in the first antenna structure 811 may be electrically connected to the first matching circuit 821 of the second substrate 440 through the 48th via 811-2 of the first antenna structure 811 and the 23rd via 831 of the second substrate 440. The first matching circuit 821 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 24th via 832. As an example, the 48th via 811-2 and the 23rd via 831 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering).

[0129] According to an embodiment, the second element 812-1 included in the second antenna structure 812 may be electrically coupled to the second matching circuit 822 of the second substrate 440 through the 49th via 812-2 of the second antenna structure 812 and the 25th via 833 of the second substrate 440. The second matching circuit 822 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 26th via 834. As an example, the 49th via 812-2 and the 25th via 833 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering).

[0130] According to an embodiment, the third element 813-1 included in the third antenna structure 813 may be electrically coupled to the third matching circuit 823 of the second substrate 440 through the 50th via 813-2 of the third antenna structure 813 and the 27th via 835 of the second substrate 440. The third matching circuit 823 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 28th via 836. As an example, the 50th via 813-2 and the 27th via 835 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering).

[0131] According to one embodiment, the fourth element 814-1 included in the fourth antenna structure 814 may be electrically coupled to the fourth matching circuit 824 of the second substrate 440 through the 51st via 814-2 of the fourth antenna structure 814 and the 29th via 837 of the second substrate 440. The fourth matching circuit 824 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 30th via 838. As an example, the 51st via 814-2 and the 29th via 837 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering).

[0132] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 or electronic device 300 of FIGS. 3A-3C ) includes a housing (e.g., housing 310 of FIG. 3A ) and a main substrate (e.g., main substrate 406 of FIG. 4A , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7A , FIG. 8A , or FIG. 8B ) disposed in an internal space of the housing and including a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing a second direction opposite to the first surface (e.g., the first direction of FIG. 4A , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7A , FIG. 8A , or FIG. 8B ) and including a hole or opening (e.g., through-hole 402 of FIG. 4A , FIG. 6 , FIG. 7A , FIG. 8A , or FIG. 8B ). 400), and an antenna module disposed on the main substrate, the antenna module including a substrate (e.g., first substrate 410 of FIG. 4A, 6, 8A or 8B) at least partially disposed in the through hole and including a plurality of antenna elements (e.g., antenna element 420 of FIG. 4A, 6, 8A or 8B), and a wireless communication circuit (e.g., wireless communication circuit 430 of FIG. 4A, 6, 7A, 8A or 8B) configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a specified frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements on a second side of the main substrate.

[0133] According to various embodiments, the substrate may protrude beyond the first surface of the main substrate.

[0134] According to various embodiments, the substrate may be substantially flush with or lower than the first surface of the main substrate.

[0135] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit may be disposed so as to at least partially overlap the main board when the first surface of the main board is viewed from above.

[0136] According to various embodiments, the substrate and the wireless communication circuitry may be electrically and / or physically coupled by a conductive bonding method.

[0137] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be coupled or connected to the main board, and the board may be coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuitry.

[0138] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit may be coupled or connected to the main board by a conductive bonding method.

[0139] According to various embodiments, the main board may include at least one circuit, and the wireless communication circuit may be electrically coupled to the at least one circuit via the main board.

[0140] According to various embodiments, the at least one circuit may include a communications processor and / or a power management circuit.

[0141] According to various embodiments, the device may further include an interposer (e.g., interposers 600, 610 in FIG. 6) disposed between the main board and the wireless communication circuit, and the wireless communication circuit may be electrically connected to the main board via the interposer and the main board.

[0142] According to various embodiments, the antenna may include at least one matching circuit (e.g., matching circuits (461, 462, 463 and / or 464) of FIG. 4A or FIG. 6) disposed between the substrate and the wireless communication circuit and electrically coupled to the plurality of antenna elements.

[0143] According to various embodiments, the matching circuit may include at least one conductive pattern disposed on the substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit.

[0144] According to various embodiments, at least one conductive pattern disposed on the substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit may be arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from above on the first surface of the main substrate.

[0145] According to various embodiments, the substrate may be formed of a material having a lower dielectric constant than the main substrate.

[0146] According to various embodiments, the antenna module may include a plurality of other antenna elements arranged at specified intervals, and may further include a further substrate (e.g., the third substrate 1100 in FIG. 11A or FIG. 11B) electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit, and an interposer (e.g., interposers 1101, 1102 in FIG. 11B) arranged between the wireless communication circuit and the further substrate, and the wireless communication circuit may be arranged between the substrate and the further substrate and electrically connected to the plurality of other antenna elements via the interposer and the further substrate.

[0147] 9A and 9B show another example of the structure of an antenna module according to various embodiments. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of FIG. 9A and 9B may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of FIG. 2, and may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0148] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the antenna module may include a first substrate 910 including a plurality of antenna elements 920, and a wireless communication circuit 930 electrically coupled to the first substrate 910.

[0149] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may include multiple conductive layers and multiple non-conductive layers alternating with the conductive layers. The first substrate 910 may provide electrical coupling between various electronic components disposed on the first substrate 910 and / or externally using traces and conductive vias formed in the conductive layers.

[0150] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may include a number of antenna elements 920 spaced at designated intervals to form a directional beam. According to one embodiment, the antenna elements 920 may be formed on or within a first surface 912 of the first substrate 910. According to one embodiment, the antenna elements 920 may be configured to form a beam pattern in a first direction (e.g., the z-axis direction).

[0151] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may be disposed so as to at least partially overlap the main substrate 900 when the first surface 904 of the main substrate 900 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction) as shown in FIG. 9B. For example, the first substrate 910 may be disposed at least partially on the main substrate 900, rather than the entire first substrate 910 being disposed inside a hole (e.g., through hole 902) of the main substrate 900, but is not limited thereto, and the first substrate 910 may be disposed on the main substrate 900 and not disposed inside a hole (e.g., through hole 902). According to one embodiment, when viewed in the -z-axis direction, at least a portion of the first substrate 910 may overlap the main substrate 900, and at least a remaining portion of the first substrate 910 may overlap the second substrate 940 disposed in the through hole 902 of the main substrate 900. For example, the first substrate 910 may be combined or connected to the main substrate 900. For example, the first substrate 910 and the main substrate 900 may be electrically and / or physically coupled or connected by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to an embodiment, the first substrate 910 may be formed of a material having a lower dielectric constant than the main substrate 900.

[0152] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be disposed in a manner of being inserted into a through hole 902 formed in at least a portion of a main board 900 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C) as shown in FIG. 9B. As an example, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be configured in one chipset or package.

[0153] According to various embodiments, when the wireless communication circuit 930 is disposed in the through-hole 902 of the main substrate 900, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 910 disposed on the first surface 904 of the main substrate 900. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 910 and the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically and / or physically coupled or connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering).

[0154] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 930 can transmit and / or receive radio signals in a designated frequency band through a plurality of antenna elements 920 arranged on the first board 910. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 (e.g., the third RFIC 226 in FIG. 2) may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., a communication processor (CP) 952 and / or a PMIC 954) arranged on the main board 900 through the first board 910 and the main board 900. For example, the wireless communication circuit 930 can upconvert a baseband signal acquired from the communication processor 952 to an RF signal of a designated band during transmission. The RF signal may be transferred to the plurality of antenna elements 920 via the first board 910. The wireless communication circuit 930 can downconvert an RF signal received through a plurality of antenna elements 920 (e.g., an array antenna) arranged on the first board 910 during reception to a baseband signal and transfer it to the communication processor 952. As another example, the wireless communication circuit 930 can up-convert an IF signal (e.g., about 9 GHz to about 11 GHz) acquired from an IFIC (intermediate frequency integrate circuit) (e.g., the fourth RFIC 228 in FIG. 2) to an RF signal of a specified band during transmission. The wireless communication circuit 930 can down-convert an RF signal acquired through a plurality of antenna elements 920 (e.g., an array antenna) arranged on the first substrate 910 to an IF signal and transmit the IF signal to the IFIC during reception.

[0155] According to various embodiments, the main board 900 may be disposed in a housing (e.g., the housing 310 in FIG. 3A ) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 300 in FIG. 3A ). According to one embodiment, at least one circuit may be disposed on one side (e.g., the first side 904 and / or the second side 906) of the main board 900. For example, the main board 900 may have a communication processor 952 and / or a power management integrate circuit (PMIC) 954 disposed on the first side 904 (or the second side 906). According to one embodiment, detailed description of the communication processor 952 and the PMIC 954 in FIGS. 9A and 9B will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with FIGS. 4A , 4B , 4C and / or 4F .

[0156] Figures 9C, 9D, and 9E are cross-sectional and top views of the antenna module along line BB, BB, and z-axis, respectively, of Figure 9B, according to various embodiments.

[0157] According to various embodiments with reference to FIGS. 9C to 9E, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be disposed in a through hole 902 formed in at least a part of the main substrate 900, and may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 910. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 910 may be disposed to at least partially overlap the main substrate 900 when the first surface 904 of the main substrate 900 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 9D, so that the first substrate 910 may at least partially overlap the through hole 902 of the main substrate 900 and be coupled or connected to the main substrate 900. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be disposed in the through hole 902 of the main substrate 900 when the second surface 906 of the main substrate 900 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 9E.

[0158] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may include a plurality of antenna elements 920 and / or a plurality of matching circuits 961, 962, 963, and 964. For example, the plurality of antenna elements 920 may include a first element 921, a second element 922, a third element 923, or a fourth element 924. According to one embodiment, the first element 921 may be electrically coupled to the first matching circuit 961 through a first via 971. According to one embodiment, the second element 922 may be electrically coupled to the second matching circuit 962 through a second via 972. According to one embodiment, the third element 923 may be electrically coupled to the third matching circuit 963 through a third via 973. According to one embodiment, the fourth element 924 may be electrically coupled to the fourth matching circuit 964 through a fourth via 974.

[0159] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may be electrically and / or physically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to one embodiment, the first matching circuit 961 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a fifth via 975. According to one embodiment, the second matching circuit 962 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a sixth via 976. According to one embodiment, the third matching circuit 963 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a seventh via 977. According to one embodiment, the fourth matching circuit 964 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through an eighth via 978.

[0160] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically connected to at least one circuit (e.g., the communication processor 952 and / or the PMIC 954) disposed on the main board 900 through the first board 910 and the main board 900. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically connected to a first electrical wiring 987 of the first board 910 through a 14th via 986 of the first board 910. The first electrical wiring 987 of the first board 910 may be electrically connected to a second electrical wiring 990 of the main board 900 through a 15th via 988 and a 16th via 989 of the main board 900. The second electrical wiring 990 of the main board 900 may be electrically connected to the communication processor 952 through a 17th via 991. As an example, the 15th via 988 and the 16th via 989 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the wireless communication circuit 930 can transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, baseband signals, or IF signals) to a communication processor 952 electrically connected via the first board 910 and the main board 900.

[0161] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically connected to a third electrical wiring 994 of the first substrate 910 through a 19th via 993 of the first substrate 910. The third electrical wiring 994 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to a fourth electrical wiring 997 of the main substrate 900 through a 20th via 995 and a 21st via 996 of the main substrate 900. The fourth electrical wiring 997 of the main substrate 900 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 959 through a 22nd via 998. For example, the 20th via 995 and the 21st via 996 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other through a conductive joining method (e.g., soldering). For example, the wireless communication circuit 930 may receive a power signal from the PMIC 959 electrically connected to the first substrate 910 and the main substrate 900 through the 20th via 995 and the 21st via 996.

[0162] According to various embodiments, the main board 900 may include at least one circuit. According to one embodiment, the main board 900 may have a communications processor (CP) 952 and / or a PMIC 954 disposed on a first side 904. According to one embodiment, the main board 900 may have at least one other circuit 956 disposed on a second side 906.

[0163] FIG. 9F illustrates another example of a wireless communication circuit disposed on an antenna module according to various embodiments.

[0164] According to various embodiments with reference to FIG. 9F, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be disposed on one surface of the second substrate 940. The second substrate 940 may be disposed in a through hole 902 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 900 and may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 910. According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be fixed by a protective layer 940-1 (e.g., resin) on one surface (e.g., second surface 934) of the second substrate 440. According to an embodiment, the second substrate 940 may be disposed in the through hole 902 of the main substrate 900 when the second surface 906 of the main substrate 900 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction). According to an embodiment, a detailed description of the first substrate 910 in FIG. 9F will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with FIG. 9C.

[0165] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 910 may be electrically and / or physically connected to the second substrate 940 by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to one embodiment, the first matching circuit 961 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a fifth via 975 of the first substrate 910 and a ninth via 981 of the second substrate 940. As an example, the fifth via 975 and the ninth via 981 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to one embodiment, the second matching circuit 962 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a sixth via 976 of the first substrate 910 and a tenth via 982 of the second substrate 940. As an example, the sixth via 976 and the tenth via 982 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to an embodiment, the third matching circuit 963 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through a seventh via 977 of the first substrate 910 and an eleventh via 983 of the second substrate 940. As an example, the seventh via 977 and the eleventh via 983 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). According to an embodiment, the fourth matching circuit 964 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 930 through an eighth via 978 of the first substrate 910 and a twelfth via 984 of the second substrate 940. As an example, the eighth via 978 and the twelfth via 984 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering).

[0166] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically coupled to at least one circuit (e.g., the communication processor 952 and / or the PMIC 954) disposed on the main board 900 through the first board 910, the second board 940, and the main board 900. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically coupled to a first electrical wiring 987 of the first board 910 through a thirteenth via 985 of the second board 940 and a fourteenth via 986 of the first board 910. The first electrical wiring 987 of the first board 910 may be electrically coupled to a second electrical wiring 990 of the main board 900 through a fifteenth via 988 and a sixteenth via 989 of the main board 900. The second electrical wiring 990 of the main board 900 may be electrically coupled to the communication processor 952 through a seventeenth via 991. As an example, the thirteenth via 985 and the fourteenth via 986 may be electrically and / or physically coupled by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the fifteenth via 988 and the sixteenth via 989 may be electrically and / or physically coupled by a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). As an example, the wireless communication circuit 930 may transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, baseband signals, or IF signals) to and from the communication processor 952 electrically coupled via the first board 910, the second board 940, and the main board 900.

[0167] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be electrically connected to a third electrical wiring 994 of the first substrate 910 through an 18th via 992 of the second substrate 940 and a 19th via 993 of the first substrate 910. The third electrical wiring 994 of the first substrate 910 may be electrically connected to a fourth electrical wiring 997 of the main substrate 900 through a 20th via 995 and a 21st via 996 of the main substrate 900. The fourth electrical wiring 997 of the main substrate 900 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 959 through a 22nd via 998. For example, the 18th via 992 and the 19th via 993 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other through a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). For example, the 20th via 995 and the 21st via 996 may be electrically and / or physically connected to each other through a conductive bonding method (e.g., soldering). For example, the wireless communication circuit 930 may receive a power signal from a PMIC 959 electrically connected through the first board 910, the second board 940, and the main board 900.

[0168] According to various embodiments, the multiple matching circuits 961, 962, 963, and 964 may be disposed in a bonding region between the first substrate 910 and the second substrate 940 (or the wireless communication circuit 930) (not shown). According to one embodiment, at least some of the multiple matching circuits 961, 962, 963, and 964 (e.g., the first matching circuit 961 and the third matching circuit 963) are disposed in a bonding region between the first substrate 910 and the second substrate 940 (or the wireless communication circuit 930). The remaining part of the plurality of matching circuits 961, 962, 963, 964 (e.g., the second matching circuit 962 and the fourth matching circuit 964) may be disposed on the second surface 914 of the first substrate 910. According to an embodiment, the plurality of matching circuits 961, 962, 963, 964 may be disposed on the second surface 914 of the first substrate 910 or the first surface 932 of the second substrate 940 (or the wireless communication circuit 930).

[0169] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or 300 can reduce the space (e.g., height) required for the antenna module by placing at least a portion of the wireless communication circuit 930 or the second substrate 940 on which the wireless communication circuit 930 is arranged, within the through hole 902 of the main substrate 900.

[0170] Another example of the structure of an antenna module using an interposer according to various embodiments is shown in Figure 10. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of Figure 10 may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of Figure 2, and may include other embodiments of antenna modules.

[0171] 10, the main substrate 900 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to another main substrate 1030 through the interposers 1000 and 1010. According to one embodiment, the main substrate 900 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to another main substrate 1030 through the 23rd via 1021 of the first interposer 1000 and the 24th via 1022 of the second interposer 1010.

[0172] According to various embodiments, the main board 900 and / or the other main board 1030 may include at least one circuit disposed in the internal space 1060 secured by the interposers 1000 and 1010. According to one embodiment, the wireless communication circuit 930 may be located in the space 1060 formed by the main board 900 and the other main board 1030. According to one embodiment, the first circuit 1041 and / or the second circuit 1042 may be disposed on the first surface 1032 of the other main board 1030 that forms the internal space 1060 secured by the interposers 1000 and 1010. According to one embodiment, the third circuit 1043, the fourth circuit 1044 and / or the fifth circuit 1045 may be disposed on the second surface 1034 facing in the opposite direction to the first surface 1032 of the other main board 1030.

[0173] According to an embodiment, the other main board 1030 may further include a shielding member 1050. For example, the shielding member 1050 may be disposed on a part of the other main board 1030 (e.g., the second surface 1034) such that the third circuit 1043, the fourth circuit 1044, and / or the fifth circuit 1045 disposed on the second surface 1034 of the other main board 1030 are electromagnetically shielded. For example, the shielding member 1050 may include a shielding can.

[0174] 11A and 11B show an example of the structure of an antenna module including multiple array antennas according to various embodiments. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of FIG. 11A and 11B may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of FIG. 2, and may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0175] According to various embodiments with reference to Fig. 11A, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, a wireless communication circuit 430 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410, and a third substrate 1100 including a plurality of other antenna elements 1120. According to one embodiment, detailed descriptions of the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 in Fig. 11A will be omitted to avoid overlapping descriptions with Figs. 4A, 4B, 4C, and / or 4F.

[0176] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 arranged to form a beam in a first direction (e.g., z-axis direction). For example, the plurality of antenna elements 420 may include a first element 421, a second element 422, a third element 423, or a fourth element 424. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C). For example, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 and coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 disposed on the second surface 406 of the main substrate 400.

[0177] According to various embodiments, the third substrate 1100 may include a plurality of other antenna elements 1120 arranged to form a beam in a second direction (e.g., a -z-axis direction). For example, the plurality of other antenna elements 1120 may include a fifth element 1121, a sixth element 1122, a seventh element 1123, or an eighth element 1124.

[0178] According to various embodiments, the plurality of other antenna elements 1120 arranged on the third substrate 1100 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the third substrate 1100. According to one embodiment, the fifth element 1121 may be electrically connected to the fifth matching circuit 1111 of the third substrate 1100 through the 31st via 1131 of the third substrate 1100. The fifth matching circuit 1111 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 32nd via 1132. According to one embodiment, the sixth element 1122 may be electrically connected to the sixth matching circuit 1112 of the third substrate 1100 through the 36th via 1137 of the third substrate 1100. The sixth matching circuit 1112 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 46th via 1156. According to one embodiment, the seventh element 1123 may be electrically connected to the seventh matching circuit 1113 of the third substrate 1100 through a 37th via 1138 of the third substrate 1100. The seventh matching circuit 1113 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a 47th via 1157. According to one embodiment, the eighth element 1124 may be electrically connected to the eighth matching circuit 1114 of the third substrate 1100 through a 38th via 1139 of the third substrate 1100. The eighth matching circuit 1114 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a 39th via 1140.

[0179] According to various embodiments, the main board 400 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to another main board 1180 through the interposers 1150 and 1151. According to one embodiment, the main board 400 may be electrically and / or physically coupled to another main board 1180 through the 44th via 1153 of the third interposer 1150 and the 45th via 1155 of the fourth interposer 1151.

[0180] According to various embodiments, the main board 400 and / or the other main board 1180 may have at least one circuit 1161, 1162, 1163, and / or 1164 disposed thereon. According to one embodiment, the first circuit (e.g., other IC #1) 1161 may be disposed on the first surface 404 of the main board 400. For example, the main board 400 may further include a first shielding member 1171. The first shielding member 1171 may be disposed on a portion of the main board 400 (e.g., the first surface 404) such that the first circuit 1161 disposed on the first surface 404 of the main board 400 is electromagnetically shielded. As an example, the first shielding member 1171 may include a shielding can.

[0181] According to an embodiment, the main board 400 and the other main board 1180 may include at least one circuit disposed in the internal space 1190 secured by the interposers 1150 and 1151. For example, a second circuit (e.g., other IC #2) 1162 may be disposed on the second surface 406 of the main board 400 forming the internal space 1190 secured by the interposers 1150 and 1151. According to an embodiment, the second circuit 1162 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the main board 400. For example, the wireless communication circuit 430 may be electrically connected to the second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 through the 15th via 488 of the main board 400. The second electrical wiring 489 of the main board 400 may be electrically connected to the third circuit 1162 through the 43rd via 1145.

[0182] According to an embodiment, the third circuit (e.g., other IC #3) 1163 and / or the fourth circuit (e.g., other IC #4) 1164 may be disposed on the second surface 1184 of the other main board 1180. For example, the other main board 1180 may further include a second shielding member 1172. The second shielding member 1172 may be disposed on a portion (e.g., the second surface 1184) of the other main board 1180 such that the third circuit 1163 and / or the fourth circuit 1164 disposed on the second surface 1184 of the other main board 1180 are electromagnetically shielded. As an example, the second shielding member 1172 may include a shielding can.

[0183] According to various embodiments with reference to Fig. 11B, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, a second substrate 440 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410, a wireless communication circuit 430 disposed on the second substrate 440, and a third substrate 1100 including a plurality of other antenna elements 1120. According to one embodiment, detailed description of the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 in Fig. 11B will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with Figs. 4A, 4B, 4C, and / or 4F.

[0184] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 arranged to form a beam in a first direction (e.g., z-axis direction). According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C). For example, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in the through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 and may be coupled or connected to a second substrate 440 disposed on a second surface 406 of the main substrate 400.

[0185] According to various embodiments, the plurality of other antenna elements 1120 arranged on the third substrate 1100 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 arranged on the second substrate 440 through the third substrate 1100, the interposers 1101 and 1102, and the second substrate 440. According to one embodiment, the fifth element 1121 may be electrically connected to the fifth matching circuit 1111 of the third substrate 1100 through the 31st via 1131 of the third substrate 1100. The fifth matching circuit 1111 may be electrically connected to the fifth electrical wiring 1135 of the second substrate 440 through the 32nd via 1132, the 33rd via 1133 of the first interposer 1101, and the 34th via 1134 of the second substrate 440. The fifth electrical wiring 1135 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 35th via 1136. For example, the fifth element 1121 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the third substrate 1100, the first interposer 1101, and the second substrate 440. According to an embodiment, the sixth element 1122 may be electrically connected to the sixth matching circuit 1112 of the third substrate 1100 through the 36th via 1137 of the third substrate 1100. The sixth matching circuit 1112 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 46th via 1156. According to an embodiment, the seventh element 1123 may be electrically connected to the seventh matching circuit 1113 of the third substrate 1100 through the 37th via 1138 of the third substrate 1100. The seventh matching circuit 1113 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 47th via 1157.

[0186] According to an embodiment, the eighth element 1124 may be electrically connected to the eighth matching circuit 1114 of the third substrate 1100 through the 38th via 1139 of the third substrate 1100. The eighth matching circuit 1114 may be electrically connected to the sixth electrical wiring 1143 of the second substrate 440 through the 39th via 1140, the 40th via 1141 of the second interposer 1102, and the 41st via 1142 of the second substrate 440. The sixth electrical wiring 1143 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 42nd via 1144. For example, the eighth element 1124 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the third substrate 1100, the second interposer 1102, and the second substrate 440.

[0187] 12A and 12B show structures in which through holes are arranged in a part of the outer periphery of a main substrate according to various embodiments. Fig. 12A is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the -z axis of Fig. 4B. Fig. 12B is a plan view of the antenna module taken along the z axis of Fig. 4B.

[0188] 12A and 12B, the antenna module may include a first substrate 1210 including a plurality of antenna elements 1220, and a wireless communication circuit 1230 electrically coupled to the first substrate 1210. According to one embodiment, the first substrate 1210 may include a plurality of antenna elements 1220 arranged to form a directional beam.

[0189] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 1210 may be disposed within a hole (or groove) 1202 formed in at least a portion of the periphery of a main substrate 1200 (eg, printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C).

[0190] According to an embodiment, when at least a portion of the first substrate 1210 is disposed within the hole 1202 of the main substrate 1200, the first substrate 1210 may be coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuit 1230 disposed on the second surface 1206 of the main substrate 1200. For example, the first substrate 1210 may be disposed within the hole 1202 of the main substrate 1200 when the first surface 1204 of the main substrate 1200 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 12A. For example, the wireless communication circuit 1230 may be disposed to at least partially overlap the main substrate 1200 so as to overlap the through-hole 1202 and be coupled or connected to the main substrate 1200 when the second surface 1206 of the main substrate 1200 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction), as shown in FIG. 12B.

[0191] According to various embodiments, main board 1200 may have at least one circuit 1231, 1232, and / or 1233 disposed on one side (eg, first side 1204 and / or second side 1206).

[0192] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry 1230 may be disposed within a hole (or groove) 1202 formed in at least a portion of the periphery of the main board 1200 (eg, printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C).

[0193] According to an embodiment, when at least a portion of the wireless communication circuit 1230 is disposed in the hole 1202 of the main substrate 1200, the wireless communication circuit 1230 may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 1210 disposed on the first surface 1204 of the main substrate 1200. For example, the wireless communication circuit 1230 may be disposed in the hole 1202 of the main substrate 1200 when the second surface 1206 of the main substrate 1200 is viewed from above (e.g., in the z-axis direction). For example, the first substrate 1210 may be disposed to at least partially overlap the main substrate 1200 so as to overlap the through-hole 1202 and be coupled or connected to the main substrate 1200 when the first surface 1204 of the main substrate 1200 is viewed from above (e.g., in the -z-axis direction).

[0194] Another example of the structure of an antenna module including multiple array antennas according to various embodiments is shown in Figure 13. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of Figure 13 may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of Figure 2, and may include other embodiments of antenna modules.

[0195] According to various embodiments with reference to Fig. 13, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, a second substrate 440 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410, a wireless communication circuit 430 disposed on the second substrate 440, and a third substrate 1310 including a plurality of other antenna elements 1321 and / or 1323. According to one embodiment, detailed descriptions of the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 in Fig. 13 will be omitted to avoid overlapping descriptions with Figs. 4A, 4B, 4C, and / or 4F.

[0196] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 arranged to form a beam in a first direction (e.g., z-axis direction). For example, the plurality of antenna elements 420 may include a first element 421, a second element 422, a third element 423, or a fourth element 424. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a first through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C). For example, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in the first through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 and may be coupled or connected to a second substrate 440 disposed on a second surface 406 of the main substrate 400.

[0197] According to various embodiments, the third substrate 1310 may include a plurality of other antenna elements 1321 and / or 1323 arranged to form a beam in a second direction (e.g., −z-axis direction). According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the third substrate 1310 may be disposed in a second through-hole 1300 formed in at least a portion of the second substrate 440. For example, at least a portion of the third substrate 1310 may be disposed in the second through-hole 1300 of the second substrate 440, and may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 410 disposed in the first through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400. For example, the second through-hole 1300 may be formed to overlap at least a portion of the first through-hole 402.

[0198] According to various embodiments, the antenna elements 1321 and / or 1323 arranged on the third substrate 1310 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 arranged on the second substrate 440 via the third substrate 1310, the first substrate 410, and the second substrate 440. According to one embodiment, the fifth element 1321 may be electrically coupled to the seventh electrical wiring 1333 of the first substrate 410 through the 52nd via 1331 of the third substrate 1310 and the 53rd via 1332 of the first substrate 410. The seventh electrical wiring 1333 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the 54th via 1334 of the first substrate 410 and the 55th via 1335 of the second substrate 440. For example, the fifth element 1321 may be electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuit 430 via the third substrate 1310, the first substrate 410, and the second substrate 440.

[0199] According to an embodiment, the sixth element 1323 may be electrically connected to an eighth electrical wiring 1343 of the first substrate 410 through a 56th via 1341 of the third substrate 1310 and a 57th via 1342 of the first substrate 410. The eighth electrical wiring 1343 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a 58th via 1344 of the first substrate 410 and a 59th via 1345 of the second substrate 440. For example, the sixth element 1323 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through the third substrate 1310, the first substrate 410, and the second substrate 440.

[0200] According to various embodiments, the electronic device 101 or 300 can reduce the space (e.g., height) required for the antenna module by placing a first substrate 410 including multiple antenna elements 420 (e.g., an array antenna) in a first through hole 402 of the main substrate 400, and placing a third substrate 1310 including multiple other antenna elements 1321 and / or 1323 (e.g., an array antenna) in a second through hole 1300 of the second substrate 440.

[0201] Various embodiments of the amplifier circuit arrangement are shown in Figure 14. According to one embodiment, the antenna module of Figure 14 may be at least partially similar to the third antenna module 246 of Figure 2, and may include other embodiments of the antenna module.

[0202] According to various embodiments with reference to Fig. 14, the antenna module may include a first substrate 410 including a plurality of antenna elements 420, a second substrate 440 electrically coupled to the first substrate 410, and a wireless communication circuit 430 and an amplifier circuit (e.g., mmW AMP) 1410 disposed on the second substrate 440. According to one embodiment, detailed description of the first substrate 410 and the wireless communication circuit 430 in Fig. 14 will be omitted to avoid overlapping description with Figs. 4A, 4B, 4C, and / or 4F.

[0203] According to various embodiments, the first substrate 410 may include a plurality of antenna elements 420 arranged to form a beam in a first direction (e.g., z-axis direction). For example, the plurality of antenna elements 420 may include a first element 421, a second element 422, a third element 423, or a fourth element 424. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in a first through hole 402 formed in at least a portion of the main substrate 400 (e.g., the printed circuit board 324 in FIG. 3C). For example, at least a portion of the first substrate 410 may be disposed in the first through hole 402 of the main substrate 400 and may be coupled or connected to a second substrate 440 disposed on a second surface 406 of the main substrate 400.

[0204] According to various embodiments, at least a portion of the amplifier circuit 1410 may be disposed in a second through-hole 1400 formed in at least a portion of the second substrate 440. For example, at least a portion of the amplifier circuit 1410 may be disposed in the second through-hole 1400 of the second substrate 440, and may be coupled or connected to the first substrate 410 disposed in the first through-hole 402 of the main substrate 400. For example, the second through-hole 1400 may be formed to at least partially overlap the first through-hole 402.

[0205] According to various embodiments, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically coupled to the plurality of antenna elements 420 and / or the wireless communication circuit 430 via the first substrate 410 and / or the second substrate 440 .

[0206] According to an embodiment, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically connected to a ninth electrical wiring 1422 of the first substrate 410 through a 60th via 1421 of the first substrate 410. The ninth electrical wiring 1422 may be electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit 430 through a 61st via 1423 of the first substrate 410 and a 62nd via 1424 of the second substrate 440.

[0207] According to one embodiment, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically coupled to the fourth antenna element 424 through a 63rd via 1431 of the first substrate 410. As an example, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically coupled to the first antenna element 421, the second antenna element 422, and / or the third antenna element 423 through respective vias (not shown) included in the first substrate 410.

[0208] According to an embodiment, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically connected to a tenth electrical wiring 1442 of the first board 410 through a 64th via 1441 of the first board 410. The tenth electrical wiring 1442 may be electrically connected to an eleventh electrical wiring 1445 of the second board 440 through a 65th via 1443 of the first board 410 and a 66th via 1444 of the second board 440. The eleventh electrical wiring 1445 may be electrically connected to a twelfth electrical wiring 1448 of the main board 400 through a 67th via 1446 of the second board 440 and a 68th via 1447 of the main board 400. The twelfth electrical wiring 1448 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 454 through a 68th via 1449 of the main board 400. For example, the amplifier circuit 1410 may be electrically connected to the PMIC 454 disposed on the main board 400 via the main board 400 , the first board 410 and the second board 420 .

[0209] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 or electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A-FIG. 3C) includes a housing (e.g., housing 310 of FIG. 3A) and a first surface (e.g., first surface 904 of FIG. 9A or FIG. 10) facing a first direction and a second surface (e.g., second surface 906 of FIG. 9A or FIG. 10) facing a direction opposite to the first surface, and a through hole (through hole) disposed in an internal space of the housing. 10) and an antenna module disposed on the main substrate, the antenna module including a substrate (e.g., a first substrate 910 in FIG. 9A or 10) including a plurality of antenna elements (e.g., a plurality of antenna elements 920 in FIG. 9A or 10) and a wireless communication circuit (e.g., wireless communication circuit 930 in FIG. 9A or 10) disposed at least partially in the through hole and electrically coupled to the substrate, the substrate configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a designated frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements.

[0210] According to various embodiments, the substrate may be positioned to at least partially overlap the main substrate when the second surface of the main substrate is viewed from above.

[0211] According to various embodiments, the substrate and the wireless communication circuitry may be electrically and / or physically coupled by a conductive bonding method.

[0212] According to various embodiments, the substrate may be coupled or connected to the main substrate, and the wireless communication circuitry may be coupled or connected to the substrate.

[0213] According to various embodiments, the main board may include at least one circuit, and the wireless communication circuit may be electrically coupled to the at least one circuit via a substrate and the main board.

[0214] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 101 of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 or electronic device 300 of FIG. 3A-FIG. 3C) includes a housing (e.g., housing 310 of FIG. 3A) and a first surface disposed in an internal space of the housing, facing a first direction, and a second surface (e.g., second surface 406 of FIG. 4A, FIG. 6, FIG. 7A, FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, FIG. 13, FIG. 14) facing a direction opposite to the first surface (e.g., first surface 404 of FIG. 4A, FIG. 6, FIG. 7A, FIG. 8A, FIG. 8B, FIG. 13, FIG. 14), and a through hole (through hole). and an antenna module disposed on the main substrate, the antenna module being at least partially disposed in the first through hole and including a plurality of antenna elements (e.g., antenna element 420 in FIG. 4A, 6, 8A, 8B, 13, or 14). 4A, 6, 8A, 8B, 13, or 14), a second substrate (e.g., second substrate 440 of FIG. 4F, 13, or 14) disposed on a second surface of the main substrate and electrically coupled to the first substrate, and a wireless communication circuit (e.g., wireless communication circuit 430 of FIG. 4F, 13, or 14) configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals in a specified frequency band through the plurality of antenna elements on the second substrate.

[0215] According to various embodiments, the second substrate may be disposed so as to at least partially overlap the main substrate when the first surface of the main substrate is viewed from above.

[0216] According to various embodiments, the second substrate includes a second through hole (e.g., second through hole 1300 in FIG. 13 ), and the antenna module may further include a third substrate (e.g., third substrate 1310 in FIG. 13 ) including a plurality of other antenna elements (e.g., a plurality of other antenna elements (1321 and / or 1323) in FIG. 13 ) disposed in the second through hole and spaced at specified intervals.

[0217] According to various embodiments, the semiconductor device may further include an amplifier circuit (e.g., amplifier circuit 1410 in FIG. 14), which may be disposed in a second through-hole (e.g., second through-hole 1400 in FIG. 14) included in the second substrate.

[0218] According to various embodiments, an electronic device includes a first substrate including a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing in a direction opposite to the first surface and including at least one hole, and an antenna module including at least one antenna element and a wireless communication circuit for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals through the at least one antenna element, at least a portion of the antenna module may be at least partially disposed in the at least one hole.

[0219] According to various embodiments, the device may further include a housing, and the first substrate may be disposed within an interior space of the housing.

[0220] According to various embodiments, the first substrate may include a main substrate.

[0221] According to various embodiments, the antenna module may be disposed on the first substrate.

[0222] According to various embodiments, the antenna module may further include a second substrate including the at least one antenna element.

[0223] According to various embodiments, the second substrate may be at least partially disposed in the at least one hole.

[0224] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry is capable of transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals in a designated frequency band.

[0225] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be disposed on the second surface of the first substrate.

[0226] According to various embodiments, at least one of the wireless communication circuitry, the at least one antenna element, or the second substrate may be at least partially disposed in the at least one hole.

[0227] According to various embodiments, the second substrate may protrude beyond the first surface of the first substrate.

[0228] According to various embodiments, one side of the second substrate may be substantially the same as or lower than the first side of the first substrate.

[0229] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuit may be disposed so as to at least partially overlap the first substrate when the first surface of the first substrate is viewed from above.

[0230] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be electrically and / or physically coupled or connected to the second substrate by a conductive bonding method.

[0231] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be coupled or connected to the first substrate.

[0232] According to various embodiments, the second substrate may be coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuitry.

[0233] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be coupled or connected to the first substrate by a conductive bonding method.

[0234] According to various embodiments, the first substrate may include at least one circuit.

[0235] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be electrically coupled to the at least one circuit via the first substrate.

[0236] According to various embodiments, the at least one circuit may include a communications processor and / or a power management circuit.

[0237] According to various embodiments, the device may further include an interposer disposed between the first substrate and the wireless communication circuitry.

[0238] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry may be electrically coupled to the first substrate via an interposer.

[0239] According to various embodiments, the antenna may include at least one matching circuit disposed between the second substrate and the wireless communication circuit and electrically coupled to the at least one antenna element.

[0240] According to various embodiments, the matching circuit may include at least one conductive pattern disposed on the second substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit.

[0241] According to various embodiments, at least one conductive pattern disposed on the second substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit may be arranged so as not to overlap each other when viewed from above on the first surface of the first substrate.

[0242] According to various embodiments, the second substrate may be formed of a material having a lower dielectric constant than the first substrate.

[0243] According to various embodiments, the antenna module may include a third substrate including at least one other antenna element and electrically coupled to the wireless communication circuitry.

[0244] According to various embodiments, the device may further include an interposer disposed between the wireless communication circuitry and the third substrate.

[0245] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication circuitry is disposed between the second substrate and the third substrate and is electrically coupled to the at least one other antenna element via the interposer and the third substrate.

[0246] According to various embodiments, the at least one other antenna element may be spaced at a specified interval.

[0247] The embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and drawings are merely specific examples presented to easily explain the technical contents of the embodiments of the present invention and to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the various embodiments of the present invention should be interpreted as including any modified or changed forms derived based on the technical ideas of the various embodiments of the present invention in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0248] 300 Electronic equipment 301 Display 302 Front Plate 303 Audio module, microphone hole 304 Sensor module, illuminance sensor 305 Camera module, first camera device 307 Audio module, speaker hole, external speaker hole 308 1st connector hole 309 2nd connector hole 310 Housing 312 Camera module, second camera device 313 Camera module, flash 314 Audio module, speaker hole, telephone receiver hole 317 Key input device 318 Side bezel structure 319 3rd Sensor Module 321 Side bezel structure 322 Front Plate 323 Display 324 Printed Circuit Board 325 Battery 326 Second Support Member 327 Antenna 328 Back Plate 400 Main Board 402 Through hole 402 First through hole 410 First board 420 Antenna Element 421 1st Element 422 2nd Element 423 3rd Element 424 4th Element 430 Wireless communication circuits 452 Communications Processor 454 circuits

Claims

1. 1. An electronic device comprising: a first substrate including at least one through hole and / or cutout; An antenna module including at least one antenna element; and a wireless communication circuit for transmitting and / or receiving a wireless signal through the at least one antenna element, At least a portion of the antenna module is at least partially disposed in the at least one through hole and / or cutout.

2. Further comprising a housing; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is disposed in an interior space of the housing.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate comprises a main substrate.

4. The first substrate includes a first surface and a second surface facing in an opposite direction to the first surface; the antenna module further includes a second substrate including the at least one antenna element; the second substrate is at least partially disposed in the at least one through hole and / or cutout; a third surface of the second substrate protrudes beyond the first surface of the first substrate; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuitry is disposed on the second surface of the first substrate.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the wireless communication circuit is disposed so as to at least partially overlap the first substrate when the first surface of the first substrate is viewed from above.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein the second substrate and the wireless communication circuit are electrically and / or physically coupled by a conductive bonding method.

7. the wireless communication circuit is coupled or connected to the first substrate; The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the second substrate is coupled or connected to the wireless communication circuitry.

8. The electronic device of claim 4 , further comprising at least one matching circuit disposed between the second substrate and the wireless communication circuit, the matching circuit being electrically coupled to the at least one antenna element.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the matching circuit includes at least one conductive pattern disposed on the second substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein at least one conductive pattern disposed on the second substrate and / or the wireless communication circuit is arranged so as not to overlap with each other when viewed from above on the first surface of the first substrate.

11. the first substrate includes at least one circuit; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuitry is electrically coupled to the at least one circuitry through the first substrate.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the at least one circuitry includes a communications processor and / or a power management circuit.

13. further comprising an interposer disposed between the first substrate and the wireless communication circuit; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuit is electrically connected to the main board via an interposer and the first board.

14. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the second substrate comprises a material having a dielectric constant lower than the dielectric constant of the first substrate.

15. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein the antenna module further includes a third substrate including at least one other antenna element electrically connected to the wireless communication circuit.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, further comprising an interposer disposed between the wireless communication circuit and the third substrate.

17. The second substrate comprises a material having a dielectric constant lower than a dielectric constant of the first substrate; 17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the wireless communication circuit is disposed between the second substrate and the third substrate and is electrically coupled to the at least one other antenna element via the interposer and the third substrate.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the at least one other antenna element is positioned at a specified interval.

19. The first substrate includes a first surface and a second surface facing in an opposite direction to the first surface; the antenna module further includes a second substrate including the at least one antenna element; the second substrate is at least partially disposed in the at least one through hole and / or cutout; a third surface of the second substrate is disposed so as to be coplanar with the first surface of the first substrate; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuitry is disposed on the second surface of the first substrate.

20. The first substrate includes a first surface and a second surface facing in an opposite direction to the first surface; the antenna module further includes a second substrate including the at least one antenna element; the second substrate is at least partially disposed in the at least one through hole and / or cutout; a third surface of the second substrate is disposed lower than the first surface of the first substrate; The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication circuitry is disposed on the second surface of the first substrate.

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