Electronic Components and Devices

Abstract

The present application discloses an electronic component and an electronic device for achieving a three-dimensional stack structure, reducing the area, and improving heat dissipation. In the present application, the electronic component includes an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate, and a housing frame. The upper cover plate holds a first circuit. The lower cover plate holds a second circuit. The housing frame is individually connected to the upper and lower cover plates. An interconnection circuit is disposed on the housing frame and configured to interconnect the first circuit and the second circuit. The first circuit and the second circuit vertically overlap without interfering with each other. The height of the housing frame is not lower than a predetermined height, which is higher than the sum of the heights of the first circuit and the second circuit, thereby achieving a three-dimensional stack structure between the upper and lower cover plates and thereby reducing the area of ​​the electronic device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202011374920.1, entitled "Electronic Components and Electronic Devices," filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 30, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This application relates to the field of electronic device technology, and more particularly to electronic components and devices. [Background technology]

[0003] A power amplifier (PA) is a key component for power amplification in wireless base stations. The PA's performance indicators, including saturated power and efficiency, determine the base station's power consumption, size, and heat dissipation requirements. Compared with traditional power amplifiers in remote radio units (RRUs), PAs in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MM) technology are characterized by low power consumption and high integrity.

[0004] Figure 1-1 is a schematic diagram of a packaged chip-based planar layout solution for PA, showing a typical two-stage amplifier circuit including components such as bias circuit, control circuit, matching circuit, and active chip. However, the four components are arranged in the same plane, leading to an excessively large size. Therefore, miniaturization measures need to be taken to meet the requirements of MM products.

[0005] Currently, in monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) solutions, part of the matching circuit, part of the bias circuit, and part of the control circuit are integrated onto the active chip, as shown in Figure 1-2, which can significantly reduce the area of ​​the entire link to meet the miniaturization requirements of MM products.

[0006] However, integrating passive and active circuits on an active chip requires that the passive circuits be manufactured using the same technology as the active circuits, resulting in high costs. Compared with traditional surface-mounted devices (SMDs), passive circuits integrated on chips have lower satisfactory voltage resistance and Q factors, which affect link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power). In addition, chips require very long tape-out times (typically several months), have very long performance iteration cycles, and require very high tape-out costs. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application provides electronic components and devices to achieve a three-dimensional stack structure, reduce area, and improve heat dissipation.

[0008] A first aspect of the present application provides an electronic component including an upper cover plate, a lower cover plate, and a housing frame. The upper cover plate holds a first circuit. The lower cover plate holds a second circuit. The housing frame is individually connected to the upper and lower cover plates. An interconnection circuit is disposed on the housing frame. The interconnection circuit is configured to interconnect the first circuit and the second circuit. The first circuit and the second circuit vertically overlap without interfering with each other. The height of the housing frame is not lower than a predetermined height, and the predetermined height is higher than the sum of the heights of the first circuit and the second circuit, thereby achieving a three-dimensional stack structure between the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate, thereby reducing the area of ​​the electronic device.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the material of the housing frame is a PCB or a plastic article, and the housing frame is configured to be fixedly connected to the upper and lower cover plates.

[0010] In some possible implementations, when the material of the housing frame is a PCB, an integrated passive circuit may be disposed on the housing frame and configured to transmit a DC bias signal, a switch control signal, and / or a radio frequency signal between the first circuit and the second circuit. Commonly used integrated passive circuits include a power divider and / or a coupling circuit.

[0011] In some possible implementations, when the material of the housing frame is a plastic article, the integrated passive circuitry may be located on the top cover plate rather than on the housing frame.

[0012] In some possible implementations, in order to shield signals, a metallization process may be performed on the housing frame so that the housing frame has signal shielding capabilities. Specifically, the metallization process may be electroplating, and the metal used may be copper, gold, nickel, palladium, etc.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the first circuit includes auxiliary circuit devices, which include control and / or bias circuits. Note that the auxiliary circuit devices are all conductive parts on the circuit, such as those for control, measurement, signal and regulation, and data processing in a complete set of devices (other than the primary circuit).

[0014] In some possible implementations, surface-mounted devices (SMDs) may also be used for matching in the first circuit. Compared to high-integrity MMIC solutions, SMDs have lower Q factors and losses, better link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power), and require lower cost.

[0015] In some possible embodiments, the upper cover plate is disposed on the TRX substrate. In some possible embodiments, the upper cover plate is the TRX substrate, which saves material and reduces weight. In some possible embodiments, the material of the upper cover plate is a radio frequency substrate, and the upper cover plate is connected to the TRX substrate via an LGA.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the second circuit includes an electronic component matching circuit, a core radio frequency matching circuit, and an active chip. Therefore, during development of electronic components on the platform, different structures may be used to accommodate different communication bands. Because the first circuit disposed on the lower cover plate 220 is an active circuit, design may be performed only on the lower cover plate 220. Specifically, the housing frame 230 and the upper cover plate 210 are reused, and only passive current matching needs to be designed, thereby improving supply continuity and development flexibility.

[0017] In some possible implementations, surface-mounted devices (SMDs) may also be used for matching in the second circuit. Compared to high-integrity MMIC solutions, SMDs have lower Q factors and losses, better link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power), and require lower cost.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the second circuit is a discrete device or an unpackaged active chip. Because it is not necessary to place the passive circuit on the bottom cover plate, the high cost disadvantage caused by the need to use the same technology for the passive circuit and the active part to integrate them on a single chip in the prior art is eliminated. In addition, compared to MMIC solutions, because the second circuit is a discrete device or an unpackaged active chip, the chip requires a very short tapeout time and has a short performance iteration cycle. Considering that tapeout is very expensive, this reduces costs and achieves high supply continuity.

[0019] In some possible implementations, the lower cover plate is disposed on the radiator.

[0020] In some possible implementations, a sintered block is placed between the lower cover plate and the radiator.

[0021] A second aspect of the present application provides an electronic device including an electronic component of an embodiment according to the first aspect.

[0022] From the above technical solutions, it can be seen that the embodiments of the present application have the following advantages:

[0023] The upper cover plate holds a first circuit. The lower cover plate holds a second circuit. A housing frame is individually connected to the upper and lower cover plates. An interconnection circuit is disposed on the housing frame. The interconnection circuit is configured to implement an interconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit. The first circuit and the second circuit vertically overlap without interfering with each other. The height of the housing frame is not lower than a predetermined height, which is higher than the sum of the height of the first circuit and the height of the second circuit, thereby achieving a three-dimensional stack structure between the upper and lower cover plates, thereby reducing the area of ​​the electronic device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1-1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a two-stage amplifier circuit. [Figure 1-2] Schematic diagram of an integrated chip for an MMIC solution. [Figure 2-1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic component according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a physical electronic component according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-3] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of an electronic component according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-4] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an electronic component viewed horizontally according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-5] 1 is a schematic diagram of electronic components that may be disposed on a TRX substrate with a top cover plate according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-6] 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic component in which a TRX substrate is used as a top cover plate according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 2-7] 1 is a schematic diagram of a radiator with a lower cover plate disposed thereon, according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2-8] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a lower cover plate being welded to an auxiliary sintering block according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Embodiments of the present application provide electronic components and devices to achieve a three-dimensional stack structure, reduce area, and improve heat dissipation.

[0026] In an embodiment of the present application, an electronic component is a basic element of an electronic circuit, which is usually individually packaged and has two or more pins. For example, an electronic component is a power amplifier module (PAM). An electronic device is a device that has internal electronic circuitry and achieves its function through electronic technology and software. A circuit is a structure including a dielectric layer and traces, pads, and vias disposed on the dielectric layer, configured to implement interconnections between electronic components to form an electronic circuit having a specific function, for example, a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MASSIVE MIMO) antenna transceiver circuit for a wireless base station.

[0027] A power amplifier (PA) is a key component for power amplification in wireless base stations. The PA's performance indicators, including saturation power and efficiency, determine the base station's power consumption, size, and heat dissipation requirements. Compared with traditional power amplifiers in RRUs, PAs in MM technology are characterized by low power and high integrity. A typical two-stage amplifier circuit includes components such as a bias supply circuit, a control circuit, a radio frequency matching circuit, and an active chip. However, these components are arranged in the same plane, resulting in an excessively large size. Therefore, miniaturization measures must be implemented to meet the requirements of MM products.

[0028] In a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) solution, part of the matching circuit, part of the bias circuit, and part of the control circuit are integrated on a chip. This can significantly reduce the overall link area to meet the miniaturization requirements of MM products. However, integrating passive and active circuits on a chip requires the passive circuits to be fabricated using the same technology as the active circuits, resulting in high costs. Compared with traditional SMDs, passive circuits integrated on a chip have lower satisfactory voltage resistance and Q values, which affect link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power). In addition, chips require very long tape-out times (typically several months), have very long performance iteration cycles, and require very high tape-out costs.

[0029] See FIG. 2-1. In view of this, the present application provides an electronic component 200 including an upper cover plate 210, a lower cover plate 220, and a housing frame 230. The upper cover plate 210 holds a first circuit. The lower cover plate 220 holds a second circuit. The housing frame 230 is individually connected to the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220. An interconnection circuit is disposed on the housing frame 230. The interconnection circuit is configured to implement an interconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit.

[0030] In the embodiment of the present application, the electronic component 200 may be a power amplifier or other electronic component in a base station, which is not limited here.

[0031] Specifically, Fig. 2-2 is an exploded view of the electronic component 200. Fig. 2-3 is an assembled view of the electronic component 200 viewed from a horizontal direction. Fig. 2-4 is an exploded view of the electronic component 200 viewed from a horizontal direction.

[0032] The following will describe in detail the housing frame 230, the upper cover plate 210, and the lower cover plate 220 in the embodiment of the present application individually.

[0033] I. Housing frame 230. 1. Height of the housing frame 230. In the embodiment of the present application, the height of the housing frame 230 is not lower than a predetermined height, and the predetermined height is higher than the sum of the height of the first circuit and the height of the second circuit, so that a three-dimensional stack structure is achieved between the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220, thereby reducing the area of ​​the electronic device 200.

[0034] 2-3, the height of the first circuit is 1 millimeter (mm), the height of the second circuit is 1.5 mm, and the height of the housing frame 230 is 3 mm. Because 3 mm > 1 mm + 1.5 mm, when the upper cover plate 210 holds the first circuit and the lower cover plate 220 holds the second circuit, a three-dimensional stack structure is achieved, thereby reducing the area of ​​the electronic component 200. In other words, for the same area, more circuits can be placed on the electronic component 200.

[0035] Conversely, if the height of the first circuit is 2 millimeters (mm), the height of the second circuit is 2 mm, and the height of the housing frame 230 is 3.5 mm, then 3.5 mm < 2 mm + 2 mm, so when the upper cover plate 210 holds the first circuit and the lower cover plate 220 holds the second circuit, a three-dimensional stack structure cannot be implemented, and as a result, the overall area of ​​the electronic components cannot be reduced.

[0036] Preferably, the height of the housing frame 230 does not exceed another preset value so as not to waste space, not to increase the difficulty of communication between the first circuit and the second circuit, not to increase the difficulty of alignment, and not to affect structural strength. For example, the height of the first circuit is 1 mm, the height of the second circuit is 1 mm, and the total height of the first circuit and the second circuit is 2 mm. If the height of the housing frame 230 is set to 10 mm, unnecessary space will be wasted.

[0037] It should be noted that the first circuit and the second circuit are circuits that overlap vertically without interfering with each other, such as Circuit 1 and Circuit 2, or Circuit 3 and Circuit 4, or Circuit 2 and Circuit 3 shown in FIGS. 2-3. This does not apply to Circuit 1 and Circuit 4. In the embodiments of the present application, "without interfering with each other" means that the two circuits do not contact each other.

[0038] 2-3 , in an embodiment of the present application, the interconnection circuit is disposed in a housing frame 230. The interconnection circuit may be disposed on a sidewall of the housing frame 230. The interconnection circuit is configured to be individually connected to a first circuit and a second circuit to implement an interconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit.

[0039] 2. The material of the housing frame 230. In some possible implementations, the material of the housing frame 230 may be a printed circuit board (PCB) or a plastic article, and the housing frame 230 is configured to secure the upper cover plate 210 and the lower cover plate 220.

[0040] PCBs are important electronic components and are widely used in the manufacture of electronic products. PCBs can replace complex wiring to implement electrical connections between components in a circuit. This simplifies the assembly and welding process of electronic products, reduces the wiring workload required in traditional processes, and significantly reduces the labor intensity of workers.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the housing frame 230 may also be made of other materials, which is not limited here.

[0042] 3. The integrated passive circuit is placed in the housing frame 230. In some possible implementations, when the material of the housing frame 230 is a PCB, an integrated passive circuit configured to communicate between the first circuit and the second circuit may be disposed on the housing frame 230.

[0043] It should be noted that commonly used integrated passive circuits include power dividers and / or combiner circuits. A power divider is a device that distributes the energy of one input signal to two or more outputs with equal or unequal energy, and can also combine the energy of multiple signals into one output. In this case, the power divider may also be called a combiner. A combiner circuit is a circuit that connects functional circuits to perform energy and signal transmission.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, after the integrated passive circuit is placed on the housing frame 230, a DC bias signal, a switch control signal, and / or a radio frequency signal can be transmitted between the first circuit and the second circuit.

[0045] In some possible implementations, when the material of the housing frame 230 is a plastic article, the integrated passive circuitry may be located on the top cover plate 210 rather than on the housing frame.

[0046] 4. The housing frame 230 is subjected to a metallization process. To prevent signal leakage during communication between the first circuit and the second circuit, metallization may be performed on the housing frame 230 to shield signals. Specifically, the metallization may be electroplating, and the metal used may be copper, gold, nickel, palladium, or the like. In the embodiment of the present application, the metallization is performed on the housing frame 230 so that the housing frame 230 has signal shielding capabilities.

[0047] II. Top cover plate 210. 1. First circuit configuration. In some possible implementations, the first circuit may include auxiliary circuit devices, which include passive circuits such as control circuits and / or bias circuits.

[0048] It should be noted that all auxiliary circuit devices are conductive parts on the circuit, such as those for control, measurement, signal and regulation, and data processing in a complete set of equipment (other than the primary circuit).

[0049] In the embodiment of the present application, the control circuit is a circuit used for mechanical and electrical device control (including testing) according to the terms and definitions in GB / T 5226.1-2019 / IEC 60204-1:2016.

[0050] It should be noted that in order for the amplifier formed by the transistor to be able to amplify the signal voltage without distortion, it is necessary to ensure that the emitter junction of the transistor is forward biased and the collector junction is reverse biased. In other words, the operating point of the transistor must be set. The operating point is the point at which the base, emitter, and collector of the transistor are at the required potentials (which can be calculated) depending on the arrangement of external circuits. These external circuits are called bias circuits.

[0051] In some possible implementations, surface-mounted devices (SMDs) may also be used for matching in the first circuit. Compared to high-integrity MMIC solutions, SMDs have lower Q factors and losses, better link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power), and require lower cost.

[0052] 2. The top cover plate 210 is placed on the transceiver unit (TRX) board. In some possible implementations, the electronic component 200 may be a power amplifier and may include a TRX board, as shown in Figures 2-5. A top cover plate 210 may be disposed on the TRX board.

[0053] In some possible implementations, the material of the top cover plate 210 is a radio frequency substrate, and the top cover plate 210 can be interconnected with the TRX substrate via a land grid array (LGA). It should be noted that the LGA corresponds to the previous packaging technology of Intel processors, Socket 478, also known as Socket T. The LGA mainly uses metal contact packaging to replace the traditional needle pins.

[0054] 3. The top cover plate 210 is the TRX board. In some possible implementations, as shown in Figures 2-6, a TRX substrate may be used as the top cover plate 210, thereby saving material and reducing weight.

[0055] During development of electronic components on the platform, different structures may be used to accommodate different communication bands. Because the first circuit placed on the lower cover plate 220 is an active circuit, the design may be performed only on the lower cover plate 220. Specifically, the housing frame 230 and the upper cover plate 210 are reused, and therefore, only the passive circuitry needs to be designed, thereby improving supply continuity and development flexibility.

[0056] III. Lower cover plate 220. In one embodiment of the present application, the material of the lower cover plate 220 is a PCB, and the lower cover plate is configured to hold a second circuit.

[0057] 1. Second circuit configuration. In some possible implementations, the second circuit includes an active circuit, such as a power amplifier matching circuit, a core radio frequency matching circuit, and an active chip, since there is no need to place a passive circuit on the lower cover plate 220, the drawback of high cost caused by the need to use the same technology for the passive circuit and the active part in order to integrate the passive circuit and the active part on one single chip in the prior art is eliminated.

[0058] In some possible implementations, surface-mounted devices (SMDs) may also be used for matching in the second circuit. Compared to high-integrity MMIC solutions, SMDs have lower Q factors and losses, better link performance (such as gain, efficiency, and saturated power), and require lower cost.

[0059] 2. Second circuit form. In some possible implementations, the second circuit is a discrete device or an unpackaged active chip.

[0060] Note that a discrete device is a small electronic component or part. To form a miniature structure with the required circuit function, the components and wiring required for the circuit, such as transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, and inductors, are interconnected together using a specific process and integrated onto one or several small semiconductor wafers or dielectric substrates, which are then packaged within a cylindrical casing.

[0061] An unpackaged active chip (also called a die) is a chip manufactured in a foundry that only has bonding pads for packaging and cannot be used directly in an actual circuit. A die is a chip manufactured by a foundry (manufacturing factory), specifically, a chip that is not packaged after wafer dicing and testing.

[0062] Compared to MMIC solutions, the second circuit is a discrete device or an unpackaged active chip, so the chip requires a very short tapeout time and has a short performance iteration cycle. Considering that tapeout is very expensive, this reduces costs and achieves high supply continuity.

[0063] 3. The lower cover plate 220 is placed on the radiator. Currently, in the mainstream MIMO solution in the industry, a TRX board is placed between the active chip and the radiator. In the embodiment of the present application, the upper cover plate 210 is connected to the TRX board or is the TRX board, so that the lower cover plate 220 can be placed on the radiator, as shown in Figures 2-7. This contributes to the heat dissipation of the active circuit (second circuit) on the lower cover plate 220.

[0064] Optionally, a sintered block may be placed between the lower cover plate 220 and the radiator, as shown in Figures 2-8. The sintered block is configured to aid in heat dissipation to reduce the temperature of the second circuit and improve the heat dissipation capability and power capacity of the overall module.

[0065] See Figure 3. The present application further provides an electronic device 300 including the above-described electronic component 200. The electronic device 300 includes, but is not limited to, a power amplifier.

[0066] In the description herein, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more of the embodiments or examples.

[0067] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only intended to describe the technical solutions of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications may be further made to the technical solutions described in the above embodiments, or equivalent substitutions may be made to some technical features, and such modifications and substitutions will not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 200 Electronic Components 210 Upper cover plate 220 Lower Cover Plate 230 Housing Frame 300 Electronic Devices

Claims

1. 1. An electronic component comprising: An upper cover plate, a lower cover plate, and a housing frame, the upper cover plate holds a first circuit, the lower cover plate holds a second circuit, and the chassis frame is individually connected to the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate; an interconnection circuit disposed on the housing frame, the interconnection circuit configured to implement an interconnection between the first circuit and the second circuit, the first circuit and the second circuit vertically overlapping without interfering with each other; a height of the housing frame is not lower than a predetermined height, and the predetermined height is higher than a sum of a height of the first circuit and a height of the second circuit; an integrated passive circuit disposed on the housing frame; An electronic component, wherein an integrated passive circuit is configured to transmit a DC bias signal, a switch control signal, and / or a radio frequency signal between the first circuit and the second circuit.

2. The electronic component of claim 1 , wherein the integrated passive circuit comprises a power divider and / or a combiner circuit.

3. The electronic component according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the material of the housing frame is a PCB or a plastic article.

4. 4. The electronic component according to claim 1, wherein the housing frame is metallized to shield signals.

5. The electronic component of claim 4 , wherein the metallization process is an electroplating process.

6. 6. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the first circuit comprises an auxiliary circuit device, the auxiliary circuit device comprising a control circuit and / or a bias circuit.

7. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the top cover plate is a TRX board.

8. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the top cover plate is disposed on a TRX substrate.

9. The electronic component according to claim 8 , wherein the material of the top cover plate is a radio frequency substrate, and the top cover plate is connected to the TRX substrate via an LGA.

10. 10. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the second circuit comprises an electronic component matching circuit, a core radio frequency matching circuit, and an active chip.

11. 11. The electronic component of claim 1, wherein the second circuit is a discrete device or an unpackaged active chip.

12. The electronic component according to claim 1 , wherein the lower cover plate is arranged on a radiator.

13. The electronic component of claim 12 , wherein a sintered block is disposed between the lower cover plate and the radiator.

14. An electronic device comprising an electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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