Radar component

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a radar component (1) comprising an electric circuit board (5) having a patterned electrical layer (10), a chip (15) which is mounted on a top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) and electrically connected to electrical traces (20) formed by sections of the electrical layer (10), and at least one radar antenna pad (35) formed by a metal pad of the electrical layer (10) or a metal pad of another electrical layer (100) of the circuit board (5), wherein the radar antenna pad (35) is connected to the chip (15) via at least one of said traces (20).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Radar component

[0003] The invention relates to radar components as well as vehicles and parts of vehicles that comprise radar components . The present application claims the benefit and priority to EP patent application EP 24 211 410 . 6 , filed on November 07 , 2024 the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein .

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] German Patent DE 10 2021 110 820 B3 discloses a radar sensor device with a transmitting and receiving path, an optical input for receiving an optical transmission signal , an optical output for providing an optical output signal , and an antenna for emitting an external electrical signal and receiving an electrical receiving signal . The radar sensor device is designed as a one-chip system .

[0006] Obj ective of the present invention

[0007] An obj ective of the present invention is to propose a compact radar component that can be easily manufactured .

[0008] Brief summary of the invention

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention relates to a radar component according to claim 1 . Preferred embodiments are described in dependent claims .

[0010] For instance , an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may relate to a radar component comprising an electric circuit board having a patterned electrical layer, a chip comprising an electronic-photonic-integrated circuit which is mounted on a top surface of the circuit board and electrically connected to electrical traces formed by sections of the electrical layer, at least one optical fiber being butt- coupled to an assigned optical waveguide integrated in the chip, the core of the butt-coupled end of the fiber lying in the same plane as the optical waveguide , said plane being parallel to the said top surface of the circuit board, wherein the alignment between the fiber and the waveguide provides a straight , linear transmission of optical radiation between the optical fiber and the optical waveguide , at least one radar antenna pad formed by a metal pad of the electrical layer or a metal pad of another electrical layer of the circuit board, wherein the radar antenna pad is connected to the chip via at least one of said traces , and a microwave waveguide formed by a hollow pipe and coupled to said radar antenna pad, wherein the fiber is mechanically carried by a groove of the chip which aligns the core of the fiber with the assigned optical waveguide , and wherein a longitudinal axis of the hollow pipe is angled to said plane , at least in the vicinity of the radar antenna pad .

[0011] An advantage of the above embodiment is that the radar component is very compact since the optical fibers are being butt- coupled via grooves to assigned optical waveguide integrated in the chip and therefore lay in the same plane as the optical waveguides . The microwave waveguide ( s ) are formed by hollow pipes and are angled with respect to said plane in order to facilitate the manufacturing process .

[0012] In the vicinity of the radar antenna pad, the longitudinal axis of the hollow pipe is preferably perpendicular to said plane . A substrate may be mounted on said top surface of the electric circuit board or on a bottom surface of the electric circuit board . The hollow pipe is preferably embedded in said substrate and passes through said substrate .

[0013] A heat spreader may be mounted on top of the chip .

[0014] The substrate may be arranged adj acent to the heat spreader . Then, the substrate may block a movement of the heat spreader relatively to said chip in at least one direction that is parallel to said plane .

[0015] The substrate may form a bracket and / or hole providing an opening into which the heat spreader protrudes in a direction perpendicular to said plane .

[0016] The bracket and / or hole may block any movement of the heat spreader in at least two directions that are parallel to said plane .

[0017] Alternatively, the heat spreader may form a bracket and / or hole providing an opening into which the substrate protrudes in a direction perpendicular to said plane . Then, the bracket and / or hole may block any movement of the substrate in at least two directions that are parallel to said plane .

[0018] One of those two directions mentioned above is preferably parallel to the fiber and another of those two directions is preferably perpendicular thereto .

[0019] The bracket is preferably U-shaped .

[0020] The circuit board may have a cutout which the fiber passes towards the assigned optical waveguide . The cutout preferably defines the outer peripheral edge of the circuit board . The longitudinal axis of the cutout my be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fiber .

[0021] A section of the substrate and / or a section of the heat spreader may be located above or beneath the cutout . The latter section of the substrate and / or the latter section of the heat spreader is preferably connected to ( e . g . glued to ) the fiber or preferably at least touches the fiber thereby providing support perpendicular to said plane and a vertical stress relief for the fiber .

[0022] The substrate and / or the heat spreader preferably completely cover the top surface of the circuit board .

[0023] For instance , the heat spreader may completely cover the top surface of the circuit board, and the substrate may completely cover the bottom surface of the circuit board .

[0024] The substrate is preferably attached to the circuit board without the need of additional heat in order to avoid additional thermal impact on the fibers and their connection to the optical waveguides during the step of attaching the substrate to the circuit board . The substrate may be attached by a screw j oint or glue to avoid said additional thermal impact .

[0025] The substrate may extend beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board, and the substrate and the fiber may be connected by glue .

[0026] The heat spreader may extend beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board, and the heat spreader and the fiber may be connected by glue . The hollow pipe may provide an internal interface coupled to the radar antenna pad, and an external interface for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation . The external interface may be formed by an end section of the pipe that provides a radar antenna . The end section is preferably widened to provide a horn-shaped antenna . Alternatively, the end section may be formed as a slot-antenna .

[0027] The pipe may be bend in an intermediate section arranged between the internal interface and the external interface .

[0028] The external interface is preferably of fset from the internal interface in the direction perpendicular to the plane , thereby increasing the distance between the chip and the external interface relative to the distance between the chip and the internal interface .

[0029] Two or more radar antenna pads may be formed by metal pads of the electrical layer or metal pads of another electrical layer of the circuit board, wherein each radar antenna pad is connected to the chip .

[0030] Two or more microwave waveguides may be each formed by a hollow pipe and coupled to a respective radar antenna pad .

[0031] The hollow pipes are preferably embedded in said substrate and pass through said substrate .

[0032] The substrate preferably comprises at least one attenuation zone between adj acent hollow pipes and / or at least one attenuation zone between one of the hollow pipes and the chip . The substrate may be a moulded part and walls of the hollow pipes may be metalli zed surfaces of through holes in the moulded part .

[0033] The chip preferably comprises silicon photonics components and / or CMOS components for electrical purposes . The chip, for instance their CMOS components , are preferably configured to process radar frequencies in the range between 76 and 81 GHz .

[0034] The electric circuit board may comprise an intermediate electrically conducting layer arranged between the patterned electrical layer on the top surface of the electric circuit board and the bottom surface of the electric circuit board .

[0035] In a top view perpendicular to the top surface , the intermediate layer is preferably partially exposed and laterally protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the patterned electrical layer and the outer perimeter of the bottom surface .

[0036] The intermediate layer preferably comprises a contact section outside the perimeters of the patterned electrical layer and the bottom surface . The contact section preferably forms an electrical interface of the radar component .

[0037] The chip, the patterned electrical layer and the bottom surface are preferably enclosed by a housing .

[0038] An inner portion of the intermediate layer may be located within the housing and an outer portion of the intermediate layer may be located outside the housing . The contact section may be a part of the outer portion of the intermediate layer . The substrate may be mounted on the top surface of the electric circuit board, wherein a microwave waveguide may be formed by a hollow pipe passing through said substrate and may be coupled to said radar antenna pad, wherein the patterned electrical layer may form both the antenna pad and a first section of an inner wall of the hollow pipe , and wherein a second section of the inner wall of the hollow pipe may be formed by an inner section of the substrate .

[0039] Alternatively, the substrate may be mounted on the bottom surface of the electric circuit board, wherein a microwave waveguide may be formed by a hollow pipe passing through said substrate and may be coupled to said radar antenna pad, wherein said another electrical layer may be a patterned bottom layer on the bottom surface of the electric circuit board, wherein the bottom layer may form both the antenna pad and a first section of an inner wall of the hollow pipe , and wherein a second section of the inner wall of the hollow pipe may be formed by an inner section of the substrate .

[0040] The hollow pipe may provide an internal interface coupled to said radar antenna pad, and an external interface for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation, wherein the external interface may be formed by an end section of the pipe that provides at least one radar antenna, wherein the hollow pipe may have a first opening, in which the antenna pad lies , located at a first surface of a substrate , the first opening forming the internal interface , and wherein the hollow pipe may have one or more second openings that form the external interface and may be located at an opposite second surface of the substrate . A radome may be mounted on the second surface of the substrate , said radome preferably covering at least the second opening or openings of the hollow pipe .

[0041] The hollow pipe may have a plurality of second openings at the second surface of the substrate .

[0042] The radar component may comprise a recess delimited by an outer side wall surrounding the recess , wherein the circuit board may be located within the recess .

[0043] The height of the sidewall may vary and the sidewall may comprise a section of reduced height , wherein at least one optical fiber and / or a contact section of an intermediate electrically conducting layer of the circuit board may pass the section of reduced height .

[0044] Furthermore , both the at least one optical fiber and a contact section of an intermediate electrically conducting layer of the circuit board may pass the section of reduced height .

[0045] Further, the sidewall may comprise at least two sections of reduced height , which are separated by a section of unreduced height exceeding the reduced height , wherein at least one optical fiber passes a first section of reduced height and a contact section of an intermediate electrically conducting layer of the circuit board passes a second section of reduced height .

[0046] The sidewall that surrounds the recess may be the sidewall of the substrate or the sidewall of a cup-shaped radome .

[0047] The substrate , a heat spreader and sealing material may form a sealed housing in which the chip is located . A radome may be mounted on a second surface of the substrate , said radome covering at least one second opening of at least one pipe . The radome may be cup-shaped, wherein the substrate preferably lies within the cup .

[0048] The second openings are preferably horn-shaped or slotshaped .

[0049] The chip is preferably a bare silicon die .

[0050] The chip may be an electronic-photonic-integrated circuit . Alternatively, the chip may be an electronic-integrated circuit , wherein a photonic integrated circuit may also be mounted on the circuit board . The photonic integrated circuit is preferably electrically connected to the electronic-integrated circuit .

[0051] The photonic integrated circuit and the electronic-integrated circuit are preferably both mounted on the top surface of the circuit board .

[0052] Alternatively, the electronic-integrated circuit may be mounted on the top surface of the circuit board, and the photonic integrated circuit may be mounted on the bottom surface of the circuit board .

[0053] Traces of the intermediate electrically conducting layer are preferably vertically connected ( e . g . through filled connecting holes ( "vias" ) ) to the electrical traces formed by sections of the electrical layer that is mounted on the top surface of the electric circuit board, and therefore to the chip, for instance for allowing providing electrical power to the chip . In a top view perpendicular to the top surface - at least one of the layers of the electric circuit board is partially exposed and laterally protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the other non-protruding layers of the electric circuit board, wherein the at least one protruding layer may comprise a contact section outside the perimeters of the non-protruding layers , and wherein the contact section may form an electrical interface of the radar component .

[0054] The chip may be enclosed by a housing, wherein an inner portion of the at least one partially exposed layer may be located within the housing and an outer portion of the at least one partially exposed layer may be located outside the housing . The contact section may be a part of the outer portion of the at least one partially exposed layer .

[0055] The at least one partially exposed layer may be the patterned electrical top layer on the top surface , the bottom layer on the bottom surface , or an intermediate electrically conducting layer arranged between the top layer and the bottom layer of the electric circuit board .

[0056] Another embodiment of the invention relates to a vehicle or part of a vehicle that comprises one or more radar components as described above .

[0057] Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

[0058] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings , wherein identical or comparable parts are designated by the same reference signs throughout . It will be readily understood that the parameters of the embodiments of the present invention, as generally described herein, could vary in a wide range . Thus , the following more detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention but is merely representative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention .

[0059] Figures 1-5 depict a first exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0060] Figure 6 depicts a second exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0061] Figure 7 depicts a third exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0062] Figures 8- 9 depict a fourth exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0063] Figure 10 depicts a fi fth exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0064] Figure 11 depicts a sixth exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0065] Figure 12 depicts a seventh exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention, Figure 13- 14 depict an eighth exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention,

[0066] Figure 15 depicts a nineth exemplary embodiment of a radar component according to the present invention, and

[0067] Figure 16 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle according to the present invention .

[0068] Figure 1 shows a cross-section of first exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0069] The radar component 1 comprises an electric circuit board 5 having a patterned electrical layer 10 on its a top surface 5a .

[0070] A chip 15 is flip-chip-mounted on the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 and electrically connected to electrical traces 20 that are formed by sections of the electrical layer 10 . The chip 15 can be soldered to the electrical traces 20 via solder balls .

[0071] The chip 15 comprises an electronic-photonic-integrated circuit that can process optical and electrical signals . For instance , the chip 15 may generate and receive electrical signals and receive , process and output optical signals . To this end, the chip 15 may comprise photonic components such as for instance photodetectors and silicon-based electro-optic modulators . Furthermore , the chip 15 may comprise electrical components such as for instance silicon-based transistors for processing electrical signals . The electrical components are preferably based on CMOS technology and are preferably configured to process electrical signals in the microwave range ( e . g . in the range between 76 and 81 GHz ) .

[0072] The chip 15 shown in Figure 1 can, for example , be identical in construction or at least functionally equivalent to the single-chip system described in the previously mentioned publication DE 10 2021 110 820 B3 .

[0073] The embodiment of Figure 1 comprises four optical fibers 25 that are each butt-coupled to an assigned optical waveguide 30 that is integrated in the chip 15 . The cross-section of Figure 1 j ust depicts one of the fibers 25 and the correspondingly assigned optical waveguide 30 .

[0074] The core of the butt-coupled ends of the fibers 25 lay in the same optical plane P as the optical waveguides 30 . The optical plane P sort of forms a reference plane of the radar component 1 and will be referred to hereinafter simply as " the" plane P .

[0075] The plane P is parallel to the said top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 . The alignment between the fiber 25 and the optical waveguide 30 provides a straight , linear transmission of optical radiation between each optical fiber 25 and the respective optical waveguide 30 . Each fiber 25 is mechanically carried by a V-groove 26 ( see for instance Fig . 5a ) of the chip 15 which aligns the core of the fiber 25 with the assigned optical waveguide 30 .

[0076] Two radar antenna pads 35 are formed by metal pads of the electrical layer 10 . The cross-section of Figure 1 j ust depicts one of the radar antenna pads 35 . Each radar antenna pad 35 is connected to the chip 15 via one or more of the traces 20 .

[0077] The radar component 1 of Figure 1 further comprises a substrate 40 , which is mounted on the top surface 5a of the electric circuit board 5 . In order to avoid additional heat during the manufacturing step of mounting the substrate 40 on top of the circuit board 5 , the substrate 40 is preferably glued to the circuit board 5 .

[0078] Two hollow pipes 45 are embedded in the substrate 40 and pass through the substrate 40 . Each of the hollow pipes 45 form a microwave waveguide that is coupled to one of the radar antenna pads 35 . The cross-section of Figure 1 j ust depicts one of the hollow pipes 45 . Since the microwave waveguides are embedded in the substrate 40 , the substrate 40 may also be called microwave antenna substrate 40 . The substrate 40 may be a moulded part , and walls of the hollow pipes 45 may be metalli zed surfaces of through holes in the moulded part .

[0079] Each hollow pipe 45 provides an internal interface 50 that is coupled to the assigned radar antenna pad 35 , and an external interface 55 for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation . The external interface 55 is formed by an end section of the pipe 45 that provides a radar antenna . The end section is preferably widened to provide a horn-shaped antenna for improved antenna characteristics . Alternatively, the end section may be formed as a slot-antenna .

[0080] In the vicinity of the radar antenna pad 35 , the longitudinal axis of the hollow pipes 45 is preferably perpendicular to the plane P in order to achieve an optimal coupling of microwave radiation between the pads 35 and the hollow pipes 45 . The pipes 45 may be bend in an intermediate section arranged between the internal interface 50 and the external interface 55 . Curved or bend sections may provide an of fset OFF between the external interface 55 from the internal interface 50 in the direction parallel to the plane P, thereby increasing the distance between the chip 15 and the external interface 55 compared to the distance between the chip 15 and the internal interface 50 .

[0081] The radar component 1 of Figure 1 further comprises a heat spreader 60 that is mounted on top of the chip 15 . The substrate 40 is arranged adj acent to the heat spreader 60 and can therefore block a movement of the heat spreader 60 relatively to the chip 15 in at least one direction that is parallel to the plane P .

[0082] In order to protect and seal the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 , the substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 may completely cover the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 . The substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 are preferably glued to the circuit board 5 and chip 15 wherein any remaining slots or slits between the substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 , any remaining slots or slits between the substrate 40 and the circuit board 5 , and any remaining slots or slits between the circuit board 5 and the heat spreader 60 are preferably also sealed by glue .

[0083] An electrical connector 65 may be arranged on the bottom surface 5b of the circuit board 5 and may be electrically connected to the chip 15 via through holes that are not shown in Figure 1 . In order to stabili ze the connection between the fibers 25 and the chip 15 , the fibers 25 may be connected to the substrate 40 , a radom 70 that covers the substrate 40 , and / or the circuit board 5 .

[0084] Figure 2 shows a top view of the radar component 1 of Figure 1 . It can be seen that the chip 15 is optically connected to four fibers 25 and electrically connected to two antenna pads 35 . Of course , the number of fibers 25 could be smaller than four or exceed four, and the number of pads 35 could be smaller than two or exceed two .

[0085] Figure 2 also shows optional attenuation zones 75 between adj acent hollow pipes 45 and between the hollow pipes 45 and the chip 15 . These optional attenuation zones 75 decrease crosstalk between the pipes 45 and avoid direct transmission of radiation from the pipes 45 to the chip 15 and vice versa . The attenuation zones 75 may be formed by vertical slits or slots in the substrate 40 that are filled with attenuating material , which attenuates the radar radiation .

[0086] The substrate 40 forms a hole 41 providing an opening into which the heat spreader 60 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the plane P . The hole 41 blocks any movement of the heat spreader 60 parallel to the plane P .

[0087] In Figure 2 , the chip 15 is covered by the heat spreader 60 and is j ust illustrated in Figure 2 in order to also show the electrical connections between the chip 15 and the hollow pipes 45 and the optical connections between the chip 15 and the fibers 25 .

[0088] Figure 2 also indicates the longitudinal section line of the cross-section that is illustrated in Figure 1 . Figure 3 shows a further top view of the radar component 1 of Figure 1 . In contrast to Figure 2 , the fibers 25 are shown on the left side rather than the right ( though this is only a matter of illustration) , and the substrate 40 is omitted to illustrate the circuit board 5 . It can be seen that the circuit board 5 has a cutout 51 . The longitudinal axis of the cutout 51 is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the fiber 25 . The fibers 25 pass the cutout 51 in order to reach their assigned optical waveguides 30 .

[0089] Figures 2 and 3 together illustrate that a section 42 of the substrate 40 extends beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board 5 and is located above the cutout 51 . The section 42 above the cutout 51 may be glued to the fibers 25 in order to provide a stress relief for the fibers 25 in vertical direction .

[0090] Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the radar component 1 of Figure 1 . The butt-coupling between the end of the fibers 25 and the assigned integrated optical waveguides 30 that are located inside the chip 15 , as well as the V-grooves 26 that carry the ends of the fibers 25 , are designated by their respective reference numbers .

[0091] Figure 5 shows a further cross-section of the radar component 1 of Figure 1 . The cross-section refers to the section line indicated by line V-V in Figure 3 . It can be seen that the section 42 of the substrate 40 that extends beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board 5 , may have a slot or trough-like indentation 43 that increases the space to accommodate the fibers 25 . The indentation 43 may be provided ( filled) with glue in order to glue the fibers 25 to the substrate and in order to provide a stress relief for the fibers 25 in vertical direction .

[0092] Figure 6 shows a cross-section of a second exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0093] In order to stabili ze the connection between the fibers 25 and the chip 15 , a sleeve 80 that carries the fibers 25 , is connected to the substrate 40 , a radom 70 that covers the substrate 40 , and / or the circuit board 5 .

[0094] Additionally, all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 5 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 6 .

[0095] Figure 7 shows a cross-section of a third exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0096] The substrate 40 of the third embodiment forms a bracket 44 into which the heat spreader 60 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the plane P . The bracket 44 does not cover or at least does not entirely cover the cutout 51 , but nonetheless blocks any movement of the heat spreader 60 parallel to the plane P, similar to the hole 41 of the first embodiment .

[0097] The bracket 44 comprises a remote section 440 , a first side section 441 , a second side section 442 , a first clamping section 443 and a second clamping section 444 , said sections providing an opening into which the heat spreader 60 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to said plane P . In the top view of Figure 7 , the remote section 440 is located remote from the fiber 25 and adj acent to a remote section of the heat spreader 60 , the remote section 440 of the substrate 40 having a first end 440a and a second end 440b, wherein the remote section 440 of the substrate 40 blocks a movement of the heat spreader 60 in the direction away from the fiber 25 .

[0098] In the top view of Figure 7 , the first side section 441 is adj acent to a first side section of the heat spreader 60 , the first side section 441 of the substrate 40 extending away from the first end 440a of the remote section 440 of the substrate 40 towards the first clamping section 443 , the first clamping section 443 also being adj acent to the heat spreader 60 and forming a first portion of a fiber-adj acent section 445 of the substrate 40 .

[0099] In the top view of Figure 7 , the second side section 442 is adj acent to a second side section of the heat spreader 60 , the second side section 442 of the substrate 40 extending away from the second end 440b of the remote section 440 towards the second clamping section 444 , the second clamping section 444 being adj acent to the heat spreader 60 and forming a second portion of the fiber-adj acent section 445 of the substrate 40 .

[0100] In the top view of Figure 7 , the first clamping section 443 extends towards the second clamping section 444 , and vice versa, with the clamping sections laterally bound the cutout 51 through which the fibers 25 pass towards the chip 15 .

[0101] Additionally, all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 6 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 7 . Figure 8 shows a top view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0102] The heat spreader 60 forms a hole 61 providing an opening into which the substrate 40 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the plane P . The hole 61 blocks any movement of the substrate 40 parallel to the plane P .

[0103] In order to protect and seal the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 , the substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 may completely cover the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 . The substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 are preferably glued to the circuit board 5 and chip 15 wherein any remaining slots or slits between the substrate 40 and the heat spreader 60 , any remaining slots or slits between the substrate 40 and the circuit board 5 , and any remaining slots or slits between the circuit board 5 and the heat spreader 60 are preferably also sealed by glue .

[0104] A section 62 of the heat spreader 60 extends beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board 5 and is located above the cutout 51 of the circuit board 5 . The section 62 above the cutout 51 may be glued to the fibers 25 or vice versa in order to provide a stress relief for the fibers 25 in vertical direction .

[0105] Figure 9 shows a cross-section of the radar component 1 of Figure 8 . The cross-section refers to the section line indicated by line IX- IX in Figure 8 . It can be seen that the section 62 of the heat spreader 60 that extends beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board 5 , may have a slot or trough-like indentation 63 that provides further space to accommodate the fibers 25 . The indentation 63 may be provided ( filled) with glue in order to glue the fibers 25 to the heat spreader 60 and in order to provide a stress relief for the fibers 25 in vertical direction .

[0106] Additionally, all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 7 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figures 8 and 9 .

[0107] Figure 10 shows a top view of a fi fth exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0108] The substrate 40 of the fi fth embodiment forms a U-shaped bracket 44 into which the heat spreader 60 protrudes in a direction perpendicular to the plane P . The U-shaped bracket 44 blocks a movement of the heat spreader 60 in at least two perpendicular directions that are parallel to the plane P .

[0109] In contrast to the fourth embodiment , the heat spreader 60 even extends beyond the cutout 51 of the circuit board 5 and therefore allows additional vertical heat flow via the bottom side of a free section 66 that extends beyond the cutout 51 .

[0110] Additionally or alternatively, the heat spreader 60 may extend beyond the peripheral edge of the circuit board 5 in other directions parallel to said plane P ( i . e . other directions than the direction towards the cutout 51 ) .

[0111] Furthermore , all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 9 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 10 . Figure 11 shows a cross-section of a sixth exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention .

[0112] The heat spreader 60 is mounted to (preferably glued to ) the chip 15 and on the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 ( e . g . via glue that is not illustrated) and may partly or completely cover the top surface 5a of the circuit board 5 . The substrate 40 is mounted on (preferably glued to ) the bottom surface 5b of the circuit board 5 and may partly or completely cover the bottom surface 5b of the circuit board 5 . An optional electrical connector 65 may be located on the top or bottom surface 5b of the circuit board 5 and / or on the side surfaces of the circuit board .

[0113] The radar antenna pads 35 are formed by metal pads of another electrical layer 100 of the circuit board 5 . The radar antenna pads 35 are connected to the chip 15 via the traces 20 on the top surface 5a and via through holes 110 that vertically extend through the circuit board 5 .

[0114] Heat Pth that is generated by the chip 15 can be emitted via the top side of the radar component 1 whereas the radar emission Pmw and the radar reception is carried out via the bottom side of the radar component 1 .

[0115] Furthermore , all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 10 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 11 .

[0116] Figure 12 shows a cross-section of a seventh exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention . The radar component 1 of Figure 12 comprises an intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 arranged between the patterned electrical layer 10 , also referred to as top layer 10 , on the top surface 5a of the electric circuit board 5 and another electrically conducting layer, also referred to as bottom layer 100 , at the bottom surface 5b of the electric circuit board 5 . In a top view perpendicular to the top surface , 5a the intermediate layer 1000 is partially exposed and laterally protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the patterned electrical layer 10 and the outer perimeter of the bottom layer 100 . Accordingly, the intermediate layer 1000 also protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the top surface 5a and the outer perimeter of the bottom surface 5b . The protruding portion of the intermediate layer 1000 may be fabricated by local removal of all surrounding layers of the circuit board 5 .

[0117] The intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 is connected to the patterned top 10 via a through hole 110 and a vertical electrical conductive filling 111 , for instance in order to provide the chip 15 with electrical energy .

[0118] The protruding portion of the intermediate layer 1000 forms a contact section 1003 which may be used as an outer electrical interface of the radar component 1 .

[0119] The chip 15 , the top layer 10 and the bottom layer 100 and all other layers of the circuit board 5 with the exception of the intermediate layer 1000 are enclosed by a housing 1100 . With respect to the intermediate layer 1000 , an inner portion 1001 of the intermediate layer 1000 is located within the housing 1100 and an outer portion 1002 of the intermediate layer 1000 is located outside the housing 1100 . The contact section 1003 is a part of the outer portion 1002 of the intermediate layer 1000 .

[0120] The bottom surface 5b of the electric circuit board 5 is mounted on a substrate 40 . A microwave waveguide is formed by a hollow pipe 45 that passes through the substrate 40 . The hollow pipe 45 is coupled to a radar antenna pad 35 formed by the bottom layer 100 .

[0121] The hollow pipe 45 has a first opening 45a forming an internal interface 50 , in which the antenna pad 35 lies . The first opening 45a is located at a first surface 40a of the substrate 40 . A second opening 45b of the hollow pipe 45 forms an external interface 55 and is located at the opposite second surface 40b of the substrate 40 .

[0122] A cup-shaped radome 600 is mounted on the second surface 40b of the substrate 40 and covers at least the second opening 45b of the hollow pipe 45 .

[0123] The substrate 40 comprises a recess 4000 delimited by an outer sidewall 4001 of the substrate 40 . The sidewall 4001 surrounds the recess 4000 . The circuit board 5 is located within the recess 4000 . The height of the sidewall 4001 varies and comprises a section 4002 of reduced height . The optical fibers 25 as well as the contact section 1003 of the intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 of the circuit board 5 pass the section 4002 of reduced height .

[0124] Alternatively, the height of the sidewall 4001 may comprise two or more sections 4002 of reduced height , which are separated by a section of unreduced height exceeding the reduced height . In the latter case , the optical fibers 25 may pass a first section 4002 and the contact section 1003 of the intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 may pass a second section 4002 of reduced height .

[0125] The radome 600 comprises a recess 5000 delimited by an outer sidewall 5001 of the radome 600 . The sidewall 5001 surrounds the recess 5000 . The substrate and the circuit board 5 are located within the recess 5000 . The height of the sidewall 5001 varies and comprises a section 5002 of reduced height . The optical fibers 25 as well as the contact section 1003 of the intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 of the circuit board 5 pass the section 5002 of reduced height .

[0126] Alternatively, the height of the sidewall 5001 of the radome 600 may comprise two or more sections 5002 of reduced height , which are separated by a section of unreduced height exceeding the reduced height . In the latter case , the optical fibers 25 may pass a first section 5002 and the contact section 1003 of the intermediate electrically conducting layer 1000 may pass a second section 5002 of reduced height .

[0127] The substrate 40 , a heat spreader 60 and sealing material 500 such as glue form the housing 1100 which houses the chip 15 and is sealed by the sealing material 500 . In order to improve the heat trans fer between the chip 15 and the heat spreader 60 , the heat spreader 60 is preferably connected to the chip 15 via a thermally conductive material 501 such as solder . In other words , the heat spreader 60 may be soldered onto the underlying chip 15 .

[0128] Furthermore , all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 11 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 12 . Figure 13 shows a cross-section of an eighth exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention . Figure 14 depicts the eighth exemplary embodiment in a top view .

[0129] The eighth exemplary embodiment corresponds to the seventh embodiment of Figure 12 with the only exception of the microwave waveguide ' s design . The eighth exemplary embodiment comprises two microwave waveguides each of which is formed by a hollow pipe 45 .

[0130] Each hollow pipe 45 provides an internal interface 50 coupled to an assigned radar antenna pad 35 , and an external interface 55 for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation .

[0131] Each internal interface 50 is formed by a first opening 45a, in which the respective antenna pad 35 lies . The first openings 45a are located at the first surface 40a of the substrate 40 .

[0132] Each external interface 55 is formed by an end section of the respective pipe 45 that has a plurality ( for instance four ) of second openings 45b . The second openings 45b are located at the opposite second surface 40b of the substrate 40 .

[0133] The first openings 45a are connected to their respective second openings via a distribution channel 455 .

[0134] Furthermore , all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 12 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14 . Figure 15 shows a cross-section of a ninth exemplary embodiment of a radar component 1 according to the present invention . The ninth exemplary embodiment corresponds to the eighth embodiment of Figures 13 and 14 with the only exception of the microwave waveguide ' s design .

[0135] In Figure 15 , the patterned bottom layer 100 forms both the antenna pad 35 and a first section 451 of an inner wall 450 of the hollow pipe 45 . A second section 452 of the inner wall 450 of the hollow pipe 45 is formed by an inner section of the substrate 40 . The inner section is preferably electrically conductive . The inner section may be formed by a metalli zation of the substrate 40 .

[0136] The first section 451 of the inner wall 450 may be a portion of a distribution channel 455 of the pipe 45 .

[0137] Furthermore , all technical features and explanations related to Figures 1 through 14 may also apply (but do not need to apply) correspondingly to the embodiment shown in Figure 15 .

[0138] Figure 16 shows an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle 900 according to the present invention . The vehicle 900 comprises radar components 1 , for instance such as those as discussed above in connection with Figures 1- 11 . The radar components 1 may be integrated in parts of the vehicles such as the bumpers 910 .

[0139] The various embodiments and aspects of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are to be understood not only in the order and context speci fically described in this speci fication, but to include any order and any combination thereof . Whenever the context requires , all words used in the singular number shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa . Whenever the context requires, all options that are listed with the word "and" shall be deemed to include the word "or" and vice versa, and any combination thereof.

[0140] Furthermore, the terms "first", "second", and so on, are used to distinguish between items of the same kind. However, none of these terms imply a specific number of such items. These terms do not imply that all such items must be present. For example, a "first" and a "fourth" item may be present even if a "second" and a "third" are absent.

[0141] In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed a plurality of embodiments of the present invention. The applicant would like to emphasize that each feature of each embodiment may be combined with or added to any other of the embodiments in order to modify the respective embodiment and create additional embodiments. These additional embodiments form a part of the present disclosure and, therefore, the applicant may file further patent claims regarding these additional embodiments at a later stage of the prosecution.

[0142] Further, the applicant would like to emphasize that each feature of each of the following dependent claims may be combined with any of the present independent claims as well as with any other (one or more) of the present dependent claims (regardless of the present claim structure) . Therefore, the applicant may direct further patent claims towards other claim combinations at a later stage of the prosecution. Reference Signs

[0143] 1 Radar component

[0144] 5 Electrical circuit board

[0145] 5a Top surface

[0146] 5b Bottom surface

[0147] 10 Electric layer

[0148] 15 Chip

[0149] 20 Electrical trace

[0150] 25 Optical fiber

[0151] 26 V-groove

[0152] 30 Optical waveguide

[0153] 35 Radar antenna pad

[0154] 40 Substrate / Microwave antenna substrate

[0155] 40a First surface of substrate

[0156] 40b Second surface of substrate

[0157] 41 Hole

[0158] 42 Section

[0159] 43 Indentation

[0160] 44 Bracket

[0161] 45 Hollow pipe / Microwave waveguide

[0162] 45a First opening / Internal interface

[0163] 45b Second opening / External interface

[0164] 50 Internal interface

[0165] 51 Cutout

[0166] 55 External interface

[0167] 60 Heat spreader

[0168] 61 Hole

[0169] 62 Section

[0170] 63 Indentation

[0171] 65 Electrical connector

[0172] 66 Free section

[0173] 70 Radom

[0174] 75 Attenuation zone 80 Sleeve

[0175] 100 Electrical layer / Bottom electrical layer

[0176] 110 Through hole

[0177] 111 Vertical electrical conductive filling

[0178] 440 Remote section

[0179] 440a First end

[0180] 440b Second end

[0181] 441 First side section

[0182] 442 Second side section

[0183] 443 First clamping section

[0184] 444 Second clamping section

[0185] 445 Fiber-adj acent section

[0186] 450 Inner wall

[0187] 451 First section of inner wall of hollow pipe

[0188] 452 Second section of inner wall of hollow pipe

[0189] 455 Distribution channel

[0190] 500 Sealing material

[0191] 501 Solder

[0192] 600 Radome

[0193] 900 Vehicle

[0194] 910 Bumper

[0195] 1000 Intermediate electrically conducting layer

[0196] 1001 Inner portion of intermediate layer

[0197] 1002 Outer portion of intermediate layer

[0198] 1003 Contact section of intermediate layer

[0199] 1100 Housing

[0200] 4000 Recess in substrate

[0201] 4001 Sidewall of substrate

[0202] 4002 Section of reduced height in substrate sidewall

[0203] 5000 Recess in radome

[0204] 5001 Sidewall of radome

[0205] 5002 Section of reduced height in radome sidewall

[0206] OFF Of fset P Optical plane

[0207] Pmw Radar emission

[0208] Pth Heat

[0209] V-V Line IX- IX Line

Claims

Claims1. A radar component (1) comprising an electric circuit board (5) having a patterned electrical layer (10) , a chip (15) which is mounted on a top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) and electrically connected to electrical traces (20) formed by sections of the electrical layer (10) , and at least one radar antenna pad (35) formed by a metal pad of the electrical layer (10) or a metal pad of another electrical layer (100) of the circuit board (5) , wherein the radar antenna pad (35) is connected to the chip (15) via at least one of said traces (20) .

2. Radar component (1) of claim 1 wherein the chip (15) comprises an electronic-photonic- integrated circuit which is mounted on a top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) and electrically connected to electrical traces (20) formed by sections of the electrical layer (10) , wherein at least one optical fiber (25) is butt-coupled to an assigned optical waveguide (30) integrated in the chip (15) , the core of the butt-coupled end of the fiber (25) lying in the same plane (P) as the optical waveguide (30) , said plane (P) being parallel to the said top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) , wherein the alignment between the fiber (25) and the optical waveguide (30) provides a straight, linear transmission of optical radiation between the optical fiber (25) and the optical waveguide (30) , and wherein a microwave waveguide is formed by a hollow pipe (45) and coupled to said radar antenna pad (35) .

3. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims,wherein the fiber (25) is mechanically carried by a groove of the chip (15) which aligns the core of the fiber (25) with the assigned optical waveguide (30) .

4. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein a longitudinal axis of the hollow pipe (45) is angled to said plane (P) , at least in the vicinity of the radar antenna pad (35) .

5. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein a substrate (40) is mounted on said top surface (5a) of the electric circuit board (5) or on a bottom surface (5b) of the electric circuit board (5) , and wherein the hollow pipe (45) is embedded in said substrate (40) and passes through said substrate (40) .

6. Radar component (1) of claim 5 wherein a heat spreader (60) is mounted on top of the chip ( 15) , and wherein the substrate (40) is arranged adjacent to the heat spreader (60) , the substrate (40) blocking a movement of the heat spreader (60) relatively to said chip (15) in at least one direction that is parallel to said plane (P) .

7. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate (40) forms a bracket (44) and / or hole (41) providing an opening into which the heat spreader (60) protrudes in a direction perpendicular to said plane (P) , the bracket and / or hole blocking any movement of the heat spreader (60) in at least two directions that are parallel to said plane (P) .

8. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 1-6,wherein the heat spreader (60) forms a bracket and / or hole (61) providing an opening into which the substrate (40) protrudes in a direction perpendicular to said plane (P) , the bracket and / or hole blocking any movement of the substrate (40) in at least two directions that are parallel to said plane (P) .

9. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the circuit board (5) has a cutout (51) which the fiber (25) passes towards the assigned optical waveguide (30) , wherein a section of the substrate (40) and / or a section of the heat spreader (60) is located above or beneath the cutout ( 51 ) , and wherein said section of the substrate (40) and / or said section of the heat spreader (60) is connected to or touches the fiber (25) thereby providing support perpendicular to said plane (P) and a vertical stress relief for the fiber (25) .

10. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the substrate (40) and / or the heat spreader (60) completely cover the top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) .

11. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 1-10 wherein the heat spreader (60) completely covers the top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) , and wherein the substrate (40) completely covers the bottom surface (5b) of the circuit board (5) .

12. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the substrate (40) is glued to the circuit board(5) .

13. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the hollow pipe (45) provides an internal interface (50) coupled to said radar antenna pad (35) , and an external interface (55) for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation, and wherein the external interface (50) is formed by an end section of the pipe (45) that provides a radar antenna.

14. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the pipe (45) is bend in an intermediate section arranged between the internal interface (50) and the external interface (55) , and wherein the external interface (55) is offset from the internal interface (50) in the direction perpendicular to the plane (P) , thereby increasing the distance between the chip (15) and the external interface (55) relative to the distance between the chip (15) and the internal interface (50) .

15. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein two or more radar antenna pads (35) are formed by metal pads of the electrical layer (10) or metal pads of another electrical layer (100) of the circuit board (5) , wherein each radar antenna pad (35) is connected to the chip (15) , wherein two or more microwave waveguides are each formed by a hollow pipe (45) and coupled to a respective radar antenna pad (35) , the hollow pipes (45) are embedded in said substrate (40) and pass through said substrate (40) , and wherein the substrate (40) comprises at least one attenuation zone (75) between adjacent hollow pipes (45) and / or at least one attenuation zone (75) between one of the hollow pipes (45) and the chip (15) .

16. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the substrate (40) is a moulded part and walls of the hollow pipes (45) are metallized surfaces of through holes in the moulded part.

17. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims wherein the chip (15) comprises silicon photonics components and / or CMOS components.

18. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the electric circuit board (5) comprises an intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) arranged between the patterned electrical layer (10) on the top surface (5a) of the electric circuit board (5) and the bottom surface (5b) of the electric circuit board (5) , wherein - in a top view perpendicular to the top surface - the intermediate layer (1000) is partially exposed and laterally protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the patterned electrical layer (10) and the outer perimeter of the bottom surface (5b) , wherein the intermediate layer (1000) comprises a contact section (1003) outside the perimeters of the patterned electrical layer (10) and the bottom surface (5b) , and wherein the contact section (1003) forms an electrical interface of the radar component (1) .

19. Radar component (1) of claim 18, wherein the chip (15) , the patterned electrical layer (10) and the bottom surface (5b) are enclosed by a housing (1100) , wherein an inner portion (1001) of the intermediate layer (1000) is located within the housing (1100) and an outer portion (1002) of the intermediate layer (1000) is located outside the housing (1100) ,wherein the contact section (1003) is a part of the outer portion (1002) of the intermediate layer (1000) .

20. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein a substrate (40) is mounted on the top surface (5a) of the electric circuit board (5) , wherein a microwave waveguide is formed by a hollow pipe (45) passing through said substrate (40) and is coupled to said radar antenna pad (35) , and wherein the patterned electrical layer (10) forms both the antenna pad (35) and a first section (451) of an inner wall (450) of the hollow pipe (45) , and wherein a second section (452) of the inner wall (450) of the hollow pipe (45) is formed by an inner section of the substrate (40) .

21. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 1-19, wherein a substrate (40) is mounted on the bottom surface (5b) of the electric circuit board (5) , wherein a microwave waveguide is formed by a hollow pipe (45) passing through said substrate (40) and is coupled to said radar antenna pad (35) , wherein said another electrical layer (100) is a patterned bottom layer on the bottom surface (5b) of the electric circuit board (5) , wherein the bottom layer forms both the antenna pad (35) and a first section (451) of an inner wall (450) of the hollow pipe (45) , and wherein a second section (452) of the inner wall (450) of the hollow pipe is formed by an inner section of the substrate (40) .

22. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims,wherein the hollow pipe (45) provides an internal interface (50) coupled to said radar antenna pad (35) , and an external interface (55) for emitting radar radiation and / or receiving radar radiation, wherein the external interface (55) is formed by an end section of the pipe (45) that provides at least one radar antenna, wherein the hollow pipe (45) has a first opening, in which the antenna pad (35) lies, located at a first surface (40a) of a substrate (40) , the first opening forming the internal interface (50) , and wherein the hollow pipe (45) has one or more second openings (45b) that form the external interface (55) and are located at an opposite second surface (40b) of the substrate (40) .

23. Radar component (1) of claim 22, wherein a radome (600) is mounted on the second surface (40b) of the substrate (40) , said radome (600) covering at least the second opening or openings (45b) of the hollow pipe (45) .

24. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the hollow pipe (45) has a plurality of second openings (45b) at the second surface (40b) of the substrate (40) .

25. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the radar component comprises a recess (4000, 5000) delimited by an outer side wall (4001, 5001) surrounding the recess (4000, 5000) , wherein the circuit board (5) is located within the recess (4000, 5000) .

26. Radar component (1) of claim 25, wherein the height of the sidewall (4001, 5001) varies and comprises a section (4002, 5002) of reduced height, and wherein at least one optical fiber (25) and / or a contact section (1003) of an intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) of the circuit board (5) passes the section (4002, 5002) of reduced height.

27. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 25-26, wherein the height of the sidewall (4001, 5001) varies and comprises a section (4002, 5002) of reduced height, and wherein both at least one optical fiber (25) and a contact section (1003) of an intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) of the circuit board (5) pass the section (4002, 5002) of reduced height.

28. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 25-27, wherein the height of the sidewall (4001, 5001) varies and comprises at least two sections (4002, 5002) of reduced height, which are separated by a section of unreduced height exceeding the reduced height, and wherein at least one optical fiber (25) passes a first section (4002, 5002) of reduced height and a contact section (1003) of an intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) of the circuit board (5) passes a second section (4002, 5002) of reduced height.

29. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 25-28, wherein said sidewall (4001, 5001) that surrounds the recess (4000, 5000) is the sidewall of the substrate (40) .

30. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 25-28, wherein said sidewall (4001, 5001) that surrounds the recess (4000, 5000) is the sidewall of a cup-shaped radome (600) .

31. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate (40) , a heat spreader (60) and sealing material (500) form a sealed housing (1100) in which the chip (15) is located.

32. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein a radome (600) is mounted on a second surface (40b) of the substrate (40) , said radome (600) covering at least one second opening of at least one pipe (45) .

33. Radar component (1) of claim 32, wherein the radome (600) is cup-shaped, and wherein the substrate (40) lies within the cup.

34. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second openings are horn-shaped or slotshaped .

35. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the chip (15) is a bare silicon die.

36. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the chip (15) is an electronic-photonic-inte- grated circuit.

37. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims 1-35, wherein the chip (15) is an electronic-integrated circuit, and wherein a photonic integrated circuit is also mounted on the circuit board (5) and is electrically connected to the electronic-integrated circuit.

38. Radar component (1) of claim 37,wherein the photonic integrated circuit and the elec- tronic-integrated circuit are both mounted on the top surface(5a) of the circuit board (5) .

39. Radar component (1) of claim 37, wherein the electronic-integrated circuit is mounted on the top surface (5a) of the circuit board (5) , and wherein the photonic integrated circuit is mounted on the bottom surface (5b) of the circuit board (5) .

40. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) is - via vertical connections - electrically connected to the electrical traces (20) formed by sections of the electrical layer (10) that is mounted on the top surface (5a) of the electric circuit board (5) , and therefore to the chip (15) , for instance for allowing providing electrical power to the chip ( 15) .

41. Radar component (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein - in a top view perpendicular to the top surface- at least one of the layers of the electric circuit board(5) is partially exposed and laterally protrudes beyond both the outer perimeter of the other non-protruding layers of the electric circuit board (5) , wherein the at least one protruding layer comprises a contact section (1003) outside the perimeters of the non-protruding layers, and wherein the contact section (1003) forms an electrical interface of the radar component (1) .

42. Radar component (1) of claim 42, wherein the chip (15) is enclosed by a housing (1100) ,wherein an inner portion (1001) of the at least one partially exposed layer (1000) is located within the housing (1100) and an outer portion (1002) of the at least one partially exposed layer (1000) is located outside the housing (1100) , and wherein the contact section (1003) is a part of the outer portion (1002) of the at least one partially exposed layer (1000) .

43. Radar component (1) of claim 42 or 43, the at least one partially exposed layer (1000) is the patterned electrical top layer (10) on the top surface (5a) , the bottom layer (100) on the bottom surface (5b) or an intermediate electrically conducting layer (1000) arranged between the top layer (10) and the bottom layer (100) of the electric circuit board (5) .

44. Vehicle (900) or part (910) of a vehicle comprising a radar component (1) according to of any of the preceding claims .

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