Wireless communication devices with in-package integrated passive components
View Patent ↗Embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to both reduce the size and cost and improve the performance and power consumption of next generation wireless communication devices. In particular, embodiments enable board and semiconductor substrate area savings by using the fabrication package (which encapsulates the semiconductor substrate) as a design element in the design of next generation wireless communication devices. Specifically, embodiments use the substrate of the fabrication package to integrate into it components of the wireless radio transceiver (which are conventionally integrated into the semiconductor substrate) and other discrete components of the communication device (which are conventionally placed on the board of the device). As such, reduced board and semiconductor area can be realized.
1. An integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising:
a package substrate;
a semiconductor substrate, formed on top of the package substrate and encapsulated inside the IC package; and
a transceiver circuit having a first portion integrated into the semiconductor substrate and a second portion integrated into the package substrate,
wherein the first portion and the second portion of the transceiver circuit form at least one of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) circuit, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit, a transmit (TX) balun circuit, and a power amplifier (PA) driver circuit.
2. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the package substrate and the semiconductor substrate are of different material types.
3. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the package substrate is a multi-layer substrate having a plurality of metallization layers.
4. The IC package of claim 3 , wherein the second portion of the transceiver circuit is integrated into one or more of the plurality of metallization layers of the package substrate.
5. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the transceiver circuit includes an inductor.
6. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the transceiver circuit form the LNA circuit, and wherein the second portion includes an output stage transformer of the LNA circuit.
7. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the transceiver circuit form the VCO circuit, and wherein the second portion includes an inductor of the VCO circuit.
8. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the transceiver circuit form the TX balun circuit, and wherein the second portion includes a transformer of the TX balun circuit.
9. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion of the transceiver circuit form the PA driver circuit, and wherein the second portion includes at least one of an impedance matching inductor and a degeneration inductor of the PA driver circuit.
10. The IC package of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the transceiver circuit includes at least one passive component.
11. A transceiver circuit, comprising:
a first portion integrated into a semiconductor substrate; and
a second portion, coupled to the first portion, integrated into a package substrate of a package that encapsulates the semiconductor substrate,
wherein the first portion and the second portion form at least one of a low-noise an (LNA) circuit, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuit, a transmit (TX) balun circuit, and a power amplifier (PA) driver circuit of the transceiver circuit.
12. The transceiver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the second portion includes at least one passive component.
13. The transceiver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the second portion includes an inductor.
14. The transceiver circuit of claim 11 , wherein the second portion includes at least one of an output stage transformer of the LNA circuit, an inductor of the VCO circuit, a transformer of the TX balun circuit, and an inductor of the PA driver circuit.
15. An integrated circuit (IC) package, comprising:
a package substrate;
a semiconductor substrate, formed on top of the package substrate and encapsulated inside the IC package;
a transceiver circuit, integrated into the semiconductor substrate, having at least one port; and
an impedance matching network, coupled to the at least one port of the transceiver circuit, integrated into the package substrate of the IC package.
16. The IC package of claim 15 , wherein the at least one port include a transmit port of the transceiver circuit, and wherein the impedance matching network includes a power amplifier (PA) driver impedance matching network.
17. The IC package of claim 15 , wherein the at least one port include a receive port of the transceiver circuit, and wherein the impedance matching network includes a low-noise amplifier (LNA) impedance matching network.
18. The IC package of claim 15 , wherein the package substrate and the semiconductor substrate are of different material types.
19. The IC package of claim 15 , wherein the package substrate is a multi-layer substrate having a plurality of metallization layers.
20. The IC package of claim 19 , wherein the impedance matching network is integrated into one or more of the plurality of metallization layers of the package substrate.