Microwave antenna apparatus, packing and manufacturing method
A microwave antenna apparatus comprises a semiconductor element and an antenna element embedded into a mold layer, which is covered by a redistribution layer. The antenna element is preferably configured as SMD component so that it can be handled by a standard pick and place process. The coupling between semiconductor element and antenna element is provided either by a metal layer or aperture coupling within the redistribution layer. The microwave antenna apparatus may be coupled to a PCB arrangement thus forming an embedded wafer-level ball grid array (eWLB) or embedded micro-wafer-level-packaging (emWLP) package.
1. Microwave antenna apparatus comprising:
a mold layer of mold material,
a semiconductor element comprising a semiconductor unit and semiconductor feed lines on a first surface of the semiconductor unit, wherein the semiconductor element is within the mold layer such that an outer surface of the semiconductor feed lines is not covered by mold material,
an antenna element comprising an antenna substrate layer and a ground layer, wherein the antenna element is within the mold layer, and
a redistribution layer comprising at least one redistribution substrate layer and a metal layer, wherein the redistribution layer is on a surface of the mold layer such that the metal layer is in contact with the outer surface of one or more semiconductor feed lines, wherein
a radiating element is either on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer or within or on the redistribution layer, and
the ground layer is on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution layer, on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer, or within the antenna substrate layer, wherein the antenna element comprises one or more connection lines connecting the metal layer or the ground layer on the surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution layer with the radiating element on the surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer through the antenna substrate layer.
2. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna element is configured as an SMD component.
3. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna substrate layer is made of a microwave material, or of a BT, FR4 or FR408 type substrate material, or of ceramics, or of Rogers substrate material, of FIFE, or of a mold type material.
4. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein multiple antenna elements are within the mold layer, in particular, around the semiconductor element.
5. Microwave antenna apparatus, comprising:
a mold layer of mold material,
a semiconductor element comprising a semiconductor unit and semiconductor feed lines on a first surface of the semiconductor unit, wherein the semiconductor element is within the mold layer such that an outer surface of the semiconductor feed lines is not covered by mold material,
an antenna element comprising an antenna substrate layer and a ground layer, wherein the antenna element is within the mold laver, and
a redistribution layer comprising at least one redistribution substrate layer and a metal layer, wherein the redistribution layer is on a surface of the mold layer such that the metal layer is in contact with the outer surface of one or more semiconductor feed lines, wherein
a radiating element is either on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer or within or on the redistribution layer,
the ground layer is on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution laver, on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution laver, or within the antenna substrate laver,
the antenna element comprises one or more antenna feed lines on surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution layer and the radiating element on the surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer, wherein the antenna element is within the mold layer such that an outer surface of the antenna feed lines is not covered by mold material, and
the redistribution layer is on the surface of the mold layer such that the metal layer is in contact with the outer surfaces of one or more antenna feed lines.
6. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the antenna element comprises one or more connection lines connecting one or more antenna feed lines with the radiating element through the substrate layer.
7. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the antenna element comprises one or more parasitic elements within the antenna substrate layer between the ground layer within the antenna substrate layer and one or more antenna feed lines.
8. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the antenna element comprises one or more connection lines connecting one or more antenna feed lines with the radiating element through the substrate layer and one or more via connecting the metal layer with the antenna element.
9. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ground layer is on the surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution layer and the radiating element is in the redistribution layer and is in contact with the metal layer.
10. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna element comprises a micro-coaxial transmission line within the antenna substrate layer and connected to the metal layer.
11. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna element comprises an open ended waveguide structure and wherein the radiating element comprises a waveguide feed in or on the redistribution layer opposite the open ended waveguide structure.
12. Microwave antenna apparatus, comprising:
a mold layer of mold material,
a semiconductor element comprising a semiconductor unit and semiconductor feed lines on a first surface of the semiconductor unit, wherein the semiconductor element is within the mold layer such that an outer surface of the semiconductor feed lines is not covered by mold material,
an antenna element comprising an antenna substrate layer and a ground layer on or within the antenna substrate layer, wherein the antenna element is within the mold layer, and
a redistribution layer comprising at least one redistribution substrate layer and a metal layer, wherein the redistribution layer is on a surface of the mold layer such that the metal layer is in contact with the outer surface of one or more semiconductor feed lines,
wherein a radiating element is either on a surface of the antenna substrate layer facing away from the redistribution layer or within or on the redistribution layer, and
wherein the antenna element is configured as dielectric resonator antenna comprising an antenna substrate layer made of a dielectric resonator material and a ground layer on the surface of the antenna substrate layer facing the redistribution layer and having a slot, and wherein the redistribution layer comprises a redistribution substrate layer made of a dielectric redistribution material, wherein the metal layer is within the redistribution layer with one end opposite the slot, wherein
the antenna element further comprises an additional dielectric layer between the ground layer and the redistribution layer,
the metal layer is used as primary antenna, and
the redistribution layer further comprises a secondary antenna on the surface of the redistribution layer opposite the antenna element and a connection connecting the metal layer and the secondary antenna.
13. Microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the antenna element comprises a spiral antenna, a helical antenna or an antenna comprising electromagnetic band gap structures.
14. Microwave antenna package comprising
a PCB arrangement comprising a PCB layer and
a microwave antenna apparatus as claimed in claim 1 coupled to the PCB arrangement forming a fan-out wafer level package.
15. Microwave antenna package as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the redistribution layer of the microwave antenna apparatus comprises an under bump metallization layer on a surface of the redistribution layer facing away from the mold layer said under bump metallization layer being in contact with strip lines of the PCB arrangement.
16. Microwave antenna package as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the radiating element of the microwave antenna apparatus is in the redistribution layer and is in contact with the metal layer and wherein the PCB layer comprises a waveguide opposite the radiating element.