Nxp B.v.

Nxp Usa, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Antonius Johannes Matheus De Graauw

Giorgio Carluccio

Michael B Vincent

Maristella Spella

Waqas Hassan Syed

Antonius Hendrikus Jozef Kamphuis

Adrianus Buijsman

Maarten Lont

Harshitha Thippur Shivamurthy

Jan-Peter Schat

Cristian Pavao Moreira

Zoran Zivkovic

Cicero Silveira Vaucher

Konstantinos Doris

Abdellatif Zanati

Gilles Montoriol

Leo Van Gemert

Freek Egbert Van Straten

Andrea Neto

Henrik Asendorf

Adrianus Alphonsus Jozef Buijsman

Sander Jacobus Geluk

Johannes Maria Cornelis Verspeek

Ralph Matthijs Van Schelven

Rocío Gabriela Molina Moreno

Cristine Aguila Badiao

Rabia Syeda

Hendrikus Jozef Kamphuis

Mark Van Schie

In accordance with a first aspect of the present disclosure, an antenna unit is provided, comprising: an integrated circuit package containing an integrated circuit die and an antenna structure coupled to the integrated circuit die; a dielectric layer separated from the integrated circuit package, wherein the dielectric layer is placed at a predefined distance above an upper surface of the integrated circuit package. In accordance with a second aspect of the present disclosure, a corresponding method of producing an antenna unit is conceived.

Antenna unit and method of producing an antenna unit

A system comprising: a waveguide assembly comprising a plurality of waveguides, the plurality of waveguides comprising at least a first waveguide and a second waveguide, and an integrated circuit package, IC package, comprising a plurality of launchers to one or more of transmit signalling to and receive signalling from a respective one of the plurality of waveguides, wherein the waveguide assembly comprises a surface configured to be coupled to the IC package and each of the plurality of waveguides comprises an opening in the surface configured to be aligned with its respective launcher, and wherein each of the openings has a major dimension and a minor dimension, wherein the major dimension is larger than the minor dimension, and wherein the major dimension of at least the opening of the first waveguide is oriented perpendicular to the major dimension of the opening of the second waveguide.

System

A radar system includes a hybrid-power amplifier and a power control unit coupled to the hybrid-power amplifier. The power control unit is configured to control the amplification of a chirp signal output by the radar system based upon an assessment of an interchirp time provided by a chirp profile. The interchirp time is a time difference between a first chirp signal and a second chirp signal that are to be output by the hybrid-power amplifier. When the power control unit determines that the interchirp time is less than an interchirp time threshold, a fast-power loop control configuration is used to control the transmitted output power at hybrid amplifier level. When the power control unit determines that the interchirp time is equal to or greater than the interchirp time threshold, a slow-power loop configuration or a combination of the slow-loop configuration and the fast-loop configuration is used to control the transmitted output power at the hybrid-power amplifier. A look-up table generated by the power control unit in a controller is used to ascertain the control signals and values that are to be used by the hybrid-power amplifier and voltage regulator to amplify the chirp signal.

Power control for radar applications and method thereof

A packaged integrated circuit (IC) includes an IC die having first and second external contacts and a package substrate. The IC die is attached to the package substrate which includes a balun in a first metal layer. The balun is connected to the first and second external contacts of the IC die and to a first external contact of the package substrate. The first and second external contacts of the IC die communicate a differential signal with the package substrate, and the first external contact of the package substrate communicates a single-ended signal corresponding to the differential signal. Alternatively, the balun is connected to an external contact of the IC die and to first and second external contacts of the package substrate, in which the external contact of the IC die communicates a single-ended signal and the first and second external contacts of the package substrate communicate a differential signal.

Packaged integrated circuit device with built-in baluns

A package includes an integrated circuit, IC, die having circuitry configured to generate signalling for transmission to a waveguide and/or receive signalling from a waveguide via a launcher. The die is coupled to an interconnect layer extending out from a footprint of the die. The launcher is formed in a launcher-substrate, separate from the die. The launcher is coupled to the die to pass the signalling therebetween by a connection in the interconnect layer. The launcher includes a launcher element mounted in a first plane within the launcher-substrate and a waveguide-cavity including a ground plane arranged opposed to and spaced from the first plane. The waveguide-cavity is further defined by at least one side wall extending from the ground plane towards the first plane. The die and launcher are at least partially surrounded by mould material of the package.

Package

A mechanism is provided to remove heat from an integrated circuit (IC) device die by directing heat through a waveguide to a heat sink. The waveguide is mounted on top of a package containing the IC device die. The waveguide is thermally coupled to the IC device die. The waveguide transports the heat to a heat sink coupled to the waveguide and located adjacent to the package on top of a printed circuit board on which the package is mounted. Embodiments provide both thermal dissipation of the generated heat while at the same time maintaining good radio frequency performance of the waveguide.

Topside heatsinking antenna launcher for an integrated circuit package

A method of testing a semiconductor device. An apparatus comprising a semiconductor device and a test apparatus. The semiconductor device includes an integrated circuit and a plurality of external radiating elements at a surface of the device, the radiating elements include transmit elements and receive elements. The test apparatus includes a surface for placing against the surface of the device. The test apparatus also includes at least one waveguide, which extends through the test apparatus for routing electromagnetic radiation transmitted by one of the transmit elements of the device to one of the receive elements of the device. Each waveguide comprises a plurality of waveguide openings for coupling electromagnetically to corresponding radiating elements of the plurality of radiating elements located at the surface of the device. A spacing between the waveguide openings of each waveguide is larger than, or smaller than a spacing between the corresponding radiating elements.

Method and apparatus comprising a semiconductor device and test apparatus

Aspects are directed to a waveguide structure that can couple to an integrated circuit package. The IC package includes a plurality of pillars to provide a path for carrying millimeter-wave signals, each of the pillars having a first end portion to connect to the IC package and a second end portion to connect to a waveguide antenna. Also, as may be optionally included, waveguide shields provide electro-magnetic isolation for the pillars and a micro-strip connector to provide connection between the second end portions (of the pillars) and to the waveguide antenna. Further included in the apparatus are a plurality of bond wires to connect the IC package and a lead frame, and to carry signals form circuitry of the IC package to the printed circuit board on which the package is mounted for transmission of radar signals via the waveguide antenna.

Apparatuses and methods for coupling a waveguide structure to an integrated circuit package

A mechanism is provided to remove heat from an integrated circuit (IC) device die by directing heat through a waveguide to a heat sink. Embodiments provide the waveguide mounted on top of a package containing the IC device die. The waveguide is thermally coupled to the IC device die. The waveguide transports the heat to a heat sink coupled to the waveguide and located adjacent to the package on top of a printed circuit board on which the package is mounted. Embodiments provide both thermal dissipation of the generated heat while at the same time maintaining good radio frequency (RF) performance of the waveguide.

Bottom-side heatsinking waveguide for an integrated circuit package

A mechanism is provided to reduce a distance of a waveguide antenna from transmit and receive circuitry in an integrated circuit device die. This distance reduction is performed by providing vertical access to radio frequency connections on a top surface of the IC device die. A cavity in the encapsulant of the package can be formed to provide access to the connections and plated to perform a shielding function. A continuous connection from the RF pads is used as a vertical interconnect. The region around the vertical interconnect can be filled with encapsulant potting material and back grinded to form a surface of the semiconductor device package. A waveguide antenna feed can be plated or printed on the vertical interconnect on the surface of the package.

Semiconductor device package comprising an encapsulated and conductively shielded semiconductor device die that provides an antenna feed to a waveguide

A method of radar detection and a radar system for a motor vehicle are described. The radar system includes a transmitter for transmitting a radar signal having a time period, a plurality of receivers for receiving the transmitted radar signal reflected by an object, a signal compressor having a plurality inputs coupled to each of the receivers and at least one signal compressor output, the signal compressor being configured to compress the received signals to fewer output signals, each output signal having a number of samples. A signal re-constructor having at least one input coupled to each the signal compressor output and configured to determine a plurality signal strength values from the compressed signals, each signal strength value corresponding to a signal strength for a respective time-of-flight and angle-of-arrival value pair of a received signal. The radar system may detect an object with less memory and a lower power consumption while maintaining angular resolution.

Radar system

A millimeter-wave radio antenna module () comprising: an antenna substrate () having an antenna () provided on a face thereof; and a semiconductor die () comprising a wireless system IC, the die mounted on a face of the antenna substrate and configured to provide a signal to the antenna, wherein a ball grid array () is formed on a face of the antenna substrate for mounting the antenna module to a circuit board, the ball grid array being configured to define an air dielectric gap () between the antenna and the circuit board.

Millimetre-wave radio antenna module

An apparatus () for feeding antenna elements of a phased array antenna, comprises: at least two transmission lines () disposed in parallel and operated at a certain frequency as resonators, each of the transmission lines () having a predetermined length dimensioned to be at least approximately an electrical quarter-wavelength of the operating frequency, a plurality of measuring positions provided on the transmission lines () in spacings along the longitudinal direction (x) of the transmission lines, wherein each measuring position on one of the two transmission lines () faces directly a corresponding neighbored measuring position on the other transmission line () and such corresponding measuring positions being adjacent to each other in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the transmission lines () form a measuring position pair, respectively, wherein each of the circuits () detects and amplifies/attenuates the measuring signals from an assigned measuring position pair associated with the transmission lines () for a corresponding longitudinal position as a function of a resonant field in the transmission lines at the respective positions, and further adds the measured and processed signals in order to generate output signals for feeding corresponding antenna elements.

Apparatus for feeding antenna elements and method therefor

Antenna switches () in dual-band or multi-band mobile phones are according to a basic idea provided with a serial semiconductor switches () per transmitting branch () and with a further semiconductor switch () coupled in parallel to a receiving branch (), to obtain isolation between branches (-) in a simple way. Said semiconductor switches are PIN diodes or MEMS switches or pHEMT switches. Another semiconductor switch () coupled in parallel to the receiving branches (-) allows together with said further semiconductor () the introduction of elements () without a transmission line. Alternatively, the antenna switch () may comprise a transmission line (), in which case the receiving branches () can be switched via transistor switches (). This all improves isolation, reduces costs, complexity, size and high Radio-Frequency (RF) losses.

Growing community of inventors

Haelen, Netherlands

Antonius Johannes Matheus De Graauw