This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2011-155126, filed Jul. 13, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments described herein relate generally to a wireless apparatus.
There is a method for providing, as a semiconductor package with built-in antenna, a metal plate functioning as a radiator connected with a semiconductor chip on a board within a semiconductor package, and providing a metal plate functioning as a reflector parallel to the radiator, thereby preventing from being radiated in different directions, and can be radiated in a desired direction.
A semiconductor package is used, mounted on a board. In this case, if a conventional semiconductor package with built-in antenna is mounted on a board on which a metal plate has been formed, a current is induced in the metal plate near the antenna, thereby degrading the antenna characteristics.
The thickness of a board on which a semiconductor package with an antenna is mounted changes depending on a system and the like. By making the board sufficiently thick, and removing a metal plate on the board near the antenna, it is possible to reduce an influence on the antenna. On the other hand, if a board is thin and a metal plate exists under the board, or if it is necessary to arrange the terminals of a semiconductor package, a ground, and a metal plate such as wiring lines near the antenna, they exert an influence on the antenna, thereby changing the antenna characteristics.
A conventional semiconductor package with built-in antenna is a dipole antenna with a reflector and a metal plate existing near the antenna has an influence on it. Since the influence of the metal plate of the board is not considered, a problem arises in implementation.
In general, according to one embodiment, a wireless apparatus includes a mounting board, a semiconductor package and a first layer. The mounting board has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The semiconductor package includes at least one antenna and is mounted on the first surface. The first layer is a conductor formed on the second surface or between the first surface and the second surface, at least one portion of an edge of the first layer being concaved wherein the antenna is arranged closer to the edge than the center of the first layer when seen in thickness direction of the mounting board.
A wireless apparatus according to an embodiment of the present embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the following embodiments, parts with the same reference numerals perform the same operation, and a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.
(First Embodiment)
A wireless apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes a semiconductor package 101 and a mounting board 102. The semiconductor package 101 includes a semiconductor chip 103, an antenna 104, a board 105, package terminals 106, and an encapsulation resin 107. The mounting board 102 includes a metal plate 108.
The mounting board 102 is a board on which the semiconductor package 101 is mounted and connected. In addition to the semiconductor package 101, other components are also connected with the mounting board 102.
The semiconductor chip 103 is obtained by forming a metal plate with copper, aluminum, gold, or the like in the interior or on the surface of the semiconductor board made of, for example, silicon, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, or the like. Note that the semiconductor chip 103 may be made of a dielectric substrate, magnetic substrate, metal, or a combination thereof. The semiconductor chip 103 is square in
The antenna 104 may be formed by a metal plate on the board 105 or the semiconductor chip 103 within the semiconductor package 101. Alternatively, the antenna 104 may be formed by combining the metal plate on the semiconductor chip 103 or board 105 with a boding wire, a bump, a dielectric board (not shown), or the like. In this embodiment, the antenna 104 is assumed to be arranged closer to the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102 than the center of the semiconductor package 101. Note that the antenna 104 has a symmetrical shape in the example of
The board 105 is an interposer board mounting the semiconductor chip 103, which electrically connects, by means of soldering or the like, the semiconductor chip 103 with the mounting board 102 through the package terminals 106 formed on the board 105.
The package terminals 106 are, for example, solder balls, which electrically connect the semiconductor package 101 with the mounting board 102.
The sealing agent encapsulation resin 107 is made of, for example, a thermosetting molding compound obtained by adding a silica filler or the like to an epoxy resin as a major component, and is filled in the semiconductor package 101 to protect the semiconductor.
The metal plate 108 is a conductor, and is a layer formed on a second surface of the mounting board 102 on the opposite side of its first surface on which the semiconductor package 101 is mounted. Note that in this embodiment, the metal plate 108 is provided on the second surface, that is, the lowest layer of the mounting board 102. The present embodiment, however, is not limited to this. The metal plate 108 may be provided on the internal layer of the mounting board 102, or a plurality of metal plates 108 may be provided. As shown in
With above-described arrangement, the package terminals 106 can be connected to the metal plate 108 of the mounting board 102 by vias (not shown) with a shortest path without routing wiring lines, thereby decreasing a parasitic capacity due to connection and enhancing a power supply and ground.
At portions outside the second region S2 of the metal plate 108, the metal plate 108 has concaves (to be referred to as notches 109 hereinafter) respectively at both sides of the antenna 104 when seen from the z-axis direction, along a first edge of the metal plate 108 to which the antenna is close. That is, as shown in
Note that it is desirable to form the metal plate 108 as a ground pattern or power supply pattern occupying a relatively wide region since the metal plate 108 includes the region S2. The metal plate 108 may be formed as a floating metal pattern.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case in which the metal plate 108 is rectangular or square is exemplified. The shape, however, is not limited to them, and may be a polygon, circle, ellipse, or any other shapes. If, for example, the metal plate 108 is circular, the metal plate 108 need only have a concave at a portion of its edge to which the antenna 104 is close.
A result of comparing the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment with a conventional apparatus including no notch will now be described.
As illustrated in
A graph 301 represents the simulation result of the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. A graph 302 represents the simulation result of the conventional apparatus 200. As shown in
As represented by a graph 401 of
In the semiconductor package 101 as illustrated in
If the antenna 104 is arranged closer to the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102 than the center of the semiconductor package 101, that is, closer to the outermost edge (first edge) of the metal plate 108 than its center, notches are provided on the outermost edge of the metal plate 108 like the wireless apparatus 100 according to the embodiment. This can decrease the current flowing through a portion outside the notches of the metal plate 108 from the viewpoint of the antenna 104. Furthermore, adjusting the positions of the notches can change the radiation pattern of the antenna 104, thereby improving the antenna characteristics to a desired level. The notches need only be provided at a portion outside the second region S2 on the metal plate 108. However, as the notches are provided closer to the antenna, it is possible to decrease a current more. Thus, the notches are desirably provided near the second region S2.
Comparison of the intensity of current induced in the metal plate 108 for various notches will be described with reference to
As shown in
Furthermore, if the difference between the distances D1 and D2 is a ⅙ or ⅓ wavelength, a decrease in current is larger. Making the difference between the distances D1 and D2 at least 1/12 wavelength or longer can suppress currents induced in the metal plate 108 outside the notches, thereby further improving the antenna characteristics.
(First Modification)
A wireless apparatus according to the first modification to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
The wireless apparatus 600 according to the first modification is almost the same as that in the first embodiment. A different point is that the antenna 104 is an inverted-F antenna and one notch is provided for the metal plate 108. Providing one notch can improve the degree of freedom of the shape of the metal plate 108 while suppressing an undesired current.
(Second Modification)
A wireless apparatus according to the second modification to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 700 according to the second modification has almost the same arrangement as that in the first embodiment. A different point is that the semiconductor package 101 is arranged at a corner of the mounting board 102. Arranging the semiconductor package 101 at a corner of the mounting board 102 enables efficient radiation from the antenna toward the corner as compared with a case in which the semiconductor package 101 is arranged at the center of the mounting board 102. In the example shown in
(Third Modification)
A wireless apparatus according to the third modification to the first embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 800 according to the third modification has almost the same arrangement as that in the first embodiment. A different point is that the notches have not right-angled corners but rounded corners. Even if the notches are formed to have rounded corners, it is possible to suppress the current induced outside the notches and to improve the antenna characteristics, similarly to the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment.
Note that the mounting board of the wireless apparatus has been described on the assumption that the mounting board is a rectangle larger than the metal plate, but it may have the same size as that of the metal plate. In this case, although the distances D2 and D1 are equal to each other, it is only necessary to provide notches for the metal plate 108.
According to the above-described first embodiment, providing notches for the metal plate can suppress undesired current outside the notches from the viewpoint of the antenna, and adjusting the positions and depth of the notches can improve the antenna characteristics to a desired level.
(Second Embodiment)
A wireless apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 900 according to the second embodiment has almost the same arrangement as that of the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. A different point is that a metal plate 108 has notches having a predetermined width (which is to also be referred to as a third edge, and is a distance D3 in
As shown in
If the width D3 is a ⅙ or ⅓ wavelength, a decrease in current is larger. Making the width D3 a 1/12 wavelength or longer can suppress the current induced in the metal plate 108 outside the notches, thereby further improving the antenna characteristics.
According to the above-described second embodiment, when notches having a predetermined width (a distance D3 in
(Third Embodiment)
A wireless apparatus according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 1100 according to the third embodiment has almost the same arrangement as that of the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. A different point is that a first region is formed by a smallest region occupied by package terminals 106 and a second edge 111 of a metal plate 108 is in contact with a second region when seen from the z-axis direction. A further different point is that a portion of semiconductor package 101, which is closer to the outermost edge 110 of a mounting board 102 than the first region, is arranged closer to the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102 than the second edge 111 of the metal plate 108 when seen from the z-axis direction. The smallest region includes, among the package terminals 106, outermost package terminals 106 and package terminals inside the outermost package terminals 106 when seen from the z-axis direction. Note that an edge of the smallest region including all package terminals 106 overlaps the second edge 111 when seen from the z axis direction.
This arrangement enables to minimize an overlapping region between a semiconductor package 101 and the metal plate 108 when the package terminals 106 are connected to the metal plate 108 of the mounting board 102 by vias (not shown) with a shortest path without routing wiring lines. Since this reduces the size of the metal plate around an antenna 104 arranged closer to the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102 than the center of the semiconductor package 101, it is possible to decrease an influence exerted by the metal plate 108 on the antenna 104.
According to the above-described third embodiment, if components and other metal plates are not arranged between the semiconductor package 101 and the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102, there are no components and other metal plates between the antenna 104 and the outermost edge 110 of the mounting board 102, and therefore, the antenna characteristics improve. Furthermore, since there is no obstacle between the antenna 104 and the mounting board 102, the antenna 104 can efficiently radiate to the outside.
(Fourth Embodiment)
A wireless apparatus according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to
A wireless apparatus 1200 according to the fourth embodiment includes a semiconductor chip 103, a mounting board 102, an antenna 104, and a metal plate 108. A different point from the wireless apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment is that the semiconductor chip 103 and the mounting board 102 are directly connected with each other without using the semiconductor package 101 (so-called bear chip implementation).
The antenna 104 may be formed by a metal plate on the semiconductor chip 103 or mounting board 102, or may be made of a combination of a metal plate on the semiconductor chip 103 or mounting board 102 and a boding wire, bump, dielectric board (not shown), or the like. As shown in
The metal plate 108 is formed to include a fourth region obtained by projecting a third region occupied by the semiconductor chip 103 in the thickness direction of the mounting board 102. Furthermore, the metal plate 108 has notches 109, similarly to the first embodiment.
According to the above-described fourth embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the antenna characteristics to a desired level by suppressing undesired current. Furthermore, bear chip implementation can reduce the circuit scale.
(Fifth Embodiment)
It is also possible to use the above-described wireless apparatus for a wireless system. An example of a wireless system including the wireless apparatus according to one of the first to fourth embodiments will be described with reference to
The wireless system is a system for exchanging data, images, and moving images and includes the above-described wireless apparatus.
A wireless system according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to a block diagram illustrated in
The wireless apparatus 1301 externally transmits and receives data. Note that the wireless apparatus (a wireless apparatus 100, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1100, or 1200) according to any of the first to fourth embodiments may be used.
The processor 1302 processes data received from the wireless apparatus 1301 or data to be transmitted to the wireless apparatus 1301.
The memory 1303 receives data from the processor 1302 and stores the data.
An example of the wireless system incorporating the wireless apparatus will be described with reference to
The wireless system is, for example, a note PC 1401 and portable terminal 1402. The note PC 1401 and portable terminal 1402 internally or externally includes the wireless apparatus, and makes data communication via the wireless apparatus using, for example, a millimeter-wave frequency band. Although the note PC 1401 and portable terminal 1402 include the wireless apparatus 100 in this example, any of the above-described wireless apparatuses may be included.
The wireless apparatus of the note PC 1401 and that of the portable terminal 1402 can efficiently exchange data when they are arranged so that the directions in which their antennas 104 have a high directivity oppose each other.
Although the note PC 1401 and portable terminal 1402 are illustrated in the example of
As illustrated in
According to the above-described fifth embodiment, by incorporating a wireless apparatus in a wireless system for wirelessly communicating data, such as a note PC and portable terminal, it is possible to efficiently transmit and receive data and the like.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
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U.S. Appl. No. 13/344,848; First Named Inventor: Yukako Tsutsumi; Title: “Wireless Apparatus and Wireless System”; filed Jan. 6, 2012. |
U.S. Appl. No. 13/447,676; First Named Inventor: Yukako Tsutsumi; Title: “Wireless Apparatus”; filed Apr. 16, 2012. |
U.S. Appl. No. 13/542,149; First Named Inventor: Yukako Tsutsumi; filed Jul. 5, 2012; Title: “Antenna Device and Wireless Apparatus”. |
U.S. Appl. No. 13/782,552; First Named Inventor: Yukako Tsutsumi; Title: “Wireless Device”; filed Mar. 1, 2013. |
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