TWM676955U - Antenna structure - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the utility model disclose an antenna structure comprising: An inner package comprising a laser direct molding layer and a first antenna pattern disposed on the laser direct molding layer, the first antenna pattern having a first annular coupling portion, and an outer housing over the inner package comprising a second antenna pattern, the second antenna pattern having a second annular coupling portion, the first annular coupling portion overlaying the second annular coupling portion in a vertical direction. Embodiments of the utility model at least reduce the size of the antenna structure by utilizing the coupling between the first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern to transmit signals.

Description

Antenna structure

This invention relates to an antenna structure, and more particularly to a miniaturized antenna structure.

There is a demand for laser direct structuring (LDS) antennas in communication products and devices such as mobile phones and watches. LDS antennas are generally used for radio frequency (RF) transmission.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of a prior art antenna structure (hereinafter referred to as the first antenna structure 100 for ease of explanation), and Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of another prior art antenna structure (hereinafter referred to as the second antenna structure 200 for ease of explanation). Referring to Figure 1, a cross-sectional schematic view of the prior art first antenna structure 100 is shown. The first antenna structure 100 includes: a first housing 110 and a first laser antenna pattern 111 located on the first housing 110. The first laser antenna pattern 111 is formed on the inner surface of the first housing 110 by laser direct forming technology. A first antenna substrate 130 is disposed inside the first housing 110, and a spring clip 120 is located above the first antenna substrate 130. Referring to Figure 2, a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the prior art second antenna structure 200 is shown. The second antenna structure 200 includes a second housing 210 and a second laser antenna pattern 211 located on the second housing 210. The second laser antenna pattern 211 is formed on the outer surface of the second housing 210 by laser direct molding technology. A circuit board 250 is disposed inside the second housing 210, and a second antenna substrate 240 is located above the circuit board 250. A spring pin 220 is disposed on the second antenna substrate 240. An internal molding layer 230 on the second antenna substrate 240 surrounds the spring pin 220. Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of yet another prior art antenna structure (hereinafter referred to as the third antenna structure 300 for ease of explanation). Figure 3 shows a third laser antenna pattern 311 disposed on the third housing 310 of the third antenna structure 300. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, conventional laser-direct molding antenna structures typically design antenna patterns (e.g., first laser antenna pattern 111 and second laser antenna pattern 211) on the housing or mid-frame, using springs and pins (e.g., spring 120 or pin 220 shown in Figures 1 and 2) to connect to the antenna patterns for signal transmission. However, due to the large size of the springs and pins, miniaturization of the product is not possible, and the signal transmission is limited by the size of the springs and pins, further hindering product miniaturization.

To address the above problems, this invention proposes an antenna structure that utilizes at least the coupling between the first and second antenna patterns to transmit signals, thereby reducing the size of the antenna structure.

The technical means of this invention are implemented as follows: According to one embodiment of this invention, an antenna structure is provided, comprising: an inner package including a laser direct molding layer and a first antenna pattern disposed on the laser direct molding layer, the first antenna pattern having a first annular coupling portion; and an outer shell covering the inner package, including a second antenna pattern, the second antenna pattern having a second annular coupling portion, the first annular coupling portion overlapping the second annular coupling portion in the vertical direction.

In some embodiments, the inner package includes a molded sealing layer that recesses to define a recess.

In some embodiments, the antenna pattern is positioned within the recess and extends above the top surface of the molding layer.

In some embodiments, the first annular coupling portion is disposed outside the recess.

In some embodiments, the area of the first annular coupling portion, when viewed from above, controls the impedance of the antenna structure.

In some embodiments, the area of the second line pattern is larger than the area of the first line pattern.

In some embodiments, the outer shell encloses the inner package.

In some embodiments, a gap is defined between the outer casing and the inner package, and the outer casing and the inner package are separated by the gap.

In some embodiments, the second antenna pattern is disposed on the inner surface of the housing facing the inner package.

In some embodiments, the inner package further includes a substrate that supports the molding layer.

In some embodiments, the laser direct molding layer is disposed on the mold sealing layer.

In some embodiments, the antenna structure also includes a printed circuit board that carries the inner package and is disposed within the housing.

In some embodiments, the laser-formed layer defines a cavity that extends into the recess.

In some embodiments, the first antenna pattern extends from within the cavity to the upper surface of the laser-formed layer facing the second antenna pattern.

In some embodiments, the antenna structure also includes a plurality of impedance matching elements disposed on the first antenna pattern located within the cavity.

In some embodiments, the gap is filled with air.

In some embodiments, from a top-down view, the size of the area enclosed by the first annular coupling portion and the size of the area enclosed by the second annular coupling portion control the inductance of the antenna structure.

In some embodiments, at the extension surface of the first antenna pattern on the laser-formed layer, the first antenna pattern has a first width in a direction perpendicular to its extension, and at the extension surface of the second antenna pattern on the housing, the second antenna pattern has a second width in a direction perpendicular to its extension, wherein the first width and the second width control the capacitance of the antenna structure.

In some embodiments, the first width may be the same as or different from the second width.

Other embodiments of this invention provide an antenna structure comprising: an inner package including a laser direct molding layer and a first antenna pattern disposed on the laser direct molding layer, the first antenna pattern having a first annular coupling portion; and an outer shell covering the inner package, including a second antenna pattern having a second annular coupling portion, the first annular coupling portion and the second annular coupling portion being coupled to each other and surrounded by the outer shell.

By employing the aforementioned technical means of this novel invention, the size of the antenna structure is reduced by at least utilizing the coupling signal transmission between the first and second antenna patterns.

100: First Skyline Structure

110: First outer shell

111: First Laser Antenna Pattern

120: Shrapnel

130: First antenna substrate

200: Second Linear Structure

210: Second outer shell

211: Second Radar Antenna Pattern

220: Spear

230: Internal mold sealing layer

240: Second antenna substrate

250: Circuit Board

300: Third antenna structure

310: Third outer shell

311: Third Radar Antenna Pattern

400: Antenna Structure

401: Inner Package

410: Laser Direct Molding Layer

411: First Line Pattern

412: First annular coupling section

413: Cavity

420: Shell

421: Second Line Pattern

422: Second annular coupling section

430: Printed Circuit Board

440: Mold Encapsulation

441: concave part

450:Substrate

451: Solder pad

452: Solder bump

453: Electronic Components

454: Antenna Base

456: External Connectors

460: Gap

470: Impedance matching element

801-814: Steps

901-919: Steps

1000: Process Flow

A: Region

To more clearly illustrate the technical means in the embodiments of this invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without any creative effort.

Figure 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a prior art antenna structure.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another prior art antenna structure.

Figure 3 shows a three-dimensional schematic diagram of another prior art antenna structure.

Figure 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an antenna structure according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows a magnified schematic diagram of region A in Figure 4.

Figure 6A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an antenna structure according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 6B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an antenna structure according to some embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 7 is an S-parameter curve of the antenna structure of this novel embodiment.

Figure 8 illustrates the process flow of some embodiments according to this invention.

Figures 8A to 8E show schematic flowcharts.

Figure 9 illustrates the process flow of some other embodiments according to this invention.

Figures 9A to 9F show schematic flowcharts.

The technical means of this invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of this invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this invention fall within the scope of the patent application for this invention.

The following disclosure provides numerous embodiments or examples for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of elements and arrangements will be described below to simplify the invention. These are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. For example, in the following description, forming a first component above or on a second component may include embodiments where the first and second components are in direct contact, or embodiments where an additional component is formed between the first and second components such that the first and second components are not in direct contact. Furthermore, references to numbers and/or letters may be repeated in various embodiments. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity only and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Furthermore, without conflict, the embodiments and features of this invention can be combined with each other. The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional schematic view of an antenna structure 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 5 shows an enlarged schematic view of region A in Figure 4. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna structure 400 comprising: an inner package 401 including a laser direct molding layer 410 and a first antenna pattern 411 disposed on the laser direct molding layer 410, the first antenna pattern 411 having a first annular coupling portion 412; and an outer shell 420 covering the inner package 401, including a second antenna pattern 421, the second antenna pattern 421 having a second annular coupling portion 422, the first annular coupling portion 412 overlapping the second annular coupling portion 422 in the vertical direction. It is understood that the first antenna pattern 411 can be a pattern laser-formed directly onto the laser-formed layer 410; correspondingly, the second antenna pattern 421 can also be a pattern laser-formed directly onto the housing 420. The antenna structure 400 of this invention couples the first antenna pattern 411 disposed inside the housing 420 with the second antenna pattern 421 located on the housing 420, allowing the radiation characteristics and electrical performance of the antenna patterns to be unrestricted by the package size. This reduces the volume of the antenna structure 400 by utilizing the coupling between the first antenna pattern 411 and the second antenna pattern 421 to transmit signals. By providing a first annular coupling portion 412 that overlaps the second annular coupling portion 422 in the vertical direction, radiated energy can be coupled vertically. This allows for convenient control of the impedance of the antenna structure 400, which will be described in detail later.

Referring again to Figures 4 and 5, the outer casing 420 can enclose the inner package 401. For clarity, the inner contour of the outer casing 420 is illustrated with dashed lines in Figure 4. In practice, the second antenna pattern 421 can be disposed on the inner surface of the outer casing 420 facing the inner package 401, or on the outer surface of the outer casing 420 away from the inner package 401. In some embodiments, the inner package 401 includes a molding seal 440 that recesses to define a recess 441. It is understood that the recess 441 accommodates a portion of the laser direct-forming layer 410 located above the molding seal 440. The first antenna pattern 411 can be disposed in the recess 441 and can further extend from the recess 441 to above the top surface of the molding layer 440. Furthermore, the first annular coupling portion 412 can be disposed outside the recess 441. As previously described, since the first annular coupling portion 412 and the second annular coupling portion 422 overlap each other and are both constructed as annular structures, the impedance of the antenna structure 400 can be adjusted by changing the area of the first annular coupling portion 412 in a top view, and the impedance of the antenna structure 400 can also be adjusted by changing the area of the second annular coupling portion 422 in a top view. In some embodiments, from a top-down view, the size of the area enclosed by the first annular coupling portion 412 and the size of the area enclosed by the second annular coupling portion 422 can adjust the inductance of the antenna structure 400; and at the extension surface of the first antenna pattern 411 on the laser direct molding layer 410, the first antenna pattern 411 has a first width perpendicular to the extension direction of the first antenna pattern 411, and at the extension surface of the second antenna pattern 421 on the housing 420, the second antenna pattern 421 has a second width perpendicular to the extension direction of the second antenna pattern 421, wherein the first width and the second width can adjust the capacitance of the antenna structure 400. The first width and the second width can be the same or different. In some embodiments, the area of the second antenna pattern 421 is larger than the area of the first antenna pattern 411. The housing 420 may define a gap 460 with the inner package 401, and the housing 420 and the inner package 401 are separated by the gap 460. The gap 460 may be filled with air to serve as a medium for signal transmission between the first antenna pattern 411 and the second antenna pattern 421. The inner package 401 may also include a substrate 450 that supports the molding layer 440. A laser direct molding layer 410 may be disposed on the molding layer 440. And as mentioned above, a portion of the laser direct molding layer 410 extends into a recess 441 of the molding layer 440. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 400 further includes a printed circuit board 430 that carries the inner package 401 and is disposed within the housing 420. The laser-formed layer 410 may define a cavity 413 extending into the recess 441. The first antenna pattern 411 may extend from within the cavity 413 to the upper surface of the laser-formed layer 410 facing the second antenna pattern 421. The antenna structure 400 may also include a plurality of impedance matching elements 470 disposed on the first antenna pattern 411 located within the cavity 413.

This invention also provides an antenna structure 400, which can be understood with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The antenna structure 400 includes: an inner package 401, including a laser direct molding layer 410 and a first antenna pattern 411 disposed on the laser direct molding layer 410, the first antenna pattern 411 having a first annular coupling portion 412; and an outer shell 420, covering the inner package 401, including a second antenna pattern 421, the second antenna pattern 421 having a second annular coupling portion 422, the first annular coupling portion 412 and the second annular coupling portion 422 being coupled to each other and surrounded by the outer shell 420.

Figure 6A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an antenna structure 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. A laser-formed layer 410 may cover the upper surface and side surfaces of the molding layer 440. The widths of the second antenna pattern 421 and the first antenna pattern 411 may also be different.

Figure 6B shows a cross-sectional schematic view of an antenna structure 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, the molding layer 440 may also cover the first antenna pattern 411 on the laser direct molding layer 410. In fact, the antenna structure 400 according to some embodiments of the present invention is a coupling antenna structure, and it does not affect the design whether the first antenna pattern 411 shown in Figure 6A is exposed relative to the molding layer 440 or whether the first antenna pattern 411 shown in Figure 6B is covered by the molding layer 440. See Figures 4, 5 and 6A. In some embodiments, the printed circuit board 430 has dimensions of 40x40x1mm (length 40mm, width 40mm, thickness 1mm), and the inner package 401 has package dimensions of 7x7x1mm (length 40mm, width 40mm, thickness 1mm). In some embodiments, the substrate 450 is made of high-k dielectric materials, with a dielectric constant of 6.5 at 2.4GHz and a loss factor of 0.002 at 2.5GHz. In some embodiments, the molding layer 440 is made of high-k dielectric materials, with a dielectric constant of 6.5 at 2.4GHz and a loss factor of 0.002 at 2.5GHz. In some embodiments, the antenna structure 400 has an antenna efficiency of 25% at 2.45 GHz, meaning it has a radiative efficiency of 25% at 2.45 GHz; and a peak gain of -2.2 dBi at 2.45 GHz, meaning it achieves a peak gain of -2.2 dBi at 2.45 GHz.

Figure 7 is an S-parameter curve of the antenna structure 400 of this novel embodiment. The horizontal axis represents frequency, and the vertical axis represents antenna gain. When the antenna gain of the antenna structure 400 is less than, for example, -10 dB, the antenna gain can be improved.

Figure 8 illustrates a process flow 1000 according to some embodiments of the present invention. The process flow diagrams shown in Figures 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E are provided for understanding the structure of the process flow 1000 of the present invention. Specifically, referring to Figures 8 and 8A, in step 801, a substrate 450 (or frame) is introduced, on which solder pads 451 may be formed. In step 802, solder is printed on the substrate 450, thereby forming solder bumps 452. In step 803, electronic components 453, such as passive components, are mounted on the substrate 450 via the solder bumps 452 using surface mount technology (SMT). In step 804, referring to FIG. 8B, the antenna base 454 (which can be understood as including a laser direct-formed layer 410 with a first antenna pattern 411, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A) is mounted to the substrate 450 using surface mount technology and connected to the solder pads 451 on the substrate 450. In step 805, the structure shown in FIG. 8B is reflowed. After reflow, flux cleaning in step 806 is performed using methods commonly used in the art. In step 807, wire bonding is formed by wire bonding (WB). In step 808, referring to FIG. 8C, a molding seal layer 440 is formed by a molding process, followed by grinding in step 809. In step 810, corresponding openings are formed under the substrate 450 using a laser-marked drilling process. In step 811, external connectors 456 are formed in the corresponding openings using a solder ball bonding placement (SBBP) process, as shown in FIG8D. Subsequently, as shown in FIG8E, in step 812, the formed structure is sawed G using a sawing process. Furthermore, the formed structure can be assembled into a housing 420 having a second antenna pattern 421, thereby forming a corresponding antenna structure 400 (see, for example, the housing 420 with the second antenna pattern 421 and the antenna structure 400 shown in FIG4, 5, and 6A). In step 813, the antenna structure 400 formed by the near-Final Visual Inspection (FVI) test is examined (see, for example, the antenna structure 400 shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6A). Finally, in step 814, the resulting antenna structure 400 (see, for example, the antenna structure 400 shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6A) is further used through a loading and transport process.

Figure 9 illustrates a process flow 1000 according to some other embodiments of the present invention. The process flow diagrams shown in Figures 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, 9E, and 9F are provided for understanding the structure of the present invention's process flow 1000. Specifically, referring to Figures 9 and 9A, in step 901, a substrate 450 is introduced, on which solder pads 451 are formed. In step 902, solder is printed on the substrate 450, thereby forming solder bumps 452. In step 903, electronic components 453, such as passive components, are mounted on the substrate 450 via the solder bumps 452 using surface mount technology. In step 904, the structure shown in Figure 9A is reflowed. In step 905, the reflowed structure is flux-cleaned (for the entire semi-finished product). In step 906, referring to FIG. 9B, the antenna base 454 is introduced (which can be understood as the antenna base 454 including a laser direct-formed layer 410 with the first antenna pattern 411, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A). In step 907, the structure shown in FIG. 9A is flipped and mounted onto the antenna base 454 (i.e., the entire upper part) using surface mount technology. Then, in steps 908 and 909, the structure obtained above is reflowed and flux-cleaned. In step 910, wire bonding is formed by wire bonding (WB). In step 911, referring to FIG. 9B, a molding seal layer 440 is formed by a molding process (in this embodiment, an antenna base 454 containing the first antenna pattern 411 is used as the lower mold; it can be understood that the antenna base 454 includes a laser direct-formed layer 410 with the first antenna pattern 411, for example, a laser direct-formed layer 410 with the first antenna pattern 411 is shown in FIG. 6A). Then, in step 912, product material control (PMC) is performed. In step 913, a portion of the molding seal layer 440 is removed by a grinding process until a molding seal layer 440 of the desired thickness is formed, as shown in FIG. 9C. Next, referring to FIG. 9D and in steps 914 and 915, an opening is formed in the mold sealing layer 440 by laser ablation and laser masking processes, respectively. Then, referring to FIG. 9E and in step 916, an external connector 456 (such as solder balls, in this embodiment, a post-balling process) is formed in the opening by a solder ball bonding placement (SBBP) process. Then, in step 917, the structure formed in FIG. 9E is sawed G by a sawing process to form the structure shown in FIG. 9F. Furthermore, the formed structure can be assembled within a housing 420 having the second antenna pattern 421, thereby forming a corresponding antenna structure 400 (see, for example, the housing 420 with the second antenna pattern 421 and the antenna structure 400 shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6A). In step 918, the formed antenna structure 400 undergoes a final visual inspection (FVI) test (see, for example, the antenna structure 400 shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6A). Finally, in step 919, the obtained structure is further used through a loading and shipping process.

The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this invention and is not intended to limit the scope of this invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of the patent application.

410: Laser Direct Molding Layer

411: First Line Pattern

412: First annular coupling section

413: Cavity

421: Second Line Pattern

422: Second annular coupling section

440: Mold Encapsulation

441: concave part

450:Substrate

470: Impedance matching element

Claims (20)

An antenna structure includes: an inner package including a laser direct molding layer and a first antenna pattern disposed on the laser direct molding layer, the first antenna pattern having a first annular coupling portion; and an outer shell covering the inner package, including a second antenna pattern having a second annular coupling portion, the first annular coupling portion overlapping the second annular coupling portion in the vertical direction. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the inner package includes a molded enclosure that has a recess defined in the molded enclosure. The antenna structure as described in claim 2, wherein the first antenna pattern is disposed in the recess and extends above the top surface of the molded layer. The antenna structure as described in claim 2, wherein the first annular coupling portion is disposed outside the recess. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein, when viewed from above, the area of the first annular coupling portion controls the impedance of the antenna structure. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the area of the second antenna pattern is larger than the area of the first antenna pattern. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the outer casing encloses the inner package. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the outer casing and the inner package define a gap, and the outer casing and the inner package are separated by the gap. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein the second antenna pattern is disposed on the inner surface of the housing facing the inner package. The antenna structure as described in claim 2, wherein the inner package further includes a substrate that supports the molding layer. The antenna structure as described in claim 10, wherein the laser direct molding layer is disposed on the mold sealing layer. The antenna structure as described in claim 10 further includes a printed circuit board that carries the inner package and is disposed within the outer casing. The antenna structure as described in claim 11, wherein the laser direct molding layer defines a cavity that extends into the recess. The antenna structure as described in claim 13, wherein the first antenna pattern extends from inside the cavity to the upper surface of the laser direct molding layer facing the second antenna pattern. The antenna structure as described in claim 14 further includes a plurality of impedance matching elements disposed on the first antenna pattern located within the cavity. The antenna structure as described in claim 8, wherein the gap is filled with air. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein, in a top view, the size of the area enclosed by the first annular coupling portion and the size of the area enclosed by the second annular coupling portion control the inductance of the antenna structure. The antenna structure as described in claim 1, wherein, at the extension surface of the first antenna pattern on the laser-formed layer, the first antenna pattern has a first width in a direction perpendicular to the extension of the first antenna pattern; and at the extension surface of the second antenna pattern on the housing, the second antenna pattern has a second width in a direction perpendicular to the extension of the second antenna pattern; wherein the first width and the second width control the capacitance of the antenna structure. The antenna structure as described in claim 18, wherein the first width is the same as or different from the second width. An antenna structure includes: an inner package including a laser direct molding layer and a first antenna pattern disposed on the laser direct molding layer, the first antenna pattern having a first annular coupling portion; and an outer shell covering the inner package, including a second antenna pattern, the second antenna pattern having a second annular coupling portion, the first annular coupling portion and the second annular coupling portion being coupled to each other and surrounded by the outer shell.