HIGH-FREQUENCY COMPONENT, ELECTRIC CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT AND RADAR SYSTEM

Abstract

An electronic component for high-frequency applications, in which an integrated circuit with a chip for processing high-frequency signals are arranged together with at least one signal coupling element or launcher for coupling and/or decoupling high-frequency signals in a common housing substrate. A land grid array (LGA) structure is provided on an outside of the housing substrate. An electrically conductive border is provided around the respective launcher on the surface of the housing substrate.

Claims

1. A high-frequency component, comprising: a housing substrate including a chip element having an integrated circuit and at least one signal coupling element coupled to the integrated circuit and configured to emit and/or receive a high-frequency signal; and a land grid array arranged on a surface of the housing substrate and having an electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element on the surface of the housing substrate.

2. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element has a closed circumferential geometry.

3. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element includes multiple sections spaced apart from one another.

4. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein an inner side of the electrically conductive border facing towards the signal coupling element has a round or oval geometry.

5. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein an inner side of the electrically conductive border facing towards the signal coupling element has an at least approximately rectangular geometry.

6. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element includes an electrically conductive additional structure on an inner side facing towards the signal coupling element.

7. The high-frequency component according to claim 1, wherein the land grid array includes a heat removal surface.

8. An electric circuit arrangement, comprising: a high-frequency component including: a housing substrate including a chip element having an integrated circuit and at least one signal coupling element coupled to the integrated circuit and configured to emit and/or receive a high-frequency signal, and a land grid array arranged on a surface of the housing substrate and having an electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element on the surface of the housing substrate; and a printed circuit board substrate having an electrically conductive structure corresponding to the land grid array of the high-frequency component, wherein the high-frequency component is electrically contacted with the electrically conductive structure of the printed circuit board substrate.

9. The electric circuit arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the printed circuit board substrate includes a coupling interface configured to couple the signal coupling element to a waveguide.

10. The electric circuit assembly according to claim 9, wherein the coupling interface includes a metallized opening in the printed circuit board substrate configured to couple a high-frequency signal from the signal coupling element through the metallized opening to an antenna on an opposite side of the printed circuit board.

11. A radar system for a motor vehicle, comprising: an electric circuit arrangement, including: a high-frequency component including: a housing substrate including a chip element having an integrated circuit and at least one signal coupling element coupled to the integrated circuit and configured to emit and/or receive a high-frequency signal, and a land grid array arranged on a surface of the housing substrate and having an electrically conductive border around the at least one signal coupling element on the surface of the housing substrate; and a printed circuit board substrate having an electrically conductive structure corresponding to the land grid array of the high-frequency component, wherein the high-frequency component is electrically contacted with the electrically conductive structure of the printed circuit board substrate; and an antenna system coupled to the electric circuit arrangement and configured to emit high-frequency signals from the high-frequency component and to provide received high-frequency signals to the high-frequency component.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Further features and advantages of the present invention are explained in the following with reference to the figures.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a view on a bottom side of a high-frequency component, according to one example embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a cross-section through an electric circuit with a high-frequency component, according to one example embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a view on a bottom side of a high-frequency component, according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a view on a bottom side of a high-frequency component, according to a further embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a view on a bottom side of a high-frequency component according to yet a further embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a view on a bottom side of a high-frequency component 1, according to one embodiment. Such a high-frequency component may comprise, for example, a housing substrate 10 in which a chip element with an integrated circuit is arranged. If applicable, several chip elements with integrated circuits may also be provided in the housing substrate 10. Several contact elements 15 can be provided on an outer side, preferably the bottom side of the housing substrate 10, via which the connector elements of the integrated circuit can be contacted outwardly. As shown in FIG. 1, these contact elements 15 can be in the form of a so-called land grid array (LGA). The individual contact elements 15 can have, for example, a rectangular, in particular square, shape. However, any other suitable forms, for example circles or the like, are also possible in principle. The contact elements 15 may be electrically conductive contact elements. In this way, both the power supply and signal terminals of the integrated circuit of the chip element may be contacted.

[0036] In addition, a signal coupling element 19 can be provided in the housing substrate 10. This signal coupling element 19 may be internally coupled or connected to the integrated circuit of the chip element. In this way, high-frequency signals generated by the integrated circuit of the chip element may be output or emitted via the signal coupling element 19. Additionally, or alternatively, external high-frequency signals may also be received via the signal coupling element 19 and provided to the integrated circuit of the chip element. For example, high-frequency signals may be emitted by the signal coupling element 19 into a waveguide and/or high-frequency signals may be received from a waveguide through the signal coupling element 19. Naturally, high-frequency signals may also be received from or delivered to other high-frequency conductors.

[0037] As further shown in FIG. 1, the LGA structure of the housing substrate 10 comprises an electrically conductive border 16 around the signal coupling element 19. In particular, this is a closed electrically conductive border 16 that completely encloses the signal coupling element 19 at the surface of the housing substrate 10. In principle, however, embodiments are also possible in which interruptions, for example slots or the like, are provided in the border 16.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of a cross section through an electric circuit with a high-frequency component 1, according to one embodiment. The high-frequency component 1 can be the high-frequency component 1 described above, for example. In addition, high-frequency components 1 of the embodiments described in more detail below are also possible.

[0039] For example, the high-frequency component 1 may be arranged on a printed circuit board substrate 20. This printed circuit board substrate 20 may generally be any suitable printed circuit board substrate. In particular, specific printed circuit board substrates are also possible, as they are preferably used for high-frequency applications. On the printed circuit board substrate 20, an electrically conductive structure can be provided on a side facing the high-frequency component 1, which corresponds to the LGA structure of the high-frequency component 1. In this way, electrical contacting of the conductive structure on the printed circuit board substrate 20 with the connector elements 15 of the LGA structure of the high-frequency component 1 can be established. For example, a solder or a solder paste can be applied to the electrically conductive structure by means of a squeegee process. Subsequently, the high-frequency component 1 may be placed on the printed circuit board substrate 20 having the corresponding conductive structure and be soldered using a suitable soldering process. In this way, the contact elements 15 of the high-frequency component 1 are connected to the electrically conductive structure of the printed circuit board substrate 20 via corresponding soldered joints 31. The LGA structure of the high-frequency component 1 allows a relatively small distance d between the bottom side of the housing substrate and the printed circuit board substrate 20.

[0040] Likewise, the electrically conductive borders 16 around the signal coupling element 19 may also be soldered to corresponding structures on the printed circuit board substrate 20. This results in a full shielding of the interior region of the electrically conductive border 16 from the environment.

[0041] For example, an opening may be provided in the printed circuit board substrate 20 through which the high-frequency signals may be emitted by the signal coupling element 19 and/or external high-frequency signals may be conducted to and received by the signal coupling element 19. In this way, for example, a waveguide, in particular a waveguide antenna or the like, can be connected. Furthermore, any other components are of course possible to connect the signal coupling element 19 with external components for receiving or transmitting high-frequency signals. For example, other types of antennas, strip conductors, a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) or the like may also be attached.

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a view of an LGA structure of a high-frequency component 1 according to another embodiment. In this respect, in principle, all explanations already made in connection with the above-described embodiments apply. The embodiment shown here differs from the above-described embodiment in particular in that a heat removal surface 18 is additionally provided on the LGA structure. This heat removal surface 18 can be a metallic surface, for example, which allows good thermal contact. In this way, thermal energy may be given off by the high-frequency component 1 to external components via the heat removal surface 18. For this purpose, the high-frequency component 1 can be arranged on the above-described printed circuit board substrate 20 such that the heat removal surface 18 is in thermal contact with a corresponding component for heat removal. For example, a structure may be provided on a printed circuit board substrate 20 on which the high-frequency component 1 is mounted, which conducts the heat from the high-frequency component 1 to the opposite side of the printed circuit board substrate 20. An active or passive cooling element may then be provided on this opposite side. For example, the structure for the transfer of heat from the heat removal surface 18 to the opposite side of the printed circuit board substrate 20 may be realized by means of through-plating elements, so-called vias. Depending on the application, it may also be sufficient to give off the heat to the surrounding area via the printed circuit board substrate 20, such that in this case the printed circuit board substrate 20 serves as the cooling element.

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a view of an LGA structure of a high-frequency component 1 according to another embodiment. This embodiment differs from the above-described embodiments in that an inner side of the electrically conductive structure 16 has a round, rounded or optionally oval shape. Otherwise, the explanations of the above-described embodiments also apply here.

[0044] The embodiments of four signal coupling elements 19 with surrounding electrically conductive structures 16 shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 serve merely as an example. It should be understood that any other number of signal coupling elements 19 are also possible in a high-frequency component 1.

[0045] In addition to the separate, spaced-apart electrically conductive structures 16 for the individual signal coupling elements 19 in connection with the above-described embodiments, it is also possible to arrange several signal coupling elements 19 such that the electrically conductive structures 19 contact each other, or that at least partially common electrically conductive structures 16 are provided for adjacent signal coupling elements 19. This is shown by way of example in FIG. 5. Furthermore, the above explanations also apply to the embodiment shown here.

[0046] Further, as also shown in FIG. 5, an additional area 16a can be provided on the electrically conductive structures 16. This additional area 16a can be arranged particularly internally, i.e. on the side of the electrically conductive structure 16 facing the signal coupling element 19. By means of such structures, an adaptation of the high-frequency transition can be realized, for example. In this way, for example, a transition to a ridged waveguide can be realized in particular. Depending on the connection of the signal coupling element to external components, the electrically conductive structure can be adapted accordingly.

[0047] The above-described high-frequency component 1 and an electric circuit realized with it may be used for a radar system, for example. The required high-frequency signals, which are to be emitted by the radar system, can, for example, be generated by the corresponding high-frequency component 1 and output via one or multiple signal coupling elements 19. Furthermore, for example, reflected high-frequency signals received by an antenna system of the radar system may be coupled into the high-frequency component 1 via one or multiple signal coupling elements 19 and processed by the integrated circuit.

[0048] Such electric circuits for high-frequency applications, in particular for radar applications, may be used, for example, in mobile radar systems, such as for motor vehicles or the like.

[0049] In summary, the present invention relates to an electronic component for high-frequency applications, in which an integrated circuit with a chip for processing high-frequency signals are arranged together with at least one signal coupling element for coupling and/or decoupling high-frequency signals in a common housing substrate. A land grid array (LGA) structure is provided on an outside of the housing substrate. In particular, a circumferential electrically conductive border is provided on the surface of the housing substrate around the respective signal coupling element.