DE-102024210785-A1 - HIGH-FREQUENCY DEVICES, METHOD FOR THEIR MANUFACTURE, SYSTEMS AND WAVE GUIDE ANTENNAS

Abstract

A radio frequency (RF) device comprises at least one RF chip and a structure coupled to the at least one RF chip, wherein the at least one RF chip and the structure are integrated in the same semiconductor package, wherein the structure is designed to couple at least two RF signals of the at least one RF chip with at least two modes of a package-external waveguide and/or vice versa, and wherein the at least two modes are orthogonal to each other.

Inventors

• Tuncay Erdoel
• Ernst Seler
• Vasileios Liakonis
• Maciej Wojnowski
• Walter Hartner
• Ioannis Papananos

Assignees

• INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES AG

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20241108

Claims (20)

1. High-frequency (RF) device comprising: at least one RF chip; and a structure coupled to the at least one RF chip, wherein the at least one RF- The chip and the structure are integrated in the same semiconductor package, wherein the structure is designed to couple at least two RF signals of the at least one RF chip with at least two modes of a package-external waveguide and/or vice versa, and wherein the at least two modes are orthogonal to each other.
2. RF device according to Claim 1 , wherein the structure comprises a combiner designed to combine the at least two RF signals of the at least one RF chip into a combined signal, and a launcher designed to couple the combined signal with the at least two modes of the package-external waveguide and/or vice versa.
3. RF device according to Claim 1 or 2 , wherein the at least two RF signals are assigned to at least two different RF channels of the at least one RF chip.
4. RF device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least two modes comprise at least two orthogonal electromagnetic polarizations of the package-external waveguide.
5. RF device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the structure comprises: a first antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a first RF signal with a first electromagnetic polarization, and a second antenna configured to transmit and/or receive a second RF signal with a second electromagnetic polarization orthogonal to the first electromagnetic polarization.
6. RF device according to Claim 5 , wherein: the first antenna is formed in a first metal layer located at a first main surface of the semiconductor package, and the second antenna is formed in a second metal layer located at a second main surface of the semiconductor package opposite the first main surface.
7. RF device according to Claim 5 or 6 , where a geometric shape of the first antenna is complementary to a geometric shape of the second antenna.
8. RF device according to one of the Claims 5 until 7 , wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are formed in an electrical redistribution structure of the semiconductor package.
9. RF device according to one of the Claims 5 until 8 , wherein the semiconductor package is a fan-out wafer-level package and the first antenna and the second antenna are arranged in a fan-out region of the fan-out wafer-level package.
10. RF device according to one of the Claims 5 until 9 , wherein the first antenna comprises a first Vivaldi antenna and the second antenna comprises a second Vivaldi antenna.
11. RF device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the structure comprises: a first probe antenna configured to excite a first electromagnetic polarization of the package-external waveguide, and a second probe antenna arranged orthogonally to the first probe antenna and configured to excite a second electromagnetic polarization of the package-external waveguide orthogonally to the first electromagnetic polarization.
12. RF device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structure comprises: a patch antenna configured to excite a first electromagnetic polarization of the package-external waveguide and to excite a second electromagnetic polarization of the package-external waveguide orthogonal to the first electromagnetic polarization.
13. RF device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the structure comprises: a slotted antenna comprising a first slot and a second slot arranged orthogonally to the first slot.
14. RF device according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising: at least one package-internal transmission structure coupled between the at least one RF chip and the structure, whereby the at least one package-internal transmission structure is designed to transmit the at least two RF signals, and whereby the structure is designed to couple the at least two RF signals from the at least one package-internal transmission structure to the at least two modes of the package-external waveguide and/or vice versa.
15. RF device according to Claim 14 , wherein: the structure comprises the package-internal transmission structure, a package-internal waveguide is coupled to the at least one RF chip, and the package-internal waveguide is designed to transmit the at least two RF signals based on min at least two orthogonal modes of the package-internal waveguide are to be transmitted.
16. RF device according to Claim 15 , wherein the package-internal waveguide comprises at least one substrate-integrated waveguide or air-filled waveguide.
17. RF device according to one of the Claims 14 until 16 , wherein: the package-internal transmission structure comprises at least two package-internal transmission lines coupled between the at least one RF chip and the structure, wherein the at least two transmission lines are designed to transmit the at least two RF signals.
18. RF device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the package-external waveguide comprises at least one of a metal waveguide, a substrate-integrated waveguide, an air-filled waveguide, a dielectric waveguide, or a plastic microwave fiber.
19. Waveguide antenna, comprising: a structure designed to couple at least two RF signals, which are assigned to at least two different antenna elements of the waveguide antenna, with at least two modes of a waveguide of the waveguide antenna and/or vice versa, where the at least two modes are orthogonal to each other, and where the waveguide antenna is designed to transmit and/or receive the at least two RF signals with the same electromagnetic polarization.
20. waveguide antenna Claim 19 , wherein: the waveguide antenna comprises an air-filled plastic waveguide antenna, and the at least two antenna elements comprise at least two slots.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to radio frequency (RF) devices, methods for manufacturing RF devices, systems containing RF devices, and waveguide antennas. BACKGROUND High-frequency (RF) transceiver packages can be used in radar systems to feed RF signals directly into air-filled waveguides, thus avoiding the need to route RF signals via transmission lines on a printed circuit board (PCB). A primary purpose of this approach is to avoid the cost of using high-performance materials in the PCB and to prevent transmission line losses. However, this approach can lead to larger RF transceiver packages because the interfaces to the waveguides cannot be made arbitrarily small due to existing frequency cutoff behavior. These problems can become even more pronounced, especially with an increasing number of RF channels in radar systems. Manufacturers and developers of RF devices and systems are constantly striving to improve their products. In the context described above, it may be desirable to provide RF devices and systems with smaller dimensions and lower manufacturing costs without compromising device performance. Additionally, it may be desirable to provide suitable methods for manufacturing such RF devices and systems and to design waveguide antennas that can be used in this context. SUMMARY A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a radio frequency (RF) device. The RF device comprises at least one RF chip and a structure coupled to the at least one RF chip, wherein the at least one RF chip and the structure are integrated in the same semiconductor package. The structure is designed to couple at least two RF signals from the at least one RF chip to at least two modes of a package-external waveguide and/or vice versa. The at least two modes are orthogonal to each other. A second aspect of the present disclosure relates to a waveguide antenna. The waveguide antenna comprises a structure designed to couple at least two RF signals, each associated with at least two different antenna elements of the waveguide antenna, with at least two modes of a waveguide of the waveguide antenna and/or vice versa. The at least two modes are orthogonal to each other. The waveguide antenna is designed to transmit and/or receive the at least two RF signals with the same electromagnetic polarization. A third aspect of the present disclosure relates to a system. The system comprises an RF device according to the first aspect, wherein the RF device is coupled to a first end of the package-external waveguide. The system further comprises another structure coupled to a second end of the package-external waveguide, wherein the further structure is configured to couple at least two further RF signals to at least two modes of the package-external waveguide and/or vice versa. A fourth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for fabricating an RF device. The method comprises a step of coupling at least one RF chip and a structure, and a step of integrating the at least one RF chip and the structure into one and the same semiconductor package. The structure is designed to couple at least two RF signals from the at least one RF chip with at least two modes of a package-external waveguide and/or vice versa. The at least two modes are orthogonal to each other. Experts will recognize additional features and benefits upon reading the following detailed description and examining the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present disclosure is illustrated by way of examples, and not in a limiting manner, in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals refer to similar or identical elements. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale with one another. The features of the various illustrated examples may be combined, provided they are not mutually exclusive. 1 contains 1A to 1D , which schematically illustrate a cross-sectional side view and details of an RF device 100 according to the disclosure. 2 schematically illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a System 200 according to the disclosure. 3 schematically illustrates a structure 300 that may be contained in an RF device according to the disclosure. 4 contains 4A and 4B , which schematically illustrate the orthogonal electromagnetic polarizations (and modes) of a waveguide. 5 contains 5A and 5B , which schematically illustrate the orthogonal electromagnetic polarizations (and modes) of a waveguide. 6 schematically illustrates a structure 600 that may be contained in an RF device according to the disclosure. 7 schematically illustrates a structure 700 that may be contained in an RF device according to the disclosure. 8 schematically illustrates a structure 800 that may be contained in an RF device according to the disclosure. 9 contains 9A and 9B , which schematically illustrate a structure 900 that may be contained in an RF device according to the disclosure. 10 schematically illustrates