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EP-3735743-B1 - IMPEDANCE MATCHING CONDUCTIVE STRUCTURE FOR HIGH EFFICIENCY RF CIRCUITS

EP3735743B1EP 3735743 B1EP3735743 B1EP 3735743B1EP-3735743-B1

Inventors

  • FLEMMING, JEB H.
  • MCWETHY, KYLE

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20181231

Claims (10)

  1. A method of making an RF impedance matching device comprising: masking a design layout comprising one or more structures to form one or more angled electrical conduction channels and a triangular via on a photosensitive glass substrate, wherein the one or more angled electrical conduction channels traverse the length of the triangular via from a narrow end of the triangular via to a wider end of the triangular via; exposing at least one portion of the photosensitive glass substrate to an activating energy source; heating the photosensitive glass substrate for at least ten minutes above its glass transition temperature; cooling the photosensitive glass substrate to transform at least part of the exposed glass to a crystalline material to form a glass-crystalline substrate; etching the glass-crystalline substrate with an etchant solution to form the angled electrical conduction channels and the triangular via of the device; coating the one or more angled electrical conduction channels with one or more metals; filling the triangular via with a non-conductive media with a dielectric constant that is different from a dielectric constant of the photosensitive glass substrate; and coating all or part of the electrical isolation structure with a metallic media, wherein the metal is connected to a circuitry.
  2. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF impedance matching device has mechanical support under less than 50% of the length or width of the RF impedance matching device.
  3. The method of claim 1, wherein the height of the mechanical support is greater than 10 µm reducing the RF loses; or a lateral distance between RF impedance matching device and the substrate is greater than 10 µm reducing the RF loses.
  4. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass-crystalline substrate adjacent to the trenches is converted to a ceramic phase.
  5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more metals are selected from Fe, Cu, Au, Ni, In, Ag, Pt, or Pd.
  6. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal is connected to the circuitry through a surface contact, a buried contact, a blind via, a glass via, a straight-line contact, a rectangular contact, a polygonal contact, or a circular contact.
  7. The method of claim 1, wherein the photosensitive glass substrate comprises: (1) a composition of: 60 to 76 weight % silica; at least 3 weight % K 2 O with 6 weight % to 16 weight % of a combination of K 2 O and Na 2 O; 0.003 to 1 weight % of at least one oxide selected from the group consisting of Ag 2 O and Au 2 O; 0.003 to 2 weight % Cu 2 O; 0.75 weight % to 7 weight % B 2 O 3 , and 6 to 7 weight % Al 2 O 3 ; with the combination of B 2 O 3 ; and Al 2 O 3 not exceeding 13 weight %; 8 to 15 weight % Li 2 O; and 0.001 to 0.1 weight % CeO 2 ; (2) a composition of: 35 to 76 weight % silica, 3 to 16 weight % K 2 O, 0.003 to 1 weight % Ag 2 O, 0.75 to 13 weight % B 2 O 3 , 8 to 15 weight % Li 2 O, and 0.001 to 0.1 weight % CeO 2 ; (3) a composition of at least one of: 0.3 weight % Sb 2 O 3 or As 2 O 3 ; 0.003 to 1 weight % Au 2 O; 1 to 18 weight % of an oxide selected from the group consisting of CaO, ZnO, PbO, MgO and BaO; or (4) at least silica, lithium oxide, aluminum oxide, and cerium oxide.
  8. The method of claim 1, wherein the RF impedance matching device has a loss of less than 50, 40, 30, 25, 20, 15, or 10% of a signal input versus a signal output.
  9. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the RF impedance matching device into a feature of at least one of a Time Delay Network, a Directional Couplers Biased Tee, a Fixed Coupler, a Phase Array Antenna, a Filters and Duplexer, a Balun, a Power Combiners/Dividers, or a Power Amplifiers, at frequencies from MHz to THz.
  10. An RF impedance matching device which is mechanically supported by less than 50% of the length or width of the RF impedance matching device formed on a photosensitive glass substrate, comprising one or more angled electrical conduction channels and a triangular via on the photosensitive glass substrate.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to creating impedance matching between RF devices on the same substrate. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with impedance matching. One such example is taught in U.S. Patent No. 9,819,991, issued to Rajagopalan, et al., entitled "Adaptive impedance matching interface". These inventors are said to teach a device that includes a data interface connector, an application processor, and interface circuitry. Interface circuitry is said to be coupled between the application processor and the data interface connector, in which the data interface circuitry determines a change in a signal property of one of the signals, the change being caused by an impedance mismatch between the data interface connector and a media consumption device. The application processor is said to adjust the signal property of a subsequent one of the signals, in response to the signal property setting from the interface circuitry, to obtain an adjusted signal, or can send the adjusted signal to the media consumption device. Another such example is taught in U.S. Patent No. 9,755,305, issued to Desclos, et al., and entitled "Active antenna adapted for impedance matching and band switching using a shared component". Briefly, these inventors are said to teach an active antenna and associated circuit topology that is adapted to provide active impedance matching and band switching of the antenna using a shared tunable component, e.g., using a shared tunable component, such as a tunable capacitor or other tunable component. The antenna is said to provide a low cost and effective active antenna solution, e.g., one or more passive components can be further utilized to design band switching of the antenna from a first frequency to a second desired frequency. Other examples are taught in WO 2015/171597 A1 and WO 2017/147511 A1. However, despite these advances, a need remains for impedance matching between RF devices on the same substrate. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method of making an RF impedance matching device comprising: masking a design layout comprising one or more structures to form one or more angled electrical conduction channels and a triangular via on a photosensitive glass substrate, wherein the one or more angled electrical conduction channels traverse the length of the triangular via from a narrow end of the triangular via to a wider end of the triangular via; exposing at least one portion of the photosensitive glass substrate to an activating energy source; heating the photosensitive glass substrate for at least ten minutes above its glass transition temperature; cooling the photosensitive glass substrate to transform at least part of the exposed glass to a crystalline material to form a glass-crystalline substrate; etching the glass-crystalline substrate with an etchant solution to form the angled electrical conduction channels and the triangular via of the device; coating the one or more angled electrical conduction channels with one or more metals; filling the triangular via with a non-conductive media with a dielectric constant that is different from a dielectric constant of the photosensitive glass substrate; and coating all or part of the electrical isolation structure with a metallic media, wherein the metal is connected to a circuitry. In one aspect, the RF impedance matching device has mechanical support under less than 50% of the length or width of the RF impedance matching device. In another aspect, the height of the mechanical support is greater than 10 µm reducing the RF loses. In another aspect, the lateral distance between RF impedance matching device and the substrate is greater than 10 µm reducing the RF loses. In another aspect, the step of etching forms an air gap between the substrate and the RF impedance matching device, wherein the RF impedance matching device is connected to other RF electronic elements. In another aspect, the glass-crystalline substrate adjacent to the trenches may also be converted to a ceramic phase. In another aspect, a conductive structure other than a ground plane of the RF impedance matching device that can be at least one of a microstrip, a stripline, a coplanar wave guide, a grounded coplanar wave guide, or a coaxial waveguide. In another aspect, the one or more metals are selected from Fe, Cu, Au, Ni, In, Ag, Pt, or Pd. In another aspect, the metal is connected to the circuitry through a surface a buried contact, a blind via, a glass via, a straight line contact, a rectangular contact, a polygonal contact, or a circular contact. In another aspect, the photosensitive glass substrate is a glass substrate comprising a composition of: 60 - 76 weight % silica; at least 3 weight % K2O with 6 weight % - 16 weight % of a combination of K2O and Na2O; 0.003-1 weight % of at least one oxide selected from the