Novel antenna-in-package design in LTCC for single-chip RF transceivers

Abstract

An antenna-in-package (AiP) design offers an elegant

antenna solution to modern single-chip RF transceivers. The AiP

design that integrates an antenna or antennas with a single-chip

RF transceiver die into a standard surface mounted device represents

an innovative and important development in the miniaturization

of radio systems in recent years. In this paper, we present

a novel AiP design in low temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC)

technology for single-chip RF transceivers operating in the 5-GHz

band. First, we focus on the design of a microstrip line antenna

on an LTCC substrate. Then, a double-resonance technique and

a meshed ground plane are proposed to enhance the impedance

bandwidth of the microstrip line antenna. Next, the microstrip line

antenna is integrated into the novel AiP with emphasis on feeding

the microstrip line antenna using the packaging elements of the

carried single-chip RF transceiver die. After that, a unique AiP design

which supports the operation of differential signal to suit the

mainstream design of single-chip RF transceivers in a differential

architecture is described. Finally, the performance of the original

AiP design is verified by experimental results.