Efficient wave guide transition between package and PCB using solder wall
AssigneeNXP B.V.
InventorsLeo van Gemert, Michael B. Vincent
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A packaging assembly and methodology provide a PCB substrate with one or more waveguide apertures and a conductive pattern which includes a plurality of landing pads that are disposed around peripheral edges of each waveguide aperture and that are connected to one another by trace lines so that, upon attachment and reflow of solder balls to the plurality of landing pads, the solder balls reflow along the trace lines to form a fully closed solder waveguide shielding wall disposed around peripheral edges of the first waveguide aperture.
Claims20
A method for making a package assembly, comprising:
- providing printed circuit board substrate comprising at least a first waveguide aperture and a conductive pattern disposed on a first surface of the printed circuit board substrate, where the conductive pattern comprises a plurality of landing pads disposed around peripheral edges of the first waveguide aperture and connected to one another by trace lines;
- forming, over the first surface of the printed circuit board substrate, a patterned solder mask layer comprising a plurality of mask openings corresponding in location to the plurality of landing pads and the trace lines;
- and
- attaching a plurality of solder balls to the printed circuit board substrate by affixing a solder ball to each landing pad through a corresponding mask opening so that the first waveguide aperture is surrounded by solder balls having a predetermined minimum spacing distance between adjacent solder balls;
- and
- heating the plurality of solder balls and the printed circuit board substrate to a predefined temperature for a predefined duration to reflow the plurality of solder balls along the trace lines to form a fully closed solder waveguide shielding wall disposed around peripheral edges of the first waveguide aperture.
A packaged semiconductor device, comprising:
- a printed circuit board substrate comprising at least a first waveguide aperture extending between first and second surfaces of the printed circuit board substrate;
- a patterned conductive layer formed on the first surface of the printed circuit board substrate to define a first plurality of landing pads connected to one another by trace lines and disposed around peripheral edges of the first waveguide aperture;
- a semiconductor device comprising a second plurality of landing pads formed on a first surface of the semiconductor device;
- and
- a fully closed solder waveguide shielding wall attaching the patterned conductive layer to the second plurality of landing pads and disposed around peripheral edges of the first waveguide aperture to form a waveguide transition structure between the printed circuit board substrate and the semiconductor device.
An integrated circuit package assembly, comprising:
- an integrated circuit chip package comprising a plurality of radio frequency coupling structures disposed on a first surface of the integrated circuit chip;
- a carrier substrate comprising a plurality of waveguide openings which extend between first and second opposed surfaces of the carrier substrate and which are aligned, respectively, with the plurality of radio frequency coupling structures;
- and
- a plurality of reflow solder waveguide shielding walls attaching the integrated circuit chip package to the carrier substrate and connected to a predetermined reference or ground voltage, where each reflow solder waveguide shielding wall is disposed around peripheral edges of a corresponding waveguide opening formed in the carrier substrate to at least substantially prevent signal leakage to and from any radio frequency signal transmitted through said corresponding waveguide opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.