Abstract:
The present invention consists of an electrical communications device including a three-dimensional substrate and a plurality of electrical devices attached thereto. The substrate is preferably a dielectric. The electrical device is preferably of the sort needed to conduct high frequency communications, such as a microwave antenna and photonic receivers and transmitters. The electrical devices are attached to the substrate at the connection points described by the intersection of a series vias and one of the substrate surfaces. The electrical devices are attached to the substrate in numerous ways, including solder, flipped chip ball bonds, wire bonds, or a gold stud assembly. In particular, the gold stud assembly is utilized to attach the antenna to the substrate, thereby providing a predetermined air gap therebetween.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an electrical communications apparatus, and more particularly to a light channel communications device for high-frequency antenna communications applications.  
         BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Microwave and optical wavelength communications are generally carried out by extremely high frequency nodes. A central controller is responsible for the command and control of a diffuse network of individual nodes. The networking between the central controller and the nodes is wireless, and the signals are transmitted through lasers or microwaves.  
           [0003]    Sophisticated communications require complex and expensive hardware, including antennas, photoreceptors, solid-state lasers, and processors, all of which must be compact and efficiently arranged. One consequence of the packaging of these components is the general deterioration of the electrical signals and the loss of fidelity in the data transmission. The consequences include electrical losses and interference, inductive and capacitive parasitics, propagation delays, signal-to-signal skews, signal-to-signal coupling, decreased signal strength, and alteration in the phase relationship between the voltage and current components of a signal.  
           [0004]    Accordingly, the present invention is an electrical communications apparatus that minimizes the signal losses and interferences while maintaining the fidelity of the data transmissions. Moreover, the present invention includes all of the sophisticated hardware referenced above, but packaged in an efficient and cost-effective assembly  
           [0005]    The present invention includes a dielectric material defining a volume and at least one via inscribed within the dielectric material. The at least one via intersects the volume at a first planar surface, a second planar surface, or the third planar surface thereby providing a plurality of connection points on the first planar surface, the second planar surface, and the third planar surface. The via is preferably composed of a conductive material. In one embodiment, the first planar surface, the second planar surface, and the third planar surface intersect along a first line, a second line, and a third line, and the first line, the second line, and the third line are mutually perpendicular. This configuration generally defines a cubic volume.  
           [0006]    The dielectric material, or substrate, has at least one electrical device attached thereto. The electrical device is preferably of the sort needed to conduct high frequency communications, such as an antenna. The electrical device is attached to the substrate at the connection points described by the intersection of the vias and one of the planar surfaces. The electrical device may be attached to the substrate in numerous ways, including solder, flipped chip ball bonds, wire bonds, or a gold stud assembly. In particular, the gold stud assembly is utilized to attach an antenna to the substrate, thereby providing a predetermined air gap therebetween.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of the electrical communications apparatus in accordance with the present invention.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electrical communications apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 3 is a schematic depiction of the electrical communications apparatus of the present invention particularly showing a plurality of vias in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 4 is a schematic depiction of the electrical communications apparatus of the present invention particularly showing a plurality of vias in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical communications apparatus in a preferred embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]    In accordance with its preferred embodiment, the electrical communications apparatus  10  of the present invention is generally composed of a substrate  11  with a number of electrical devices  24 ,  26 ,  28  attached thereto. While three electrical devices are illustrated, it is understood that a greater or lesser number of electrical devices could be employed. The electrical devices  24 ,  26 ,  28  are in communication by, for example, the traces  30  connecting electrical device  26  to electrical device  28 .  
         [0013]    As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate  11  defines a volume that is bounded on six sides, thereby defining a plurality of planar surfaces. More particularly, the substrate  11  defines a volume having a first planar surface  12 , a second planar surface  14 , a third planar surface  16 , a fourth planar surface  18 , a fifth planar surface  20 , and a sixth planar surface  22 . The substrate  11  is preferably composed of a dielectric material.  
         [0014]    The first planar surface  12  and the second planar surface  14  intersect along a line A. The first planar surface  12  and the third planar surface  16  intersect along a line B. The second planar surface  14  and the third planar surface  16  intersect along a line C. As shown in FIG. 1, lines A, B, and C are mutually perpendicular. Similarly, the fourth planar surface  18  and the fifth planar surface  20  intersect along a line D. The fourth planar surface  18  and the sixth planar surface  22  intersect along a line E. The fifth planar surface  20  and the sixth planar surface  22  intersect along a line F. As shown in FIG. 1, lines E, F, and G are mutually perpendicular. More particularly, the substrate  11  of FIG. 1 is cubical in nature, such that lines A and E, B and F, and C and D are all parallel, respectively.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of the electrical communications apparatus  10  of the present invention. The substrate  11  in this figure is shown having a second group of electrical devices  32 ,  36 ,  40  attached thereto. The electronic devices  32 ,  36 ,  40  may be attached to the substrate in an alternate number of ways. For example, the electronic device  32  is illustrated as being attached to the substrate  11  via a gold stud assembly  34  which is particularly adapted for distancing the electronic device  32  from the substrate  11 . Alternatively, the electronic device  36  is illustrated as being attached to the substrate  11  via bond wires  38 . Electronic device  40  is illustrated as being attached to the substrate via a set of flipped chip ball bonds  42 . The foregoing means of attaching the respective electronic devises are used alternatively, either in combination or individually, to the common method of solder (not shown).  
         [0016]    The electronic devices  32 ,  36 ,  40  shown in FIG. 2 are in communication with one another through at least one via, as shown in FIG. 3. As used herein, a via is a channel that runs through the substrate  11  and is subsequently filled with a conductive metal. For these purposes, the term via will refer to both the channel and its conductive properties. The via intersects at least two of the planar surfaces at a point such that a small trace is formed on the substrate  11  that is suitable for attaching an electrical device.  
         [0017]    The substrate  11  of FIG. 3 is shown having a plurality of vias  44 ,  46 ,  48 ,  50  arranged within. For example, vias  44  run parallel from the second planar surface  14  to the sixth planar surface  22  through the center of the substrate  11 . Similarly, vias  46  run from the third planar surface  16  to the fifth planar surface  20  through the center of the substrate  11 . In the preceding example, the vias  46 ,  48  may be used to conduct electrical signals across the width of the substrate  11  without having to traverse the perimeter of the substrate  11 , thereby decreasing the overall length of the conductive pathway.  
         [0018]    Similarly, vias may be used to conduct electrical signals through the substrate to adjacent surfaces. For example, FIG. 3 shows vias  48  that run from the third planar surface  16  to the fourth planar surface  18 . Similarly, vias  50  may transmit electrical signals from the first planar surface  12  to the sixth planar surface  22 .  
         [0019]    An alternative system of vias is shown in FIG. 4. This system includes vias  52 ,  54 ,  56 ,  58  that extend at various angles through the substrate  11 . For example, vias  52  provide an electrical connection between the second planar surface  14  and the fourth planar surface  18 . Vias  56  diagonally connect the first planar surface  12  with the sixth planar surface  22 . Vias  56  and vias  58  jointly connect the third planar surface  16  and the fifth planar surface  20  while intersecting at the sixth planar surface  22 , forming an elbow connection at the sixth planar surface  22 .  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the electrical communications apparatus  10  of the present invention. The substrate  11  is shown with the first planar surface  12 , the second planar surface  14 , and the third planar surface  16  being viewable from the illustrated perspective. A number of electrical devices are attached to the substrate  11 . A first electrical device  66 , located on the third planar surface  15 , is connected to a second electrical device  70 , located on the first planar surface  12 , by a pair of traces  68  disposed on these surfaces  12 ,  16  of the substrate  11 . The second electrical device  70 , is coupled to a third electrical device  74 , also located on the first planar surface  12 , and to a fourth electrical device  80 , located on the second planar surface  14 , by surface traces  72 ,  76 , respectively.  
         [0021]    In its preferred embodiment, the electrical communications apparatus  10  of the present invention is a high frequency antenna communications system. In particular, the fourth electrical device  80  is preferably a GaAs antenna. The GaAs antenna  80  is coupled to the substrate  11  by a gold stud assembly  78 . The gold stud assembly  78  is particularly useful in coupling the GaAs antenna  80  to the substrate  11  because the size of the air gap can be predetermined to maximize the overall performance of the electrical communications device  10 .  
         [0022]    The first electrical device  66 , second electrical device  70 , and third electrical device  74  generally comprise an optical communications cluster that is particularly adapted for use in a phased array antenna. In the phased array antenna embodiment, the first electrical device  66  is a CMOS controller, the third electrical device  74  is a PIN diode, and the second electrical device  70  is a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL).  
         [0023]    As part of a phased array antenna, the electrical communications apparatus  10  is arranged such that it is optically coupled to a centralized antenna and data transmitter (not shown). The communication and data transmission between the centralized antenna and the electrical communications device  10  is carried out by photons. The PIN diode  74  receives incident light signals from the centralized antenna and converts the incident signal into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is processed by the CMOS controller  66 , and a reply or function is executed by the VCSEL  70  or the GaAs antenna  80 . The VCSEL  70  emits a laser signal that contains the necessary data, while the GaAs antenna  80  emits extremely high frequency microwave signals that also transmit data. The outgoing data transmissions, laser light and microwave radiation, are received by photodetectors or antennas disposed on remotely located components of a communications network.  
         [0024]    As shown in FIG. 5, the electrical communications apparatus  10  includes an optical communications cluster which is networked through surface traces  68 ,  72 ,  76 . As described herein, the electrical communications apparatus  10  operates in high frequency and optical bandwidths. A typical surface trace is subject to electrical losses and interference, including inductive and capacitive parasitics, propagation delays, signal-to-signal skews, signal-to-signal coupling, decreased signal strength, and alteration in the phase relationship of a signal.  
         [0025]    In order to improve the overall efficiency of the electrical communications apparatus  10 , it is preferred to route the electrical network of the optical communications cluster through the vias described herein and shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. By routing the current signals through the vias, the current-carrying conductor is insulated by the substrate  11  from any electrical interference. Moreover, by utilizing the vias as opposed to the surface traces, the overall length of conductance is shortened, thereby decreasing the effects of the electrical losses and parasitics referenced above. Nevertheless, the vias and surface traces may be utilized as part of the same electrical communications apparatus  10 , depending upon the geometry and tolerance of the respective elements of the electrical communications apparatus  10 .  
         [0026]    As described, the present invention consists of an electrical communications device including a three-dimensional substrate, an antenna, and an optical communications cluster wherein the noted components are coupled through vias internal to the substrate. Nevertheless, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of but a few of the many possible specific embodiments of the present invention. Numerous and various other arrangements can be readily devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.