Patent Description:
To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of 4th generation (<NUM>) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5th generation (<NUM>) or pre-<NUM> communication system. Therefore, the <NUM> or pre-<NUM> communication system is also called a 'Beyond 4th generation (<NUM>) Network' or a 'Post long term evolution (LTE) System'. To decrease propagation loss of the radio waves and increase the transmission distance, beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam forming, and large-scale antenna techniques are discussed in <NUM> communication systems. In addition, in <NUM> communication systems, development for system network improvement is underway based on advanced small cells, cloud Radio Access Networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication, Coordinated Multi-Points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellation, and the like. In the <NUM> system, Hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) Modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM), and filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology, have been developed.

In this regard, the Internet, which is a human centered connectivity network where humans generate and consume information, is now evolving into the Internet of Things (IoT) where distributed entities, such as things, exchange and process information without human intervention. The Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of IoT technology and Big Data processing technology through connection with a cloud server, has emerged. As technology elements, such as "sensing technology", "wired/wireless communication and network infrastructure", "service interface technology", and "Security technology" have been demanded for IoT implementation, a sensor network, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, Machine Type Communication (MTC), and so forth, have been recently researched. IoT may be applied to a variety of fields including smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected cars, smart grid, health care, smart appliances and advanced medical services, through convergence and combination between existing Information Technology (IT) and various industrial applications.

Application of a cloud RAN as the above-described Big Data processing technology may also be considered an example of convergence between the <NUM> technology and the IoT technology. <CIT> discloses a phased array module including a first set of substrate layers made of a first material, wherein a mm-wave radio integrated circuit is embedded in the first set of substrate layers and a second set of substrate layers is coupled to the first set of substrate layers. <CIT> discloses a wireless communications package with integrated antennas and air cavity.

A plurality of antennas and RF elements are mounted in a base station applied to the above-described <NUM> communication system. The antenna and the RF element may be coupled to a substrate, and a circuit wiring for connecting to the antenna, the RF element, and other circuit components may be formed inside the substrate.

That is, the number of required substrates varies according to a method of coupling and configuring the antenna, the RF element, and the substrate, and circuit stability of the antenna module may be determined based on this.

The disclosure may provide a device capable of miniaturizing an antenna module by minimizing the use of a substrate while improving circuit stability of an antenna module.

The present invention is directed to a module as defined in the claims. According to an unclaimed aspect, an antenna module includes a first substrate layer on which at least one substrate is stacked; an antenna coupled to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer; a second substrate layer having an upper end surface coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer and on which at least one substrate is stacked; and a radio frequency (RF) element coupled to a lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

The antenna module may further include at least one capacitor coupled to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

The antenna module may further include a first cover coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer to enclose the second substrate layer and the RF element.

The first cover may be configured with a shield can, and the first cover and the first substrate layer may be coupled through a shield can clip.

The RF element and the first cover may be coupled through a thermal interface material (TIM).

The antenna module may further include a radiator coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer and a lower end surface of the first cover to absorb a heat emitted from the first substrate layer and the first cover.

A grid array may be formed at the lower end surface of the first substrate layer, and the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be conducted through the grid array.

The antenna module may further include a second cover enclosing the antenna at the upper end surface of the first substrate layer.

According to another unclaimed aspect, there is provided a base station including a package type module, wherein the package type module includes a first substrate layer on which at least one substrate is stacked; an antenna coupled to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer; a second substrate layer having an upper end surface coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer and on which at least one substrate is stacked; and a radio frequency (RF) element coupled to a lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

The base station may further include at least one capacitor coupled to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

The base station may further include a first cover coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer to enclose the second substrate layer and the RF element.

The base station may further include a radiator coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer and a lower end surface of the first cover to absorb a heat emitted from the first substrate layer and the first cover.

The base station may further include a second cover enclosing the antenna at the upper end surface of the first substrate layer.

According to an embodiment disclosed in the disclosure, the number of substrates constituting an antenna module can be reduced; thus, an advantage can arise in terms of price competitiveness and miniaturization of the antenna module.

Further, because an antenna module structure according to the disclosure reduces the probability of progress failure by a force transferred in only one direction compared to the conventional antenna module structure, it can be more advantageous in terms of mass productivity and reliability.

Further, a heat generated in elements constituting the antenna module can be effectively emitted to the outside, thereby improving durability of the antenna module.

When describing an embodiment in this specification, a description of technical contents well known in the art of the disclosure and not directly related to the disclosure will be omitted. This is to clearly describe the subject matter of the disclosure, without obscuring the subject matter, by omitting any unnecessary description.

Similarly, in the attached drawings, some components are shown in an exaggerated or schematic form or are omitted. Further, a size of each component does not entirely reflect an actual size. Like reference numerals designate like elements in the drawings.

These advantages and features of the disclosure and a method of accomplishing them will become more readily apparent from embodiments to be described in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and it may be implemented in different forms, and the present embodiments enable the complete disclosure of the disclosure and are provided to enable complete knowledge of the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art, and the disclosure is defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

Herein, it may be understood that each block of a flowchart and combinations of the flowchart may be performed by computer program instructions. Because these computer program instructions may be mounted in a processor of a universal computer, a special computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, the instructions performed through a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing equipment generate a means that performs functions described in a block(s) of the flowchart. In order to implement a function with a specific method, because these computer program instructions may be stored at a computer available or computer readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, instructions stored at the computer available or computer readable memory may produce a production item including an instruction means that performs a function described in a block(s) of the flowchart. Because computer program instructions may be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, a series of operation steps are performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment and generate a process executed with the computer, and instructions that perform the computer or other programmable data processing equipment may provide steps for executing functions described in a block(s) of the flowchart.

Further, each block may represent a portion of a module, segment, or code including at least one executable instruction for executing a specific logical function(s). Further, in several replaceable execution examples, it should be noted that functions described in blocks may be performed regardless of order. For example, two consecutively shown blocks may be substantially simultaneously performed or may be sometimes performed in reverse order according to a corresponding function.

In this case, a term '-unit' used in the present embodiment means a software or hardware component such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and performs any function. However, "-unit" is not limited to software or hardware. The "-unit" may be configured to store at a storage medium that can address and be configured to reproduce at least one processor. Therefore, as an example, "-unit" includes, for example, components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of a program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuit, data, database, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. A function provided within components and "-units" may be performed by coupling the smaller number of components and "-units" or by subdividing the components and "-units" into additional components and "-units". Further, components and "-units" may be implemented to reproduce at least one CPU within a device or a security multimedia card. Further, in an embodiment, '-unit' may include at least one processor.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a package type module mounted in a base station.

A base station according to the disclosure may be equipped with a package type module <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>.

Specifically, the base station according to the disclosure may include a plurality of antenna modules <NUM>. As an example, <FIG> discloses a package type module <NUM> including <NUM> antenna modules <NUM>.

Further, the antenna module <NUM> may include a connector that provides power to the antenna module <NUM> and a DC/DC converter that converts a voltage of the power. Further, the package type module <NUM> according to the disclosure may include a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

The FPGA is a semiconductor element including a designable logic element and a programmable internal line. The designable logic element may be programmed by duplicating logic gates such as AND, OR, XOR, and NOT and more complex decoder functions. Further, the FPGA may further include a flip-flop or a memory.

The antenna module <NUM> may include a plurality of low dropout (LDO) regulators as illustrated in <FIG>. The LDO regulator is a regulator having high efficiency when an output voltage is lower than an input voltage and the voltage difference between an input voltage and an output voltage is small, and may remove noise of the input power. Further, the LDO regulator may perform a function of stabilizing the circuit by positioning a dominant pole in the circuit because of low output impedance.

<FIG> discloses only a form in which <NUM> antenna modules <NUM> are mounted in one package type module <NUM> as an embodiment according to the disclosure, but the number of antenna modules mounted in one package type module <NUM> may be changed. Therefore, the scope of the disclosure should not be determined based on the number of antenna modules disclosed in <FIG>.

Further, because a DC/DC FPGA, LDO, etc. constituting the package type module <NUM> in addition to the antenna module <NUM> may be added or deleted as necessary, the scope of the disclosure should not be limited by the above configurations.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

The antenna module according to the disclosure may include a first substrate layer <NUM> on which at least one substrate is stacked, an antenna <NUM> coupled to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer, a second substrate layer <NUM> having an upper end surface coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> and on which at least one substrate is stacked, and a radio frequency (RF) element <NUM> coupled to a lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

The first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> mean a substrate in which a circuit is formed, and may generally include a printed circuit board (PCB) and a printed wiring board (PWB). The first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> may form a circuit for connecting each circuit component in a surface or the inside of the substrate based on the designed circuit.

The first substrate layer <NUM> to which the antenna <NUM> is coupled may be a main board of the antenna module according to the disclosure. As illustrated in <FIG>, the antenna <NUM> and other circuit components (e.g., LDO, DC/DC, etc. may be included therein) may be electrically conducted through a wiring formed in the first substrate layer <NUM>.

The first substrate layer <NUM> may be configured by stacking at least one substrate, and the first substrate layer <NUM> according to the disclosure may configure only a circuit wiring for connecting an antenna and each circuit component, and the second substrate layer <NUM> may configure only a circuit wiring for connecting the RF element and each circuit component.

Accordingly, according to the disclosure, the number of substrates configuring the first substrate layer <NUM> may be reduced than that in the prior art, thereby reducing a thickness and a material cost of the first substrate layer, and the circuit wiring inside the first substrate layer may be further simplified and thus a loss by internal resistance of the substrate may be reduced.

A plurality of antennas <NUM> may be disposed in the first substrate layer <NUM> according to the disclosure. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, four antennas <NUM> may be spaced apart at regular intervals to be disposed at an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>.

According to the disclosure, the antenna <NUM> may be configured as a patch antenna. The patch antenna may be formed through a method of forming a specific metal shape on the circuit board, and according to the disclosure, by forming a metal shape at an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>, the antenna <NUM> may be configured.

The second substrate layer <NUM> is a substrate layer for a circuit wiring between the RF element <NUM> and other circuit components as described above. The second substrate layer <NUM> may also be configured by stacking a plurality of substrates as in the first substrate layer <NUM>. However, because the second substrate layer <NUM> does not correspond to the main board, the number of substrates stacked on the second substrate layer <NUM> may be smaller than that of substrates stacked on the first substrate layer <NUM>.

The upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> may be coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> in various ways, and <FIG> discloses a method of coupling the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> by disposing a sealing ring <NUM> at both side ends of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

In order to electrically connect the antenna <NUM> or other circuit components and the RF element <NUM>, the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> should be electrically conducted. Therefore, in the disclosure, by forming a grid array at the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>, the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> may be conducted through the grid array.

The grid array may representatively include a land grid array (LGA) and a ball grid array (BGA). The LGA is a method suitable for modules requiring a high-speed processing speed because a lead inductance is small in a method of disposing chip electrodes in the form of an array at the lower end surface of the substrate. However, the BGA is a method suitable for modules requiring a large number of pins in a method of disposing a solder in an array form at the lower end surface of the substrate.

The grid array should not be formed by biasing to only a portion of the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>. When a heat occurs in the antenna module, a force may be applied to the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> through mutual directions.

In this case, when the grid array is not uniformly distributed, the grid array may be damaged by the force; thus, the electrical connection relationship between the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> may be broken.

Therefore, in order to prevent such a loss in advance, the grid array may be uniformly formed at a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>, and <FIG> illustrates, for example, a case in which the grid array is uniformly formed at both ends of a surface in which the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> contact.

A lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> may include a plurality of capacitors <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. Through the capacitor <NUM>, noise generated in an internal circuit of the second substrate layer can be removed and stability of the circuit can be secured.

Because the capacitor <NUM> is disposed at the substrate layer as in the above-described antenna <NUM>, the capacitor <NUM> may be configured as a surface mount device (SMD) type capacitor.

According to the disclosure, as illustrated in <FIG>, a first cover <NUM> coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> to enclose the second substrate layer <NUM> and the RF element <NUM> may be further included.

The first cover <NUM> may be configured with a shield can. That is, the first cover <NUM> may shield electromagnetic waves generated in the RF element <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> existing inside the first cover, and by removing noise generated in a flexible circuit board of the second substrate layer <NUM>, the influence in which peripheral components receive from electromagnetic waves may be minimized.

The first cover <NUM> may be coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> through a shield can clip <NUM> having the same electromagnetic shielding property as that thereof, and the shield can clip may be disposed at both ends in which the first cover <NUM> and the first substrate layer <NUM> are coupled.

The RF element <NUM> coupled to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> means a high-frequency chip for wireless communication and may include an RFIC chip in which an RF circuit is implemented on one semiconductor chip using an active element and a passive element. Accordingly, the RF element may include an amplifier, a transmitter, a receiver, and a synthesizer.

Because the RF element <NUM> includes a plurality of electrical elements, as described above, a heat may be generated because of an operation of the element, and the element may be damaged by heat generation, and as described above, a pressure may be applied to the second substrate layer <NUM>.

Therefore, it is necessary to emit a heat generated in the RF element <NUM> to the outside, but the disclosure discloses a method of emitting a heat generated in an RF element to the outside of an antenna module by disposing a thermal interface material (TIM) <NUM> between the RF element and the first cover.

That is, a heat generated in the RF element <NUM> through the TIM may be transferred to the first cover <NUM>, and the heat transferred to the first cover <NUM> may be transferred to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> and a heat sink <NUM> coupled to the lower end surface of the first cover <NUM> to be emitted to the outside of the antenna module.

At an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>, a second cover <NUM> formed to enclose the antenna <NUM> may be disposed. The second cover may be disposed in a direction in which the antenna <NUM> emits a beam, as illustrated in <FIG>.

Therefore, unlike the first cover (because the first cover is primarily used for electromagnetic shielding, it may be generally preferable to form the first cover with a metal), it may be preferable to form the second cover <NUM> with a material such as plastic that does not affect a beam emitted through the antenna <NUM>.

<FIG> discloses only one embodiment of an antenna module according to the disclosure, and the scope of the disclosure should not be limited to the form and configuration illustrated in <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of an antenna module substrate layer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

As described above, the RF element <NUM> and the antenna <NUM> may be electrically connected through the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM>. <FIG>, for example, illustrates a case in which four antennas <NUM> are disposed at an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> and in which the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> are coupled in a BGA manner.

In this case, a signal transmitted through the antenna <NUM> may be transferred to the RF element <NUM> by a wiring formed in a pattern shape within the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM>, and a signal generated through the RF element <NUM> may be radiated to the outside through the antenna <NUM>.

In the base station including a package type module according to the disclosure, the package type module may include a first substrate layer on which at least one substrate is stacked, an antenna coupled to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer, a second substrate layer having an upper end surface coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer and on which at least one substrate is stacked, and a radio frequency (RF) element coupled to a lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

The antenna may be a patch antenna, and the base station may further include at least one capacitor coupled to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer.

Further, the base station may further include a first cover coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer to enclose the second substrate layer and the RF element, and the first cover may be configured with a shield can, and the first cover and the first substrate layer may be coupled through a shield can clip.

The RF element and the first cover may be coupled through a thermal interface material (TIM), and the base station may further include a radiator coupled to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer and a lower end surface of the first cover to absorb a heat emitted from the first substrate layer and the first cover.

A grid array may be formed at the lower end surface of the first substrate layer, and the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be conducted through the grid array, and the base station may further include a second cover enclosing the antenna at the upper end surface of the first substrate layer.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a side surface of an antenna module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to one embodiment, the antenna module may include a first substrate layer <NUM> on which at least one substrate is stacked, a second substrate layer <NUM> having an upper end surface coupled to a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> and on which at least one substrate is stacked, and an RF element coupled to a lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

According to one embodiment, the first substrate layer <NUM> may be a main board of the antenna module. According to various embodiments, the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> may be electrically connected through a land grid array (LGA) or a ball grid array (BGA).

According to an embodiment, the upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> may include at least one antenna array <NUM> that enables radio waves to be emitted to the upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, an electrical signal supplied from the second substrate layer <NUM> through the LGA or the BGA may be supplied to the at least one antenna array <NUM> through a feed line <NUM> formed inside the first substrate layer <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the electrical signal may be an electrical signal supplied from an RF element <NUM> in order to emit radio waves of a specific frequency. According to various embodiments, by supplying an electrical signal supplied from the RF element <NUM> to at least one antenna array <NUM> through the feed line <NUM> provided inside the second substrate layer <NUM> and the first substrate layer <NUM>, the antenna module may perform beamforming. For example, the at least one antenna <NUM>, having received the electrical signal from the RF element <NUM> through the feed line <NUM> may emit horizontal polarization or vertical polarization to form a beam in a specific direction.

According to an embodiment, the RF element <NUM> may be disposed at a lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> to supply an electrical signal (or RF signal) to the second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> and the RF element <NUM> may be electrically connected through soldering.

According to an embodiment, impedance matching of a line formed for transmission of an electrical signal may be implemented within the second substrate layer <NUM> and the feed line <NUM> formed inside the first substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, by implementing impedance matching of the first substrate layer <NUM> and the second substrate layer <NUM> through the BGA, a beam of a specific frequency band may be emitted through the antenna array <NUM>.

According to one embodiment, the upper end surface of the antenna array <NUM> may include a spacer <NUM> including a metallic material, and a top antenna array <NUM> may be disposed at the upper end surface of the spacer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, by disposing apart the antenna array <NUM> and the top antenna array <NUM> by a specific distance through the spacer <NUM>, a frequency band of radio waves emitted through the antenna module may be improved. According to an embodiment, the top antenna array <NUM> may be disposed inside a third substrate layer <NUM>. For example, the third substrate layer <NUM> may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

<FIG> is a side view of a first substrate layer according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, an RF element <NUM> may be disposed at a lower end surface of a first substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the RF element <NUM> and the first substrate layer <NUM> may be coupled in a soldering manner.

According to an embodiment, the RF element <NUM> may supply an RF signal for emitting radio waves to the first substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the RF signal supplied to the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> may be transmitted to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> through a wiring inside the first substrate layer <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a state when viewed a first substrate layer from an upper end surface according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the first substrate layer <NUM> may receive an RF signal from the RF element through at least one bottom surface contact node <NUM> disposed at a lower end surface thereof. According to various embodiments, the RF signal received through the bottom surface contact node <NUM> may be transmitted to at least one top surface contact node <NUM> disposed at the upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> through a wiring inside the first substrate layer <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the bottom surface contact node <NUM> may be electrically connected to the RF element through a soldering method. According to various embodiments, the top surface contact node <NUM> may be electrically connected to a second substrate layer disposed at the upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> in a BGA or LGA method.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a parameter s of the first substrate layer according to an embodiment of the disclosure. More specifically, <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a parameter s<NUM> of the first substrate layer. According to an embodiment, the parameter s<NUM> may mean a reflection loss of the received signal.

According to an embodiment, a reflection loss of a signal in a mmWave frequency band (frequency band of <NUM> or more) may be less than -10dB. According to various embodiments, the parameter s of the first substrate layer may be adjusted by adjusting an internal wiring of the first substrate layer. For example, a first substrate layer for emitting a beam in a <NUM> frequency band may be generated through internal wiring adjustment.

<FIG> is a side view of a substrate layer in which a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer are coupled according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, a BGA <NUM> or an LGA may be disposed between an upper end surface of a first substrate layer <NUM> and a lower end surface of a second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, an RF signal supplied from the RF element disposed at the lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> may flow to the upper end surface of the first substrate layer through an internal wiring of the first substrate layer <NUM> and flow to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> through the BGA <NUM> or the LGA.

According to one embodiment, a feed line <NUM> for transmitting the RF signal supplied to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> to the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> may be formed inside the second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the RF signal transmitted through the feed line <NUM> to the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> may be supplied to an antenna array disposed at the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a state when viewed, from an upper end surface, a substrate layer in which a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer are coupled according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the second substrate layer <NUM> may receive an RF signal from the first substrate layer through at least one bottom surface contact node <NUM> disposed at the lower end surface thereof. For example, the at least one bottom surface contact node <NUM> may be configured with a BGA <NUM> or an LGA.

According to one embodiment, the RF signal received through the bottom surface contact node <NUM> may be transmitted to at least one top contact node <NUM> disposed at the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> through a feed line inside the second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the RF signal transmitted to the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> through the feed line <NUM> may be supplied to an antenna array disposed at the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a parameter s of a substrate layer in which a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer are coupled according to an embodiment of the disclosure. More specifically, <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a parameter s<NUM> of a substrate layer in which a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer are coupled. According to an embodiment, the parameter s<NUM> may mean a reflection loss of the received signal.

According to an embodiment, a reflection loss of a signal in the mmWave frequency band may be less than -<NUM> dB. According to various embodiments, the parameter s of the substrate layer to which the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer are coupled may be adjusted by adjusting an internal wiring of the first substrate layer and a feeding line of the second substrate layer.

<FIG> is a side view of an antenna module in which a first substrate layer, a second substrate layer, and an antenna array are coupled according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, a BGA or an LGA may be disposed between an upper end surface of a first substrate layer <NUM> and a lower end surface of a second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, an RF signal supplied from the RF element disposed at a lower end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> may flow to an upper end surface of the first substrate layer <NUM> through an internal wiring of the first substrate layer <NUM> and flow to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> through the BGA or the LGA.

According to an embodiment, a feed line for transmitting an RF signal supplied to the lower end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> to the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> may be formed inside the second substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the RF signal transmitted to the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM> through the feed line may be supplied to an antenna array <NUM> disposed at the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, at the upper end surface of the second substrate layer <NUM>, a plurality of antenna arrays <NUM> may be disposed to perform beamforming. According to various embodiments, a spacer <NUM> including a metallic material may be disposed at the upper end surface of an antenna array <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, a third substrate layer <NUM> including an auxiliary antenna array may be disposed at an upper end surface of the spacer <NUM>. For example, the third substrate layer <NUM> may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). According to various embodiments, the auxiliary antenna array included in the third substrate layer <NUM> may improve a frequency band of the antenna module.

According to an embodiment, at an upper end surface of the third substrate layer <NUM>, a case <NUM> for protecting the antenna array and the substrate layer stacked under the upper end surface of the third substrate layer <NUM> may be disposed. For example, the case <NUM> may be made of plastic. According to various embodiments, the case <NUM> may be a radome.

<FIG> is a graph illustrating a parameter s of an antenna module in which a first substrate layer, a second substrate layer, and an antenna array are coupled according to an embodiment of the disclosure. More specifically, <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a parameter s<NUM> of a substrate layer in which a first substrate layer and a second substrate layer are coupled. According to an embodiment, the parameter s<NUM> may mean a reflection loss of the received signal.

According to an embodiment, a reflection loss of the signal in the mmWave frequency band may be less than -<NUM> dB. According to various embodiments, a frequency band of the antenna module having s<NUM> parameter characteristics illustrated in <FIG> may be <NUM> to <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, a frequency band of the antenna module may be determined based on a size of the antenna array constituting the antenna module, a dielectric constant of a dielectric body in which the antenna array is disposed, and a length of a feed line for supplying an RF signal to the antenna array.

<FIG> is a side view illustrating an antenna module according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, the antenna module may include a substrate layer <NUM> on which a plurality of substrates are stacked. According to various embodiments, the substrate layer <NUM> may be divided into a first substrate layer constituting an upper end surface thereof and a second substrate layer constituting a lower end surface thereof. For example, the first substrate layer and the second substrate layer may be electrically connected through a BGA or an LGA.

According to an embodiment, an RF element may be disposed at the lower end surface of the substrate layer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, an RF signal supplied through the RF element may be supplied to a first antenna array <NUM> disposed at the upper end surface of the substrate layer <NUM> through an internal wiring or a feed line of the substrate layer <NUM>. For example, the first antenna array <NUM> may form a beam of a specific band based on the RF signal received from the RF element.

According to an embodiment, a spacer <NUM> including a metallic material may be disposed at the upper end surface of the first antenna array <NUM>, and a second antenna array <NUM> may be disposed at the upper end surface of the spacer <NUM>. According to various embodiments, a separation distance between the first antenna array <NUM> and the second antenna array <NUM> may be maintained by the spacer <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the separation distance between the first antenna array <NUM> and the second antenna array <NUM> may be determined based on a frequency band of radio waves to be radiated through the antenna module.

According to an embodiment, an adhesive region <NUM> may be disposed at the upper end surface of the spacer <NUM>, and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) <NUM> may be adhered to an upper end surface of the spacer <NUM> by the adhesive region <NUM>. According to various embodiments, the FPCB <NUM> may include at least one second antenna array <NUM>. According to an embodiment, a frequency band of the antenna module may be improved by the second antenna array <NUM> included in the FPCB <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A module (<NUM>) for use in a wireless communication apparatus for communicating with a terminal, comprising:
a first printed circuit board, PCB (<NUM>), configured by stacking a plurality of substrates;
a plurality of antennas (<NUM>) formed on a first side of the first PCB (<NUM>);
a plurality of antenna modules (<NUM>) for the plurality of antennas (<NUM>), wherein the plurality of antenna modules (<NUM>) is arranged as to be allocated to the first PCB (<NUM>) and wherein each antenna module (<NUM>) of the plurality of antenna modules comprises:
a radio frequency integrated circuit, RFIC, chip (<NUM>); and
a second PCB (<NUM>) configured by stacking a plurality of substrates and configured to electrically connect the RFIC chip (<NUM>) to the first PCB (<NUM>),
wherein a first side of the second PCB (<NUM>) is coupled to a second side of the first PCB (<NUM>) opposite to the first side of the first PCB (<NUM>) via a grid array,
wherein a second side opposite to the first side of the second PCB (<NUM>) is coupled with the RFIC chip (<NUM>).