Millimeter-Wave Phased-Array Antenna-in-Package (AiP) Using Stamped Metal Process for Enhanced Heat Dissipation

Abstract

This letter presents an unprecedented stamped metal antenna-in-package (AiP) concept for millimeter-wave multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) and phased array applications. The stamped metal antenna containing an aperture dually functions as an efficient heat sink. Moreover, the presented antenna topology can be mass-produced using a stamping technology, which is widely used for conventional heat sinks. The ground wall of the proposed antenna encompassed by the dielectric substrate, which is thermodynamically equivalent to a cooling medium, is connected to the shield structures to guide the convection heat emitted by the radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and discharges this heat into free space. Details of the proposed AiP topology are discussed, and the parametric effects of the key design factors are quantitatively analyzed. To verify the proposed AiP, the optimized design is fabricated using standard printed circuit board (PCB) and press technology. The fabricated 1 x 8 subarray features an impedance bandwidth of 700 MHz with a center frequency of 28.5 GHz and a measured gain of 13.78 dBi. Computational fluid dynamics results ascertain that the proposed stamped metal AiP effectively discharges the heat emission generated from the RFICs.