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A compact LTCC Bluetooth system module with an integrated antenna
Author(s) -
Yeung Lap K.,
Wang Jie,
Huang Yong,
Lee ShuChuen,
Wu KeLi
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
international journal of rf and microwave computer‐aided engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.335
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1099-047X
pISSN - 1096-4290
DOI - 10.1002/mmce.20147
Subject(s) - balun , bluetooth , band pass filter , electronic engineering , transformer , electrical engineering , antenna (radio) , microwave , engineering , computer science , wireless , telecommunications , voltage
In this article, a system‐on‐package (SoP) approach for Bluetooth system module applications using low‐temperature co‐fired ceramic (LTCC) technology is presented. The developed LTCC integrated substrate for our Bluetooth module application is overall 12 × 12 × 1 mm 3 in size, with integration of two originally proposed components, a balanced‐to‐unbalanced bandpass filter and a folded meander‐line inverted‐F antenna, as well as other passive circuitries. The embedded balanced‐to‐unbalanced filter, which is derived from the basic center‐tapped transformer circuit, works simultaneously as a balun and a bandpass filter, thus leading to a significant amount of size reduction for the overall module. Likewise, comparing to the usual quarter‐wavelength inverted‐F antennas, our proposed antenna is only one‐tenth of a wavelength in length—but no sacrificing of antenna efficiency. Consequently, couplings among different functional blocks of this highly integrated module are crucial to its performance and the resulting effects are discussed. A fully functional prototype is successfully fabricated and tested, demonstrating a promising solution for Bluetooth applications. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2006.