Technology · Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal
Antenna-in-package
A packaging approach that builds the antenna, or an array of antennas, into the package or module beside the radio die, so the radio and its antennas are made, measured and sold as one part.
- Also known as
- AiP, Antenna in package
- Type
- Technology
- Domain
- Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal, RF front end
Overview
In an antenna-in-package design the antenna elements are formed in the layers of the package substrate or module, rather than on the product's main board. It is most common at millimetre-wave frequencies, where wavelengths are short enough for antennas to fit in a package and where the loss of any long connection between die and antenna is too high to accept.
How it works
The radio die is mounted on a multilayer substrate whose upper layers carry the antenna elements, and whose lower layers carry the feed lines, ground planes, power and the connections to the board. For a phased array, many elements are placed in a grid and each is driven with its own phase, so the beam can be steered.
Design is done with electromagnetic simulation of the die, the transitions and the antennas together, because the substrate materials, the package layers and nearby metal all change the antenna's tuning and pattern. Warpage, layer alignment and material tolerances must be controlled in manufacture for the same reason.
The finished module is measured as the customer will use it: its radiation pattern, gain and beam steering in a chamber, as well as its conducted performance. These measurements then feed conformance and regulatory testing.
Examples
- A millimetre-wave phased array module for a mobile device.
- An automotive radar sensor with its antenna array in the package.
- A short-range wireless module with an antenna formed in the package substrate.
- A fixed wireless access unit built around an array module.
Why it matters
Antenna-in-package moves antenna design from the system maker into the chip or module supplier. It shortens the path between radio and antenna and makes millimetre-wave products practical, but it ties the package, the antenna and the certification together. Package designers, RF board and antenna engineers and certification teams work on it from the module design freeze to conformance testing.
It matters most to: mmWave IC Design Engineer, Package Design Engineer, RF Board and Antenna Engineer, RF System-in-Package Engineer
Common confusions
- Not the same as Antenna on chip
- An antenna on chip is formed in the die's own metal layers, which suits only very high frequencies and small antennas; an antenna-in-package uses the larger and lower-loss package substrate.
- Not the same as SiP
- A system in package joins several dies and passives in one package; an antenna-in-package may be one, but what defines it is that the antenna is part of the package.
Sources
- Antenna in Package Development (opens in a new tab), Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM, 2026-11-10
- Antenna-in-Packages for Array Modularization at Millimeter-wave Frequencies and its Applications in 5G O-RAN (ISAP 2021) (opens in a new tab), National Taiwan University, 2026-11-10
- A Review of 5G Front-End Systems Package Integration (opens in a new tab), arXiv (Georgia Institute of Technology authors), 2026-11-10
Related terms
Part of the Analog, RF & Mixed-Signal glossary, with every term in the topic and the lifecycles, tools and standards that use them.
Where it appears on the Hub
Used on 6 pages of the Hub. In each group, the pages that mention it most come first.
Lifecycle stages and gates
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Last reviewed . Written by The Semiconductor Hub editorial team. The full glossary