We propose a novel integrated antenna module based on fan-out wafer level package (FO-WLP) for terahertz applications. A patch structure is employed for an antenna since it is suited for low height module. Both an insulator made of polyphenylene ether (PPE) and a reflector made of copper block, together with a chip for high frequency operation, were embedded into a mold used for FO-WLP. A driven element of the antenna and an interconnection between the antenna and the chip were formed by redistribution layer (RDL) technology. The height of the insulator was set to 40 um in order to maximize the radiation efficiency of 300-GHz radio wave. We developed the module and evaluated the performances. Measured frequency characteristics were well matched to analytical result. The measured loss of reflection characteristics of developed module was 3 dB. Therefore, the module achieved 1.5-dB insertion loss even at terahertz frequency. These results exhibit proposing structure is effective as a terahertz module.
We developed for the first time a flip-chip multi-layer MMIC design technology that is based on thin-film inverted microstrip lines for use in low-cost W-band transceivers. This technology enables the minimization of chip size and the realization of a practical MMIC design, including the assembly issues in the W-band. A fabricated receiver amplifier occupying an area 1.5 x 035 mm experimentally achieved a gain of 27 dB and the transmitter power amplifier exhibited an output power of 14.5 dBm at 76 GHg respectively. To our knowledge, this is the highest value ever reported at this frequency for a flip-chip multilayer MMIC amplifier. a
1.IntroductionFlip-chip bonding (FCB) technology is one of the more important assembly technologies being used to develop low-cost packaged MMICs for.used in such applications as 76-GHz automotive radar systems and 60-GHz wireless local-area networks. Many FCB MMICs that achieve sufficient performance for these applications have been reported [l-31. The conventional FCB coplanar waveguide (CPW) MMICs are, however, restricted to minimize the chip size since a CPW needs ground planes at both sides of its signal lines. In addition, the parasitic effects on facedown circuits, such as proximity effects between chips and assembly substrates [ 11 complicate the design of MMICs self-consistently and the accurate prediction of the performance of the packaged MMIC because the MMIC characteristics change before and 0-7803-6663-8/0 1 /$10.0002001 IEEE after FCB, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to solve these problems, we developed the new W-band FCB MMIC based on a design technology using multilayer thin-film inverted microstrip lines (TIML), and exhibit the practical capability of providing low-cost W-band transceivers by using this technology. 30 20 10 g o &lo -20 -30 -40 CO I I I 1 -1 CPWMMIC 1 I I I I I -40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Frequency (GHz) Fig. 1. Gain performance comparison of the conventional CPW MMIC amplifier between before and after FCB.
Multi-layer MMIC structureThe schematic cross-section of the FCB multilayer MMIC structure is shown in Fig. 2. The multilayer MMIC consists of four metal layers and a polyimide (PI) film fabricated on a GaAs substrate.The surface of the MMIC is covered with groundmetal, which can screen face-down MMICs from assembly substrates and reduce proximity effects. The main signal lines are TIML formed by the first layer line and the top ground metal on the GaAs
118200 1 IEEE GaAs Digest
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