Millimeter-Wave 3D Integration Techniques using LTCC and Related Multilayer Circuits

Abstract

LTCC, HTCC, and similar sandwiched substrate structures provide the basis for highdensity 3D integration and packaging of microwave and mm-wave circuits. Such multilayer substrates serve, at the same time, as carrier substrates for MIMICs and as a medium for high-density hybrid circuits which can be realized in a manifold of transmission line types in different substrate layers and combinations of these, coupled directly or via the electromagnetic field. This contribution will address a number of aspects of such substrates, especially for mm-wave applications, and it will provide two examples of realized circuit elements and components. One is a multilayer electromagnetically coupled feed-through structure into a package on top of the multilayer substrate, the other one a band pass filter in a mixed alumina -LTCC layer system to cope with the tolerance requirements of mm-wave filters in a standard production LTCC environment.

Switchable Substrate Integrated Waveguide

“…SIW has significant advantages compared with conventional rectangular waveguide including easy integration with planar devices, low cost and reduced size. SIW can be fabricated using various techniques, depending on the frequency of operation, and designs using low temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) [1], microwave laminates [2] and photoimageable thick-films [3] have been demonstrated. Alternatives to the traditional rectangular cross section SIW have been proposed to enhance bandwidth and minimize cross-sectional size [4], [5].…”

“…The switch is fabricated using microwave laminated SIW and operates at 3-5 GHz. However, high frequency designs could be fabricated using the appropriate pin diodes and multilayer fabrication processes such as LTCC [1] and photoimageable thick films [3]. Manuscript II.…”

“…As can be seen, the dispersion curve of the fundamental SSIW mode is very close to that of the HMSIW mode. The cut-off frequency of the fundamental type mode of the SSIW is given by (1) where is the speed of light in vacuum, is the dielectric constant of the host substrate and, for the type mode, . If the top slot is closed, the waveguide becomes an ordinary SIW, where the fundamental mode cut-off frequency is determined from (1) with .…”

Millimeter Wave Substrate Integrated Waveguide Antennas: Design and Fabrication Analysis

“…SUBSTRATE integrated circuits (SICs) are a new concept for high-frequency electronics, which yields high performance from very compact planar circuits [1]. The basic idea behind the technique is that of integrating nonplanar 3-D structures within a multilayer circuit.…”

Architecture and interconnect technologies for a novel conformal active phased array radar module

“…4a shows a microstrip face-up to microstrip facedown structure with a quasi-coaxial feedthrough and Fig. 4b shows a microstrip to stripline transition with a via shielding structure preventing the propagation of parallel plate modes [6][7][8]. Both structures were optimized with FEM and FDTD fullwave simulations.…”