Systems-Level Packaging for Millimeter-Wave Transceivers

Abstract

The Smart Sensors, Measurement and Instrumentation series (SSMI) publishes new developments and advancements in the fields of Sensors, Instrumentation and Measurement technologies. The series focuses on all aspects of design, development, implementation, operation and applications of intelligent and smart sensors, sensor network, instrumentation and measurement methodologies. The intent is to cover all the technical contents, applications, and multidisciplinary aspects of the field, embedded in the areas of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Robotics, Control, Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, and Life Sciences, as well as the methodologies behind them. Within the scope of the series are monographs, lecture notes, selected contributions from specialized conferences and workshops, special contribution from international experts, as well as selected Ph.D. theses.

Emerging Transistor Technologies Capable of Terahertz Amplification: A Way to Re-Engineer Terahertz Radar Sensors

“…Therefore, the primary challenge of passive component design in the millimeter-wave, and even more so in the THz regime, is selecting the correct topology and dimension for each component to avoid excessive losses [125]. Numerous alternatives for implementing passive components are possible, including lumped, active and distributed options [38]. In the THz regime, however, only a subset of these options are suitable.…”

“…Passives can also be implemented with MEMS modifications, but the frequencies may still be inadequate at present [126]. Hence, the two main directions in THz research are research into transmission-line implementations [127], or alternatively, into implementing passives on different substrates, more suitable for high frequencies [38,128,129,130,131,132].…”

“…Throughout this article, it was generally assumed that re-engineered active THz sensors must be implemented in such a way that the complete system is integrated in a single THz-capable technology, enclosed in an appropriate package. Such an approach is known as system-on-chip (SoC) in literature [38]. It was hinted in the previous section, though, that deployment of other substrates for a more optimal implementation of passive components or antennas, or MEMS-only technologies, can offer a multitude of benefits.…”

“…Other aspects that need to be considered in conjunction with packaging are heating, heating effects (such as differing thermal expansion of different materials) and associated cooling approaches (especially in high-power systems), electromigration and thermomigration (which become prominent as features decrease), reliability, as well as coupling and shielding [2,38,147]. Modeling and simulation of packaged systems are also much more challenging than those of pure integrated systems, and require deployment of different techniques, most notably ones based on finite-element methods [148].…”

“…Given that model development requires a combination of theoretical analysis, experimentation and circuit characterization only after the fabrication process has matured, models often lag behind the actual technology for a few generations. The third barrier is the microelectronic (or rather, nanoelectronic [37]) packaging, which also needs to catch up with technology developments so that THz circuits can be taken from controlled laboratory environments into the real world [38]. Even state-of-the art circuits perform poorly if placed into a non-optimal package.…”