Kenjiro Nishikawa

Compact and broad-band three-dimensional MMIC balun

This paper presents a simple and effective technique which compensates for the amplitude and phase differences of the Marchand balun. Compensation is accomplished by interconnecting a short transmission line to a pair of couplers. As a result, Marchand balun with operation frequency ranging as wide as 8.2-30 GHz is achieved. To fabricate the prototype, we adopt three-dimensional monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit technology together with a 2.5 /spl mu/m/spl times/4 layer polyimide structure stacked over a GaAs wafer. The topology yields a circuit area as small as 0.2 mm/spl times/0.4 mm for the balun.

A 60-GHz multilayer parasitic microstrip array antenna on LTCC substrate for system-on-package

This letter describes a compact and high-gain multilayer parasitic microstrip array antenna (MPMAA). The design and performance of the proposed array antenna are presented. The antenna employs three layers with a 2/spl times/2 parasitic array on each layer. The developed prototype MPMAA employs a multilayer low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrate that is well suited to the assembly of MMIC chips. The fabricated MPMAA achieves a 7.17 dBi absolute gain at 60 GHz including the loss derived from the feeding parts and RF probe to measure its antenna performance. The spacing of the top layer of the parasitic array constructed by 2/spl times/2 elements has a free-space wavelength of 0.36 and the chip size is 10 mm/sup 2/. The fabricated MPMAA achieves both compact and high directional gain and satisfies the requirements for a millimeter-wave system-on-package (SOP).

A broadband and miniaturized V-band PHEMT frequency doubler

We present the design and measured performances of a V-band frequency doubler fabricated using 0.15 μm GaAs pseudomorphic HEMTs and the three-dimensional (3-D) MMIC technology. Thank to the use of an improved 180/spl deg/ rat-race hybrid, the frequency doubler exhibits high spectral purity over a large bandwidth. Isolation better than 30 dB is achieved on a frequency range from 31.736 GHz and fundamental frequency rejection better than 35 dB is achieved between 31.5 GHz and 37.5 GHz. Conversion loss measured at 32.5 GHz is 8.5 dB for an input power of 14 dBm. Both the broadband spectral purity and the small size of 1 mm2 make it suitable for the realization of high-quality and widely tunable V-band frequency sources. For the future developments of millimeter-wave wireless communication systems, it offers good perspectives toward the fabrication of single-chip V-band transceiver including the frequency source.

Miniaturized Wilkinson power divider using three-dimensional MMIC technology

A miniaturized Wilkinson power divider using three-dimensional (3-D) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology is presented. The new power divider utilizes stacked thin film microstrip (TFMS) lines that sandwich a ground plane with a slit between the TFMS lines. The slit effectively widens the upper and lower TFMS-line widths, which makes it possible to stack high-impedance lines with a reasonable conductor strip width and lower loss. The proposed structure also exhibits a coupling between the quarter-wavelength conductor strips of less than -15 dB, simplifying the design for each TFMS line. A fabricated 15-25 GHz Wilkinson power divider, the area of which is only 0.31 mm/spl times/0.52 mm, exhibits a coupling of -4.5/spl plusmn/0.5 dB, isolation of greater than 15 dB, and a phase deviation of less than 3 degrees.

Three-dimensional masterslice MMIC on Si substrate

This paper describes Si based three-dimensional MMIC technology. This technology greatly improves the operating frequency of Si MMICs up to the Ku-band and makes them competitive with GaAs MMICs in the higher frequency band. An X-band amplifier and highly integrated single-chip receiver using Si bipolar transistors are demonstrated to highlight the advantages of the Si 3-D MMIC technology. Cost estimation compared with conventional GaAs 2-D MMICs is also discussed.

Highly integrated three-dimensional MMIC technology applied to novel masterslice GaAs- and Si-MMICs

A novel three-dimensional (3-D) masterslice monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is presented that significantly reduces turnaround time and cost for multifunction MMIC production. This MMIC incorporates an artificial ground metal for effective selection of master array elements on the wafer surface, resulting in various MMIC implementations on a master-arrayed footprint in association with thin polyimide and metal layers over it. Additionally, the 3-D miniature circuit components of less than 0.4 mm/sup 2/ in size provide a very high integration level. To clearly show the advantages, a 20-GHz-band receiver MMIC was implemented on a master array with 6/spl times/3 array units including a total of 36 MESFETs in a 1.78/spl times/1.78 mm area. Details of the miniature circuit components and the design, closely related to the fabrication process, are also presented. The receiver MMIC exhibited a 19-dB conversion gain with an associated 6.5-dB noise figure from 17 to 24 GHz and an integration level four times higher than conventional planar MMICs. This technology promises about a 90% cost reduction for MMIC because it can be similarly applied to large-scale Si wafers with the aid of an artificial ground.

Three-dimensional MMIC technology for low-cost millimeter-wave MMICs

This paper highlights the key advantages of the three-dimensional (3-D) MMIC technology in the millimeter-wave frequency band and describes recently developed compact 3-D MMICs on GaAs and Si substrates. The 3-D MMIC technology offers high integration levels, compactness, simple design procedures, and short fabrication turn-around time, resulting in millimeter-wave MMICs at greatly reduced cost. This paper also proposes a new methodology for MMIC development based on 3-D/multilayer MMIC technology that accelerates the cost reduction of millimeter-wave MMICs. The new technology achieves compact and highly integrated millimeter-wave MMICs that are extremely cost effective.

Miniaturized millimeter-wave masterslice 3-D MMIC amplifier and mixer

Masterslice three-dimensional MMIC (3-D MMIC) technology has (even in the millimeter-wave region) the advantages of high integration levels, simple design procedures, short turnaround time, and low fabrication cost. This paper clarifies the advantages of the thin-film microstrip line by drawing comparisons to the characteristics of other transmission lines. The simple design procedures of the masterslice 3-D MMIC are elucidated by referring to fabricated MMICs. A V-band amplifier and an image rejection mixer fabricated by using the same master array are demonstrated. The V-band amplifier offers an 8-dB gain and a 5.3-dB noise figure in the area of just 0.27 mm/sup 2/. The image rejection mixer achieves a conversion gain of /spl sim/10 db and an image rejection ratio of 20 db. The performance of the millimeter-wave 3-D MMICs is competitive with those of the conventional planar-formed MMICs.

High-Q factor three-dimensional inductors

In this paper, the great flexibility of three-dimensional (3-D) monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit technology is used to improve the performance of on-chip inductors. A novel topology for high-Q factor spiral inductor that can be implemented in a single or multilevel configuration is proposed. Several inductors were fabricated on either silicon substrate (/spl rho/ = 30 /spl Omega/ /spl middot/ cm) or semi-insulating gallium-arsenide substrate demonstrating, more particularly, for GaAs technology, the interest of the multilevel configuration. A 1.38-nH double-level 3-D inductor formed on an Si substrate exhibits a very high peak Q factor of 52.8 at 13.6 GHz and a self-resonant frequency as high as 24.7 GHz. Our 4.9-nH double-level GaAs 3-D inductor achieves a peak Q factor of 35.9 at 4.7 GHz and a self-resonant frequency of 8 GHz. For each technology, the performance limits of the proposed inductors in terms of quality factor are discussed. Guidelines for the optimum design of 3-D inductors are provided for Si and GaAs technologies.

A compact V-band 3DMMIC single-chip down-converter using photosensitive BCB dielectric film

A high-density MMIC V-band down-converter that employs the masterslice 3DMMIC technology and photosensitive BCB dielectric film, is presented. The down-converter is structured using an 8/spl times/2 master array in a 1.84 mm/spl times/0.87 mm chip. A down-converter MMIC with H-MESFET with f/sub max/ of 130 GHz demonstrates the gain of 19.3 dB and image rejection ratio of above 18 dB over the frequency range of 56.5 GHz to 59.5 GHz; its associated gain-density is five times higher than that of conventional MMICs.