Sasha N. Oster

Ultra-thin dual polarized millimeter-wave phased array system-in-package with embedded transceiver chip

A 16-element dual polarized phased array transmit/receive (Tx/Rx) System-in-Package (SiP) for 60 GHz applications is presented. Embedded die technology is used to achieve total module thickness of only 600 μm, improved first level interconnect density and better electrical performance. The dual polarized antenna architecture enables several configurations of the transmitter and receiver orientation without major impact on the signal to noise ratio (SNR). The proposed system was fabricated on a low loss multilayer organic package substrate, assembled and fully characterized. Single element and phased array performance was evaluated showing very good agreement with the simulation over the 60 GHz ISM band. Active measurements showing good steering and dual polarization characteristics were also performed.

Investigation of a photodefinable glass substrate for millimeter-wave radios on package

Photodefinable glass has been investigated for applications at mm-wave frequencies. Test structures including through-glass vias, transmission lines and microstrip patch antennas have been fabricated and fully characterized up to 67 GHz. Good correlation was obtained between simulation and measurements. The antenna exhibited return loss better than 10 dB in the frequency band of interest. Via transition losses were less than 0.15 dB/via and the transmission line insertion loss was ~ 3.3 dB/cm at 60 GHz.

Low-profile fully integrated 60 GHz 18 element phased array on multilayer liquid crystal polymer flip chip package

We present an ultra-thin, low cost, fully integrated 60GHz phased array antenna module supporting 18 TX/RX antenna elements for 60 GHz WiGig applications. The RFIC is assembled on a 15 mm × 12 mm liquid crystal polymer (LCP) package containing the antenna elements. All millimeter-wave signal routing was done on the same layer as the die pads to minimize the number of package substrate layers (4 total metal layers) and achieve very small total package thickness of 0.41 mm. The measurement results for the package showed good agreement with the simulation. The measured peak directivity of the steerable array was 17.4 dBi and routing losses were 0.5 - 1dB.

A scalable process for manufacturing integrated, washable smart garments applied to heart rate monitoring

We present a new method for building wearable electronic and sensor systems in which all components are permanently integrated directly into garments in high volume except for the battery. We discuss the design and construction of the first such fully-integrated sensor system, wearable heart rate monitoring garments (a sports bra, a compression short, and a compression shirt) that are machine washable. We demonstrate that heart rate measurements can be detected by our systems fabric-based electrodes. We also show experimental results from wash testing of the garment. The process described herein can be applied to the construction of computational and sensor systems for healthcare, sports, virtual reality, and first responder and military personnel monitoring, among others.

A Novel Technology for Creating Sensors and Actuators in Processor Packages

In this paper, a novel technology is presented in which organic substrate manufacturing is used to create sensors and actuators directly in the CPU package. The dielectric material surrounding some interconnect traces in the substrate is removed, allowing those traces to act as sensors and actuators, while the CPU itself is used for signal processing and conditioning. To demonstrate proof of concept, ultra-thin resonant accelerometers based on this approach are designed, manufactured, and successfully tested by using them to measure orientation changes. The approach realizes smart, compact package substrates with integrated sensing and actuation functionalities, thereby enabling a wide range of applications not previously feasible in CPU packages.