Study of the Radio Frequency (RF) performance of a Wafer-Level Package (WLP) with Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) for the in

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TECHNICAL PAPER

Study of the Radio Frequency (RF) performance of a Wafer-Level Package (WLP) with Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) for the integration of RF-MEMS and micromachined waveguides in the context of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) applications: Part 1—validation of the 3D modelling approach J. Iannacci1 Received: 19 April 2020 / Accepted: 28 April 2020 Ó Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract Packaging of Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanical-Systems (RF-MEMS) and other passive components is a delicate issue, especially in the riverbed of upcoming application contexts like 5G and the Internet of Things, in which frequencies of operation are getting closer to mm-Waves (millimetre waves). In fact, when dealing with RF signals, the package, beyond protecting encapsulated devices, has also to exert an influence as limited as possible on their electromagnetic characteristics and performance. Therefore, the package design phase has to be performed with particular care. Given such a frame of reference, this study discusses the validation against experimental data of a full-3D methodology for the electromagnetic simulation of a Wafer-Level Packaging solution featuring Through Silicon Vias for the redistribution of electrical signal from the in-package (RF-MEMS) passive devices to the external world. In particular, the results of the full3D finite element method RF simulations will be compared against experimental S-parameters datasets for a certain variety of Coplanar Waveguide test structures, in a frequency range from 50 MHz up to 30 GHz, showing good accuracy in predicting the behaviour of physical devices. For the sake of brevity, this work will be followed by a standalone second part in which the full-3D model, here validated, will be parameterised and exploited to analyse the influence of the most relevant Degrees of Freedom available in the package design, on the RF characteristics of encapsulated RF-MEMS passive devices.

1 Introduction The emerging application fields of 5G, i.e. the fifth generation of mobile communications, and of the Internet of Things (IoT) are sketching and shaping performance and characteristics at service level that are inescapably to be top-down ported to physical infrastructure, hardware systems, sub-systems and components (Wei et al. 2017; Rodriguez 2015; Marsch et al. 2018; Mavromoustakis et al. 2016; Uckelmann et al. 2011). Stepping down in complexity of telecommunication and wireless systems architectures, 5G and IoT are going to demand for Radio & J. Iannacci [email protected] 1

Center for Materials and Microsystems (CMM), Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Via Sommarive, 18, 38123 Trento, Italy

Frequency (RF) passive components and networks with very pronounced performance. Such characteristics can be deflected in terms of frequency agility, wideband operability, tunability and reconfigurability, beside consolidate characteristics of low losses, high isolation, suppressed cross talk, very-low power consumpt