A review of key development areas in low-cost
packaging and integration of future E-band mm-wave
transceivers
Tinus Stander
Carl and Emily Fuchs Institute for Microelectronics
Dept. EEC Engineering, University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
tinus.stander@ieee.org
Abstract— With an ever increasing number of broadband
applications in sub-Saharan Africa, mm-wave point-to-point
networking has the potential to fill a niche in communications
network architectures. Widespread adoption of this technology
would benefit from conventional RF soft substrate integration
and packaging, as opposed to system-on-chip or thick film
processes. A review on the state-of-the-art in E-band soft
substrate systems reveals significant reliance on MMICs. We
propose that hybrid integration of active devices with off-chip
passives, as well as better integration of active components in
SIW, will lead to better performing E-band systems in soft
substrates. Specific enabling techniques from the microwave
domain are identified.
Keywords — electronics packaging; millimeter wave
communication; millimeter wave devices; millimeter wave
technology; radio transceivers
I. INTRODUCTION
Limited ICT development in developing countries has been
shown to restrict economic growth, with poor access to
broadband services cited as a major contributor [1]. A major
study into these shortcomings in sub-Saharan Africa's
broadband connectivity [2] found that backhaul networks are
one of the reasons that broadband is not widely available in the
region and remains a niche product, affordable by only a few.
For this, and other reasons, the indigenous development of
future wireless technologies is becoming an important ICT
policy point for developing countries [3].
This limitation is relevant even in the developed world,
where ever increasing subscriber numbers and limited backhaul
connectivity capacity have already impacted on the quality of
service offered by mobile networks [4]. Augmentation of
backhaul capacity is often hampered by the roll-out cost of
DSL or 10 Gbps fiber optic lines, not only not only due to the
cost of the fiber itself (up to 10,000 €/km) but also the
roadwork and trenching required to install the fiber (up to
300,000 €/km) [5].
Millimetre-wave (30 – 300 GHz) transceivers have received
widespread commercial adoption in imaging and automotive
RADAR applications due to small size and sharp image
resolution over short distances [6]. However, due to the
availability of broadcast spectrum above 30 GHz (compared to
traditional GSM, LTE and 2.4 GHz ISM bands, Fig. 1)
attention is being turned to the underutilised mm-wave
spectrum for future wireless communications applications, with
mm-wave point-to-point links employed as a solution to last-
mile fiber replacement or augmentation [5]. In this role, the E-
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Spectrum (GHz)
Channel bandwidth allocation (MHz)
Figure 1: ICASA licensed spectrum and per channel bandwidth allocation [7].
Fully allocated bands are indicated in red.
band spectrum at the 71-76 and 81-86 GHz ITU-regulated
bands [7] have received significant interest. The neighboring
92-95 GHz band covers a local minimum in atmospheric
attenuation with properties comparable to that of the Ka
RADAR band [8] but has received less attention due to far
stricter statutory regulations [4].
Although future 5G mobile networks [9] is the prime
application example of E-band point-to-point links, a more
immediate role may be in smart grid monitoring and control
[10][11]. It is envisaged that real time load conditions, insulator
degradation, line faults, motion and even widespread video
monitoring [12-14] will form part of such a network, as
opposed to the traditional telemonitoring and telecontrol of
only the high voltage lines. Smart metering alone will require
more than 100 Mbps transmission per 100,000 customers [15],
which is well beyond the capabilities of current VHF and UHF
radio links [16], conventional power line communications (2 –
3 Mbps) or other radio standards such as WiMAX (75 Mbps),
whilst pushing the capabilities of 100 Mbps broadband power
line communications [17] and (expensive to lease) LTE
networks [13].
Although there are numerous areas in which further
development is needed to make these systems more cost-
effective (both to develop and to produce), this paper will focus
on system integration. The state-of-the-art in E-band
transceiver system integration is reviewed Section II, where
two key areas of further system integration development are
defined. Hybrid system integration in soft substrates is then
discussed in Section III, with Section IV covering integration
of active devices in substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) in E-
band.
II. A REVIEW OF E-BAND SYSTEM INTEGRATION
APPROACHES
The most compact solution to E-band transceivers is to
market them as full systems-on-chip (SoC), as has been
demonstrated in 100nm GaAs [18-20], 40nm GaN [21][22],
40nm CMOS [23] and 130nm SiGe BiCMOS [24][25]
technologies. Though compact and efficient, the non-recurring
cost associated with SoC does not make it a feasible option for
low volume production or in development environments with
limited prototyping resources. Another significant drawback to
complete on-chip system integration is the high losses and low
self-resonant frequencies of the passive circuitry surrounding
the active transistors on the semiconductor die [26] at mm-
wave frequencies, an effect exacerbated by nearfield
interaction between the on-chip passive and the host substrate
after mounting [27]. Typical unloaded quality factors (Q-
factors) for on-chip resonators at E-band frequencies have been
demonstrated only up to 83 [28] for compound transmission
line resonators, 43 for shielded transmission line resonators
[29], 25 for single transmission line resonators [30] and below
15 for LC tank resonators [31]. This compares poorly with
achievable unloaded Q-factors at mm-wave frequencies of over
200 in SIW [32], over 3,000 for ceramic dielectric resonators
[30] and Q-factors in excess of 75,000 for machined waveguide
resonators [33].
E-band system integration with off-the-shelf components
traditionally makes use of pre-packaged components in WR-12
rectangular waveguide [34][35]. The majority of commercial
systems [36][37] and subsystems [38][35][39] are also
marketed as WR-12 integrated waveguide assemblies. There
are, however, numerous mm-wave transceiver applications
where waveguide system integration is not feasible due to size,
weight or cost constraints [40] and if mm-wave transceivers are
to be rolled out in large quantities, they need to be integrated in
a compact fashion and produced at low cost without sacrificing
performance [41]. This dominance of waveguide packaging
contrasts with microwave systems [42-44] where board level
integration is commonplace for a wide variety of systems.
In recognition of a this new need for accessible board level
E-band system packaging, more suppliers are moving towards
supplying active components (amplifiers, mixers, voltage
controlled oscillators (VCOs) and others) as off-the-shelf
components ([45-48]) for multi-chip module systems [49].
Since standard QFN-type surface mount technology (SMT)
packaging has a feasible upper limit of 45 GHz [50], these off-
the-shelf components are usually supplied as bare dies suitable
for flip-chip bonding at mm-wave frequencies [51][52]. More
experimental packaging technologies such as waveguide
apertures, micro-coax and through-wafer vias have also been
proposed [50] but not yet commercially adopted. With the
availability of commercial RF substrates that perform well at
E-band and W-band frequencies [32], it should come as no
surprise that board-level E-band transceiver developments are
performing amicably [49][41][53][54]. There are, however,
still shortcomings in the state-of-the-art, and addressing these
shortcomings may lead to improved overall system
performances through, amongst others, minimizing
interconnect attenuation and reducing the number of on-chip
low Q-factor passives.
A. Hybrid component integration in soft substrates
Despite the advantage of having access to low loss
packaging and integration media for passives layouts, mm-
wave multi-chip module development still uses monolithic
microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) as components [55] in
multi-chip modules (Fig. 2). These devices all rely on
extensive transmission line on-chip matching, dividing /
combining and other passive networks [56] which may both
attenuate significantly (due to the previously noted low Q-
factors for passives) and cause unwanted radiation [57]. This
loss translates into the degradation of noise figure in E-band
low noise amplifiers (LNAs) [58], increase in phase noise of
oscillators [59] and reduced efficiency of power amplifiers
[31].
Substrate
Antenna
Amplifier Filter Mixer
VCO
Figure 2: Conventional approach to multi-chip module system integration.
In the microwave domain, discrete transistors (commonly
GaAs pHEMTs and GaN HEMTs [60]) are readily available
off-the-shelf and are often used for custom circuit designs with
off-chip passives. Following the microwave model, an
alternative system layout method for future E-band transceivers
is hybrid packaging of the system’s different circuits (Fig. 3),
whereby the system integrates on-chip semiconductor
components with off-chip passive components (inductors,
capacitors, resonators and other transmission line components
[61]) that may even form part of the packaging itself [62]. Even
though the principle of full-system distributed packaging has
only been demonstrated up to 40 GHz [63], this approach is
feasible at much higher frequencies given the availability of the
necessary interconnects [52] with below 0.3 dB degradation in
performance [56].
Substrate
LNA
Power Detector
VCO
Mixer
Filter
Antenna
Figure 3: System integration architecture with off-chip passives and several
discrete semiconductor device dies.
An extension on the multi-die configuration in Fig. 3 would
be to have all the system’s active devices clustered on a single
die (Figs. 4 and 5) with all the system’s passive components
distributed around that single die. Typical active components
could include discrete lumped transistors for LNA / PA design,
but also cross-coupled transistor pairs and varactors for VCOs,
diodes for power detection, and other common standard
components in custom ICs. Although this configuration would
prohibit the application of multiple semiconductor technologies
(eg. InP for LNAs and GaN for PAs) in the same system, it
would allow for more compact system integration, fewer on-
chip / off-chip interconnects, and provide a single point of
power regulation.
Substrate
Die
LNA
Power Detector
VCO
Mixer
Filter
Antenna
Figure 4: System integration with a single common die and passives
distributed around the die
Figure 5: Single die, multi-device chip, manufactured in IBM 8HP 130nm
SiGe BiCMOS. Die carries multiple filters, switched delay lines, single
transistor for off-chip matched LNA, an oscillator core and a voltage
regulator.
III. SOFT SUBSTRATE INTEGRATED WAVEGUIDE SYSTEMS
Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW, Figs. 6 and 7) has
been successfully used for integrating E-band passive devices
such as antennas and feed networks [64] filters [32] directional
couplers [65] and even for partial system integration [41] in
conventional RF soft substrates (as well as liquid crystal
polymers [66] and low-temperature co-fired ceramics [67],
though at higher cost). A significant shortcoming in the state-
of-the-art in SIW system integration is connecting active
components into the SIW RF path (as is easily done with
planar RF transmission media such as coplanar waveguide or
microstrip). The conventional approach is to transition from
SIW to a planar medium with an exposed signal conductor,
such as coplanar waveguide (CPW) [68] and then to integrate
the active components in the planar medium. Although a recent
paper has shown that this transition is unnecessary and that dies
can be wirebonded directly to SIW, even at mm-wave
frequencies [69] examples of coherent co-design of
complementary active-passive circuits (such as amplifier
matching or oscillator tanks) is still absent at E-band.
The president for this integration has, however, already
been set for amplifier matching (using SIW discontinuities as
matching elements [70]) and VCO design [71] at microwave
frequencies, but this interconnected co-design has not yet been
applied to other required active system components such as
calibration noise sources, mixers, multipliers, switches, and
others. Once designs for these devices are published and
readily available to design engineers, fully SIW integrated E-
band systems may emerge on the market.
Figure 6: SIW with the dominant TE
10
E-field distribution indicated
Figure 7: SIW filter with capacitively loaded resonators.
IV. CONCLUSION
The context of wireless system design in developing
economies leaves soft substrate system integration the most
viable option for E-band development in the near future.
Although some strides have been made in this area, this review
has shown that the state-of-the-art still relies heavily on a
multi-chip module approach using off-the-shelf MMICs. We
have presented the benefits of having discrete mm-wave
semiconductors available on the market, as well as proposed a
new single-chip integration topology for future development.
The state-of-the-art in integrating semiconductor devices in
SIW at E-band frequencies has been shown to lag behind that
in X-band, with the absence of specific circuit developments in
SIW still prohibiting true E-band SIW system integration.
Addressing these technology gaps will lead to more widespread
development of E-band systems in conventional RF substrates
and larger scale development in developing economies.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is supported by the National Research
Foundation of South Africa (NRF) under Grants 92526 and
93921, as well as the Technology and Human Resources for
Industry Programme (THRIP) under Grant 90224.
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