Self-assembled triangular waveguide slot array for system-on-chip applications

• Published in: IET microwaves, antennas & propagation Vol. 11; no. 14; pp. 2035 - 2042
• Main Authors: Chen, Ying, Lee, Sae-Won, Vaughan, Rodney G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 19.11.2017
• Subjects: antenna elements; antenna feeds; aperture antennas; array design; array feed; CMOS integrated circuits; complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor process; electrically large aperture antenna; hermetic packaging; hermetic seals; high antenna gain; high‐performance on‐chip antennas; lithography; low‐loss feeding structure; microelectronic fabrication techniques; microfabrication; modified antenna designs; physical on‐chip prototype; radar system‐on‐chip solutions; radio window; self‐assembled triangular waveguide slot array; slot antenna arrays; Special Issue: Microwave Components and Antennas Based on Advanced Manufacturing Techniques; system performance; system‐on‐chip; three‐dimensional structure; UV‐erasable eproms; modified antenna designs; physical on-chip prototype; aperture antennas; hermetic packaging; electrically large aperture antenna; array design; antenna elements; UV-erasable eproms; radio window; radar system-on-chip solutions; high-performance on-chip antennas; antenna feeds; self-assembled triangular waveguide slot array; CMOS integrated circuits; high antenna gain; microelectronic fabrication techniques; low-loss feeding structure; lithography; hermetic seals; complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process; three-dimensional structure; system performance; microfabrication; array feed; slot antenna arrays; system-on-chip
• ISSN: 1751-8725; 1751-8733; 1751-8733
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-map.2017.0168

New microelectronic fabrication techniques enable the creation of high-performance on-chip antennas by using new or modified antenna designs. A system's performance is normally improved by a high antenna gain which requires an electrically large aperture typically supporting an array. Consequently, array design is of particular interest for high-performance on-chip systems. The feed for an array is a challenge because it must be low loss while extending over the large aperture. A solution is the waveguide slot array which integrates antenna elements with a low-loss feeding structure. This study presents a new slot array structure which is motivated by advanced microelectronic fabrication. It comprises a triangular waveguide as the array feed, and slots for the elements. This allows fabrication by a self-assembly technique which lithographically controls the shape of a three-dimensional structure. This process is complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor compatible, enabling radio and radar system-on-chip solutions. For production, the low mass of the structure makes it inherently robust, although hermetic packaging with a radio window akin to UV-erasable eproms would be required (not included here). The design concept is demonstrated with a physical prototype operating at a low frequency. The fabrication concept is demonstrated by a physical on-chip prototype, and its performance is assessed by simulation.