135-GHz Micromachined On-Chip Antenna and Antenna Array

• Published in: IEEE transactions on antennas and propagation Vol. 60; no. 10; pp. 4582 - 4588
• Main Authors: Chu, Hui, Guo, Yong-Xin, Lim, Teck-Guan, Khoo, Yee Mong, Shi, Xiangquan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.10.2012; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Antenna arrays; Antenna measurements; Antennas; Applied sciences; Arrays; Cavity resonators; Exact sciences and technology; Gain; Gain measurement; Holes; Micromachining; Monopole antennas; Noise levels; on-chip antennas; Patch antennas; Radiocommunications; silicon antennas; sub-terahertz antennas; Telecommunications; Telecommunications and information theory; GHz range; silicon antennas; sub-terahertz antennas; Filled polymers; Micromachining; Printed antenna; Submillimeter wave antennas; Compact design; Micromachine; Cavity antenna; Cavity; Monopole antenna; Permittivity; Antenna array; on-chip antennas; Wafer
• ISSN: 0018-926X; 1558-2221
• DOI: 10.1109/TAP.2012.2209855

This paper presents the design, fabrication and "on-wafer" characterization of multi-membrane-supported and polymer-cavity-backed monopole antenna and 2× 1 patch antenna array operating in the 135-GHz frequency range. The designs were fabricated on two-layer benzocyclobutene (BCB) material membrane obtained by micromachining of the low resistivity silicon. The silicon material is removed underneath the monopole antenna to produce a cavity surrounded by metal and filled with polymer. This polymer filled cavity provides a better support to the membrane than conventional air cavity which is extremely important for practical applications. In the meantime, the higher synthesized effective dielectric permittivity of the BCB-polymer mixed region than BCB-air mixed one provides the possibility for compact antenna array designs. The proposed monopole antenna shows a measured impedance bandwidth from 124 to 136 GHz for |S11| less than -10 dB and maximum measured gain of 6.74 dBi at 131 GHz; while the 2×1 patch antenna array achieved a measured impedance bandwidth from 126.5 to 138 GHz for |S11| less than -10 dB and maximum measured gain of 8.66 dBi at 130 GHz.