EP1077502A2 - Transition RF de MMIC à guide d'ondes et méthode associée - Google Patents

Transition RF de MMIC à guide d'ondes et méthode associée Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1077502A2
EP1077502A2 EP00202837A EP00202837A EP1077502A2 EP 1077502 A2 EP1077502 A2 EP 1077502A2 EP 00202837 A EP00202837 A EP 00202837A EP 00202837 A EP00202837 A EP 00202837A EP 1077502 A2 EP1077502 A2 EP 1077502A2
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
microstrip
waveguide
iris
mmic
transition
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP00202837A
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German (de)
English (en)
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EP1077502A3 (fr
Inventor
Jonathan Bruce Hacker
Emilio Sovero
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Boeing Co
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Boeing Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Boeing Co filed Critical Boeing Co
Publication of EP1077502A2 publication Critical patent/EP1077502A2/fr
Publication of EP1077502A3 publication Critical patent/EP1077502A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01P—WAVEGUIDES; RESONATORS, LINES, OR OTHER DEVICES OF THE WAVEGUIDE TYPE
    • H01P5/00—Coupling devices of the waveguide type
    • H01P5/08—Coupling devices of the waveguide type for linking dissimilar lines or devices
    • H01P5/10—Coupling devices of the waveguide type for linking dissimilar lines or devices for coupling balanced with unbalanced lines or devices
    • H01P5/107—Hollow-waveguide/strip-line transitions

Definitions

  • Electromagnetic systems operating at frequencies between 1 GHz and 100 GHz are employed in a wide variety of communications, radar, remote sensing and other applications.
  • the front ends of these systems typically include RF signal processing circuitry providing various functions.
  • This RF circuitry may be implemented in different transmission media, including rectangular waveguide, microstrip, and stripline transmission lines.
  • Microstrip structures are widely employed in both discrete microwave integrated circuitry (MIC) and monolithic microwave integrated circuitry (MMIC).
  • MIC and MMIC circuitry is useful in applications demanding small size, a high level of circuit integration, and the incorporation of semiconductor control devices.
  • MIC and MMIC circuits employ microstrip transmission lines, which typically comprise a thin conducting strip deposited on a constant-thickness MMIC substrate backed by a conductive ground plane.
  • RF energy propagates in quasi-TEM modes in microstrip.
  • Waveguide structures are employed when low circuit loss or high power handling requirements dominate the design requirements. RF energy propagates through waveguides in TE and/or TM modes.
  • MMIC/waveguide transitions are not accomplished straightforwardly.
  • Geller discloses a thin metallized substrate inserted lengthwise into a rectangular waveguide in a plane parallel to the narrow walls of the waveguide. On the metallized surface of the substrate, a finline transition from the waveguide mode to a slotline mode is formed. A broadband balun is formed on the substrate to convert energy in the slotline mode into energy propagating in a microstrip formed on the substrate. MMIC or MIC components are formed or mounted, respectively, on the substrate and are fed by the microstrip.
  • the device is symmetrical about the direction of waveguide propagation so that an MIC transition both from and to waveguide is provided on the substrate.
  • the technique disclosed by Geller might be useful, for example, in building a waveguide amplifier by forming an MIC or MMIC amplifier on a substrate incorporating the finline transition and inserting the substrate into a section of empty rectangular waveguide parallel to the narrow wall of the waveguide. Because of tolerancing requirements and the use of wirebond connections, the Geller technique is limited to lower microwave frequency applications, however.
  • U.S. Patent No. 5,414,394 to Gamand et al. discloses a microstrip formed on one side of a substrate and a waveguide oriented perpendicular to the substrate and terminating near an end of the microstrip that acts as a field probe.
  • the transition from waveguide to microstrip is accomplished by necking down the waveguide in the vicinity of the probe and locating the end of the waveguide cavity at a distance of one-quarter wavelength from the probe.
  • the substrate with microstrip is dropped into a channel formed in a multi-part metal housing assembly providing conductive waveguide walls in the transition. The housing also extends over the substrate to protect circuitry formed thereon.
  • Another waveguide transitioning approach is to attach a MMIC circuit and a separate waveguide/microstrip transition to a common substrate in an MIC package, interconnecting the two substrates with ribbon welds or wire bonds.
  • This common MIC technique is widely used at lower frequencies but provides poor RF performance at higher frequencies, such as millimeter wave frequencies, where ribbon weld and wire bond parasitic capacitances are significant.
  • an RF transition for coupling energy propagating in a waveguide transmission line into energy propagating in a microstrip transmission line.
  • the RF transition comprises a microstrip structure that includes a MMIC substrate with backside metallization and a front side microstrip.
  • the backside metallization defines an iris
  • the microstrip includes a microstrip feed formed proximate the iris.
  • the RF transition of the invention also includes a waveguide terminating at the metallization layer around the iris to thereby convert energy propagating in the waveguide into energy propagating in the microstrip.
  • the RF transition provides good RF performance at higher RF frequencies, such as millimeter wave frequencies.
  • the RF transition of the present invention enables the construction of an RF circuit that is adapted to communicate signals with a waveguide at higher RF frequencies, such as millimeter wave frequencies, in a rugged and producible package.
  • the MMIC substrate of the RF transition is a semiconductor material, such as silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, or the like, and RF signal processing circuitry is monolithically formed on the substrate.
  • the invention therefore provides a high performance RF transition to thin, fragile MMIC circuits that is rugged and producible.
  • the RF circuit comprises a microstrip structure adapted to terminate the waveguide and to convert energy propagating in the waveguide into energy propagating in the microstrip.
  • the RF circuit includes electronic circuitry, such as RF circuitry, formed as part of the microstrip structure.
  • the present invention further provides a method for coupling energy propagating in a waveguide into energy propagating in a microstrip.
  • the method includes the steps of providing a microstrip structure and terminating a waveguide at an iris formed by the backside metallization of the microstrip structure to thereby convert energy propagating in the waveguide into energy propagating in the microstrip structure.
  • the method further includes the step of integrating the microstrip structure into an RF signal processing subsystem.
  • the RF transition of the present invention thus overcomes limitations inherent in prior RF transitions by providing a transition design that is rugged and producible even with the thin substrates and close dimensional tolerancing necessary for good RF performance at higher RF frequencies, such as millimeter wave frequencies. Moreover, the RF transition of the present invention is accomplished without wire bonds or ribbon welds, thereby improving RF performance.
  • FIG. 1 A perspective view of an RF transition 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention is provided in FIG. 1.
  • the RF transition includes a microstrip structure 22 that includes RF circuitry 24 formed on a MMIC substrate 26.
  • the microstrip structure 22 also provides an RF transmission line with a microstrip geometry.
  • a thin line of metallization is deposited on a second surface of the MMIC substrate 26 to form a microstrip 28, and a metallization layer, such as a ground plane, is formed on an opposed first surface of the substrate.
  • RF signals are carried by the microstrip structure 22 to and from the RF circuitry and other features on the microstrip structure.
  • the first surface of the MMIC substrate 26 is typically formed by the back side of the substrate upon which backside metallization is deposited in order to form a ground plane. It is likewise well known in the art for the second surface of the MMIC substrate to be formed by the front side of the substrate upon which microstrip 28 is formed.
  • RF energy propagating in the microstrip structure 22 is coupled to a waveguide 34 via a microstrip feed 30 formed adjacent microstrip 28 through an iris 32 formed in a metallization layer on the back side of the MMIC substrate.
  • the waveguide 34 mates with and terminates into the backside metallization around the iris 32.
  • the waveguide is preferably soldered or bonded with conductive epoxy to the backside metallization layer in order to provide repeatable, low-loss coupling of energy into the microstrip feed.
  • other techniques for terminating the waveguide into the backside metallization can be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
  • the geometry of the microstrip feed 30 in relation to the iris is critical to the performance of the RF transition of the present invention.
  • the dimensions and features of the microstrip feed 30, the iris 32, and the MMIC substrate 26 determine the impedance match between the microstrip structure and the waveguide and generally determine the RF performance of the RF transition 20. It is preferable that the iris 32 be concentric with the waveguide 34 and that the microstrip feed 30 be located symmetrically with respect to both the iris 32 and the waveguide 34. Adjustment of the microstrip feed 30 features and dimensions can be used to tune the RF transition to operate over particular narrow RF frequency ranges or to broaden the band over which the RF transition 20 operates.
  • FIG. 2 depicts a side view of an RF transition including a cavity 40.
  • the cavity 40 terminates the waveguide 34 and is mounted to the microstrip structure 22 adjacent the front side of the MMIC substrate 26.
  • the cavity 40 is preferably located symmetrically with respect to the iris 32 and the waveguide 34. To optimize coupling, the dimensions of cavity 40 are adjusted so that all cavity resonance frequencies fall outside of the design bandwidth of RF transition 20.
  • the waveguide 34 and the cavity 40 preferably extend somewhat beyond the edge of the substrate 26 as is shown in FIG. 2.
  • the cavity 40 is therefore preferably soldered or bonded with conductive epoxy, as is known in the art, to the end of the waveguide 34 in the region beyond the substrate.
  • the cavity 40 is also soldered or bonded with conductive epoxy to portions of the front side of the MMIC substrate 26, as is shown in FIG. 2. Cavity 40 serves to improve the coupling performance of the RF transition by more effectively terminating waveguide 34.
  • the MMIC substrate 26 comprises a semiconductor material and the RF circuitry 24 is formed monolithically on the substrate, as is known by those skilled in the art.
  • the semiconductor material may comprise silicon, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, or other materials suitable for the monolithic formation of MMIC and electronic circuitry as is known in the art.
  • FIG. 3 A plan view of a MMIC to waveguide RF transition 20 according to one advantageous embodiment of the present invention is provided in FIG. 3, where details of the microstrip feed geometry of one preferred embodiment are provided.
  • the microstrip feed 30 preferably extends over the backside iris 32 and terminates in a microstrip radial stub 36 as shown in FIG. 3.
  • Two opposed microstrip arms 38 preferably extend from the microstrip feed 30 adjacent the iris 32 and opposite the microstrip radial stub 36 relative to the center of the iris 32, as shown in FIG. 3.
  • microstrip feed 30, microstrip radial stub 36, and microstrip arms 38 are carefully chosen, in conjunction with the dimensions of the waveguide, iris opening, and cavity, to provide a high performance RF transition at a particular RF operating frequency.
  • a substrate made of gallium arsenide has a thickness of 3 mils and a dielectric constant of 12.8, the inner dimensions of waveguide 34 are 10 mils by 5 mils, the inner dimensions of cavity 40 are 130 mils by 100 mils by 25 mils, the width of microstrip feed 30 is 5 mils, the length and width of microstrip arms 38 are 28 mils and 0.37 mils, respectively, and the dimensions of iris 32 are 20 mils by 50 mils, respectively.
  • the resulting RF transition 20 has been modeled and is predicted to yield a bandwidth of 7 GHz centered at 100 GHz with a return loss better than 10 dB and an insertion loss of less than 0.25 dB over that bandwidth.
  • FIG. 3 depicts the formation of electronic circuitry, such as RF circuitry 24, and microstrip transmission line structures on a single substrate.
  • the RF circuit 48 is adapted to communicate signals with an interface waveguide to be attached to or mounted adjacent the substrate back side metallization about an iris formed by the metallization.
  • the RF circuit 48 of the present invention includes a cavity mounted to the top side of the substrate concentrically with the backside metallization mounting location of an interface waveguide.
  • the iris formed by the backside metallization layer is preferably symmetrical with respect to the front side microstrip feed and the mounting location for the interface waveguide.
  • the substrate is a semiconductor material and the electronic circuitry is formed monolithically on the semiconductor substrate, as is known in the art.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart that provides a method for coupling energy from a waveguide mode to a microstrip mode according to one embodiment of the present invention.
  • a microstrip structure is initially provided as described above according to step 50.
  • the microstrip structure preferably comprises a MMIC substrate, a metallization layer formed on the backside of the substrate, and a microstrip formed on the front side of the substrate.
  • the metallization layer defines an iris
  • the microstrip comprises a microstrip feed located adjacent to the iris.
  • the method further includes the step 58 of terminating a waveguide at the metallization layer around the iris to thereby convert energy propagating in the waveguide mode into energy propagating in a microstrip mode.
  • RF signal interfaces and DC power interfaces are provided to the microstrip structure according to step 52, such as via wire bonds for DC power and via ribbon welds for RF.
  • Electronic circuitry such as RF circuitry, is preferably formed on the MMIC substrate according to step 54 to provide signal processing functions.
  • a cavity is provided to terminate the interface waveguide adjacent the iris according to step 56.
  • the method preferably further includes the steps 58 and 60 of terminating an interface waveguide at the iris and integrating the entire structure into an RF subsystem or system, respectively.
  • the RF transition of the present invention overcomes limitations inherent in prior RF transition designs.
  • the RF transition of the present invention is rugged and producible even with the thin substrates and close dimensional tolerancing necessary for good RF performance at higher RF frequencies, such as millimeter wave frequencies.
  • the monolithic RF transition of the present invention is accomplished without wire bonds or ribbon welds, thereby improving RF performance.
EP00202837A 1999-08-16 2000-08-11 Transition RF de MMIC à guide d'ondes et méthode associée Withdrawn EP1077502A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US37582499A 1999-08-16 1999-08-16
US375824 1999-08-16

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1077502A2 true EP1077502A2 (fr) 2001-02-21
EP1077502A3 EP1077502A3 (fr) 2002-03-13

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EP00202837A Withdrawn EP1077502A3 (fr) 1999-08-16 2000-08-11 Transition RF de MMIC à guide d'ondes et méthode associée

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EP (1) EP1077502A3 (fr)
JP (1) JP2001085912A (fr)
CN (1) CN1192453C (fr)
CA (1) CA2312128A1 (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20030086103A (ko) * 2002-05-03 2003-11-07 (주)텔레컴텍 두개의 티_프로브를 이용한 표면 실장용 유전체 내장 금속 도파관 여기구조
JP2005318632A (ja) * 2004-04-29 2005-11-10 Thomson Licensing 導波管とマイクロストリップ給電線との間の非接触移行部素子
WO2006067046A1 (fr) 2004-12-20 2006-06-29 United Monolithic Semiconductors Sas Composant electronique miniature pour applications hyperfrequences
US9553057B1 (en) * 2014-09-30 2017-01-24 Hrl Laboratories, Llc E-plane probe with stepped surface profile for high-frequency
CN112670689A (zh) * 2020-11-10 2021-04-16 北京遥测技术研究所 一种Ka频段低损耗波导微带过渡组件
CN114188686A (zh) * 2021-10-30 2022-03-15 西南电子技术研究所（中国电子科技集团公司第十研究所） H面波导/微带探针转换装置

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US7680464B2 (en) * 2004-12-30 2010-03-16 Valeo Radar Systems, Inc. Waveguide—printed wiring board (PWB) interconnection
US7479842B2 (en) * 2006-03-31 2009-01-20 International Business Machines Corporation Apparatus and methods for constructing and packaging waveguide to planar transmission line transitions for millimeter wave applications
US7612638B2 (en) * 2006-07-14 2009-11-03 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Waveguides in integrated circuits
CN101236246B (zh) * 2007-11-21 2012-05-30 北京理工大学 毫米波小型化多通道收发组件及其相位补偿方法
EP2460222B1 (fr) * 2010-03-10 2016-11-09 Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. Coupleur à microruban
US8680936B2 (en) * 2011-11-18 2014-03-25 Delphi Technologies, Inc. Surface mountable microwave signal transition block for microstrip to perpendicular waveguide transition
US9356332B2 (en) * 2013-04-29 2016-05-31 Infineon Technologies Ag Integrated-circuit module with waveguide transition element
US10615481B2 (en) 2015-08-24 2020-04-07 Nec Corporation Millimeter wave semiconductor apparatus including a microstrip to fin line interface to a waveguide member
US10027004B2 (en) * 2016-07-28 2018-07-17 The Boeing Company Apparatus including a dielectric material disposed in a waveguide, wherein the dielectric permittivity is lower in a mode combiner portion than in a mode transition portion
CN208401015U (zh) * 2017-06-05 2019-01-18 日本电产株式会社 波导装置以及具有该波导装置的天线装置
US20210356504A1 (en) * 2018-10-19 2021-11-18 Gapwaves Ab Contactless antenna measurement device
CN109449551A (zh) * 2018-12-03 2019-03-08 北京遥感设备研究所 一种基于缝隙耦合可调谐的k波段波导微带转换结构
CN110707406B (zh) * 2019-09-06 2021-10-01 中国电子科技集团公司第十三研究所 微带线垂直过渡结构与微波器件
CN112103608B (zh) * 2020-09-29 2022-02-22 中国航空工业集团公司雷华电子技术研究所 一种高隔离度的功分功合器
CN112736394B (zh) * 2020-12-22 2021-09-24 电子科技大学 一种用于太赫兹频段的h面波导探针过渡结构
CN113782935B (zh) * 2021-08-19 2022-10-25 北京古大仪表有限公司 微带-波导转换器和雷达物位计
CN113745787B (zh) * 2021-08-23 2022-06-28 格兰康希微电子系统(上海)有限公司 信号转换器和微带线-波导信号转换装置
CN113904073A (zh) * 2021-11-15 2022-01-07 中国电子科技集团公司第二十九研究所 一种基于鳍线过渡的3mm组件气密结构及密封方法

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Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20030086103A (ko) * 2002-05-03 2003-11-07 (주)텔레컴텍 두개의 티_프로브를 이용한 표면 실장용 유전체 내장 금속 도파관 여기구조
JP2005318632A (ja) * 2004-04-29 2005-11-10 Thomson Licensing 導波管とマイクロストリップ給電線との間の非接触移行部素子
KR101158559B1 (ko) * 2004-04-29 2012-06-21 톰슨 라이센싱 도파로와 마이크로스트립 라인 사이의 무접점 전이 요소
WO2006067046A1 (fr) 2004-12-20 2006-06-29 United Monolithic Semiconductors Sas Composant electronique miniature pour applications hyperfrequences
EP1825558B1 (fr) * 2004-12-20 2016-06-29 United Monolithic Semiconductor S.A.S. Composant electronique miniature pour applications hyperfrequences
US9553057B1 (en) * 2014-09-30 2017-01-24 Hrl Laboratories, Llc E-plane probe with stepped surface profile for high-frequency
CN112670689A (zh) * 2020-11-10 2021-04-16 北京遥测技术研究所 一种Ka频段低损耗波导微带过渡组件
CN114188686A (zh) * 2021-10-30 2022-03-15 西南电子技术研究所（中国电子科技集团公司第十研究所） H面波导/微带探针转换装置

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1077502A3 (fr) 2002-03-13
CN1284761A (zh) 2001-02-21
CN1192453C (zh) 2005-03-09
CA2312128A1 (fr) 2001-02-16
JP2001085912A (ja) 2001-03-30

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