Technology of Hybrid MICs

Dr. Pramod N. Vasambekar

Sr Professor and Head
Department of Electronics
Shivaji University, Kolhapur
 Lecture Plan

▪ Hybrid Mics – Dielectric Substrates

▪ Properties of some typical substrate materials
▪ Thick Film Technology and Materials
▪ Conductor thickness and width in thick and thin-film
technologies
▪ Thin Film Technology and Materials
▪ Properties of Conducting materials used in thin films
▪ Properties of various dielectric films
▪ Etchants for selected deposited films
▪ Methods of Testing
▪ Encapsulation of Devices – diode packages
▪ Mounting of Active Devices - Mounting of Chips

2
 Lecture Plan …

▪ Comparison of Thermocompression, Ultrasonic

bonding and spot welding
▪ Mounting of Beam-Lead Devices
▪ LID Attachment
▪ Lumped Elements for MICs
▪ Design of Lumped Elements
▪ Fabrication of Lumped Elements
▪ Circuits using lumped Elements
▪ Comparison with distributed circuits
▪ References

3
 Hybrid MICs – Dielectric substrates

▪ Materials for hybrid MICs

- Substrate materials
- thick or thin film materials
▪ Dielectric Substrates
1. Loss tangent
2. Dielectric constant
3. Surface finish capability
4. Adherence qualities
5. Temperature coefficient of dielectric
constant
6. Dielectric strength
7. Mechanical strength and uniformity
8. Thermal conductivity
9. Cost
4
 Properties of some typical substrate materials

Material Surface tan x 104 r Thermal

Roughness  (10 GHz) Conductivity K
(m) W/cm2/°C
Alumina (99.5 percent) 2-8 1-2 10 0.3
Alumina (96 percent) 20 6 9 0.28
Alumina (85 percent) 50 15 8 0.20
Sapphire 1 1 9.3 – 11.7 0.4
Glass 1 20 5 0.01
Quartz (Fused) 1 1 3.8 0.01
Beryllia 2 - 50 1 6.6 2.5
Rutile 10 - 100 4 100 0.02
Ferrite/Garnet 10 2 13 - 16 0.03
GaAs (high resistivity) 1 16 13 0.3
Si (high resistivity) 1 10 -100 12 0.9

5
Properties of some typical substrate materials …

photo of one of Xpert's six-inch GaAs wafers

https://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/mmics
6
 Thick Film Technology and Materials

Surface Metallization
Cleaning Screen
Finishing
of Substrate
of Ground
Printing
Drying
of Substrate Plane

If necessary
Attachments Separation of
Etching
of Circuits Firing
(If necessary)
Components (If necessary)

Bonding of Mounting in
Testing
Leads Enclosure

Steps involved in fabrication of thick film MICs

7
 Thick Film Technology and Materials …

▪ Basic process
- deposit a certain kind of paste (or “ink”) on a
substrate by screen printing followed by firing at
high temperatures
▪ Silk screen
- metal screen using stainless steel wires with mesh
- original artwork is transferred on this screen using
photo resist layer on it

8
 Thick Film Technology and Materials …

▪ Paste for Conductors, resistors and insulating layers Materials

- contains metals or metal oxides with glass frit and
organic binders
▪ conductors
- combination of palladium silver
- less expensive
- palladium-gold
- preferable for strength and stability of joint
- platinum gold or fine gold
- as metal particles are in glassy medium, conductivity of
films is less than that of bulk metal
▪ insulating layers
-mixture of barium titanate and glass frit
- for high dielectric constant
9
 Thick Film Technology and Materials…

▪ allow substrate to lie for few minutes after screen printing

- after leveling of paste marks of the wires
▪ dry substrate for 15 minutes at about 100° C to 175° C
- temperature is slowly raised to avoid formation of
bubbles
▪ Firing
- critical, final electrical parameters depend on
temperature and rate of rise of temperature,
- furnace temperature 1000° C – depending on nature
of paste
- binder burs off, glass frit reflows
- rate of rise is about 30° C to 70° C per minute
- correct rate of rise ensured by 4 zone furnace, where
temperatures are critically controlled

10
 Thin Film Technology and Materials

▪ Thin films
- Term refers to the technology, rather than the
thickness of the films
- Prepared by vacuum evaporation or sputtering
or chemical deposition and plating
- Some initial and final steps are common with thick
film circuits
- After deposition final patterns defined by etching
using suitable etchants like ferric chloride, HCl,
sodium hydroxide, aqua regia, hydro fluoric acid,
ferric nitrate etc

11
 Thin Film Technology and Materials…

Surface Metallization
Cleaning Deposition of
Finishing of Ground
of Substrate Thin Films
of Substrate Plane

If necessary
Separation of
Adding Etching of
Circuits
Components Patterns
(If necessary)

Bonding of Mounting in
Leads Enclosure Testing

Steps involved in fabrication of thin film MICs

12
Conductor thickness and width in thick and thin-film technologies

Thin films Thick films

Conductors Line width, Etched : 12 Etched : 50
m Stencil mask : 127 Stencil mask :
254
Film thickness, m 2 to 10 25
Sheet resistivity, 0.005 – 0.01 0.01 – 0.1
ohms/square

13
Properties of Conducting materials used in thin films

Material DC Skin Surface Coefficient of Adherence

Resistivity depth at Resistivity Thermal to dielectric
relative to 2 GHz ohms/square expansion film or
Copper (m) (αT/°C x 10-6) substrate
(x 10-7√f)
Ag 0.95 1.4 2.5 21 Poor
Cu 1.0 1.5 2.6 18 Very Poor
Au 1.36 1.7 3.0 15 Very Poor
Al 1.60 1.9 3.3 26 Very Good
W 3.2 2.6 4.7 4.6 Good
Mo 3.3 2.7 4.7 6.0 Good
Cr 7.6 4.0 7.2 9.0 Good
Ta 9.1 4.4 7.9 6.6 Very Good
Mo-Mg 16.5 - - - Very Good

14
 Properties of various dielectric films

Material r Dielectric Microwave

strength Q
(V/cm)
SiO (Evaporated) 6-8 4 x 105 30
SiO2 (Deposited) 4 107 100 - 1000
Al2O3 (Anodized or 7 - 10 4 x 106 -
Evaporated)
Ta2O5 (Anodized or 22 - 25 6 x 106 100
Sputtered)
Si3N4 (Vapor-phase) 7.6 107 -
Si3N4 (Sputtered) 6.5 107 -

15
 Etchants for selected deposited films

Deposited Possible etchant Comments

Film
Aluminium Ferric chloride Tantalum, Titanium, gold and
platinum unaffected by these
etchants
Chromium Sodium hydroxide, Sulfuric acid will also work but is
Hydrochloric acid, Ferric less desirable
chloride, concentrated
hydrochloric acid
Copper Ferric chloride, Ammonium Also for high-copper alloys
persulfate
Gold Aqua regia
Molybdenu Concentrated sulfuric acid, Can also be etched anodically in
m diluted nitric acid chromic acid
Nichrome Concentrated hydrochloric Suitable for nickel and nickel-
acid and water based magnetic alloys

16
 Etchants for selected deposited films …

Deposited Possible etchant Comments

Film
Platinum Aqua regia Also for platinum alloys
Silicon Ferric chloride, concentrated
nitric acid and concentrated
hydrofluoric acid
Silicon Saturated aqueous solution of Removes about 100 nm of oxide
dioxide ammonium fluoride per minute
Silver Ferric Nitrate Dilute nitric acid may also be used
but is less desirable
Tantalum Concentrated hydrofluoric Gold and nichrome unaffected by
acid, diluted nitric acid this etchant, but on glass these may
slough off if not protected
Titanium Diluted hydrofluoric acid Gold, nichrome and tantalum
unaffected by this etchant

17
Substrartes produced by thin film process

Substrates produced by the thin-film process.

They are filter, phase shifter, power amplifier path-switching circuit by

assembly, power divider, and 50 Ω lines (From top left to bottom right)

http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2354942
18
 Methods of Testing

▪ Conventional methods
- bulk parameters (thickness)
▪ SEM
- microscopic characteristics of the films
- resolution, order of 100 Å
- study of the nature of films
at the boundary
▪ Standardised resonant circuits
(Q of the resonator)
- over all performance of the film

19
Encapsulation of Devices - Diode Packages

Cylindrical Stud package

Cathode

Fine
Ceramic Wire
Tubing
Diode Chip
Stud

Anode

20
Encapsulation of Devices – Diode Packages …

• Cylindrical stud package

• cylindrical tubing separates two metallic studs
• diode chip mounted on the stud
• contact to other stud through fine wire bonded to chip
• suitable in strip line circuits as can be shunt mounted, but
not in microstrip circuits
• for shunt mounting in microstrip circuits a modified form
of the cylindrical stud pakage “pill” or “micropill”

Ceramic Tubing
21
Encapsulation of Devices - Diode Packages …

Packages conventionally used for hybrid circuits

A) Passivated Chips
▪ eliminates parasitic reactances associated with the
packages leading to improvement in the circuit
performance and less cost of the chip

Top Contact
Au Anode 15

Bottom Contact 5
Au Cathode

22
Encapsulation of Devices - Diode Packages …

B) Beam Lead Devices

▪ leads, electrodeposited gold (0.6 mil thick), can be easily
bonded to microstrip conductors
▪ heat to be dissipated flows through the leads, increases
thermal impedance of package
▪ presents many difficulties in handling and positioning
because of smaller size

1.6

6 5

8
1.8

23
Encapsulation of Devices – Diode packages …

C) LID Package – Leadless Inverted Devioce

▪ Easy to handle
▪ Rugged carrier for semiconductor chips
▪ Offers low parasitic ractrances
▪ Chip mounted our die-attached on metallised surface
extending to foot of LID
▪ Lead bonded form top terminal of chip to other foot of LID

29-35

72-80 38-44

24
Mounting of Active Devices – Mounting of Chips

▪First Step - ‘die bonding’

- Bottom electrode makes contact with the
metallisation on ceramic substrate
- Solder preform or conductive epoxy for adhesion
- Controlled (inert) atmosphere or localized controlled
atmosphere is used
- achieved with ‘heated substrate method’ or ‘parallel
gap welder method’

25
 Mounting of Chips

• First Step - ‘die bonding’-Heated Substrate Method

Controlled
Force Atmosphere 300-400°C
Film Chip
Metallisation Solder Preform
or conductive epoxy

Substrate

- substrate is heated by holding it in a suitable

electrically heated holder
- requires smaller pad area for mounting chip than
parallel gap welder method -

26
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ First Step - ‘die bonding’ - parallel gap welder method

Electrodes
Localized
Controlled
Force Atmosphere

Chip
Metallization Solder Preform

Substrate

- localized heating achieved by controlled current

flowing through electrodes
- solder preform melts with heat and wets surface
metallization and surface area under chip
27
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ Second Step
- attaching thin wire or strip from top of the chip to
nearby metallisation on the alumina substrate
- can be done by Thermocompression bonding
Ultrasonic bonding, Parallel gap or step welding

28
 Mounting of Chips…

Thermocompression Bonding
▪ joining process of two metals
▪ metal being joined are brought into intimate contact
by pressure using shaped smooth bonding tool
▪ as a result of diffusion between two metals a
metallurgical bond is formed
▪ can be achieved in two ways
- Heated wedge method
- micropolished tungsten carbide or sapphire
- ductile lead of gold wire or ribbon
(0.003 – 0.0003 in)
- Heated capillary method

29
 Mounting of Chips…
Thermocompression bonding …
▪ Heated wedge Method Force Heated wedge

Film Ductile lead

Substrate
Substrate

lder
Holder
Ho

- heated wedge made of micropolished tungsten carbide

or sapphire is used
- ductile lead made of gold wire or ribbon (0.003 to
0.0003 in)
30
 Mounting of Chips…

Thermocompression Bonding …
▪ Heated capillary method
- special shape heated tungsten carbide capillary
- gold wire (0.0007 – 0.15 in)

31
 Mounting of Chips…

Thermocompression bonding ….
▪ Heated Capillary Method …
Force

Heated
capillary

Film Gold wire

Substrate

Base

32
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ Ultrasonic bonding Special

Force
Micropolished
shaped with
Vibration notch
Plane
Metallisation

Substrate Ductile lead

0.001 to 0.0003 in
Al

- mechanical energy (ultrosonics) is used for bonding

- bonding tip undergoes excursions parallel to interface of weld
- successful with aluminium, being soft, requires low pressure
for deformation
33
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ Spot Welding
- can be done in two ways
- Parallel gap welding
- most of the current flows through
lead
- Step welding
- most of the current flows through
metallisation on the substrate

34
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ Parallel gap welding

Power Force
Supply
Welding
gap Electrodes
Thin or
Thick film
Substrate
Ductile
Holder lead

35
 Mounting of Chips…

▪ Step Welding
Force
Welding
Electrodes

Metallisation
Lead

Substrate

Holder

36
Comparaison of Thermocompression, Ultrasonic bonding and spot welding

Technique Temperature, Material Joint Size

Time
Thermocompression 200-400 °C Gold, 0.0005 in dia.
2 to 30 s bond silver spot
cycle wires or
ribbons
Ultrasonic Cold ambient Aluminium 0.002 in dia
bond cycles in ms wire
Welding Cold ambient Gold or 0.005 in dia.
bond cycles in ms gold
plated
ribbon

37
 Mounting of Beam-lead Devices

▪ Parallel gap welding

Beam-lead Bonding Wedge or

device Pulse heated
probe

Metallisation

Substrate

38
 Mounting of Beam-lead Devices…

▪ Thermocompression bonding
Heated bonding tool Vacuum Pick up
Hole

Beam-lead
device

Metallised Alumina Substrate

39
 Mounting of Beam-lead Devices…

▪ Critical Parameters analyzed

- Bonding tool temp. has to be limited for small beam
lead devices
- Relationship between bond interface temp. (Ti), tool
temp. (Tt) and substrate temp.(Ts),
𝑇𝑖 = 0.11𝑇𝑡 + 0.89𝑇𝑠
- Failure rate of thermocompression bond for
uncleaned devices is three time more than that
for cleaned devices

40
 LID Attachments

▪ Being rugged ceramic carrier and having metallised pads

terminating on one side, can be attached to a substrate with
single solder operation

LID Force

Pre Wet

Metallization

Substrate

Mounting of LIDs

41
 LID Attachments …

▪ Pre-wet both feet of LID and metallization on substrate, use

flux or controlled non oxidizing atmosphere
Apply weight on legs of LID
Temperature will melt the solder and flow
Cooling thereafer resolidifies and forms continuous solder fillet
▪ Also localized heating can be used to melt one side of LID, with
soldering iron. This needs extra care and proper equipment
(controlled temperature iron, extra fine points, good optics and
good positioning fixture)
▪ Good soldering joint can also be obtained by prewetting either
substrate or LID

42
 Lumped Elements for MICs

▪ At microwave frequencies, size of the lumped elements

(resistors, inductors, capacitors) is comparable to wavelength
▪ Therefore, Conventional Microwave circuits use distributed
elements (sections of transmission lines and waveguides)
▪ Reduction in size of lumped elements is accepted at
microwaves also
▪ Lumped elements in MICs are designed with consideration of
reduced size
▪ Using techniques like photolithography and thin films, size of
lumped elements can be reduced, so that these elements can
used at smaller wavelengths

43
 Design of Lumped Elements

▪ With consideration of very short sectionas (much smaller

than wavelength) TEM transmission lines
▪ Input impedance of transmission line having length 𝑙 and R, L,
G, C, terminated in 𝑍𝐿
𝑍𝐿 𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ𝛾𝑙 + 𝑍0 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ𝛾𝑙
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 … (1)
where, 𝑍0 𝑐𝑜𝑠ℎ𝛾𝑙 + 𝑍𝐿 𝑠𝑖𝑛ℎ𝛾𝑙

𝑍0 = 𝑅 + 𝑗𝜔𝐿 Τ 𝐺 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶 … (2)

𝛾= 𝑅 + 𝑗𝜔𝐿 𝐺 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶 … (3)

▪ For 𝛾𝑙 ≪ 1,
𝑍𝐿 + 𝑍0 𝛾𝑙
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 … (4)
𝑍0 + 𝑍𝐿 𝛾𝑙

44
 Design of Lumped Elements …

▪ Using eq.(4), 𝑍𝑖𝑛 can be made inductive or capacitive by

terminating transmission in short circuit, 𝑍𝐿 = 0 or open
circuit 𝑍𝐿 = ∞
Resistors
▪ By termination of short section (𝛾𝑙 ≪ 1) into short
circuit, 𝑍𝐿 = 0,
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 𝛾𝑙 … (5)

∴ 𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑅 + 𝑗𝜔𝐿 Τ 𝐺 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶 𝑅 + 𝑗𝜔𝐿 𝐺 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶 𝑙

∴ 𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑅 + 𝑗𝜔𝐿 𝑙 … (6)
▪ Thus, section of line will behave as resistor or inductor
depending on value of 𝑅 and 𝐿
▪ Thus, single metallic strip on dielectric substrate can
be used to form 𝑅 or 𝐿

45
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Resistors …
▪ Eq. derived for ac. resistance per unit length of
metallic ribbon or rectangular cross section

𝐾𝑅𝑠 𝑙
𝑅𝑎𝑐 =𝑅∙𝑙 … (7)
2 𝑤+ℎ
where,
𝑅𝑠 - sheet resistance in ohms/square
𝑤 - width of metallic ribbon
ℎ - thickness of metallic ribbon
𝐾 - correction factor, that considers crowding of current
at corners of ribbon, function of 𝑤/ℎ, varies from
1.3 to 2 as 𝑤/ℎ varies from 1 to 100
For typical value of 𝑤/ℎ = 10, 𝐾is about 1.5

46
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Inductors …
▪ Inductance of rectangular strip is,
𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑙 Τ 𝑊 + ℎ
𝐿 ∙ 𝑙 = 5.08 × 10−2 𝑙 … (8)
+1.193 + 0.2235 𝑤 + ℎ Τ𝑙
where,
𝐿 ∙ 𝑙 - nanohenries
other dimensions in mils (10−3 inches)
▪ unloaded Q of ribbon inductor is,
𝑄𝑢 = 𝜔𝐿𝑙 Τ𝑅𝑎𝑐 … (9)
▪ Q greater than 100 is obtained for wide ribbons

47
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Inductors …
▪ for larger inductance many spiral turns are used
▪ inductance for n turn spiral is,
𝑎2 𝑛2
𝐿𝑠 𝑛𝐻 = … (10)
8𝑎 + 11𝑐
where,
All dimensions in mils
𝑐 = 𝑑𝑜 − 𝑑𝑖 Τ2
𝑎 = 𝑑𝑜 + 𝑑𝑖 Τ4 … 𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠
𝑑𝑖 - minimum diameter
𝑑𝑜 - maximum diameter

48
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Inductors …
▪ resistance of spiral inductor is,
𝑅 = 𝐾 ′ 𝜋𝑛𝑎 𝑅𝑠 Τ𝑤 … (11)
where,
𝐾 ′ - correction factor similar to 𝐾 for straight
ribbon
▪ using eq. (10) and (11), Q for spiral coil is,
𝑄 = 2 × 10−9 𝑓 𝑤 𝑛 𝑎Τ 𝐾 ′ 𝑅𝑠 8𝑎 + 11𝑐 … (12)
-

49
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Significant consideration in inductance design

▪ widest ribbon (𝑤 large) for spiral, keeping 𝑑𝑜 small, i.e. as
smallest possible separation between turns
▪ some space at centre, to allow flux lines to pass through,
so that stored energy per unit length will incrase
(𝑑𝑖 Τ𝑑𝑜 = 1Τ5 optimizes Q)
▪ Experimental varification shows that 𝑅𝑠 and Q increase
with 𝑓 .
▪ For 𝐾 ′ = 1, measured Q are within 2/3 of theroteical Q.
𝐾 ′ = 1.5, Q are about 100
▪ Q of circular spiral is 10 % higher than that of square spiral,
for same 𝑑𝑜 . And inductance is significanlty less by 20 %
▪ Multi-turn inductors have higer Q as inductance per unit
area is higher. But inter-turn capacitance, in this case,
lowers their resonance frequencies
50
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Capacitors
▪ Lumped capacitor is designed as small length of open
circuited line with input impedance
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 𝑐𝑜𝑡ℎ𝛾𝑙 … (13)
▪ For 𝛾𝑙 ≪ 1, eq.(13) can be written as,
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 Τ𝛾𝑙 = 1Τ 𝐺𝑙 + 𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑙
∴ 𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 + 1Τ𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑙 … (14)
▪ Eq circuit is resistance 𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 in series with capacitor 𝐶𝑙
▪ Ignoring 𝑙 , second order approx gives,
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝑍0 Τ𝛾𝑙 + 𝑍0 𝛾Τ3
𝑍𝑖𝑛 = 𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 + 1Τ𝑗𝜔𝐶𝑙 + 𝑅𝑙 Τ3 … (15)
▪ It represents series circuit with two resistors and a
capacitor. Term 𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 is dielectric loss

51
 Design of Lumped Elements …C

Capacitors …
▪ Third term in eq. (15) represents series resistance giving
conductor loss. In terms of sheet resistance and width of
metallic ribbon it can be written as,
𝑅𝑙 Τ3 = 2𝑅𝑠 𝑙 Τ3𝑤 … (16)
▪ Multiplier 2 is indicating loss on both plates of capacitor
▪ First term, 𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 in eq. (15) represents dielectric loss
given as,
𝐺 Τ𝜔2 𝐶 2 𝑙 = 1Τ 𝑄𝑑 𝐶𝜔𝑙 … (17)
where,
𝑄𝑑 = 𝑔Τ𝜔𝐶 … (18)
▪ Total 𝑄 is written as,
1 1 1
= + … (19)
𝑄 𝑄𝑐 𝑄𝑑
52
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Capacitors …
▪ Conductor 𝑄 is given as,
𝑄𝑐 = 2𝑤 Τ2𝜔𝐶𝑙 2 𝑅𝑠 … (20)
▪ 𝑄𝑐 for copper plates square capacitor (𝑤 = 𝑙) and total
capacitance 𝐶𝑇 in pF is,
𝑄𝑐 = 2.9 × 104 ൗ 𝑓 3Τ2 𝐺𝐻𝑧 𝐶𝑇 𝑝𝐹 … 21
Metal-dielectric-metal structure
▪ For larger value of capacitance per unit area, distance
between two conductors (top and bottm conductor) needs
to be decreased
▪ Normally for MIC substrate this disctance, the width of
dielectric is 25 mils or more
▪ Metal-dielectric-metal structure is fabricated on the top of
MIC substrate using silicon dioxide as dielectric for sandwich
with typical thickness of 0.02 - 0.04 mil (0.5 – 1.0 μm)
53
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Metal-dielectric-metal structure …
▪ 𝑄 obtained with this capacitor is 600 at 1 GHz
▪ As can be seen from eq. (21), with increased frequency, 𝑄
will be lower
Interdigtal configuration
▪ Interdigital capacitor is alternative to sandwich capacitor
▪ In interdigital capacitor both conductors are in same plane
(top surface of dielectic substrate of MIC)
▪ Interdigital capacitor is fabricated by techniques used in
fabrication of conventional microstrip circuits, without
requirement of additional processing steps
▪ Overall size of capacitor is small compared to wavelength
▪ For 2.83 pF capacitor having N = 40, l = 44.8 mils, x = 2,
measured 𝑄 is 677 at 1.92 GHz

54
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Interdigtal configuration …
▪ Interdigital capacitors show multiple resonances because of
contributed inducatnce by equivalent transmission line
▪ Change in capacitance with frequency, depends on 𝑤/𝑙
▪ Interdigital approach requires relatively large areas
for 12 pF capacitor, 500 × 70 𝑚𝑖𝑙 − 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑔.
22 × 22 𝑚𝑖𝑙, 1 𝜇𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑆𝑖𝑂2 − 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑤𝑖𝑐ℎ 𝑡𝑦𝑝𝑒
▪ As only single layer of metallization is required, preferred for
applications below 3 GHz

55
 Design of Lumped Elements …

Interdigital configuration
𝑙
Terminal strip
Fingers
4x Substrate
Ground Plane
εr
N = No of fingers = 7

Metal-dielectric-metal structure for sandwich type capacitor

Cr-Cu-Cr Sandwich Remaining circuit

SiO2
capacitor inductors etc
Cr-Cu-Cr

Alumina Substrate

56
 Fabrication of Lumped Elements

▪ steps required to fabricate distrubuted microstrip circuits

for MICs are used to fabricate inductors and interdigital
capacitors, no additional steps are required
▪ Mask used for photoetching metal clad substrates also
includes these elements
▪ Sandwich type capacitors require additional steps
▪ Normally Alumina substare for MICs
▪ First step, Cr-Cu-Cr layer - single vacuum evaporation
- very thin Cr layer – adhesion of metal to dielectric
- Alternative combination Ti-Au-Ti
▪ Next step, photoresist etch to define bottom layer of
sandwich capacitor

57
 Fabrication of Lumped Elements …

▪ Next step, deposition of SiO2 (0.5 – 1.0 μm) by pyrolytic

decomposition of silane (SiH4)
- breakdowns 107 V/cm
- low dielectric loss when densified
▪ Unwanted SiO2 remove by selective photoetching
▪ Densification at 400° C
- Q, 20 to 80
- Q becomes 600 when densified to 450° C
- Q > 5000, when densified at 600° C
- Q about 10000 for fused quartz

58
 Circuits using lumped elements

▪ S-band low pass filter

Cutoff frequency 2.8 GHz
Inductors in nH, Capacitors in pF
Alumina substrate 1” X 0.75”X 0.006”
Elements interconnections - 1 mil gold wire
Single filter size 0.135” X 0.160”

59
 Circuits using lumped elements…

▪ Tunnel diode amplifier

Frequency 4 GHz
Annular quartz disk, 9 mm dia, 0.5 mm thick
Can be placed across 50 Ω Coaxial line
Gain 9 dB for band 2.8 – 4.1 GHz
Peak gain 12 dB
Noise Figure - Theoretical, 4.8 dB
Measured, 6.2 dB

60
 Comparison with distributed Circuits

▪ Relatively small size of lumped elements

Packing density
Lumped and Distributed capacitor, inductor
Capacitors Indictors
Element
1 pF 1 nH
Lumped 300 5.5
Distributed 1.5 2
▪ More processing steps (sandwhich type capacitor than for
microstrip circuits)
▪ Lumped element circuits - Higher mask accuracy than for
Microstrip circuits
▪ As lumped elements circuit design uses processes used at
low freq, low freq circuit optimization methods can be used
at microwaves

61
 References

▪ Liao Samuel Y., Microwave Devices and Circuits, New Delhi :

Prentice’ Hall of India private Limited, 2001
▪ K.C.Gupta, Amarjeet Singh, Microwave Integrated Circuits,
New Delhi : Wiley Eastern Limited, 1974
▪ https://www.qsl.net/ct1dmk/wb_yig_07.jpg accessed on
28/02/2019
▪ http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2354942
accessed on 05/03/2019
▪ https://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/mmics
accessed on 05/03/2019

62
https://www.qsl.net/ct1dmk/wb_yig_07.jpg accessed on 28/02/2019

Thank You