A LTCC multi-layered front-end module for IEEE 802.11a/b/g DWLAN system-on-package applications

Abstract

In this work, a miniaturized dual-band LTCC RF front-end module (FEM) is designed, fabricated, and characterized for IEEE 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN applications. The proposed FEM, which is composed of a diplexer and two band pass filters (BPFs), is investigated as a solution to the system-on-package applications of IEEE 802.11a/b/g wireless LAN. The diplexer has been newly designed to minimize interferences among the embedded inductors and capacitors by avoiding the overlapped area of these passive elements. The fabricated diplexer has excellent insertion losses and isolation −0.4 and −29 dB at 2.4–2.5 GHz and 0.93 and −34 dB in 5.15–5.825 GHz, respectively. The fabricated comb-line band pass filter for IEEE 802.11b/g has insertion loss and attenuation of −2.2 and −20 dB at 2.4–2.5 GHz, while the BPF for IEEE 802.11a has insertion loss and attenuation of −2.5 and −20.5 dB at 5.725–5.825 GHz, respectively. The fabricated LTCC FEM has insertion losses of −2.8 dB at 2.4–2.5 GHz and −3.5 dB at 5.725–5.825 GHz, respectively. They also have excellent isolation characteristics of min. −48 dB in other operating frequency bands. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 48: 2018–2021, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.21863