Chip-package codesign of a low-power 5-GHz RF front end

Abstract

Future high-performance wireless communication applications such as wireless local area networks (WLANs) around 5 GHz require low-power and highly integrated transceiver solutions. The integration of the RF front end especially poses a great challenge in these applications, as traditional front-end implementations require a large number of external passive components. In this paper, we present the single-package integration of complete transceivers based on a thin-film multichip module (MCM) technology with integrated passives. The MCM substrate is a a common carrier onto which different ICs are mounted. passive components such as RF bandpass filters, inductors, capacitors, and resistors are directly integrated into the MCM substrate with the use of the multilayer structure of the MCM technology. The "system-on-a-package" approach is illustrated with a voltage-controlled oscillator for Digital European Cordless Telephone (DECT) applications and a 5-GHz WLAN front end. These examples indicate that this approach yields a compact low-power implementation of complete transceivers for high-performance wireless applications.