Next Generation High Powered RF and Optical Packages

Abstract

RF signals are radio waves that are very crucial for telecommunications. Quality communications require reliable materials which are appropriately processed to house high-powered semiconductors such as GaN and GaAs. It is equally crucial to accommodate passive electronic components along with these semiconductors into the housings for the Next Generation RF package or GenPack™. Evolving semiconductor technologies demand fail-safe packages to protect the devices in all applications and environmental conditions. Future aircraft, EV cars, spacecraft, augmented and/ or virtual reality headsets, medical devices and many more technologies require operating at a higher power and frequency with a proper thermal and power management platform. The higher speeds of telecommunications hinge on the performance of semiconductors and their packages. Therefore, the GenPack™ and packaging process are becoming crucial pieces of the supply chain. Rugged GenPack™ RF packages differ in several ways compared to the traditional air cavity packages. For instance, FR-4 or Flame-Retardant glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material can be replaced with Aluminum Nitride or Alumina Oxide, Silicon Nitride or even Sapphire. The switch offers mechanical bonding directly onto the thermal spreader. Traditional circuits created on printed circuit boards have limited ability to dissipate heat due to the low thermal conductivity of FR4. Circuits created on ceramic can dissipate higher amounts of heat. As in the organic FR4 boards, multiple vias can be formed in the ceramic substrates to create metal pads top the ceramic that are grounded to the flange beneath the ceramic. A metal flange can be positioned beneath the ceramic to provide a heat spreader and electrical ground that can be bolted onto a heatsink. Flanges can be made from a diamond metal matrix composite instead of lower thermal conductivity materials to provide much more efficient thermal transfer. Furthermore, narrow leads offer optimized impedance at RF and microwave frequencies. A range of ceramic and flange materials can be selected to optimize GenPack™ RF Packages with cost, quality, and performance in considerations for the respective applications.