Packaging for RF MEMS devices using LTCC substrate and BCB adhesive layer

Abstract

In this paper, a packaging method utilizing an LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) substrate and a BCB (benzocyclobutene) adhesive layer has been developed for RF MEMS devices, and the RF performance and characteristic parameters of the package have been evaluated. LTCC substrates have good RF characteristics in high-frequency applications, and via feedthroughs can be easily incorporated during the manufacturing process. In this paper, an LTCC substrate is used as a capping wafer to reduce the complex processes for vertical interconnections. A layer of BCB, in the form of sealing rims, is used as an adhesive to bond the MEMS substrate with the LTCC cap due to the excellent properties of BCB as a packaging material. A CPW (coplanar waveguide) line has been fabricated on a quartz substrate and packaged to demonstrate the performance of the proposed packaging method. After forming the CPW lines, a 28 µm thick BCB layer is patterned by double-coating photolithography for an adhesive bonding. On the backside of the LTCC cap, a 150 µm deep cavity is formed to improve the RF characteristics. The CPW and the contact pad are connected electrically through the silver via-post in the LTCC substrate by screen-printed silver epoxy. The RF characteristics of the CPW line have been measured before and after packaging. The insertion loss of a bare CPW is 0.047 dB at 2 GHz and 0.092 dB at 20 GHz. After packaging, the insertion loss of the packaged CPW is 0.091 dB at 2 GHz and 0.312 dB at 20 GHz. A leak test has been performed using both IPA (isopropyl alcohol) soaking and the He leak tester. Most of the samples show no leakage for the IPA test, and a measured leak rate of 10−8 atm cc s−1 for the He leak test. In addition, the shear strength of the package was measured to be 25–35 MPa. From the experimental results, we showed the feasibility of a low-loss RF MEMS package from dc to 20 GHz with acceptable package performances.