Coplanar Waveguide Research Articles

Disorder effects in NbTiN superconducting resonators

Disordered superconducting materials like NbTiN possess a high kinetic inductance fraction and an adjustable critical temperature, making them a good choice for low-temperature detectors. Their energy gap (Δ), critical temperature (T c), and quasiparticle density of states (QDOS) distribution, however, deviate from the classical BCS theory due to the disorder effects. The Usadel equation, which takes account of elastic scattering, non-elastic scattering, and electro–phonon coupling, can be applied to explain and describe these deviations. This paper presents numerical simulations of the disorder effects based on the Usadel equation to investigate their effects on the Δ, T c, QDOS distribution, and complex conductivity of the NbTiN film. Furthermore, NbTiN superconducting resonators with coplanar waveguide (CPW) structures are fabricated and characterized at different temperatures to validate our numerical simulations. The pair-breaking parameter α and the critical temperature in the pure state TcP of our NbTiN film are determined from the experimental results and numerical simulations. This study has significant implications for the development of low-temperature detectors made of disordered superconducting materials.

Injection Compression Molding of LDS-MID for Millimeter Wave Applications

LDS-MIDs (laser direct structured mechatronic integrated devices) are 3D (three-dimensional) circuit carriers that are used in many applications with a focus on antennas. However, thanks to the rising frequencies of HF (high-frequency) systems in 5G and radar applications up to the mmWave (millimeter wave) region, the requirements regarding the geometrical accuracy and minimal wall thicknesses for proper signal propagation in mmWave circuits became more strict. Additionally, interest in combining those with 3D microstructures like trenches or bumps for optimizing transmission lines and subsequent mounting processes is rising. The change from IM (injection molding) to ICM (injection compression molding) could offer a solution for improving the 3D geometries of LDS-MIDs. To enhance the scientific insight into this process variant, this paper reports on the manufacturing of LDS-MIDs for mmWave applications. Measurements of the warpage, homogeneity of local wall thicknesses, and replication accuracy of different trenches and bumps for mounting purposes are presented. Additionally, the effect of a change in the manufacturing process from IM to ICM regarding the dielectric properties of the used thermoplastics is reported as well as the influence of ICM on the properties of LDS metallization—in particular the metallization roughness and adhesion strength. This paper is then concluded by reporting on the HF performance of CPWs (coplanar waveguides) on LDS-MIDs in comparison to an HF-PCB.

Design of single-ended CPW to rectangular waveguide transition on InP at 300 GHz for 5G applications

Abstract In this paper, we present the development of coplanar waveguide to rectangular waveguide (CPW-WG) transition for broadband millimetre wave applications. The traditional approach for interfacing of components in pure electronics is not possible to implement in micorwave photonics at high frequency range due to some limitations like rigidity and increased loss. In order to overcome this problem, transition structures are usually designed within the waveguide model through split block mechanism. The models developed so far are complex with minimum space of interconnects and less stable due to vertical placement of waveguide. The waveguide structure proposed in this paper is placed along horizontal direction due to which stability of structure is increased and has more space for interconnects. The transition model is designed using indium phosphide (InP) to increase the efficiency and reduce the propagation loss at high frequency range. The simulated design can operate over a bandwidth of 14 GHz with a return loss of 10 dB.

Superconducting Quantum Circuits Based on 2D Materials

Transmon-type superconducting qubits have become a popular platform for quantum computing due to their robust qubit coherence properties. In recent years, different types of materials have been searched to replace the Al2O3 tunnel barrier in conventional Al-based Josephson junctions, in order to explore new functions of qubits utilizing the distinct nature of the chosen materials. In this report, we introduce our works involving using Weyl semimetals and graphene as a component in Josephson junctions for qubit designs and coupling to coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators. We fabricate a MoTe2 transmon and investigate whether it exhibits topological properties by tuning the resonator frequency with magnetic flux. Next, we introduce a graphene gatemon, in which the gate-tunability of resonator frequency has been demonstrated and the two-tone spectroscopy has shown a qubit state transition.

Differential magnetic field probe calibration based on symmetric de‐embedding technology

AbstractThe de‐embedding calibration method has been proposed to achieve high‐precision calibration for a single port electric field or magnetic field probe, which can effectively eliminate the calibration ripple. However, the method's effectiveness for a four‐port calibration system has not been verified yet. In this paper, a four‐port de‐embedding calibration method with a differential magnetic field probe is proposed, and its effectiveness is proved. Two symmetric grounded coplanar waveguide transmission lines are applied in the proposed method to solve the ABCD‐matrix of the embedded part of the calibrator. The de‐embedded S‐parameter model of the four‐port calibration system for differential magnetic field probe can be obtained. The calibration results indicate that the proposed method can also reduce the calibration ripple and compensate for the attenuation caused by the calibrator. Compared with the traditional calibration method using a microstrip line calibrator, the ripples of the proposed method can be reduced by 34%. The analysis results of the frequency interval of the ripple (FIR) in different methods show that the de‐embedding method can reduce the FIRs (except around 1.2 GHz) caused by the reflection of the calibrator and retain the FIR (about 1.2 GHz) caused by the reflection of the probe itself.

Characterization of superconducting through-silicon vias as capacitive elements in quantum circuits

The large physical size of superconducting qubits and their associated on-chip control structures presents a practical challenge toward building a large-scale quantum computer. In particular, transmons require a high-quality-factor shunting capacitance that is typically achieved by using a large coplanar capacitor. Other components, such as superconducting microwave resonators used for qubit state readout, are typically constructed from coplanar waveguides, which are millimeters in length. Here, we use compact superconducting through-silicon vias to realize lumped-element capacitors in both qubits and readout resonators to significantly reduce the on-chip footprint of both of these circuit elements. We measure two types of devices to show that through-silicon vias are of sufficient quality to be used as capacitive circuit elements and provide a significant reduction in size over existing approaches.

MEMS-Switched Triangular and U-Shaped Band-Stop Resonators for K-Band Operation.

Triangular resonators re-shaped into Sierpinski geometry and U-shaped resonators were designed, linking them with single-pole-double-through (SPDT) RF MEMS switches to provide frequency tuning for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop narrowband filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, were studied in a coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration, and the tuning was obtained by switching between two paths of the devices loaded with different resonators. As a result, dual-band operation or fine-tuning could be obtained depending on the choice of the resonator, acting as a building block. The studied filters belong to the more general group of devices inspired by a metamaterial design.

Bidirectional circularly polarized antenna with defected ground structure for wideband operation

The present work proposes a wideband circularly polarized antenna with novel design to cover the operation over most of the X-band of the microwave frequencies. This antenna is planar and printed on very thin and flexible Rogers’ substrate of material RO3003 with thickness 0.13mm. The antenna structure can be viewed as composed of an elliptic open annular strip that works as the main radiator. Two symmetric parasitic elements of elliptic arc-shaped narrow strips are capacitively coupled to the elliptic strip radiator. The feeding line is coplanar waveguide with defected ground structure. The parasitic elements and the defects on the ground structures help to enhance the bandwidth of both impedance matching and circular polarization. The antenna is designed to produce bidirectional radiation patterns with opposite sense of circular polarization. The design stages to arrive at the final design of the proposed antenna are described in detail. The antenna is fabricated for experimental assessment showing high performance regarding the circular polarization, bandwidth, and efficiency. The proposed antenna has total dimensions of 30×40×0.13mm3. Both the simulation and experimental results show that the antenna impedance is matched to 50Ω over the frequency band 7.5-13.0(54%bandwidth) and the axial ratio is lower than 3 dB over the frequency band 8.85-12.35GHz(33 % bandwidth). It is shown that the antenna gain ranges from 4.5 to 5 dBi, the radiation efficiency is greater than 99 % and the total efficiency is greater than 91 % over the entire frequency band of the proposed antenna.

High-frequency signal transmission in a coplanar waveguide structure with different surface finishes

Continuous pursuits for higher data rate, larger network capacity, low-latency communication, and better energy efficiency have motivated the development of the fifth generation (5 G) mobile communication technologies in recent years. Under a high-frequency transmission, the alternating electric current (AC) tends to distribute to the outer of a conductor due to the so-called “skin effect”; therefore, the surface coatings of Cu interconnect becomes an indispensable factor of the signal transmission characteristics. The focus of this study is to deeply probe into the effect of surface coatings on the high-frequency signal transmission (1–100 GHz) of Cu interconnects. We investigated six different surface finishes over a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line structure, including immersion tin (ImSn), immersion silver (ImAg), immersion gold (IG), electroless palladium/immersion gold (EPIG), immersion gold/electroless palladium/immersion gold (IGEPIG), and ultrathin-Ni(P)-type ENEPIG. The high-frequency signal performance of the CPW transmission line was analyzed through the finite element analysis (FEA) method by using a 3D electromagnetic simulation software. Furthermore, experimental measurements were conducted by using a vector network analyzer (VNA) to characterize the signal loss arising from different surface finishes, so as to validate the numerical simulation results. The FEA and VNA results showed that a noticeable current redistribution might be induced by a high conductivity/permeability of surface coating(s), i.e., ImSn and ultrathin-Ni(P)-type ENEPIG, which significantly increases the signal insertion loss at high frequencies. Thus, an appropriate surface coating over Cu interconnects was necessary for enhancing the high-frequency signal transmission performance.

Novel antenna array configuration using miniature double box branch‐line couplers for wideband circularly polarised applications

AbstractThis article presents a wideband circularly polarised (CP) antenna array using a miniaturised double box branch‐line coupler. This was achieved by creating a slow wave structure by introducing open‐circuit stubs on the inside arms of the branch‐line coupler. The 2 × 2 antenna array is made of four CP slot radiating elements excited through 1 × 4 feeding network. Moreover, sequentially rotation method is used to increase the axial‐ratio (AR) bandwidth of the array. The CP slot radiating element is fed by coplanar waveguide. The feedline of the horn‐shaped radiator includes a circular matching stub. Ground connected asymmetric T‐shaped stub, a pair of grounded L‐shaped square strips, and single strip line are shown to induce CP and enhance the antenna's 3 dB impedance bandwidth and AR performance. The antenna constituting the array has impedance bandwidth of 2.45 GHz from 4.8 to 7.25 GHz that corresponds to a fractional bandwidth of 40%, and its 3 dB AR extends between 4.8 and 6.25 GHz. Compared to a conventional double‐box branch‐line coupler the size of the proposed coupler is reduced by 35% by increasing the capacitance of the coupler's arms. This also is shown to increase the impedance bandwidth of the coupler. A 2 × 2 array was fabricated, and its performance verified. Measured results confirm the proposed antenna array exhibits CP covering the bands of WiMAX IEEE 802.16, C‐band and ITU‐R F386.9. The measured 3 dB AR bandwidth of the antenna array extend from 3 to 7.3 GHz and its impedance bandwidth extends from 3.2 to 9.0 GHz. The antenna array radiates with a peak gain of 11.5 dBic.

Calibration of terahertz sampling detectors for intense unipolar picosecond current pulses in waveguides

Terahertz pulses are nowadays commonly used in many areas of condensed matter physics to access material properties and explore transport phenomena at fast timescales. However, little work has been devoted to the full characterization of such pulses when confined in waveguides. In this work, we fabricate terahertz photoconductive switch detectors, located at various points along a coplanar waveguide, and sample the electrical pulses that pass by the detectors. Two different but consistent methods were developed to calibrate the pulse amplitude. Notably, we synchronize a commercial pulse generator with the laser in order to sample nanosecond-wide pulses with the photoswitch detectors, effectively turning the setup into an on-chip high-frequency sampling oscilloscope. Both methods give identical results on pulse current, voltage, and field amplitudes and enable an absolute characterization of the electrical pulse propagation along the waveguide. These techniques constitute a reliable tool to explore (non-linear) phenomena such as current or field induced magnetization switching or phase transitions, which take place at high THz intensities.

A Conformal Dual-Band CPW-MIMO Antenna for 5G-V2X Communication

A Co-Planar Waveguide (CPW) fed conformal Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) antenna is presented by deploying circular and rectangular patch in a stacked configuration. The analytical equations for the antenna are modeled and compared with the proposed antenna. The antenna is designed on a flexible polyimide substrate featuring a dielectric value of 3.5 with 0.1 mm thickness resonating at two frequencies, LTE-42 Band (5G-V2X) 3.4-3.6 GHz and Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) 5.850-5.925 GHz. The design is further extended as a 4 × 4 MIMO structure by positioning the antenna elements orthogonal, separated by a distance of 10 mm. The antenna exhibits a reflection coefficient < −10 dB with a gain value between 4.5 and 5.25 dB over the desired frequencies. The radiation efficiency of the antenna is around 90% at both bands. MIMO parameters were measured to analyze the MIMO performance of the proposed antenna and the placement analysis of the antenna is studied by mounting the antenna on various vehicle positions and their corresponding pattern were characterized. The designed MIMO antenna is fabricated and tested, having an overall size of 85 × 85 × 0.1 mm3, offering extremely flexible design functioning to be a promising candidate for next-generation V2X Communication.

A Co-Planar Waveguide Ultra-Wideband Antenna for Ambient Wi-Fi RF Power Transmission and Energy Harvesting Applications

This study proposes an ultra-wideband antenna for ambient radio frequency (RF) energy harvesting applications. The antenna is based on a co-planar waveguide (CPW) transmission line and incorporates a rectangular slot as an antenna harvester. The proposed antenna utilizes an evolutionary design process to achieve impedance matching of the 50 Ω CPW feeding line over the desired frequency bands. A parametric study investigates CPW elements and rectangular slot size. The harvester antenna is then connected to the primary rectifier circuit of the voltage doubler to examine the signal characteristics. The antenna covers the Industry, Science, and Medicine (ISM) Wi-Fi bands of 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz, achieving a realized gain of 3.641 dBi and 4.644 dBi at 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz, respectively. It exhibits a relatively broad frequency ranging from 2.16 GHz to 6.32 GHz, covering the ultra-wideband fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 105%.

Ultra-Wideband Fractal Ring Antenna for Biomedical Applications

In this paper, an efficient, coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed printed circular ring fractal ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna is presented for biomedical applications. In UWB technology, short-range wireless communication is possible with low transceiving power, a characteristic that is particularly advantageous in the context of microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) medical imaging. In the proposed antenna configuration, the UWB response is achieved by introducing wedged slots in the radiating patch, designed on a low-loss substrate. A CPW partial ground plane is truncated from the edges to optimize the antenna impedance. Experimental results indicate the antenna’s robust performance across the frequency range of 3.2–20 GHz. The well-matched measured and simulated results confirm our contribution’s employability. Furthermore, a time-domain study offers valuable insights into how the antenna responds to transient signals, highlighting its responsiveness and adaptability to biomedical applications.

Triangular Sierpinski Microwave Band-Stop Resonators for K-Band Filtering.

Triangular resonators re-shaped with Sierpinski geometry were designed, manufactured, and tested for potential applications in the K-Band. Prototypes of band-stop filters working around 20 GHz and 26 GHz, interesting for RADAR and satellite communications, were studied in a coplanar waveguide (CPW) configuration. Single and coupled structures were analyzed to give evidence for: (i) the tuning of the resonance frequency by increasing the internal complexity of the triangle and (ii) resonance enhancement when coupled structures are considered. The exploited devices were part of the more extended family of metamaterial-inspired structures, and they were studied for their heuristic approach to the prediction of the spectrum using experimental results supported by electromagnetic simulations. As a result, a Sierpinski resonator, not only fed into but also fully embedded into a CPW environment, had a frequency response that was not easily determined by classical theoretical approaches.

A Conformal Tri-Band Antenna for Flexible Devices and Body-Centric Wireless Communications.

A conformal tri-band antenna tailored for flexible devices and body-centric wireless communications operating at the key frequency bands is proposed. The antenna is printed on a thin Rogers RT 5880 substrate, merely 0.254 mm thick, with an overall geometrical dimension of 15 × 20 × 0.254 mm3. This inventive design features a truncated corner monopole accompanied by branched stubs fed by a coplanar waveguide. The stubs, varying in length, serve as quarter-wavelength monopoles, facilitating multi-band functionality at 2.45, 3.5, and 5.8 GHz. Given the antenna's intended applications in flexible devices and body-centric networks, the conformability of the proposed design is investigated. Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is conducted using a four-layered human tissue model. Notably, the SAR values for the proposed geometry at 2.45, 3.5, and 5.8 GHz stand at 1.48, 1.26, and 1.1 W/kg for 1 g of tissue, and 1.52, 1.41, and 0.62 W/kg for 10 g of tissue, respectively. Remarkably, these values comfortably adhere to both FCC and European Union standards, as they remain substantially beneath the threshold values of 1.6 W/kg and 2 W/kg for 1 g and 10 g tissues, respectively. The radiation characteristics and performance of the antenna in flat and different bending configurations validate the suitability of the antenna for flexible devices and body-centric wireless communications.

Dual band circularly polarized CPW monopole antenna inspired by metasurface reflector

A high gain, dual-band circular polarized coplanar waveguide (CPW) patch antenna with a metasurface reflector was proposed and demonstrated in this paper. Using a FR4 substrate with a 0.8 mm thickness, an asymmetrical ground plane was made for a CPW patch antenna. The proposed antenna exhibited dual-band characteristics having reflection coefficient (S11) below − 10 dB from 1.70 GHZ to 3.02 GHz with a bandwidth of 52.38% and 4.59–6.69 GHz with a bandwidth of 42.16%. The average gain was 3.2 dBi in the lower band & 2.5 dBi in the upper band with 3 dB axial ratio of 27.1% bandwidth in a lower band. A metasurface reflector was placed along the proposed antenna with foam as a dielectric between them to increase the gain and bandwidth. The antenna, when combined with the metasurface reflector, achieved an impedance bandwidth of 37.8% in the 1st band, 63% in the 2nd band and both the bands exhibits circular polarization with a 3 dB axial ratio of 57% in the 1st band and 33.02% in the 2nd band. The average gain was 7dBi, with a maximum gain of 7.9dBi at 2.4 GHz. A prototype of an antenna & metasurface reflector was fabricated and measured results were found to be good in comparison with simulated results.

High-Q trenched aluminum coplanar resonators with an ultrasonic edge microcutting for superconducting quantum devices

Dielectric losses are one of the key factors limiting the coherence of superconducting qubits. The impact of materials and fabrication steps on dielectric losses can be evaluated using coplanar waveguide (CPW) microwave resonators. Here, we report on superconducting CPW microwave resonators with internal quality factors systematically exceeding 5 × 106 at high powers and 2 × 106 (with the best value of 4.4 × 106) at low power. Such performance is demonstrated for 100-nm-thick aluminum resonators with 7–10.5 um center trace on high-resistivity silicon substrates commonly used in Josephson-junction based quantum circuit. We investigate internal quality factors of the resonators with both dry and wet aluminum etching, as well as deep and isotropic reactive ion etching of silicon substrate. Josephson junction compatible CPW resonators fabrication process with both airbridges and silicon substrate etching is proposed. Finally, we demonstrate the effect of airbridges’ positions and extra process steps on the overall dielectric losses. The best quality factors are obtained for the wet etched aluminum resonators and isotropically removed substrate with the proposed ultrasonic metal edge microcutting.

Engineering the thin film characteristics for optimal performance of superconducting kinetic inductance amplifiers using a rigorous modelling technique.

Background: Kinetic Inductance Travelling Wave Parametric Amplifiers (KITWPAs) are a variant of superconducting amplifier that can potentially achieve high gain with quantum-limited noise performance over broad bandwidth, which is important for many ultra-sensitive experiments. In this paper, we present a novel modelling technique that can better capture the electromagnetic behaviour of a KITWPA without the translation symmetry assumption, allowing us to flexibly explore the use of more complex transmission line structures and better predict their performance. Methods: In order to design a KITWPA with optimal performance, we investigate the use of different superconducting thin film materials, and compare their pros and cons in forming a high-gain low-loss medium feasible for amplification. We establish that if the film thickness can be controlled precisely, the material used has less impact on the performance of the device, as long as it is topologically defect-free and operating within its superconducting regime. With this insight, we propose the use of Titanium Nitride (TiN) film for our KITWPA as its critical temperature can be easily altered to suit our applications. We further investigate the topological effect of different commonly used superconducting transmission line structures with the TiN film, including the effect of various non-conducting materials required to form the amplifier. Results: Both of these comprehensive studies led us to two configurations of the KITWPA: 1) A low-loss 100 nm thick TiN coplanar waveguide amplifier, and 2) A compact 50 nm TiN inverted microstrip amplifier. We utilise the novel modelling technique described in the first part of the paper to explore and investigate the optimal design and operational setup required to achieve high gain with the broadest bandwidth for both KITWPAs, including the effect of loss. Conclusions: Finally, we conclude the paper with the actual layout and the predicted gain-bandwidth product of our KITWPAs.

Design of a Q-band waveguide to CPW transition

A design scheme of waveguide to co-planar waveguide probe transition structure is proposed in this paper, and the structure is modeled and optimized by Ansoft’s electromagnetic simulation software HFSS. The simulation results indicate that the structure’s reflection coefficient is below -20dB and its insertion loss is below -0.3dB at 38∼47GHz. The structure is applicable to tile-type T/R modules.