Integrated Passive Device Research Articles

Design and Optimization of a Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging- Based Integrated Passive Device Structure for FMCW Radar Applications

This paper presents an integrated passive device (IPD) structure based on fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) for the front end of frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar systems, focusing on enhancing the integration efficiency and performance of large passive components like antennas. Additionally, a new metric is introduced to assess this structure’s effect on the average noise figure in FMCW systems. Using this metric as a loss function, we apply the support vector machine (SVM) for electromagnetic simulation and the genetic algorithm (GA) for optimization. The sample fitting variance is 2.42 dB, reducing computation time from 12 min to under 1 millisecond, with the entire optimization completed in less than 100 s. The optimized IPD structure is 0.7 × 0.9 × 0.014 λ03 in size and achieves over 35 dB isolation between the transmitter and receiver. Compared to the IPD model calculated by empirical formulas, the optimized device lowers the average noise figure by 15.2 dB and increases maximum gain by 4.19 dB.

Silicon-based integrated passive device stack for III-V/Si monolithic 3D circuits operating on RF band

In this study, we demonstrated a silicon (Si)-based integrated passive device (IPD) stack to support III-V/Si monolithic 3D (M3D) ICs operating on the radio frequency (RF) band. The IPD stack was fabricated based on an 8-inch CMOS process line and integrated via M3D with an InGaAs HEMT layer. A process condition for a trap rich layer and a buried oxide layer in the IPD was established to simultaneously minimizing both the RF loss and wafer bowing. Through the process condition, the RF loss of the coplanar waveguides was −0.631 dB/mm at 30 GHz, lower than that of the CMOS foundry, and the wafer bowing of the stack was as low as −5.5 μm. The maximum quality factor of the inductors showed good values when compared to those of other CMOS foundry process-based inductors operating on the RF bands reported thus far. To obtain a compressive profile for the IPD stack, which is one of the most important requirements in advancing to wafer-to-wafer-level 3D bonding with the III-V active layer, a process method for the final IMD layer of the IPD was developed, resulting in a change from a tensile profile to a compressive profile for the IPD (corresponding wafer bowing value from −12.6 to + 10.7 μm).

Monolithic integration of waveguide amplifiers and passive polymer photonic devices using photolithography

The monolithic integration of rare-earth-doped waveguide amplifiers with passive photonic devices has long been a subject of extensive research. Herein, we propose a method for active-passive monolithic integration based on polymer photonic integrated devices. The monolithic integration of passive devices with active waveguide amplifiers is achieved by spin-coating an active layer atop a passive polymer waveguide and subjecting specific regions of the active layer to selective photolithography. To validate the proposed monolithic integration scheme's impact on the performance of passive devices, performance tests were conducted on both passive and active-passive integrated 8-channel arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) devices. The crosstalk (CT) of the AWG devices before and after adding the active layer ranged from −12.04 dB to −14.72 dB and from −10.02 dB to −14.88 dB, respectively, with channel spacings of 9.29 nm and 8.80 nm, indicating consistent performance of the passive devices with the addition of the active layer. In a 0.5 cm-long active waveguide, internal net gain was achieved across all eight channels of the AWG, with a gain bandwidth ranging from 1518 nm to 1580 nm. Notably, an internal net gain of 9.5 dB was attained at 1527 nm. The successful integration of rare-earth-doped waveguide amplifiers with passive components on a monolithic chip has been achieved for the first time, requiring only two straightforward photolithography steps. This milestone not only preserves the inherent functionality of passive components but also enables effective signal amplification. This technological innovation holds the promise of fully harnessing the potential of rare-earth-doped waveguide amplifiers in the realm of photonic integrated circuits, thereby catalyzing significant breakthroughs and advancements in the field of optoelectronics.

On-chip Wi-Fi filter with FBW of 16.3 % and IL of 1.8 dB using novel T-type transmission zeros structure

A novel T-type topology is proposed for the first time to generate a pair of transmission zeros (TZs), enabling a wide range of resistive band rejection within a specific range. The working mechanism is elucidated through its even- and odd-mode equivalent circuits, and the design process is outlined. Moreover, an enhanced third-order high-pass filter is integrated with the T-type circuit to form a bandpass filter (BPF). This proposed BPF is fabricated using on-chip integrated passive device (IPD) technology. The measured and simulated results confirm its performance. Notably, the proposed IPD BPF has fractional bandwidth (FBW) of only 16.3 % and an insertion loss (IL) of 1.8 dB within the passband, thereby making it promising for narrowband applications. In addition, its compact size makes it suitable for Wi-Fi applications.

Miniaturized bandpass filter with ultrawide-stopband and high selectivity using glass-based IPD technology

A miniaturized bandpass filter (BPF) with ultrawide-stopband and high selectivity performance is proposed by virtue of glass-based integrated passive devices (IPD) technology. The proposed BPF consists of two modified second-order units and an impedance inverter. In the modified second-order units, two capacitors are added to the traditional second-order Chebyshev bandpass filter, which can generate two additional transmission zeros locating in the lower and upper bands, respectively. Moreover, these two modified second-order units are cascaded to improve the selectivity and achieve the ultrawide-stopband of the proposed BPF. In addition, the cascaded impedance inverter is introduced to further improve impedance matching of the proposed BPF. The proposed BPF is fabricated using glass-based IPD technology and measured by on-wafer probing. The fabricated BPF has a compact size of 1.0 mm × 1.0 mm × 0.35 mm. The measured results show that the fabricated BPF can cover the wide operating band from 3.3 GHz to 5.0 GHz with an insertion loss of 1.4 dB, a return loss better than 17.5 dB in the passband, and an upper stopband suppression better than 21.6 dB up to 43.5 GHz (10.48f0). In addition, the fabricated BPF can achieve a good frequency selectivity with a rectangular coefficient of 1.33. The simulated and measured results exhibit good agreements.

A miniaturized on‐chip BPF with low insertion loss and wide stopband based on integrated passive device technology

AbstractIn this study, a novel bandpass filter (BPF) characterized by low insertion loss (IL) and the presence of two transmission zeros (TZs) based on integrated passive device (IPD) technology is introduced. The design incorporates a low‐pass filter and a high‐pass filter which both exhibit strong out‐of‐band suppression performance. The control structure for TZs is constructed by cascading the inductance and capacitance components. The TZ controlling structure primarily generates TZs at high frequencies, resulting in a further bandwidth enhancement in the stopband. The lumped circuit of the proposed BPF is first constructed, and rigorous design formulas are provided to assist in constructing the proposed design. After schematic optimization, the second step involves layout optimization and simulation based on the specific IPD process. Experimental results mounted on a printed circuit board demonstrate that the bandwidth spans from 3.3 to 4.2 GHz with an IL of only 2.0 dB at the center frequency. Additionally, this BPF achieves impressive sideband suppression, exceeding 18 dB in the 0–1.7 GHz range and 30 dB in the 9–15 GHz range. Remarkably, the BPF is exceptionally compact with only 0.5 mm × 1.0 mm (0.006λc × 0.012λc). The proposed BPF exhibits outstanding performance with minimal IL and extensive sideband suppression at such a compact size based on the IPD technology.

A novel design method for wideband bandpass filters with fewer inductors

Inductors that are widely used in wideband filter designs could result in large filter size and high insertion loss. A novel design method using admittance matrix based on direct circuit implementation is introduced for wideband bandpass filters. Firstly, a frequency transformation is performed on cross-couplings to realize the conversion between inductor and capacitor, thereby reducing usage of inductors. Moreover, by virtue of an enhanced resonator (type I), an approach of adding extra transmission zero is proposed to improve the out-of-band rejection without any additional usage of inductors. Thirdly, based on the frequency transformation, another enhanced resonator (type II) is introduced to further improve the frequency characteristics without compromising usage of inductors. Finally, by cascading the enhanced resonators of type I and type II, a novel filter can be constructed. This novel filter is designed and fabricated using a glass-based integrated passive device (IPD) technology. The measurement results are highly consistent with the simulation results. It is shown that the proposed design method can reduce the filter size and thus improve the chip integration. It enriches the freedoms during the filter design.

Compact on-chip dual-band bandpass filter with wide out-of-band suppression based on hybrid coupling technique

A compact dual-band bandpass filter (BPF) with wide out-of-band suppression based on a hybrid coupling technique is proposed. This BPF consists of two hybrid spiral coupled resonators, in which the electrical coupling and magnetic coupling between resonators can generate two transmission paths for dual bands. This dual-band BPF has wide out-of-band suppression. Moreover, its passband frequency and bandwidth can be readily controlled. To illustrate its working principle, an equivalent circuit with even- and odd-mode analysis is presented. This dual-band BPF is fabricated using a silicon integrated passive device (IPD) technology. The fabricated dual-band BPF has a compact size of 1.6 mm × 0.54 mm × 0.23 mm and is measured. The measured results show that this dual-band BPF can generate two bands at 2.45 GHz and 6.15 GHz. In addition, more than 20 dB of suppression is achieved from 7.8 to 20 GHz (8.16f0). The simulated and measured results exhibit good agreements.

Compact IPD bandpass filter with wide upper stopband based on modified topology for 5G applications

AbstractA compact bandpass filter (BPF) with wide stopband performance is proposed and implemented on Si‐based integrated passive device (IPD) technology. A modified topology consisting of a novel Pi‐section and two capacitors are introduced in this BPF. The Pi‐section topology can achieve a band‐pass performance and generate four transmission zeros out‐of‐band. These two capacitors can improve the in‐band matching and also widen the stopband. The proposed BPF with a compact size of 1.0 mm × 0.5 mm × 0.3 mm is fabricated using Si IPD technology and measured by on‐wafer probing. It shows that the insertion loss is less than 1.75 dB, the return loss is better than 18 dB in the 5G band, and the upper stopband suppression level is better than 17.5 dB up to 18 GHz. The simulated and measured results of the proposed BPF are in reasonably good agreement.

Fractures of low-k materials in a RF package with integrated passive device based on TGV

The radio frequency (RF) chips and passive devices integrated on the through-glass-via (TGV) substrate meets the demands of miniaturization, high performance and low losses in the application. The RF chip and integrated passive devices (IPDs) are interconnected electrically by a redistribution layer (RDL) on the TGV substrate with the isolation low-k materials. The low-k materials, however, are susceptible to fracture during the thermal process in packaging due to their weak mechanical properties. In this study, the fractures of the low-k material were studied by experiments and the finite element analysis (FEA) for a RF package with integrated passive device based on TGV. The mechanical properties of the low-k material used in the FEA were tested by fabricating freestanding low-k films using microfabrication techniques. Then the fracture behaviors of the low-k material in the package and its impact factors under thermal loadings were examined. The impact factors, such as the initial defect location, direction and length, were investigated by evaluating the stress intensity factors (SIFs) at the defect tips. The results revealed that the most hazardous location in the low-k material is the region below the micro-joint of RF chip. The vertical defects along thickness in low-k film are more likely to propagate than horizontal ones. The SIF value increases linearly with the defect length both in heating and cooling conditions.

The co-design of IPD high-selectivity diplexer and dual-band filter chips based on lumped element single-band filter

In this paper, a dual-band bandpass filter (D-BPF) and a diplexer are proposed. Their core structures are both a lumped element single-band bandpass filter (S-BPF) with dual transmission poles (TPs) and dual transmission zeros (TZs). For the D-BPF, based on this S-BPF, single-band impedance matching networks (S-IMNs) are used to form the second/third passbands. Two S-BPFs with different first reactance elements are used for the diplexer to achieve good isolation without T-junction. Finally, the D-BPF and the diplexer with center frequencies of 2.26/4.75 GHz and 2.3/5.75 GHz are fabricated by thin-film integrated passive device (IPD) technology. The physical size of the D-BPF chip is only 1.5 × 1.1 mm2, and the diplexer chip is 2.3 × 1.5 mm2. Measured results show they both have the advantages of good insertion loss, excellent impedance matching, high roll-off, and broad stopband rejection. The isolation of the diplexer is greater than 23 dB from 0 to 10 GHz.

Design of Hybrid Bandpass Filter Chips with High Selectivity and Wideband Using IPD and FBAR Technology

A novel hybrid bandpass filter (BPF) with wideband and high selectivity is proposed in this paper. The hybrid BPF is composed of two film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) cells and three lumped component resonators realized by the integrated passive device (IPD) technology. The ABCD matrix to S-parameters matrix method is used to calculate the frequency response of the BPF. Moreover, the expressions of transmission zeros (TZs) have been extracted. In the design process, an iterative design approach is proposed to improve the circuit and layout of the hybrid filter based on the packaged acoustic-electric hybrid simulation effect. Finally, two parts of the filter are packaged based on the flip-chip method, and two prototypes for the BPF are measured. The measured results of two chips with 3 dB fractional bandwidth of 13.7% and 15.8% are designed and fabricated, which verifies the validity of the proposed design principle.

Design of IPD-based wideband bandpass filter chips with controllable transmission zeros

ABSTRACT In this brief, two novel wideband bandpass filter (BPF) chips with independently controllable transmission zeros are proposed. BPF I uses bridge T-type highpass and lowpass structures cascaded to achieve wideband filtering. On this basis, BPF II adds three pairs of LC resonant circuits to add additional transmission zeros while retaining the lowpass structures. The analytical methods of odd-even mode and ABCD matrix to S-parameter matrix are used to analyze and calculate two designs. For validation, two prototypes of proposed BPFs in integrated passive device (IPD) have been designed, fabricated, and measured. One prototype operates at 5.3 GHz, providing a 3-dB fractional bandwidth (FBW) of 46.9%, while the other prototype operates at 4.7 GHz, providing a 3-dB FBW of 57.6%. Moreover, the two chips exhibit minimum insertion losses of 1.55 dB and 1.5 dB, respectively, while occupying compact sizes of 2.27 mm × 0.83 mm and 1.7 mm × 0.88 mm.

Miniaturized IPD band pass filter with low insertion loss based on modified T‐section for 5G applications

AbstractA miniaturized bandpass filter (BPF) with low insertion loss based on a modified T‐section and a grounded transmission‐zero resonator is proposed. The novel T‐section consists of two resonators, which can achieve the bandpass performance with two transmission zeros (TZs) in the upper band. The grounded transmission‐zero resonator can generate an extra transmission zero in the lower band. Therefore, high frequency selectivity can be achieved by the above three transmission zeros near the passband. The proposed BPF can achieve an insertion loss of 0.8 dB and a return loss of 22 dB covering 3.3–4.2 GHz, and the upper‐stopband attenuation is better than 20 dB up to 12.5 GHz (3.3f0). The proposed BPF with a miniaturized size of 1.2 mm × 0.5 mm × 0.3 mm have been fabricated using Si‐based integrated passive devices (IPDs) technology and measured by on‐wafer probing. The simulated and measured results of the proposed BPF are in reasonably good agreement.

Real-Time Detection of Yeast Growth on Solid Medium through Passive Microresonator Biosensor.

This study presents a biosensor fabricated based on integrated passive device (IPD) technology to measure microbial growth on solid media in real-time. Yeast (Pichia pastoris, strain GS115) is used as a model organism to demonstrate biosensor performance. The biosensor comprises an interdigital capacitor in the center with a helical inductive structure surrounding it. Additionally, 12 air bridges are added to the capacitor to increase the strength of the electric field radiated by the biosensor at the same height. Feasibility is verified by using a capacitive biosensor, and the change in capacitance values during the capacitance detection process with the growth of yeast indicates that the growth of yeast can induce changes in electrical parameters. The proposed IPD-based biosensor is used to measure yeast drop-added on a 3 mm medium for 100 h at an operating frequency of 1.84 GHz. The resonant amplitude of the biosensor varies continuously from 24 to 72 h due to the change in colony height during vertical growth of the yeast, with a maximum change of 0.21 dB. The overall measurement results also fit well with the Gompertz curve. The change in resonant amplitude between 24 and 72 h is then analyzed and reveals a linear relationship with time with a coefficient of determination of 0.9844, indicating that the biosensor is suitable for monitoring yeast growth. Thus, the proposed biosensor is proved to have potential in the field of microbial proliferation detection.

Millimeter-wave wideband filtering on-chip antenna based on IPD technology

ABSTRACT A millimeter-wave wideband filtering on-chip antenna is proposed in this paper. Its operation frequency covers 32 GHz to 63 GHz, and the impedance fractional bandwidth reaches 63%. Based on the corner-fed patch antenna, the antenna in this work has a quasi-omnidirectional radiation pattern, and peak efficiency reaches 91.7%. By square slotting on the four sides of the patch and cross slotting on the center of the patch, the high-order mode is suppressed, which supports the wide operating frequency range with filtering characteristics. Split ring resonators are etched on the ground to strengthen filtering characteristics. Based on thin-film integrated passive device (IPD) technology, the proposed structure is applicable to the on-chip wideband and high-efficiency antenna array.

A miniaturized low-loss absorptive bandpass filter using IPD technology

In this article, a highly miniaturized absorptive bandpass filter based on a novel topology is presented. The filter topology utilizes a resistor-loaded network to achieve absorptive characteristics while additional capacitive coupling between series resonators is introduced to enhance selectivity. The proposed filter with a center frequency of 2.5 GHz and a 3-dB bandwidth of 2800 MHz is implemented using a GaAs integrated passive device (IPD) technology, exhibiting a small die size (0.7 mm×1.13 mm), low loss in-band insertion loss (0.9 dB), high out-of-band rejection (8.8f0¿25 dB), and a wide low-reflection frequency range. The measurement results show good agreement with the simulations. These features show promising applications in highly integrated RF systems.

A Multilayered GaAs IPD Resonator with Five Airbridges for Sensor System Application.

This work proposes a microwave resonator built from gallium arsenide using integrated passive device (IPD) technology. It consists of a three-layered interlaced spiral structure with airbridges and inner interdigital structures. For integrated systems, IPD technology demonstrated outstanding performance, robustness, and a tiny size at a low cost. The airbridges were made more compact, with overall dimensions of 1590 × 800 µm2 (0.038 × 0.019 λg2). The designed microwave resonator operated at 1.99 GHz with a return loss of 39 dB, an insertion loss of 0.07 dB, and a quality factor of 1.15. Additionally, an experiment was conducted on the properties of the airbridge and how they affected resistance, inductance, and S-parameters in the construction of the resonator. To investigate the impact of airbridges on the structure, E- and H-field distributions of the resonator were simulated. Furthermore, its use in sensing applications was explored. Various concentrations of glucose solutions were used in the experiment. The proposed device featured a minimum detectable concentration of 0.2 mg/mL; high sensitivity, namely, 14.58 MHz/mg·mL-1, with a linear response; and a short response time. Thus, this work proposes a structure that exhibits potential in integrated systems and real-time sensing systems with high sensitivity.

N77 Radio Frequency Power Amplifier Module for 5G New-Radio High-Power User Equipment Mobile Handset Applications

This paper presents a highly efficient 5G New-Radio (NR) RF power amplifier module (PAM). The n77 PAM consists of a high-voltage differential-topology 2 μm GaAs HBT power amplifier, a CMOS controller, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) switch, an integrated passive device (IPD) bandpass filter, a low-noise amplifier (LNA), and a bi-directional coupler. This PAM generates a saturation output power of 32.7 dBm including the loss of the SOI switch and output filter. The designed n77 PAM is tested with a commercial envelope tracker IC (ET-IC). The designed PAM with an ET-IC achieves an ACLR of −37 dBc at a 27 dBm output power with a DFT-s-OFDM QPSK 100 MHz NR signal and saves a dc power consumption of 950 mW compared to the APT mode. For the CP-OFDM 256QAM with the most stringent EVM requirements, it achieves an EVM of 1.22% at 23 dBm and saves 640 mW compared to the APT mode.

Miniaturized IPD bandpass filter design with high out‐of‐band rejection for 5G applications

AbstractThis letter proposes a miniaturized integrated passive device (IPD) bandpass filter (BPF) design with high out‐of‐band rejection for 5G applications. In this design, a novel topology based on the modified high‐pass filter cascaded with the modified low‐pass filter is introduced with two pairs of transmission zeros (TZs) at high and low frequencies. In addition, one grounded capacitor at the input is added to improve the suppression at high frequency end. The proposed BPF design is fabricated on silicon substrate. The measured insertion loss is around 3 dB and the return loss is <16 dB in the whole frequency range from 3.3 to 4.2 GHz for 5G applications. This proposed BPF achieves more than 20 dB sideband suppression at both stop bands from DC to 2.69 GHz and from 5.3 to 14 GHz. The fabricated device has a size of only 1 × 0.7 × 0.2 mm.