3D Integrated High-Precision Passives on Thin Glass Substrates for Miniaturized and High-Performance RF Components

3D Integrated High-Precision Passives on Thin Glass Substrates for Miniaturized and High-Performance RF Components

Citation

Z. Wu, J. Min, M.R. Pulugurtha, S. Ravichandran, V. Sundaram, and R.R. Tummala, “3D Integrated High-Precision Passives on Thin Glass Substrates for Miniaturized and High-Performance RF Components,” Journal of Microelectronics and Electronic Packaging, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 107-116, 2018.

Keywords

  • Diplexers
  • Filters
  • Thin Glass Substrates
  • 3D Integration/IPDs
  • Through-Glass Vias (TGVs)
  • High-Precision Passives
  • Miniaturization
  • High-Performance
  • LTE Applications
  • Process Variation Analysis

Brief

This article presents the design and fabrication of miniaturized three-dimensional integrated passive devices (IPDs) on thin glass substrates for high-performance radio frequency (RF) applications.

Summary

This article presents the design and fabrication of a miniaturized 3D integrated passive device (IPD) for LTE applications. The diplexer, measuring 2.3 x 2.8 x 0.2 mm, was successfully fabricated on a 100-micron thin glass substrate with 15-micron thick polymer films. The device integrates multilayered, double-side embedded passive components and utilizes ultra-short, highly reliable through-package vias (TPVs) for interconnection.

Key findings of the article:

  • Glass substrates offer a promising alternative to traditional LTCC and organic substrates for RF applications due to their low loss, high dimensional stability, and cost-effectiveness.
  • Double-sided 3D integration on thin glass substrates allows for higher component density, reduced interconnection losses, and improved dimensional stability.
  • The fabricated diplexer demonstrated good correlation with electromagnetic (EM) simulations, validating the feasibility of 3D IPDs on thin glass substrates.
  • Process variations, particularly in dielectric thickness, can significantly impact diplexer performance.
  • A low-cost surface planarization method was implemented to mitigate the impact of dielectric thickness variations, resulting in improved diplexer performance and fabrication repeatability.

The authors suggest that this 3D IPD technology on thin glass substrates holds significant potential for RF front-end modules in future high-bandwidth communication systems. 

Origin: https://meridian.allenpress.com/jmep/article/15/3/107/36704/3D-Integrated-High-Precision-Passives-on-Thin
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