Micropositioner
for antenna probing
Coaxial and Waveguide connections
Lens
mounted on a WiGig module
Organic BGA from STM
Monopole
antenna in MEMS process from Microsoft
Released cantilever on Silicon
technology
Dedicated
foam holder
Broadside, Backside, Endfire
radiation pattern measurements
Series
fed array with differential feeding
127um Teflon substrate
15
partners - Joint publications
10 Academics – 5
Industrials
IPD
flip-chip Patch on TacLumplus substrate
Best paper LAPC 2012
4*4
Butler matrix on glass @ 60GHz
IPD technology
4
elements array with endfire radiation pattern from VTT @ 60GHz
LTCC technology
Grid
array from NANYANG Technological University @ 60GHz
LTCC technology
Antenna
measurement @ 90GHz with UCSD
Silicon technology and quartz
lens
On-wafer
measurement
200 mm IPD wafer
Industrial
package measurement
Low-cost organic stack-up from
STMicroelectronics
Active
measurement with IMS and LabSTICC
PA and antenna co-integrated on
silicon @ 80GHz
Endfire
quasi-yagi antenna @ 120 GHz
IPD technology
The measurement of
the radiation and matching performance of millimeter-wave antennas is a
very challenging topic. As a single antenna usually has a size of a few
square millimeters, the feeding scheme can’t be as simple as
a connector, especially if high measurement accuracy is needed.
That’s why a microelectronic probe-feeding technique is a
possible improvement. However, the final choice depends on the antenna
technology, and also on the way the antenna is integrated. Antennas
integrated into ceramics or low-cost organic packages are today the
most popular antenna-solutions.
The measurement setup we present has been developed from a classical
microelectronic probing system but has been mechanically modified to
operate in almost a metal-free environment, especially around the
antenna under test (AUT). It is then possible to measure the gain of
linearly and circularly polarized radiators in several cut planes with
a computed accuracy of ±0.8 dB until 140 GHz. It is also
possible to measure the radiated field over a quasi-three-dimensional
sphere, the microelectronic probe being the only object blocking the
electromagnetic waves transmitted by the AUT. Therefore, several
methods have been implemented to be able to compute the axial ratio,
and the total and radiation efficiencies from these radiation
measurements. Thanks to this study, 14 journals and 31 conferences were
published. 15 collaborations with prestigious University and
Industrials were initiated.
