MEMs antennas for millimeterwave applications

Dan Neculoiu*a,Patrick Pons**b, Robert Plana**b, Pierre Blondy***c, Alexandru MullePa, Dan Vasilache*" aIMT Bucharest; bLAAS-CNRS Toulouse, 'IRCOM Limoges

ABSTRACT
This paper presents the design, fabrication and measurement of membrane supported double-folded slot coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed antenna structures. The central operating frequency for the two antennas are 77 GHz and 94 GHz. The antennas were fabricated on 1.5 pm thick SiOz/Si3N4 dielectric membranes micromachined from a 350 pm thick high resistivity silicon substrate. The design was based on electromagnetic simulations using Zeland IE3D software package and a circuital approach for modeling the CPW feed lines. The experimental results show a return loss of - 24.35 dB at 74.5 GHz for the 77 GHz antenna structure and -27.5 dB at 92.85 GHz for the 94 GHz antenna structure. The agreement between the frequency dependence of the return loss of the experimental and simulated results is very good. These results will be used in the design and fabrication of micromachined microsystems front-ends as millimeter wave transmitters and receivers. Keywords: Micromachining, millimeter wave, membrane supported antennas, electromagnetic simulation

1. INTRODUCTION
Planar antennas are key elements in microwave and millimeter wave systems for many applications, such as wireless communications, radio astronomy, automotive radars, remote sensing, survey environment. The trend today is to develop electronic modules featuring high electrical performance, low cost and high yield and reliability as most of these applications will be dedicated for the citizens. These new requirements have motivated the emergence of the new technological concepts in order to circumvent the problem related to frequency increasing. Among many possible realizations, the uniplanar geometry allows to integrate antennas with other passive components like filters, lumped elements, combining structures, and in particular with active devices. Moreover, it is possible to put a large number of radiators on the same substrate, thus allowing an easy realization of a phased array configuration. In recent years, the micromachining technology has been proposed for the fabrication of millimeter wave circuits on very thin dielectric membranes'. This kind of realization offers many advantages: the most important ones are the reduction of losses due to the dielectric permittivity, and the reduction of dispersion effects. For the antennas there is also another important advantage: the suppression of unwanted substrate modes, which otherwise could lead to additional losses. Many investigators have studied extensively many different kind of CPW-fed slot antenna One solution for many millimeter wave applications is the use of the double-folded slot antenna. This is an array of two folded slot antennas (Fig. 1) placed approximately one half wavelength apart for good radiation patterns. The two folded slot antennas are fed in phase by a 180' long CPW line. This paper presents the design, realization and measurement of membrane supported double-folded slot coplanar feed antennas for 7*7 and 94 GHz operating frequency. The antenna arrays are fabricated on a 1.5 pm thick SiOz/Si3N4 dielectric membrane micromachined from a 350 pm thick high resistivity silicon substrate. The CPW ground plane and the central conductor were obtained by gold electroplating featuring 2.5 pm thickness. Two layouts have been designed assuming 77 GHz and 94 GHz as central operating frequencies and the properties given by the bulk micromachining process. The design was based on intensive use of full wave electromagnetic simulations. The design method as well the design results are presented in section 2. The membrane supported antenna test structure involves a micromachined and a bulk area and the transition between those is determined by the chemical etching behavior of silicon. Section 3 presents how the design of the membrane supported antenna was completed with the effect of the membrane and bulk supported CPW feed lines and with the effect of the transition between membrane and bulk.
* Contact author: : neculoiu@imt.ro, phone: +40-1-490.82.12, fax: +40-1-490.82, http:// www.imt.ro; IMT-Bucharest, PO-Box 38-160, R-72225, Bucharest Romania
66 MEMS Components and Applications for Industry, Automobiles, Aerospace, and Communication, Henry Helvajian, Siegfried W. Janson, Franz Lrmer, Editors, Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 4559 (2001) 2001 SPIE 0277-786X/01/$15.00

Section 4 presents the technological process description. Section 5 shows that the experimental results are in very good agreement with the calculated return loss of the test structure and validate the design procedure.

Fig. 1:The layout of the membrane supported double-folded slot antenna.

2. ANTENNA DESIGN
Fig. 1 shows the configuration of the double-folded antenna structure that was considered in this paper. In this section it is presented only the design of the membrane supported antenna (placed in the left side of the reference plane). The design has been performed using the electromagnetic simulator Zeland IE3D5. This software package is a full wave, method of moments simulator and performs electromagnetic analysis for arbitrary 3-D planar geometry maintaining full accuracy at all frequencies. The electromagnetic analysis includes dispersion, discontinuities, surface waves, higher order modes, metallization loss, dielectric loss and radiation loss. The IE3D software has been used to predict the performance of the membrane-supported antenna in terms of radiation pattern, antenna efficiency and input impedance. In the first stage of the design, we determined the characteristic impedance and effective permitivity of the membrane supported CPW lines6. The second stage addressed the estimation of the slot length S and slot separation D (Fig. 1) through the calculation of the half wavelength at the operating frequency. Because the antenna is supported on a very thin dielectric membrane (the effective permitivity is closed to 1), both are chosen to be equal with the half of the free-space wavelength at the frequency of operation (1948 pm for 77 GHz and 1596 pm for 94 GHz). Because the guided wavelength of the central CPW line is almost equal to the dielectric wavelength and to the free space wave length it was not necessary to bend the CPW feed line as in reference4. Moreover, because of the symmetry of the structure, the use of the air-bridges along the feed line to equalize the ground planes is not necessary. In the array design, the mutual coupling between the antenna folded slot elements cannot be ignored, because it can result in mismatch of the individual elements to their feed and the distortion of radiation pattern of the array. So, it is necessary to simulate the entire antenna structure. Finally, the design has been completed by determining the parameters S and D for optimum current density distribution, with a maximum at the middle of the folded slot (the edge of the antenna arms). The proper current density distribution assures the correct electric field distribution in the slots and, then, a good radiation pattern and maximum radiated power. The final versions of the antenna structures design have a CPW feed line of 25/100/25 pm (the line has a characteristic impedance of 101 ohm and an effective permitivity of 1.115). For the 77 GHz and 94 GHz, the slot separation D is 1600 pm, respectively 1300 pm. The slot length S is 1600 pm, respectively 1300 pm.

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Fig. 2: The current density distribution for the final versions of the antenna structures: the 77 GHz antenna (left) and the 94 GHz antenna (right).

ElevationPattern Gain Display

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ElevationPattern Gain Display

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-90 -75 -60 -45 -30 -15 0 15 30 45 60 75 90 Elevation Angle (deg)

Fig. 3: The radiation pattern for the final versions of the antenna structures: the 77 GHz antenna (left) and the 94 GHz antenna (right). Fig. 2 presents the current density distribution for the final design of the two antenna structures and Fig. 3 the corresponding 2D radiation patterns. The phi = 0 (deg) curve corresponds to the plane perpendicular to the CPW feed line (H - plane). The phi = 90 (deg) curve corresponds to the plane parallel with the CPW feed line (E - plane). As it was expected, the best performances for the antenna beam-width is obtained in the E - plane (because of the array effect). The asymmetry of the 94 GHz antenna radiation pattern (in the E - plane) is due to the radiation of the lateral feed line. This parasitic radiation is not a problem when the antenna will be integrated in a microwave microsystem. In Fig. 4 the 3D radiation pattern of the 77 GHz antenna structure is shown. Because of the absence of the dielectric substrate, the radiation pattern is symmetrical with respect to a plane containing the antenna metallization. In order to obtain unidirectional radiation, a planar reflector must be placed under the membrane supported antenna. A practical design should include the effect of the reflector. Fig. 5 shows the radiation pattern in the E - plane at several frequencies (only for the 77 GHz antenna structure). These simulated results prove that the slot separation choice is correct for the central operating frequency.

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f90.01

190.901

Fig. 4: The 3D radiation pattern for the 77 GHz antenna.

Elevation Pattern Gain Display

CIIfGHz), E-total. phi=90 [degf C74fGHz), E-total, phi=90{den) ur=77fGHz), E-total, phi=90 (deg) f=tO(GHz), E-total, phi=90 Ideg) i=83(GHz), Etotal, plti=90 (de@

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Fig. 5:The E - plane radiation pattern for several frequencies (77 GHz antenna structure).

3. TEST STRUCTURES MODELING

It is not possible to simulate and design the entire test structure from Fig.1 using IE3D. It contains a non-uniform dielectric layer distribution (a bulk area, a membrane area and a transition from bulk to membrane region). One solution can be the using of a finite difference time domain electromagnetic simulator like Zeland Fidelity. But this solution is very time consuming and requires huge computer resources, mainly due to the presence of the thin Si02/Si& dielectric membrane. The solution that we used in this work was a circuital approach: the test structure was divided in several regions and every region was modeled separately. These regions are: the antenna structure (analyzed using electromagnetic simulation as described in the previously section); transition from membrane to bulk; membrane supported CPW feed line; bulk supported CPW feed line; impedance step. For the CPW feed lines electromagnetic simulation were used for the transmission line characterization in terms of characteristic impedance and effective pennitivity. The membrane supported impedance step between the 25/100/25 pm and 25/50/25 pm CPW lines was simulated using IE3D.

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Each region was modeled in terms of uniport or diport parameters and the results were put together by means of a linear circuit analyses program to obtain the input impedance of the whole test structure. In Fig. 6 the simulated S I lparameter as a function of frequency for the antenna structures is presented.
Tirle 71 GHz anretina structure

Impedance m ohm

Title: '34 GHz antenna structure Impedance in ohm

S(l.11

Frequency m GHz

Fig. 6: The SI1parameter of the antenna structures: the 77 GHz antenna (left) and the 94 GHz antenna (right).

ID-TL1 20993 Ohm IP3.54 11111 Eef f=2.02 Loss=o P=l 2=50 Ohm FO=fo GHz

ID=TLl 20=79.4 Ohm L=3.54 um Eef f=2.8 Loss=o FO=fo GHz

ID=TLl 20=64 Ohm 6-10.62 van Eef f4.2 Loss=o FO=fo GHz

ID=TLl 20155 Ohm L=177 um Eeff=6 Loss=o P=2 2-50 Ohm FO=fo Onz

ID=TL1 20=56 Ohm L=35.4 um Eef f=5.56 Loss=o FO=fo GHz

ID=TLl 20=58 Ohm L1.17.7 um Eeff=5.14 Loss=o FO=fo GHz

,
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Fig. 7: Circuital approach model for the membrane to bulk transition. Some more details for the membrane-to-bulk transition modeling are needed. The IE3D software does not allow the simulation of this transition, so it was used also a circuital approach. The 250 pm long (for a 350 pm thick silicon substrate and anisotropic etching) non-uniform CPW line was divided in small length CPW line sections. Each section was assumed to be a uniform transmission line with a different silicon substrate thickness (from 0 to 350 pm) and it was characterized using electromagnetic simulation. The transition model is then a cascade of these small length sections. This model is illustrated in Fig. 7. An experimental study regarding the membrane supported CPW transmission line parameted and full wave simulations using the Zeland Fidelity of the transition demonstrated that this model provides results accurate enough in the millimeter wave frequency range.

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4. TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS DESCRIPTION

The antenna test structures were manufactured on high resistivity <loo> oriented silicon wafers, with a thickness of 350 pm in a multi-chip structure containing also filter structures for millimeter wave frequencies. The dielectric membrane consists in two layers. The first layer is a 0.8 pm thick silicon dioxide layer. It was obtained by thermal oxidation of the high-resistivity silicon substrate. The second layer is a 0.6 pm thick silicon nitride and it was obtained using chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The total thickness of the membrane is 1.4 ym. Dielectric layers were deposited on both sides of the wafers. The double-folded slot antennas and the CPW transmission lines were manufactured by electrochemical deposition of the gold. First, on the top of the wafer, it was evaporated a thin CrAu layer with a total thickness of about 0.5 pm. The electrochemical deposition of gold was performed after the patterning of the photoresist on the top of the wafer. The thickness of the gold for the transmission lines was 2.5 pm. The process has been optimized with respect to the sharpness of the metallization walls and to the metallization roughness in order to minimaze the ohmic losses.

Fig. 8: Top view (left) and bottom view (right) of antenna test structure manufactured on dielectric membrane on high resistivity silicon substrate. For the membrane manufacturing, on the bottom of the wafer a photoresist layer was deposited and patterned using double side alignment. The Si3N4and Si02 layers from the bottom of the wafer were selective dry etched and the membrane were obtained by anisotropic etching in KOH 30%. Finally the 0.5 pm thick gold layer was removed without mask as well as the chromium layer. Top and bottom view photographs showing antenna test structures are presented in Fig. 8. The transparency of the membrane can be seen.

5. MICROWAVE MEASUREMENT RESULTS

The microwave measurements were performed at IRCOM, Limoges, France using an on wafer measuring set-up equipped with Cascade Microtech coplanar probes and a HP 8510 Network Analyzer. The input return loss of the antenna structures was measured. The simulated and measured return loss curves are presented in Fig. 9 for both 77 GHz and 94 GHz operating frequencies antennas. The agreement between the predicted and measured resonance frequencies is excellent. It is seen that there is a frequency shift between the measured and simulated response, which could be attributed to the measuring conditions. Because of on-wafer type measurement, it was not possible to assure true free space conditions to the antenna structures during testing. A return loss of -24.35 dB at 74.5 GHz with a 10 dB bandwidth (Le. dB(SI1)e - 10 dB) of 8 % has been measured for the membrane supported 77 GHz antenna. The simulated data indicates a 6.6 % bandwidth. This increase in bandwidth is attributed to the losses associated with the feeding CPW transmission lines (not included in the simulations). Also, a return loss of -27.5 dB at 92.85 GHz with a 10 dB bandwidth of 7.2 % has been obtained for the membrane supported 94 GHz antenna. In this case, the simulation (7 % bandwidth and 94 GHz operating frequency) agrees very well with the measurements.

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The radiation pattern of the antenna structures was not measured. The main goal of the work presented in this paper is the experimental validation of the antenna design method by means of return loss measurements. Since the resonance frequency and the bandwidth of an antenna structure is associated with the energy dissipated or radiated from the antenna, the obtained results represent an indirect confirmation of other simulated results (radiation pattern, antenna gain and efficiency, etc).
I

Return loss for I1 GHz antenna -

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Return loss for 94 GHz antenna

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Frequency (GHz)

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100

Frequency (GHz)

Fig. 9: Measured and simulated return loss of the antenna structures: the 77 GHz antenna (left) and the 94 GHz antenna (right).

6. CONCLUSIONS
Membrane supported double-folded slot antenna structures were designed, fabricated and characterized for 77 GHz and 94 GHz central operating frequencies. Both antenna versions were fabricated on 1.5 pm thick Si02/Si3N4dielectric membrane, obtained by micromachining of the 350 pm thick high resistivity silicon substrate. The design was based on electromagnetic simulations using Zeland IE3D software package and a circuital approach for modeling the CPW feed lines. The experimental results show a return loss of - 24.35 dB at 74.5 GHz for the 77 GHz antenna structure and -27.5 dB at 92.85 GHz for the 94 GHz antenna structure. The agreement between the frequency dependence of the return loss of the experimental and simulated results is very good. These results will be used in the design and fabrication of micromachined microsystems front-ends as millimeter wave transmitters and receivers.

ACNOWLEDGMENTS
Part of this work was supported by the IMPACT EC Project HPRI - 1999 - 00059.

REFERENCES
1. H.J. De Los Santos, Introduction to Microelectromechanical (MEM) microwave Systems, Artech House, London, 1999 2. G.P.Gauthier, et al. A Uniplanar 90-GHz Schottky-Diode Millimeter-Wave Receiver, IEEE Trans. on MTT, ~01.43, No.7, July 1995, pp.1669-1672 3. G.P.Gauthier, S. Raman, G.M.Rebeiz, A 90-100 GHz Double-Folded Slot Antenna, IEEE Trans. on MTT, ~01.48, No.8, Aug. 2000, pp.1416-1419 4. G.P.Gauthier, J.P. Raskin, G.M.Rebeiz, A 140-170-GHz Low-Noise Uniplanar Subharmonic Schottky Receiver, IEEE Trans. on MTT, v o 1 . 4 8 , No.8, Aug. 2000, pp.1416-1419 5. IE3D Users Manual, Release 6, Zeland Software Inc., Freemont, CA, 2000 6. D.Neculoiu et al, Microwave Characterization of Membrane Supported Coplanar Waveguide Transmission Lines - Electromagnetic Simulation and Experimental Results, Proc. 24fh Int. Semiconductor Con5 CAS200, Sinaia, o ct .2001 7. Fidelity Users Manual, Zeland Software Inc., Freemont, CA, 2000

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