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A De-embedding Procedure for One-port Active mm-Wave Devices

Conference Paper · February 2010

DOI: 10.1109/SMIC.2010.5422795 · Source: IEEE Xplore

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 A De-embedding Procedure for One-port Active
mm-Wave Devices
Hongya Xu and Erich Kasper
Institut für Halbleitertechnik, Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart, D-70569, Germany

Abstract — After conventional lumped-element de-
embedding method (open-short and short-open) for a 1-port
active element, the remaining impedance errors are observed
above 30GHz. In order to minimize the de-embedding errors
for on-wafer measurement technique, a new de-embedding
procedure based on the S-parameter description of the
waveguide used as interconnect between device under test
and prober head is proposed. The method is as tested with an
integrated Si-Schottky diode up to 110GHz. Reliable data
were obtained
improve de-embedding accuracy [3-5], however the
methods were based on specific description of parasitic
elements of the test-structure (connection pads,
interconnections and the silicon substrate).
We propose here a de-embedding method which is based
on the usual on wafer dummy test structures (short, open)
but uses an S-parameter based algorithm to extract the
DUT impedances from the measured values.

Index Terms — on-wafer microwave measurements, de-

embedding, calibration. II. MM-WAVE TEST OF THE CONVENTIONAL METHODS OF
ONE-PORT DE-EMBEDDING
In the “open-short” (OS) de-embedding approach, it was
I. INTRODUCTION assumed that all parallel parasitic were located in the
signal pads and all series parasitics in the interconnect
An important tool of microwave IC technique is on- lines. In the “short-open” (SO) de-embedding, it was
wafer measurement to verify the microwave properties of assumed that all series parasitics were located in the signal
passive elements and active elements. The extracted S- pads and all parallel parasitic in the interconnect lines. The
parameters contain the device under test (DUT) and corresponding equivalent circuit (1-port) of the both
interconnects to the ground-signal-ground (GSG) pads for methods is shown in the Fig. 1.
the coplanar prober head. The pad dimension and pad
distances are defined by the respective dimensions of the
prober head, typically 80μm to 150μm pitch for the GSG
prober head. These dimensions are much larger than the
typical device dimension (μm to sub micrometer range).
To get accurate DUT data a de-embedding technique
using measurements performed on dummy test structures
is necessary.
Due to the difficulty of fabricating accurate 50Ω load
resistances in an integrated circuit process, the standard
network analyzer calibration procedure SOLT (Short-
open-short short-open
Open-Load-Thru) is impractical at the device and circuit
level. As a conventional technique, the “open-short” de- Fig. 1: Equivalent circuits of open-short and short-open de-
embedding technique has been proposed [1] which is embedding Model with lumped elements.
based on a lumped-elements model. With a different
equivalent circuit the “short-open” de-embedding In fact there are larger differences at mm-wave
techniques is reported by [2]. The more complex de- frequency between “open-short” and “short-open” de-
embedding procedures have been become in order to embedding method. In fig.2 the difference of the both

978-1-4244-5459-4/10/$26.00 © 2010 IEEE 37 SiRF 2010

method for an integrated mm-wave Scchottky diode is
shown.
The “open-short” (OS) and “short-oopen” (SO) de-
embedding start to produce different rresults beyond a
frequency of 30 GHz. This is demonstraated in Fig. 2 by
the ratio of the capacitances rOS/SO which arre extracted from
the OS and SO de-embedding procedurre. This ratio is
unity up to 30GHz and increases steadily above 30GHz to
a value of 1.9 at 110GHz.
In this work, we present a new de-embeedding procedure
that is useful for one port devices with a ttransmission line
as connection structure to an on-waffer measurement
prober head. This de-embedding is based on
measurements of two dummy test structures, open- and Fig. 3: The layout of a diode with the
t waveguide connecting
short-dummy and assuming symmetry pproperties of the the small device to the large prober headd (broken line).
transmission line.
The de-embedding procedure is based on an S-parameter
model of the waveguide. The S-parameters of the
waveguide are given by the S- matrix (1),

ªS S12 º
Swaveguide = « 11 » (1)
¬ S21 S22 ¼

The four matrix elements arre reduced to three

independent ones for a passive eleement where S12=S21. In
the proposed method the reductio on to two independent
elements which is necessary if tw
wo calibration dummies
are used is obtained by a symmetrry assumption. For the
symmetric waveguide:

S11 = S22 (2)

Fig. 2: The capacitance ratio rOS/SO extractedd by two different

lumped element de-embedding approaches (OS S/SO)

III. THE NEW DE-EMBEDDING METHOD B

BASED ON OPEN
AND SHORT TEST DUMMY AND A SYM
MMETRICAL
WAVEGUIDE INTERCONNECT (SYMMETTRICAL LINE
METHOD)

Fig. 4: The principal representation

n of the de-embedding
In this work a device under test coombined with a procedure.
coplanar waveguide (CPW) (80μm) thatt will act as RF
test connection structure, is shown in fig.33. The relationship between S-param
meter and the reflection
factor is shown in Fig.4.

38
 The equation (3) gives the reflection factor ΓM for the Finally the reflection factor ΓM of the whole diode
waveguide combined with the DUT in S-parameter theory: structure (fig.4) is measured. With equation (10) and
equations (8), (9), the reflection factor ΓDUT can be
S12 S 21Γ DUT extracted.
Γ M = S11 + (3)
1 − S 22 Γ DUT A − ΓM
Γ DUT = (10)
A − A ⋅ ΓM − B
2

S11 − Γ M
Γ DUT = (4) In measurement technique, this de-embedding
S11S 22 − S 22 Γ M − S12 S 21 procedure requires like the classic lumped element de-
embedding method open and short dummy. The
and ΓDUT is the searched reflection factor of the DUT . differences between new de-embedding model and classic
“open-short” and “short-open” methods are:
The equation (3) can be rewritten to equation (5) with
two parameters A and B when using the symmetry - The connection line is assumed as a symmetric
condition (2). wave-guide (S11=S22).

B ⋅ Γ DUT - The parameter extraction is based on wave

ΓM = A + (5) transmission model, the classic OS and SO method
1 − A ⋅ Γ DUT are based on lumped elements model that is
and inapplicable for higher frequency region [2].
A = S11 = S22
B = S12 S21 IV. VERIFICATION OF THE PROPOSED DE-EMBEDDING
METHOD
For de-embedding procedure, first the open and short
structures will be measured.
If the waveguide is open, that means ΓDUT is replaced by In order to compare the new de-embedding method with
ΓDUT =1: the classic “open-short” (OS) and “short-open” (SO)
methods, an integrated Si-Schottky diode was chosen,
because the integrated Si-Schottky diode has very high
B
Γ M ,open = A + (6) cutoff frequency (THz region, in MOTT operation) [6-8]
1− A and a simple equivalent circuits for reverse biasing (series
If the waveguide is short, ΓDUT is replaced by ΓDUT =-1 resistance and junction capacitance).
The layers of the integrated Schottky diode have been
B grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). High resistivity
Γ M , short = A − (7) (HR) float zone (FZ) silicon substrates with ɋ ˻ 1000Ωcm
1+ A were used to reduce attenuation losses [9].
According to the detection of signals in the mm-wave
With equations (6) and (7) the parameters A and B can
be calculated, region, the cut-off frequency of the diodes has to be in the
THz range. High cut-off frequencies can be achieved by
the MOTT operation where the epitaxial layer is fully
Γ M ,open + Γ M , short
A= (8) depleted even under forward bias.
2 + Γ M ,open − Γ M , short At reverse-bias the impedance of this integrated Si-
Schottky diode consists only of series resistance and the
junction capacitance. Therefore out of the real part of the
B = (Γ M ,open − A)(1 − A) (9)
diode impedance the series resistance can be extracted.
For this Si-Schottky diode (6μmx2μm) the series
resistance is 47Ω.

39
 The diode capacitance can be calculated out of the
imaginary part of the diode impedance, as shown in Fig.5.
Fig. 5: Capacitance of a Schottky diode at reverse bias (-0.3V)
after different de-embedding.
V. CONCLUSIONS
A de-embedding procedure with two calibration
dummies (short, open) as in conventional on wafer
measurements is proposed which uses the waveguide
properties of the interconnect to the probe pad for the
extraction of the device under test data. The proposed
extraction procedure delivers above 30GHz more reliable
values as the conventional lumped element procedures.
This was confirmed by measurements on a high frequency
Schottky diode integrated on Si.
An extension of the method to 2 port measurements is
planned.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors wish to acknowledge Mr. Matthies, Dr.
Kirfel and Dr. Karmous for the fabrication of the
integrated Si-Schottky diode as test device.
40
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