Simulation of lossy package transmission lines using extracted data from one-port TDR measurements and nonphysical RLGC models

In this paper, the frequency-dependent characteristic impedance and propagation constant of lossy transmission lines have been extracted from one-port time-domain reflectometry (TDR) measurements. Nonphysical resistance (R), inductance (L), conductance (G) and capacitance (C) (RLGC) models have been developed for simulating lossy transmission lines using the extracted data. The extraction method has been demonstrated for transmission lines on an organic substrate such as coplanar lines. Using the extracted data and nonphysical RLGC models, the simulation results show good correlation with TDR measurements for coplanar lines.     

Transient Simulation of Lossy Interconnects Based on a Dispersive Hybrid Phase-Pole Macromodel

A transient simulator for interconnect structures that are modeled by lossy transmission lines is outlined in this paper. Since frequency-dependent RLGC parameters must be employed to correctly model skin effects and dielectric losses for high-performance interconnects, we first study the behaviors of various lossy interconnects that are characterized by frequency-dependent line parameters (FDLPs). We then developed a frequency-domain dispersive hybrid phase-pole macromodel (DHPPM) for such lines, which consists of a constant RLGC propagation function multiplied by a residue series. The basic idea is to first extract the dominant physical phenomenology by using a propagation function in the frequency domain that is modeled by frequency-independent line parameters (FILPs). A rational function approximation is then used to account for the remaining effects of FDLP lines. By using a partial fraction expansion and analytically evaluating the required inverse Fourier transform integrals, the time-domain DHPPM can be decomposed as a sum of canonical transient responses for lines with FILP for various excitations (e.g., trapezoidal and unit step). These canonical transient responses are then expressed analytically as closed-form expressions involving incomplete Lipshitz-Hankel integrals of the first kind and Bessel functions. The closed-form expressions for these canonical responses are validated by comparing with simulation results from commercial tools like HSPICE. The DHPPM simulator can simulate transient results for various input waveforms on both single and coupled interconnect structures. Comparisons between the DHPPM results and the results produced by commercial simulation tools like HSPICE and a numerical inverse fast Fourier transform show that the DHPPM results are very accurate.     

2.5D转接板封装高频互连结构设计、分析与测试

An interposer test vehicle with TSVs(through-silicon vias) and two redistribute layers(RDLs) on the top side for 2.5D integration was fabricated and high-frequency interconnections were designed in the form of coplanar waveguide(CPW) and micro strip line(MSL) structures. The signal transmission structures were modeled and simulated in a 3D EM tool to estimate the S-parameters. The measurements were carried out using the vector network analyzer(VNA). The simulated results of the transmission lines on the surface of the interposer without TSVs showed good agreement with the simulated results, while the transmission structures with TSVs showed significant offset between simulation and test results. The parameters of the transmission structures were changed,and the results were also presented and discussed in this paper.     

Quasi-TEM Analysis of "Slow-Wave" Mode Propagation on Coplanar Microstructure MIS Transmission Lines

We present a simple quasi-TEM analysis of "slow-wave" mode propagation on micron-size coplanar MIS transmission lines on heavily doped semiconductors and compare theoretical results with measurements on four such structures at frequencies from 1.0 to 12.4 GHz. Excellent agreement is found, which shows that the "slow-wave" mode propagating on these transmission lines is, in fact, a quasi-TEM mode. Relatively low-loss propagation along with significant wavelength reduction is observed. Conduction losses of the metal, which have been tacitly ignored in previously published "full-wave" treatments of "slow-wave" mode propagation, are included in the theory and are shown to dominate the attenuation at frequencies below 25 GHz and to still be significant at frequencies up to at least 100 GHz.     

Propagation characteristics of MIS transmission lines withinhomogeneous doping profile

The authors present a hybrid-mode analysis of slow-wave MIS (metal-insulator-semiconductor) transmission lines with a gradually inhomogeneous doping profile. In general it was found that, in comparison with homogeneously doped semiconductor layers, a Gaussian-type doping distribution results in lower losses for the slow-wave mode in both thin- and thick-film MIS CPWs. While the effect of the doping profile is more pronounced in thin-film structures which support a slow-wave mode only up to 3 GHz, it is less significant in thick-film structures. On the other hand, numerical analysis indicates that thick-film structures can support a slow-wave mode at moderate loss up to 40 GHz. The behavior of MIS microstrip lines is similar to that of MIS CPWs, except that for thick-film transmission lines an increase in losses can be observed when the doping profile becomes inhomogeneous. The numerical investigation was carried out using the method of lines. Several transmission lines have been investigated, and results are presented for microstrip, coupled microstrips, and coplanar lines     

Modeling and characterization of shielded low loss CPWs on 65 nm node silicon

Coplanar waveguides(CPWs)are promising candidates for high quality passive devices in millimeterwave frequency bands.In this paper,CPW transmission lines with and without ground shields have been designed and fabricated on 65 nm CMOS technology.A physical-based model is proposed to describe the frequency-dependent per-unit-length L,C,R and G parameters.Starting with a basic CPW structure,the slow-wave effect and ground-shield influence have been analyzed and incorporated into the general model.The accuracy of the model is confirmed by experimental results.     

Suppression of mode coupling in conductor-backed asymmetric coplanar strips using slow-wave electrodes

Shorted-ground conductor-backed asymmetric coplanar strips support unwanted noncoplanar modes that adversely affect the performance of such transmission lines at higher frequencies. It is shown that coupling from the desired coplanar mode into the noncoplanar modes can be suppressed using slow-wave electrodes. This suppression scheme is verified by measuring the S-parameters of both conventional and slow-wave transmission lines of this type in the 0.05-50 GHz range.     

双根锥形硅通孔结构的精确RLGC电路模型

A fast RLGC circuit model with analytical expression is proposed for the dual tapered through-silicon via （TSV） structure in three-dimensional integrated circuits under different slope angles at the wide frequency region. By describing the electrical characteristics of the dual tapered TSV structure, the RLGC parameters are extracted based on the numerical integration method. The RLGC model includes metal resistance, metal inductance, substrate resistance, outer inductance with skin effect and eddy effect taken into account. The proposed analytical model is verified to be nearly as accurate as the Q3D extractor but more efficient.     

A novel transmission line characterisation based on measurement data reconfirmation

Due to inherent resonance effects and frequency-variant dielectric properties, it is very difficult to experimentally determine the stable and accurate circuit model parameters of thin film transmission line structures over a broad frequency band. In this article, a new, simple and straightforward frequency-variant transmission line circuit model parameter determination method is presented. Experimental test patterns for high-frequency transmission line characterisations are designed and fabricated using a package process. The S-parameters for the test patterns are measured using a vector network analyzer (VNA) from 100 MHz to 26.5 GHz. The parasitic effects due to contact pads are de-embedded. The frequency-variant complex permittivity and resonance-effect-free transmission line parameters (i.e., the propagation constant and characteristic impedance) are then determined in a broad frequency band.     

S-Parameter-Measurement-Based Time-Domain Signal Transient and Crosstalk Noise Characterizations of Coupled Transmission Lines

Coupled transmission lines are experimentally characterized by using 4-port S-parameter measurements in a broad frequency band (up to 20 GHz). Test patterns are designed and fabricated by using a ball grid array (BGA) package process. Symmetrically coupled transmission lines are decoupled into two eigen modes that can be readily determined from the measured S-parameters. Then transmission line parameters and signal transient waveforms are directly determined by using the measured S-parameters. It is shown that not only are the transmission line parameters frequency-dependent, but also the frequency-variant effects and nonideal characteristics of transmission lines have a substantial effect on signal transients and crosstalk noises.      

High-Q Slow-Wave Coplanar Transmission Lines on 0.35 $mu$m CMOS Process

In this letter, experimental results and trends for shielded coplanar waveguide transmission lines (S-CPW) implemented in a 0.35 $mu$m CMOS technology are provided. Because of the introduction of floating strips below the CPW transmission line, high effective dielectric permittivity and quality factor are obtained. Three different geometries of S-CPW transmission lines are characterized. For the best geometry, the measured effective dielectric permittivity reaches 48, leading to a very high slow-wave factor and high miniaturization. In addition, measurements demonstrate a quality factor ranging from 20 to 40 between 10 and 40 GHz, demonstrating state-of-the-art results for transmission lines realized in a low-cost CMOS standard technology.      

Some measurement results for frequency-dependent inductance of ICinterconnects on a lossy silicon substrate

Frequency dependent measurements of scattering (S) parameters using a vector network analyzer (VNA) have been performed on IC interconnects on a lossy silicon substrate. The multiline calibration method has been used to perform the de-embedding of the line parameters, from which the line inductance is extracted. A highly accurate closed-form approximation for frequency-dependent impedance per unit length of a lossy silicon substrate for IC interconnects has been used to compare with the measurements performed     

A Novel Test Strategy for Fine Pitch Wafer-Level Packaged Devices

This paper describes an innovative test strategy comprising a compliant elastomer mesh for testing fine pitch wafer-level package (WLP) devices. The test probe, hardware, and sample preparation processes are detailed. The components of the test hardware socket such as the SMA connectors, coplanar transmission lines on the PCB, via, off-chip interconnect, and elastomer mesh probe have been modeled. A complete system-level model, with off-chip interconnects on the WLP device pads, has been developed. The measurement and model demonstrate that the prototype test socket performs at 5 GHz with an insertion loss of about 3 dB. WLP device with Bed-of-Nail interconnects are characterized. Functional test features of the system are also addressed.     

65纳米硅衬底上低损耗带屏蔽的共面波导传输线建模

共面波导传输线可以用作毫米波频段片上的高品质因子的无源器件。在这篇文章里,采用CMOS 65nm工艺设计和制造了加地线屏蔽和不加地线屏蔽的共面波导传输线。本文提出一个基于物理的模型来描述传输线单位长度的频率相关的电感、电容、电阻和电导参数。从基本的共面波导结构出发,模型里加入了慢波效应和底线屏蔽效应的影响。实验数据表明模型有很高的准确度。     

Controlling warpage of molded package for inkjet manufacturing

A system consisting of four silicon dies and several discrete components was encapsulated with epoxy mold material and the package was used for the evaluation of inkjet manufacturing in electronics. Experimental samples showed that the molding process induces thermo-mechanical stresses that warp the package after the mold resin is cured at elevated temperature. The molding process was modeled using the finite element method (FEM), and different package structures were simulated to see how those affect the final warpage of the package. Material properties of the mold material were measured and used in the FE model. The viscoelastic behavior of mold material was modeled with a sum of Prony series terms and a time-temperature shift factor was used to include the temperature effect. To verify the modeling assumptions, the surface profile of an experimental package was measured with an optical profilometer and the measurements were compared with the simulated profile. A good correlation was found between the measured and simulated profile of the package. The simulations with different package structures showed that e.g. an additional film placed on top of the mold resin reduces significantly the warpage of the package.     

Embedded microstrip interconnection lines for gigahertz digitalcircuits

Transmission line structures are needed for the high-performance interconnection lines of GHz integrated circuits (ICs) and multichip modules (MCMs), to minimize undesired electromagnetic wave phenomena and, therefore, to maximize the transmission bandwidth of the interconnection lines. In addition, correct and simple models of the interconnection lines are required for the efficient design and analysis of the circuits containing the interconnection lines. In this paper, we present electrical comparisons of three transmission line structures: conventional metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) and the embedded microstrip structures-embedded microstrip (EM) and inverted embedded microstrip (IEM). In addition, we propose closed-form expressions for the embedded microstrip structures EM and IEM and validate the expressions by comparing with empirical results based on S-parameter measurements and subsequent microwave network analysis. Test devices were fabricated using a 1-poly and 3-metal 0.6 μm Si process. The test devices contained the conventional MIS and the two embedded microstrip structures of different sizes. The embedded microstrip structures were shown to carry GHz digital signals with less loss and less dispersion than the conventional MIS line structures. S-parameter measurements of the test devices showed that the embedded microstrip structures could support the quasi-TEM mode propagation at frequencies above 2 GHz. On the other hand, the conventional MIS structure showed slow-wave mode propagation up to 20 GHz. More than 3-dB/mm difference of signal attenuation was observed between the embedded microstrip structures and the conventional MIS structure at 20 GHz. Finally, analytical RLCG transmission line models were developed and shown to agree well with the empirical models deduced from S-parameter measurements     

A broad-band transmission line model for a rectangular microstripantenna

A method is developed using the transmission line model to predict the input characteristics of rectangular microstrip antennas over a wide band of frequencies. A series combination of transmission lines is used to represent each transverse magnetic (TM) model. Following a brief summary of the basic transmission line model, the idea of an equivalent length, width, and feed offset are introduced to model each mode. The results predicted by the model compared well with experimental results that assumed varying feed positions. The concept of equivalent length, width, and feed offset was validated by experimental results but shows that the equivalent offset term needs some improvement. The number of modes incorporated in the model depends on the frequency range over which the antenna must be modeled. Using three transmission lines gives good results up to the frequency at which the TM₀₂ mode is excited     

A vertically periodic defected ground structure and its application in reducing the size of microwave circuits

The microstrip and coplanar waveguide transmission lines combined by a vertically periodic defected ground structure (VPDGS) are proposed. The slow-wave effect, equivalent circuit, and the performances are shown. As an application example, VPDGS is adopted in the matching networks of an amplifier for size-reduction. Two series microstrip lines in input and output matching networks of the amplifier are reduced to 38.5% and 44.4% of the original lengths, respectively, due to the increased slow-wave effects, while the amplifier performances are preserved.     

Characterization of MIS structure coplanar transmission lines forinvestigation of signal propagation in integrated circuits

A full-wave analysis of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure micron coplanar transmission lines on doped semiconductor substrates is carried out using a finite-difference time-domain approach. Metal conductor loss is taken into account in the analysis. Line parameters and electromagnetic field distributions are calculated over a wide frequency range involving slow-wave and dielectric quasi-transverse-electromagnetic mode limits. Measurements of these line parameters, varying substrate resistivity from 1 to 1000 Ω-cm, in the frequency range up to 40 GHz are also presented, and these agree with the analysis quite well. On the basis of these results, an equivalent circuit line model is induced and some considerations on the relationship between line structure and properties made     

Time-domain response of MIS coplanar waveguides for MMICs

An MIS coplanar waveguide propagating a slow-wave mode has been characterised in the time domain. The theoretical analysis proposed to obtain the time-domain response of the line gives results in good agreement with measurements. The circuit analysis used is suitable for the determination of spurious propagation effects, inherent to the use of miniature waveguides encountered in MMICs, such as Schottky contact coplanar lines and coupled microstrip lines laid on MIS substrates.