Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM6G packaging
While the microelectronic market is more and more shifting to 5G and mmWave 5G, the research community is already working on the 6th generation of mobile communication. A final network architecture for the new generation has not yet been defined. However, forecasts already see decisive advantages in using frequencies in the sub-THz frequency range. The D-band (110 - 170 GHz) in particular is therefore intensively investigated.
The increased frequencies pose several challenges for packaging: First, losses in all materials increase with elevated frequencies. Both the conductors and the dielectric substrates are affected. As a result, transmission lines must be kept as short as possible to limit power loss. The second challenge is the wavelength of the signals, which approaches the scale of the structures. The wavelength of a signal in D-band is only about 20 mm in air and about 10 mm in a high-frequency laminate. While inhomogeneities in the interconnects such as connectors or minor deviations in the conductor geometry are transparent for typical signals up to 5G, they have a major impact on the signal integrity in D-band.
At Fraunhofer IZM, we are developing novel concepts for packaging and interconnection technology and we adapt antennas and components for system integration in the sub-THz frequency range.