Microwave Interconnects by Additive Manufacturing (MIAMi)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Ulrich Lemmer; Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Zwick
• Subject Area: Communication Technology and Networks, High-Frequency Technology and Photonic Systems, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Information Technology ; Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 527042713

With MIAMi, we want to revolutionize the packaging of mmW and THz systems. Despite the significant advances in semiconductor technologies in the last 20 years with transit frequencies of hundreds of GHz, there are still few systems operating above 100 GHz commercially available. The major obstacle is the substantial lack of an adequate packaging option, in particular for medium volumes. MIAMi will fill this gap through the optimization and combination of several mask-free, additive manufacturing technologies. We will use state-of-the-art aerosol jet printing, PµSL 3D printing, picosecond laser machining, and more to realize high-performance mmW and THz modules. We will develop printed RF interconnects between MMICs and RF PCBs as well as additively manufactured passive circuitry, including in-situ printed dielectric waveguides. The digital nature of our packaging approach makes it applicable from prototyping to series production. This enables RF engineers to test single THz elements and subsequently combine them into novel, scalable arrays without cost overhead. Additionally, MIAMi will make hetero-integration of III-V, BiCMOS, InP, and GaAs semiconductors straightforward due to its printed nature. In summary, MIAMi will effectively remedy the packaging bottleneck between 100 GHz and 330 GHz and thereby speed up the development of mmW and THz communication systems, sensors, and more. It will also cut production and development costs and hence make systems not only more performant but also more competitive in the market. In MIAMi we will develop, optimize and characterize the additive manufacturing processes, derive their limitations, and establish design rules to finally get a process design kit for this groundbreaking packaging technology. We will prove feasibility, performance, and efficiency through several demonstrations starting with single components (interconnect, transmission line, antenna). Finally, we will demonstrate the ultra-broadband nature of MIAMi-style interconnects by packaging a DC to 300 GHz amplifier from IAF. Additionally, we will demonstrate the power of our approach through the manufacturing of a bistatic radar system, packaged with printed interconnects and featuring leaky wave antennas based on additively manufactured dielectric waveguides.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants