Glassomer Technology for Scalable THz Antenna Arrays (GlaSTA)

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Christian Waldschmidt; Professor Dr.-Ing. André Zimmermann
• Subject Area: Communication Technology and Networks, High-Frequency Technology and Photonic Systems, Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Information Technology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556014609

With the continuous increase of carrier frequencies in modern communication and sensor systems up to the sub-millimeter wave range, large antenna arrays with flexibly controllable main lobes will be required for these frequencies in the future. Over the past decade, numerous chip-integrated antennas and antenna arrays have already been published, which operate in the frequency range well above 100 GHz. However, no promising approaches exist to scale the antenna arrays to large, two-dimensional, densely populated antenna arrays. This failed either due to the dimensions of the antenna elements with their assembly and connection technology or due to the tolerance requirements preventing a dense arrangement of several MMICs next to each other. The Glassomer technology is an innovative approach in materials science and microfabrication technology. It enables the production of glass structures with high precision and three-dimensional structure control by means of glass injection molding or glass injection embossing. The term "Glassomer" is made up of the words "glass" and "polymer", as it is a hybrid material that combines the properties of glass and polymers. The ability of the Glassomer technology to realize high-precision 3D structures is a key technology for scalable, densely populated antenna arrays in the frequency range above 300 GHz. The Glassomer technology cannot only be used to position the MMICs, but also serves as a 3D-structurable radio frequency (RF) transition structure between the chip-integrated antennas and the free space. Consequently, the main objective of this project is to explore concepts for densely populated, 2D-scalable THz antenna arrays using the Glassomer technology. To this end, the dielectric material parameters of the Glassomers must first be determined using sample bodies. Subsequently, the verified material parameters can be used to research concepts for individual antenna elements made of Glassomer components, which are fed by the MMIC via electromagnetic coupling. Concepts for process- and batch-stable manufacturing options will be explored for the realization of injection-molded Glassomer components, which will be optimized with regard to geometric tolerances. In addition, the metallization of Glassomer components is a key technology for sub-millimeter wave applications. For this reason, concepts for a 2.5D-capable and scalable metallization process for glassomer components shall be researched and verified. Different concepts for densely populated THz antenna arrays will be simulated and evaluated in terms of their radiation characteristics, gain, bandwidth, and complexity. Finally, the most promising THz antenna array concept will be realized and verified metrologically.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants