SBIR Phase I: Ferroelectric and Ferrite Films on GaAs Substrates - A Solution for True Monolithic-Microwave-Integrated Circuits

该第一阶段SBIR方案针对制造单片微波集成电路(MMIC)多层膜的一种新的沉积工艺。MMIC对于商业和军事通信应用都是必不可少的，例如卫星、GPS和无线电话。每一代新一代MMIC的特点是密度、速度和功能的提高，这反过来又是更低成本和更高性能设备的基础。铁电和铁氧体薄膜技术是MMIC片上系统发展的关键。MMIC芯片的一个重要优势是电路的电子后处理调谐，以便使它们符合规范。然而，由于铁电薄膜和铁氧体薄膜的高温生长与GaAs衬底不兼容，目前还没有这样的MMIC。在这项计划中，新西兰应用技术公司建议使用一种新型的金属有机化学液体沉积技术，在商用的砷化镓衬底上制备高质量的低损耗多层膜。这种低成本技术有可能显著降低薄膜的生长温度，并满足所有的制造要求。如果该工艺成功，基于集总元件设计的真正MMIC的小型化也成为可能。这一努力的商业化潜力包括新一代单片微波集成电路，如片上VCO(压控振荡器)、高速可调IC(电感-电容)滤波器和用于相位阵列的可调延迟线。这些先进的系统将在航天、军事、工业和消费领域得到应用。

This Phase I SBIR proposal addresses a novel deposition process for the manufacture of multilayer films for monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs). MMICs are essential for both commercial and military communication applications, such as satellite, GPS, and wireless phones. Each new generation of MMICs are characterized by their increased density, speed, and functionality, which, in turn, are the basis for lower cost and higher performance devices. Ferroelectric and ferrite film technology is a key to development of a MMIC system-on-a-chip. One substantial advantage of an MMIC chip would be the electric post-processing tuning of circuits in order to bring them within specification. However, such MMICs are not available now, because the high growth temperature of ferroelectric and ferrite films are not compatible to GaAs substrates. In this proposal, NZ Applied Technologies proposes to use a novel metalorganic chemical liquid deposition to fabricate high quality low-loss multilayer films on commercial GaAs substrates. This low-cost technique has the potential to reduce the film growth temperature significantly and to meet all the manufacturing requirements. If the proposed process is successful, miniaturization of true MMICs based on lumped-element designs could also become possible.The commercialization potential for this effort includes a new generation of monolithic microwave integrated circuits, such as on-chip VCOs (voltage controlled oscillators), high speed tunable IC (inductor-capacitor) filters, and tunable delay lines for phase arrays. These advanced systems will have application in the space, military, industrial, and consumer sectors.