SST: Integrated Manufacturing for Millimeterwave Sensing Systems

该传感器小团队（SST）奖的研究目标是研究小型化毫米波系统的集成制造工艺。团队成员将共同致力于低成本、批量制造、小型化和集成的毫米波系统的创新工艺，用于传感、成像和通信应用。系统前端基于电子控制的毫米波波束形成体系结构，采用新的制造方法，利用微加工技术批量制造三维射频结构，包括天线、分频器、移相器、波导和无源元件。整个系统架构由三个倒装芯片键合物理层组成：天线层、传输在线层和电路层。天线层作为垂直集成平台，具有高增益和高耦合效率的喇叭天线阵列。将建立若干使塑料微制造工艺模块，包括塑料成型、压花、机械抛光、装配和粘合工艺。低成本高功率毫米波前端将创造广泛的新型传感应用，如帮助消防员看穿烟雾的视觉护目镜，在雾天增强汽车和飞机安全的移动雷达，通过光谱法检测化学和生物制剂以及便携式宽带通信系统。新的微制造工艺将有利于一般微机电系统社区激发新的器件开发。制造（机械工程）和高频器件（电气工程）之间的研究互动和集成的协同作用将成为下一代科学家和工程师研究专业知识的多学科融合的引擎。

The research goal of this Sensor Small Team (SST) award is to investigate integrated manufacturing processes for miniaturized millimeter wave systems. The team members are to jointly work on innovative processes toward low-cost, batch-fabricated, miniaturized and integrated millimeter wave systems for sensing, imaging and communication applications. The system front-end is based on the electronically-controlled millimeter wave beam-former architectures with new manufacturing approaches utilizing micromachining techniques to fabricate three-dimensional radio-frequency structures including antennas, splitters, phase shifters, waveguides and passive components in a batch fashion. The overall system architecture consists of three flip-chip bonded physical layers: antenna, transmission-line and circuit layers. The antenna layer serves as a vertical integration platform that has a horn antenna array with high gain and coupling efficiency. Several enabling plastic micro-manufacturing process modules are to be established, including plastic molding, embossing, mechanical polishing, assembly and bonding processes. The low-cost high-power millimeter wave front-ends will create a wide range of novel sensing applications such as vision goggles that assist firefighters to see through smoke, mobile radars that enhance safety in foggy weather for automobiles and airplanes, chemical and biological agent detection by spectrometry and portable broadband communication systems. The new micro manufacturing processes will benefit the general Microelectromechanical Systems community to inspire new device development. The synergy of research interaction and integration between manufacturing (mechanical engineering) and high frequency devices (electrical engineering) will be an engine for the multidisciplinary fusion in research expertise for the next-generation scientists and engineers.