SST: Integrated Manufacturing for Millimeterwave Sensing Systems

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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.