Advancement of back-side processes for mm-wave integrated circuits

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There is an explosion of demand for high frequency circuits able to perform efficiently at mm-wave, driven by applications such as automotive radar, imaging, 5G, security. From a manufacturing point of view, higher frequency of operation requires to decrease the dimensions of integrated circuit to keep under control the parasitic effects. For III-V technologies, where vertical integration is still limited, this means prevalently to reduce the x-y distance between components and the impact of parasitics. This can be achieved only if the back-side processing steps follow the advancement of the top-level processing. It is necessary to guarantee that the features fabricated, such as via holes, are small enough and the fabrication tolerances are tight to avoid overlapping and damaging of the top-side features.This project, supported by a world leader provider of backside processing machinery, focusses on the advancement of back-side processing for SiC substrates, which are the preferred solution for high performance, high efficiency integrated circuits working in the mm-wave range. The project will potentially also explore the application to Si substrates.The candidate will work both in the University and company premises to experiment new procedure and optimize the machine parameters and processing steps. Also, characterization (morphological and electrical) of the obtained structure will be used to assess the progress of the technique developed.