Microwave Interconnects by Additive Manufacturing (MIAMi)

在迈阿密，我们希望彻底改变毫米波和太赫兹系统的包装。尽管在过去的20年里，半导体技术取得了巨大的进步，传输频率达到了数百千兆赫，但商用的100千兆赫以上的系统仍然很少。主要的障碍是缺乏适当的包装选择，特别是对于中等体积。迈阿密将通过优化和组合几种无掩膜增材制造技术来填补这一空白。我们将使用最先进的气溶胶喷射打印，PµSL 3D打印，皮秒激光加工等来实现高性能毫米波和太赫兹模块。我们将开发mmic和RF pcb之间的印刷RF互连以及增材制造的无源电路，包括原位印刷介质波导。我们的包装方法的数字性质使其适用于从原型到批量生产。这使得射频工程师能够测试单个太赫兹元件，然后将它们组合成新颖的、可扩展的阵列，而无需成本开销。此外，由于其印刷性质，MIAMi将使III-V， BiCMOS， InP和GaAs半导体的异质集成变得简单。总之，MIAMi将有效地弥补100 GHz和330 GHz之间的封装瓶颈，从而加快毫米波和太赫兹通信系统、传感器等的开发。它还将降低生产和开发成本，从而使系统不仅性能更好，而且在市场上更具竞争力。在迈阿密，我们将开发、优化和表征增材制造工艺，得出其局限性，并建立设计规则，最终为这一突破性的包装技术获得工艺设计套件。我们将通过从单个组件（互连，传输线，天线）开始的几个演示来证明可行性，性能和效率。最后，我们将通过封装IAF的DC到300 GHz放大器来演示迈阿密式互连的超宽带特性。此外，我们将通过制造双基地雷达系统来展示我们方法的力量，该系统采用印刷互连封装，并具有基于增材制造介质波导的漏波天线。

With MIAMi, we want to revolutionize the packaging of mmW and THz systems. Despite the significant advances in semiconductor technologies in the last 20 years with transit frequencies of hundreds of GHz, there are still few systems operating above 100 GHz commercially available. The major obstacle is the substantial lack of an adequate packaging option, in particular for medium volumes. MIAMi will fill this gap through the optimization and combination of several mask-free, additive manufacturing technologies. We will use state-of-the-art aerosol jet printing, PµSL 3D printing, picosecond laser machining, and more to realize high-performance mmW and THz modules. We will develop printed RF interconnects between MMICs and RF PCBs as well as additively manufactured passive circuitry, including in-situ printed dielectric waveguides. The digital nature of our packaging approach makes it applicable from prototyping to series production. This enables RF engineers to test single THz elements and subsequently combine them into novel, scalable arrays without cost overhead. Additionally, MIAMi will make hetero-integration of III-V, BiCMOS, InP, and GaAs semiconductors straightforward due to its printed nature. In summary, MIAMi will effectively remedy the packaging bottleneck between 100 GHz and 330 GHz and thereby speed up the development of mmW and THz communication systems, sensors, and more. It will also cut production and development costs and hence make systems not only more performant but also more competitive in the market. In MIAMi we will develop, optimize and characterize the additive manufacturing processes, derive their limitations, and establish design rules to finally get a process design kit for this groundbreaking packaging technology. We will prove feasibility, performance, and efficiency through several demonstrations starting with single components (interconnect, transmission line, antenna). Finally, we will demonstrate the ultra-broadband nature of MIAMi-style interconnects by packaging a DC to 300 GHz amplifier from IAF. Additionally, we will demonstrate the power of our approach through the manufacturing of a bistatic radar system, packaged with printed interconnects and featuring leaky wave antennas based on additively manufactured dielectric waveguides.