"Integrated LTCC/MEMS Circuits for Small-Size, Light-Weight and Power-Efficient Intelligent RF Front-Ends"

近年来，高等技术学院（ÉTS）在加拿大经济发展部的支持下，投入大量资金建造和装备了两个位于同一地点的洁净室设施，其中一个采用低温共烧陶瓷（LTCC）制造工艺，另一个采用微机电系统（MEMS）制造工艺。LTCC工厂是加拿大首个此类工厂，包括世界级的工业级制造链，而MEMS工厂则拥有最先进的微系统制造设备。LTCC允许以3维方式制造电路，使得电路可以做得更小和更轻。另一方面，MEMS可以使电路可重新配置，使得一个电路可以服务于多个频率和多个标准，从而减少诸如智能电话的无线终端中所需的部件的数量。 本建议旨在利用这些设施进行研究，以开发无线和卫星通信中常用的新的创新射频电路和装置。 通过结合LTCC和MEMS，我们计划开发新的更智能，更小，更轻，更节能的电路，可以降低成本，同时提供更高的性能。将根据该计划接受培训的人员将被要求通过取得一些科学和技术进步以及开发这些新电路的设计，制造和测试方面的广泛新技能来实现这一目标。

In recent years, École de technolgie supérieure (ÉTS), with support from Economic Development Canada, invested significant amounts of money to build and equip two co-located clean room facilities that house a Low Temperature Cofired Ceramics (LTCC) fabrication process, in one, and a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) fabrication process, in the other. The LTCC facility, a first of its kind in Canada, includes a world class industrial grade fabrication chain while the MEMS facility houses state of the art microsystems fabrication equipment. LTCC allows the fabrication of circuits in a 3-dimensional fashion such that circuits can be made smaller and lighter. MEMS on the other hand can make circuits reconfigurable such that one circuit can serve multiple frequencies and multiple standards thus reducing the number or components needed in wireless terminals such as a smart phone. The present proposal aims at carrying out research using these facilities to develop new innovative radiofrequency circuits and devices commonly used in wireless and satellite communications. By combining LTCC and MEMS, we plan to develop new smarter, smaller, lighter weight and more power efficient circuits that can drive down cost while offering more performance. The personnel who will be trained under this program will be called upon to meet this objective by making a number of scientific and technological advancements and by developing a wide range of new skills in the design, fabrication and testing of these new circuits.