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

近年来，在加拿大经济发展部的支持下，科技学院投入了大量资金，建造并配备了两个共用洁净室设施，其中一个设施采用低温共烧陶瓷(LTCC)制造工艺，另一个采用微电子机械系统(MEMS)制造工艺。LTCC工厂是加拿大第一家此类工厂，包括世界级工业级制造链，而MEMS工厂拥有最先进的微系统制造设备。LTCC允许以三维方式制造电路，从而可以使电路更小、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，从而减少了无线终端(如智能电话)中所需的数量或组件。本提案旨在利用这些设施开展研究，以开发无线和卫星通信中常用的新的创新射频电路和设备。通过将LTCC和MEMS相结合，我们计划开发新的更智能、更小、更轻、更省电的电路，在降低成本的同时提供更高的性能。将根据这一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在这些新电路的设计、制造和测试方面发展广泛的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.