TSV modeling considering signal integrity issues

Since a TSV has a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure, it supports three fundamental modes namely, skineffect, slow-wave and dielectric quasi-TEM mode. In this contribution, we predict the frequency range of these modes, considering TSVs for interposer applications as an example. Furthermore, the impact of Si-resistivity on signal integrity is quantified and coaxial TSV configurations are proposed to minimize this impact

Modeling and analysis of coplanar bonding wires for high-speed applications

In this contribution, two-conductor and coplanar bond wire configurations are modeled, analyzed and compared. The impact of the pitch of the bond wires and the distance of separation between the signal wire and a nearby reference plane, on RF performance are quantified for GSM 900/1800, 2.4 GHz/5GHz WLAN and high-speed applications above 10 GHz. Considering a bond wire diameter of 50 m, length of 1mm and pitch of 100 m, it is found that almost 3 times more power is lost through the two-conductor model than coplanar configuration at 10 GHz. This makes the coplanar configuration more suited for high-speed applications

Design and Characterization of a Low Profile Miniaturized UHF PIFA for Compact Wireless Sensor Nodes

In this work, a miniaturized planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) with low profile on a small ground plane is designed and characterized for integration in a compact autarkic wireless sensor node. The physical size of the antenna is 24 mm x 11 mm x 3 mm (0.07λ x 0.03λ x 0.01λ) including the small ground plane and operates in the UHF band at 868 MHz with a -10 dB impedance bandwidth of 9 MHz. The antenna gain is -12 dBi. The resonance frequency and input impedance can be easily tuned by altering the meander length and shorting post position, respectively. Simulation and measurement results are presented

Impact of process tolerances on the performance of bond wire antennas at RF/microwave frequencies

Due to the multitude of advantages bond wire antennas have over conventional planar antennas (especially onchip planar antennas), they have received much research attention within the last four years. The focus of the contributions made so far has been on exploiting different configurations of single-element and array bond wire antennas for short-range applications at RF/microwave frequencies. However, the effects of process tolerances of bond wires on the radiation characteristics of bond wire antennas have not been studied in published literature. Therefore in this paper, we investigate the impact of up to 20% fluctuations in the parameters of bond wires on the performance of 42 GHz and 60 GHz bond wire antennas. Our results reveal that the length and radius of bond wires are the most and least sensitive parameters, respectively. Furthermore, the severity of the impact of process tolerances depends on the impedance bandwidth of the original antenna, before considering the tolerances. For example, a 10% change in the length of a bond wire causes the resonance frequency of a 42 GHz antenna to be shifted out of the specified 3GHz bandwidth (40.5 GHz-43.5 GHz) required for point-to-point communication. However, although a 10% change in length of a bond wire yields a 2.5 GHz shift in the resonance frequency of a 60 GHz bond wire antenna, it doesn't completely detune the antenna because of the original 6 GHz bandwidth available, prior to the fluctuation. Therefore, to prevent the impact of process tolerances from severely degrading the performance bond wire antennas, these antennas should be designed to have larger bandwidths than specified. For experimental verification, a bond wire antenna was designed, fabricated and measured. Very good correlation was obtained between measurement and simulation