Transposeurs intégrés ultra large bande continûment accordable de 1 à 20 GHz, utilisant les technologie de silicium micro-usiné dans un perspective de consommation ultra faible (quelques mW)

Le sujet de cette thèse porte sur la réalisation d'un bloc de transposition de fréquence de 1 à 20GHz à base de composants MEMS. Cette thèse s'est traduite par la conception et la réalisation d'un nouveau type de capacité MEMS RF variable, qui se base sur des structures rotatives de type gyroscope pour l'actionnement, et sur une variation de surface pour la variation de capacité. Comparée à différentes architectures publiées à ce jour, cette structure a l'avantage d'avoir la partie actionnement (la partie MEMS) et la partie RF (la capacité) isolées électriquement, ce qui permet d'éviter le phénomène d'auto actionnement avec la puissance du signal RF traversant. Un autre avantage de la structure développée est la possibilité d'avoir simultanément 8 capacités variables sur une puce unique, avec un seul système d'actionnement. La fabrication de ces puces nécessite l'utilisation d'un wafer SOI pour la partie MEMS et d'un wafer en verre pour la partie RF, ce qui offre la possibilité d'une mise en boitier du MEMS directement pendant le procédé de fabrication. Ces travaux ont également porté sur l'étude du phénomène de pullin dans le cadre des peignes interdigités incurvés (curved combdrive), laissant apparaître les paramètres physiques critiques lors du dimensionnement. Cette étude paramétrique a été utilisée pour améliorer la structure d'actionnement en utilisant des peignes interdigités à largeur de doigt et à gap variable, pour repousser ce phénomène de pullin en dehors de la plage utile d'actionnement. Cette nouvelle capacité variable a ensuite été intégrée dans un système simple d'oscillateur accordable sur alumine pour valider ses performances RF et pourra être associée à un mélangeur pour réaliser le bloc complet de transposition de fréquenceThis thesis deals with the realisation of a frequency transposition block from 1 to 20 GHz based on MEMS components. It results in the design and fabrication of a new kind of tuneable RF MEMS capacitor based on a rotational gyroscope structure for the actuation part and on a surface variation for the capacitance change. Compared to other architectures published, this structure presents the advantage to have an actuation part (the MEMS part) and a RF part (the capacitor) that are electrically separated in order to avoid the phenomenon of self-actuation with RF signal crossing power. Another advantage of this structure is the possibility to simultaneously tune 8 different capacitors on a single chip, with only one actuation system. The fabrication of the chips requires the use of a SOI wafer for the MEMS part and a glass wafer for the RF part, which offers on chip packaging opportunity. This work also focused on the study of the pull-in effect in the case of curved comb-drives, highlighting the most critical physical parameters for the design. This parametric study has been used to improve the actuation structure and more particularly the topology of the curved comb-drives by variation of the finger width and gap. These modifications were done in order to push the pull-in effect out of the actuation operating range. This new tuneable capacitor has been integrated into a simple VCO circuit on alumina to validate the RF performances and could be associated to a RF mixer in order to realize the full frequency transposition blockPARIS-EST-Université (770839901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Étude d'un résonateur piézoélectrique à ondes acoustiques de volume en technologie film mince

Le résonateur étudié s'insère dans un projet industriel porté par NXP Semiconductors. L'objectif est la réalisation d'un résonateur MEMS RF intégrable en vue de remplacer le quartz dans certaines applications. La compatibilité du procédé de fabrication avec les technologies utilisées par la société et le faible coût de production représentent les principaux enjeux du projet. Le résonateur TFEAR (Thin Film Elongation Acoustic Resonator) est un barreau, constitué d'une superposition de couches minces de type Métal/AlN/Métal. Les propriétés piézoélectriques du nitrure d'aluminium (AlN) sont ainsi exploitées : l'application d'un champ électrique alternatif, parallèle à l'épaisseur du barreau, entraîne une propagation d'ondes acoustiques suivant sa longueur. Les dimensions des résonateurs fabriqués correspondent à des fréquences de résonance comprises entre 10MHz et 50MHz. Cette thèse s'intéresse la modélisation et à la caractérisation électrique du résonateur TFEAR. Les modèles théoriques sont développés par simulations numériques 3D et par calculs analytiques 1D. Le comportement électrique du TFEAR est décrit par un schéma équivalent, dont les éléments sont exprimés en fonction des paramètres physiques et des pertes des matériaux le constituant. Un facteur de qualité de 2250 sur un TFEAR résonant à 25,79MHz et dont la résistance motionnelle est de 2,1 kOhms a été relevé. Ces mesures ont été complétées par la caractérisation des paramètres physiques de la couche piézoélectrique. Par exemple, des valeurs de coefficient piézoélectrique d33f atteignant 2,6 pm/V ont été relevées (pour un maximum théorique de 3,93 pm/V)The studied resonator is part of an industrial project carried by NXP Semiconductors. The objective is the realization of a integrable RF MEMS resonator in order to replace quartz in some applications. The compatibility of the manufacturing process with the technologies used by the company and low cost production represent the main challenges of the project. The resonator TFEAR (Thin Film Elongation Acoustic Resonator) is a bar, consisting of a superposition of thin film type Metal/AlN/metal. The piezoelectric properties of aluminum nitride (AlN) are exploited : the application of an alternating electric field, parallel to the thickness of the bar, resulting in propagation of acoustic waves along its length. The sizes of the manufactured resonators correspond to resonant frequencies between 10MHz to 50 MHz. This thesis focuses on modeling and electrical characterization of the TFEAR resonator. The models are developed by 3D numerical simulations and by 1D analytical calculations. The electrical behavior of TFEAR is described by an equivalent circuit which elements are expressed in terms of physical parameters and losses of the constituent materials. A quality factor of 2250 on a 25.79MHz resonant TFEAR which motional resistance is 2.1 kOhms has been noticed. These measurements were completed by the characterization of the physical parameters of the piezoelectric layer. For example, piezoelectric coefficient d33;f values were recorded up to 2.6 pm/V (for a theoretical maximum of 3.93pm/V)PARIS-EST-Université (770839901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Equivalent input and output impedances in HF RFID system including resonator

High Frequency Radio Frequency Identification (HF RFID) system based on Magnetically Coupled Reader Resonator Coils (MCRRC) is reported. The proposed system consists of reader antenna including small resonant coil operating by magnetic coupling with the tag coil. In the proposed system, the reader and tag impedances are modified. The equivalent electrical model is used to express the equivalent impedance matrix and used to express the equivalent input and output impedances of the system. The formulas are confirmed by comparison between High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) results and measures

Array sub-loops reader antenna for HF RFID tracking

This paper focuses on tracking and objects identification by means of High Frequency magnetic coupling RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) at 13, 56 MHz. The coil of the used RFID tags corresponds to 1.9% of the reader coil surface (120×160 cm 2 ). To increase the size ratio between the two coils, we proposed the use of multiple twisted loops antenna. The reader antenna is consequently divided into four sub-loops, corresponding to 8% of the surface of each one of the sub-loops area. According to the principle of twisted loop antenna, the nearest sub-loops are feed by current in opposite phase (complementary loops principle), and. This structure creates a strength curvature of magnetic field lines between each two of them, improving the magnetic coupling for vertical magnetic dipoles. In contrast, the structure presents at its center a null of magnetic field intensity due to the symmetry. To avoid this inconvenient a resonator is added to the structure to broke the symmetry and modify the magnetic field distribution. Its positioning is studied to optimize RFID detection in different angular and lateral positioning of the tag. Simulations and measurements of the proposed design with and without resonator are presented in the different parts of this paper

Improvement of HF RFID detection for small and misaligned tag

A design of a reader antenna is proposed to optimize HF RFID range detection in parallel and perpendicular configuration. The reader antenna has a surface of 500 cm2, the tag corresponds to 0.7% of the reader surface. For passive RFID system, if the reader antenna does not provide the threshold energy to the tag, this one will not be detected. This is the case of the misalignment systems with great difference size antenna. Another problem limiting RFID detection is the different possible tag orientations. In perpendicular configuration, the detection is weak, the tag can only be detected above the edges of the antenna. These limits are minimized in this work by using a multiple loop antenna including resonators. Electrical model is developed to calculate the equivalent mutual inductance of the system from the impedance matrix: the measured results confirm the simulated ones. The detection measurements validate the improvement

3D HF RFID reader antenna for tag detection in different angular orientations

Herein, a 3D 13, 56 MHz (HF) RFID reader antenna is proposed in order to optimize detection performance whatever the tag angular positioning. The design is made of a multi-loop structure, based on serial complementary antennas, as said “twisted” antennas. The RFID tag detection is optimized by two factors which rely on the modifications of the magnetic field (i) vectorial distribution and (ii) magnitude density. The reader antenna design is analyzed with electromagnetic simulation under HFSS (High Frequency Electromagnetic Field Simulation), and validated by detection measurements, in coplanar mode. A multi-loop structure, composed by 4 sub-loops, is then conformed onto a tube surface to provide the 3D structure. The goal of this improvement is to provide tag detection for any angular positions. At the center of the tube (3D reader structure), the detection of the tag is performed whatever its angular orientation, that is to say for any radial orientation

Antenna array in 3D to improve tracking of small HF RFID tag

This paper presents an improvement of small RFID tags detection in HF near field, whatever their lateral and angular misalignments, using a complementary sub-coils reader antenna, enhanced by coplanar weakly-coupled resonators, and conformed on a 3D tube. The key ideas of detection improvement are: (i) modification of B -field vector distribution with the complementary coils above the common edge of consecutive loops; (ii) increase of B -field vector diversity and magnitude distribution by a 3D structure conformed on the tube, by realising 2 pairs of Identical Coaxial Loops (ICLs) with face-to-face sub-coils in forward current, and (iii) enhancement of B -field magnitude distribution by resonators included in the complementary sub-coils. Numerical simulations are carried out using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). The studied figure-of-merit is the mutual inductance between the tag and the reader coil. Results are reported for the 4 planar complementary sub-coils, the previous structure conformed on the tube and for the structure in which RCL resonators are added in the 3 planar complementary sub-coils. Experimental detection range measurements of each fabricated structure drives to the enhancement of the 3D complementary 4 × 3 sub-coils structure with weakly-coupled RLC resonators in each-sub-coil in terms of read-out distance and detection surface area

Effect of added resonators in RFID system at 13.56 MHz

In this study, a reader antenna including resonators is proposed to improve detection of a small moving tag in the case of tracking a radiofrequency identification (RFID) system. The near-field RFID technology is based on load modulation, the input impedance on the reader coil and the mutual inductance between the reader and tag coils are the main parameters for performing detection. They are calculated from the impedance matrix parameters. The added resonators change all the parameters of the impedance matrix consequently the input impedance and mutual inductance are also changed. In this study, analytical formulation defining the equivalent impedance matrix parameters is developed. These formulae are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed design according to the tag misalignment (lateral and angular). From the calculation and simulation results, a frequency shift in the equivalent input impedance is found. To avoid this problem, optimising the positioning of the resonators on the reader coil is performed. This study is confirmed by measures of RFID detection for a reader prototype (with and without resonators) and a small commercial tag. Both the surface and volume of detection of the small moving tag (lateral and angular misalignment) are improved by the principle of added resonators

60 GHz stepped impedance filter using Planar Goubau line technology

This paper presents a fifth order stepped impedance low-pass filter using low loss Planar Goubau Line (PGL) technology on high resistivity Silicon substrate at millimeter-wave frequencies. The filter is simulated and optimized using 3D full-wave electromagnetic field simulations performed on HFSS (High Frequency Simulator Structure). On-wafer measurements in the 50-65 GHz band are in good agreement with simulation results. At 60 GHz, the measured insertion loss is 3.6dB which includes the two coplanar waveguide-to-GPL transitions

Low loss Goubau Line on high-resitivity silicon in the 57–64 GHz band

Planar Goubau Line (PGL) structures on high resistivity silicon are simulated and measured in the 57-64GHz frequency band. It is shown that the increase of the substrate thickness permits to adapt this line, used at THz frequencies, to this frequency band. Very low losses are attained with a measured average attenuation of 0.064dB/mm on the whole band. Another advantage of the PGL consists in its very simple technological process, as just one level of metallization is necessary. A transition between the PGL and a coplanar waveguide is designed in order to perform on-wafer measurements, and very good agreement is obtained with simulation results for the attenuation of PGL