Double Mode X-band

T/R

Module Based on

LTCC

Dai Yuefei, Lv Chunming, Xie Qilin, HAN jun

East China Research Institute of Electronic Engineering, Hefei 230031, China Email: daiyuefeigecriee.ac.cn
Abstract-LTCC is usually applied as basic PCB for highdensity and high-reliability integrating in MCM. The structure and operating principle of a double mode X-band T/R module based on LTCC are discussed in this paper, and the performance analysis in theory is performed. Finally, the test results and conclusion are given.

Key words: T/R module, LTCC

I.

INTRODUCTION

The T/R modules based on GaAs is employed from 1970's, and it is developed due to micro-electronics technology in 1980's. With the grown up of monolithic microwave integrated circuit(MMIC) in 1990's, the T/R modules have been developed towards the direction of becoming an independent apparatus and single patch on its structure, performance, consistence and reliability. Then the designers of phased array radar system have a more opportunity to design new radar system. However, based on the existing semiconductor technology level, considering to avoid the risk of designing MMIC and making MMIC, the microwave multichip module (MCM) technique is often adopted to produce high performance and high consistence T/R modules whose performance may compare favourably with MMIC modules, meanwhile, the advantage in structure would not lose too more. Just owing to this superiority, MCN has been developed into a microwave application industry which has the independent design company , sell entity and large market. On the other hand, as the vital MCM substrate of LTCC technology is gradually grown up, the designing and making problems about multilayer substrate in microwave are solved gradually. The X-band micro miniature T/R modules that can be used in active phase array are made with GaAs MMIC technology and LTCC multilayer structure (surface layer is for microwave circuit and underlayer is for control circuit) by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation in 1992 In 1997, K. Lkuina and his partners succeeded to produce a new type LTCC which contained a great deal of integrated circuit in millimeter microwave band. This new type of LTCC can greatly decrease the size of T/R modules used in satellite communications system or local area microwave and millimeter microwave network. It is reported that LTCC was successfully applied in 30 GHz-40GHz frequency band in USA in 1996. By 2000, MMIC at 76GHz frequency was produced, based on thick film, via holes, wire bonding package technology, its inserting loss is no more than 1dB.

It is just the development of LTCC that promoting the hybrid printed circuit technology, especially promoting the design and manufacture technology, so as to put the base for integration in more great scope (the hybrid printed circuit technology stated above means that multiple signal, such as microwave signal, low frequency signal, digital signal, analog signal, high power signal, small power signal, linearity signal, non-linearity signal, are integrated in a common substrate.). A novel type T/R module based on MCM design method and LTCC substrate is introduced in this paper. On the "single transmit double receive" telecommunication structure, this T/R module can work with two modes, i.e. the horizontal polarization and vertical polarization, and these two modes have the characteristics of good performance and simple interface.

II. LTCC DESIGN It is well known that layering and grounding are the very important problems for microwave application of multi-layer LTCC. These problems usually determine where the unexpected resonance in the frequency band will occur. On the other hand, these problems also partly determine the electro magnetic compatibility (EMC) performance of T/R module which employed LTCC.
A layering principle[1] In general, LTCC used in the microwave T/R module usually is composed of four parts: microwave layers, power supply layers, control signal layers and grounding layers. The grounding layers perhaps include the microwave grounding layers, power supply grounding layers and control signal grounding layers. Considering EMC, signal integrality (SI) and power integrality (PI), the microwave layers usually occupy the top layers of LTCC, at the same time, those controlling signals which are rapidly changed or greatly rippled should be put far apart from the microwave layers. In addition, grounding layers are inserted into those layers so as to increase isolation performance to the greatest extent. Sometimes, a grounding layer, for example, the grounding layer for signal, is isolated from modules box and connected to far ground by the pins of low frequency connector.
B Grounding method[1][2]

Considering the particularity of microwave signal, the microwave grounding layers should be directly connected to box body via perpendicular connection holes instead through other middle grounding layers. Furthermore, the width of these grounding holes should be

0-7803-9582-4/06/$20.00 c2006 IEEE

twice as much as that of microwave signal routes, in order to avoid margin effective. Enough routing space should be left for control signal and power supply signal when grounding holes along transmission direction are arranged. - LTCC surface layers
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Figure 4. The honeycomb microwave grounding mode

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III.

DOUBL MODE MODULE DESIGN

LTCC substrate
LTCC layers

Though the two grounding modes shown in Fig. 2 and Fig.3 can sufficiently ensure good microwave grounding performance (simulation results showed that the grounding performance of Fig.3 is somehow better than that of Fig.2.), it is obviously that these two modes bring great limit to routing of control signal and power supply signal. So, we proposed a "honeycomb" grounding method shown in Fig.4. The grounding performance of honeycomb grounding method is close to that of Fig.3. The advantage of honeycomb grounding method is that routing is realized among the honeycomb. Moreover, the intrinsic resonance frequency of LTCC can be eliminated, or the resonance intensity can be decreased by adjusting the intervals among honeycombs. That is beneficial to module stabilization.

A Principle The module principle is shown in Fig.5. In order to realize double-mode working, a polarization switch and a transmit channel are added in common single channel module. The double-mode working is switched between two transmit channels. Of course, corresponding to the additive transmit channel, a separated receive channel is also added. A switch is inserted between attenuator and phase shifter in additive receive channel to obtain better consistence of its gains and phases.
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Figure 5. Module principle

B Analysis ofprimaryperformance

Figure 2. The run-in microwave grounding mode

1) Transmitting output power The output of final power amplifier in transmitting channel is sent out through the circulator. The inserting loss values of the circulator, the SMA connector and the microstrip after the final power amplifier is about 0.6dB, 0.2dB and 39 dB respectively. Pout (39-0.6-0.2-0.4) dBm=6.03 W 2) Receiving gain and noise coefficient Noise coefficient and gain of each stage in receiving channel are listed in Tabale 1.
TABLE I.
THE NOISE AND GAIN IN RECEIVING CHANNEL

Figure 3. The cater-corner microwave grounding mode

stage 1 2 3 4 5

Gain -1.8dB 19dB -0.5dB 25dB -17. 1dB

1.8dB 1.4dB 0.5dB 2.5dB 17. 1dB

NF

remark Input attenuation LNA1 Level's attenuation LNA2 Output attenuation

The input attenuation of first stage is the loss produced primarily by circulator, isolator, amplitude limiter and transmission line. The third stage's attenuation is mainly the loss of transmission line. The fifth stage output attenuation includes zero state attenuation of attenuator, connection losses of switch and phase shifter. The total noise coefficient of a cascade system is computed as follows F Fn - 1 F=Fl+ 2 G G2G GnGI
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IV.

PRIMARY TEST RESULTS

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The primary test results are showed from Fig.7 to Fig. 12, From which we can find, (1) the output power of two transmitting channels is over 6W, (2) the gain difference of two transmitting channels is obvious, because the chip gain is dispersed, which had been discovered when the chips were tested alone, (3) the receiving channel attenuation fluctuation in high attenuation state of digital attenuator is acute, it is the inherence characteristics of the apparatus used.

In fact, the connection loss on module receiving input port is far more than 1.8dB due to the instability of manufacture technology. The module's receiving channel noise coefficient is close to 4.2dB or more because the greater connection losses between SMA tie-in and conduction strip, circulator and conduction strip are bigger. 3). Implementation of inside wave beam control In order to realize wave beam control function while ensure a simple module structure, wave beam control signal is fed in module in series code. Depending on a fixed clock pulse, a conversion from series to parallel is implemented by using shift register in module. 4) Structure Three aspects have to be noticed when module structure is designed. The first is to ensure better heat exchange ability. The second is to make an effort to avoid cavity resonance effect in its work frequency band. The third is to pledge EMC inside module. Therefore, the design of module is not only associated with structure designer but also associated with telecommunication designer. The dimension of module is 75x22x 1Omm3 if the connectors are not considered. C Package A lot of micro-electronics assembling technology such as solder, eutectic bonding, ultrasonic electron beam package and so on are used. In order to ensure better connection performance inside module, preventing split of LTCC and adapting the different demand for different apparatus, four temperature grades are employed to isolate and to distinguish the jointing infection in package process.

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Figure 8. Receiving gain of module

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Figure 10. Receiving attenuation accuration of module

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V. CONCLUSION The module design method proposed in this paper gives better consideration to both the demands of phased array radar and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), which implements the double-mode working in very small space and possesses the feature of high output power and low noise.
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REFERENCES
[1]

Figure 11. Transmitting phase accuration of module

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[2]

[1] YAN Wei, HONGWei, XUE Yu. LTCC Microwave Multichip Modules[J]. Acta Electronic Sinica,2002,30(5):711-714. [2] Jiang wui zhuo,yan wei xie lian zgong. The Placement Routing Design And Manufacture technology of Multilayer Microwave Joining Substrate.ElectronicsProcess Technology, 2000, 21(2):8183.

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Figure 12. Transmitting power of module