Publications

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We report measurements of the power handling and intermodulation distortion of piezoelectric contour mode resonators and filters operating near 500 MHz. The output power capability scales as the inverse of the motional impedance squared, and the power handling of resonator filter circuits scales with the number of resonators combined in series and parallel. Also, the third-order intercept depends on the measurement tone spacing. Individual AlN resonators with 50 Ω motional impedance demonstrate output power capability of +10 dBm and OIP3 > +20 dBm, while an eight resonator filter demonstrates output power handling of +14 dBm and a OIP3 > +32 dBm. © 2011 IEEE.

We report a new wafer-level packaging technology for miniature MEMS in a hermetic micro-environment. The unique and new feature of this technology is that it only uses low cost wafer-level processes such as eutectic bonding, Bosch etching and mechanical lapping and thinning steps as compared to more expensive process steps that will be required in other alternative wafer-level technologies involving thru-silicon vias or membrane lids. We have demonstrated this technology by packaging silicon-based AlN microsensors in packages of size 1.3 1.3 mm2 and 200 micrometer thick. Our initial cost analysis has shown that when mass produced with high yields, this device will cost $0.10 to $0.90. The technology involves first preparing the lid and MEMS wafers separately with the sealring metal stack of Ti/Pt/Au on the MEMS wafers and Ti/Pt/Au/Ge/Au on the lid wafers. On the MEMS wafers, the Signal/Power/Ground interconnections to the wire-bond pads are isolated from the sealring metallization by an insulating AlN layer. Prior to bonding, the lid wafers were Bosch-etched in the wirebond pad area by 120 um and in the center hermetic device cavity area by 20 um. The MEMS and the lid wafers were then aligned and bonded in vacuum or in a nitrogen environment at or above the Au-Ge Eutectic temperature, 363C. The bonded wafers were then thinned and polished first on the MEMS side and then on the lid side. The MEMS side was thinned to 100 ums with a nearly scratch-free and crack-free surface. The lid side was similarly thinned to 100 ums exposing the wire-bond pads. After thinning, a 100 um thick lid remained over the MEMS features providing a 20 um high hermetic micro-environment. Thinned MEMS/Lid wafer-level assemblies were then sawed into individual devices. These devices can be integrated into the next-level assembly either by wire-bonding or by surface mounting. The wafer-level packaging approach developed in this project demonstrated RF Feedthroughs with 0.3 dB insertion loss and adequate RF performance through 2 GHz. Pressure monitoring Pirani structures built inside the hermetic lids have demonstrated the ability to detect leaks in the package. In our preliminary development experiments, we have demonstrated 50% hermetic yields. © 2011 IEEE.

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Most common ionizing radiation detectors typically rely on one of two general methods: collection of charge generated by the radiation, or collection of light produced by recombination of excited species. Substantial efforts have been made to improve the performance of materials used in these types of detectors, e.g. to raise the operating temperature, to improve the energy resolution, timing or tracking ability. However, regardless of the material used, all these detectors are limited in performance by statistical variation in the collection efficiency, for charge or photons. We examine three alternative schemes for detecting ionizing radiation that do not rely on traditional direct collection of the carriers or photons produced by the radiation. The first method detects refractive index changes in a resonator structure. The second looks at alternative means to sense the chemical changes caused by radiation on a scintillator-type material. The final method examines the possibilities of sensing the perturbation caused by radiation on the transmission of a RF transmission line structure. Aspects of the feasibility of each approach are examined and recommendations made for further work.

THz quantum cascade lasers are of interest for use as solid-state local-oscillators in THz heterodyne receiver systems, especially for frequencies exceeding 2 THz and for use with non-cryogenic mixers which require mW power levels. Among other criteria, to be a good local oscillator, the laser must have a narrow linewidth and excellent frequency stability. Recent phase locking measurements of THz QCLs to high harmonics of microwave frequency reference sources as high as 2.7 THz demonstrate that the linewidth and frequency stability of QCLs can be more than adequate. Most reported THz receivers employing QCLs have used discrete source and detector components coupled via mechanically aligned free-space quasioptics. Unfortunately, retroreflections of the laser off of the detecting element can lead to deleterious feedback effects. Using a monolithically integrated transceiver with a Schottky diode monolithically integrated into a THz QCL, we have begun to explore the sensitivity of the laser performance to feedback due to retroreflections of the THz laser radiation. The transceiver allows us to monitor the beat frequency between internal Fabry-Perot modes of the QCL or between a QCL mode and external radiation incident on the transceiver. When some of the power from a free running Fabry-Perot type QCL is retroreflected with quasi-static optics we observe frequency pulling, mode splitting and chaos. Given the lack of calibrated frequency sources with sufficient stability and power to phase lock a QCL above a couple THz, attempts have been made to lock the absolute laser frequency by locking the beat frequency of a multimoded laser. We have phase locked the beat frequency between Fabry-Perot modes to an {approx}13 GHz microwave reference source with a linewidth less than 1 Hz, but did not see any improvment in stability of the absolute frequency of the laser. In this case, when some laser power is retroreflected back into the laser, the absolute frequency can be pulled significantly as a function of the external path length.

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An AlN MEMS resonator technology has been developed, enabling massively parallel filter arrays on a single chip. Low-loss filter banks covering the 10 MHz--10-GHz frequency range have been demonstrated, as has monolithic integration with inductors and CMOS circuitry. The high level of integration enables miniature multi-bandm spectrally aware, and cognitive radios.

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This report describes our efforts to quantify the behavior of micro-fabricated THz rectangular waveguides on a configurable, robust semiconductor-based platform. These waveguides are an enabling technology for coupling THz radiation directly from or to lasers, mixers, detectors, antennas, and other devices. Traditional waveguides fabricated on semiconductor platforms such as dielectric guides in the infrared or co-planar waveguides in the microwave regions, suffer high absorption and radiative losses in the THz. The former leads to very short propagation lengths, while the latter will lead to unwanted radiation modes and/or crosstalk in integrated devices. This project exploited the initial developments of THz micro-machined rectangular waveguides developed under the THz Grand Challenge Program, but instead of focusing on THz transceiver integration, this project focused on exploring the propagation loss and far-field radiation patterns of the waveguides. During the 9 month duration of this project we were able to reproduce the waveguide loss per unit of length in the waveguides and started to explore how the loss depended on wavelength. We also explored the far-field beam patterns emitted by H-plane horn antennas attached to the waveguides. In the process we learned that the method of measuring the beam patterns has a significant impact on what is actually measured, and this may have an effect on most of the beam patterns of THz that have been reported to date. The beam pattern measurements improved significantly throughout the project, but more refinements of the measurement are required before a definitive determination of the beam-pattern can be made.

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LDRD Project 139363 supported experiments to quantify the performance characteristics of monolithically integrated Schottky diode + quantum cascade laser (QCL) heterodyne mixers at terahertz (THz) frequencies. These integrated mixers are the first all-semiconductor THz devices to successfully incorporate a rectifying diode directly into the optical waveguide of a QCL, obviating the conventional optical coupling between a THz local oscillator and rectifier in a heterodyne mixer system. This integrated mixer was shown to function as a true heterodyne receiver of an externally received THz signal, a breakthrough which may lead to more widespread acceptance of this new THz technology paradigm. In addition, questions about QCL mode shifting in response to temperature, bias, and external feedback, and to what extent internal frequency locking can improve stability have been answered under this project.

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A six-bit time delay circuit operating from DC to 18 GHz is reported. Capacitively loaded transmission lines are used to reduce the physical length of the delay elements and shrink the die size. Additionally, selection of the reference line lengths to avoid resonances allows the replacement of series-shunt switching elements with only series elements. With through-wafer transitions and a packaging seal ring, the 7 mm x 10 mm circuit demonstrates <2.8 dB of loss and 60 ps of delay with good delay flatness and accuracy through 18 GHz. © 2008 IEEE.

We designed, fabricated and measured the performance of nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) switches. Initial data are reported with one of the switch designs having a measured switching time of 400 ns and an operating voltage of 5 V. The switches operated laterally with unmeasurable leakage current in the 'off' state. Surface micromachining techniques were used to fabricate the switches. All processing was CMOS compatible. A single metal layer, defined by a single mask step, was used as the mechanical switch layer. The details of the modeling, fabrication and testing of the NEMS switches are reported.

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Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) has proven to be an enabling medium for microsystem technologies, because of its desirable electrical, physical, and chemical properties coupled with its capability for rapid prototyping and scalable manufacturing of components. LTCC is viewed as an extension of hybrid microcircuits, and in that function it enables development, testing, and deployment of silicon microsystems. However, its versatility has allowed it to succeed as a microsystem medium in its own right, with applications in non-microelectronic meso-scale devices and in a range of sensor devices. Applications include silicon microfluidic ''chip-and-wire'' systems and fluid grid array (FGA)/microfluidic multichip modules using embedded channels in LTCC, and cofired electro-mechanical systems with moving parts. Both the microfluidic and mechanical system applications are enabled by sacrificial volume materials (SVM), which serve to create and maintain cavities and separation gaps during the lamination and cofiring process. SVMs consisting of thermally fugitive or partially inert materials are easily incorporated. Recognizing the premium on devices that are cofired rather than assembled, we report on functional-as-released and functional-as-fired moving parts. Additional applications for cofired transparent windows, some as small as an optical fiber, are also described. The applications described help pave the way for widespread application of LTCC to biomedical, control, analysis, characterization, and radio frequency (RF) functions for macro-meso-microsystems.

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Radio Frequency Microelectromechanical Systems (RF MEMS) are advantageous for reconfigurable antennas providing the potential for steering, frequency agility, and tunable directivity. Until RF MEMS switches can consistently reach cycles into the billions (if not trillions), limited reliability outweighs the promised benefits, preventing the deployment of RF MEMS into systems. Understanding failure mechanisms is essential to improving reliability. This paper describes preliminary reliability results and tests conducted in a vacuum chamber to investigate and understand the impact of contamination related failure mechanisms. © 2006 IEEE.

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A Ka-Band RF MEMS enabled frequency reconfigurable triangular microstrip patch antenna has been designed for monolithic integration with RF MEMS phase shifters to demonstrate a low-cost monolithic passive electronically scanned array (PESA). This paper introduces our first prototype reconfigurable triangular patch antenna currently in fabrication. The aperture coupled patch antenna is fabricated on a dual-layer quartz/alumina substrate using surface micromachining techniques. Full-wave MoM simulation results will be compared to laboratory measurements in the oral presentation. © 2005 IEEE.

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A Ka-band RF MEMS enabled frequency reconfigurable triangular microstrip patch antenna has been designed for monolithic integration with RF MEMS phase shifters to demonstrate a low-cost monolithic passive electronically scanned array (PESA). This paper introduces our first prototype reconfigurable triangular patch antenna currently in fabrication. The aperture coupled patch antenna is fabricated on a dual-layer quartz/alumina substrate using surface micromachining techniques.

Low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) enables development and testing of critical elements on microsystem boards as well as nonmicroelectronic meso-scale applications. We describe silicon-based microelectromechanical systems packaging and LTCC meso-scale applications. Microfluidic interposers permit rapid testing of varied silicon designs. The application of LTCC to micro-high-performance liquid chromatography (?-HPLC) demonstrates performance advantages at very high pressures. At intermediate pressures, a ceramic thermal cell lyser has lysed bacteria spores without damaging the proteins. The stability and sensitivity of LTCC/chemiresistor smart channels are comparable to the performance of silicon-based chemiresistors. A variant of the use of sacrificial volume materials has created channels, suspended thick films, cavities, and techniques for pressure and flow sensing. We report on inductors, diaphragms, cantilevers, antennae, switch structures, and thermal sensors suspended in air. The development of 'functional-as-released' moving parts has resulted in wheels, impellers, tethered plates, and related new LTCC mechanical roles for actuation and sensing. High-temperature metal-to-LTCC joining has been developed with metal thin films for the strong, hermetic interfaces necessary for pins, leads, and tubes.

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Radio frequency microelectromechanical systems (RF MEMS) are an enabling technology for next-generation communications and radar systems in both military and commercial sectors. RF MEMS-based reconfigurable circuits outperform solid-state circuits in terms of insertion loss, linearity, and static power consumption and are advantageous in applications where high signal power and nanosecond switching speeds are not required. We have demonstrated a number of RF MEMS switches on high-resistivity silicon (high-R Si) that were fabricated by leveraging the volume manufacturing processes available in the Microelectronics Development Laboratory (MDL), a Class-1, radiation-hardened CMOS manufacturing facility. We describe novel tungsten and aluminum-based processes, and present results of switches developed in each of these processes. Series and shunt ohmic switches and shunt capacitive switches were successfully demonstrated. The implications of fabricating on high-R Si and suggested future directions for developing low-loss RF MEMS-based circuits are also discussed.

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