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Title:
RF measurements of die and packages
Personal Author:
Publication Information:
Boston : Artech House, 2002
ISBN:
9781580532730

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30000010018722 TK7874.7 W37 2002 Open Access Book Book
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30000010020086 TK7874.7 W37 2002 Open Access Book Book
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Summary

Summary

This text is dedicated to the issues surrounding RFIC (radio-frequency integrated circuit) testing. It explains how to perform high-accuracy RF measurements of die and packages in the RF test lab. It defines the essential elements in an RF system, explains where errors can be found in such a system and shows how to mathematically remove them with calibration.


Author Notes

Scott A. Wartenberg holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tennessee.

Mr. Wartenberg is a staff engineer at RF Micro Devices and has done RF/microwave work at Agilent Technologies, Westinghouse, Raytheon, and the U.S. Department of Defense. A senior member of the IEEE and a member of the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society. He has published extensively.

050


Table of Contents

Prefacep. xiii
Referencep. xiv
Acknowledgmentsp. xv
1 Introductionp. 1
1.1 Topics Covered in This Bookp. 1
1.1.1 Calibrationp. 1
1.1.2 Coplanar Probesp. 2
1.1.3 High-Volume Probingp. 2
1.1.4 Test Fixturesp. 2
1.1.5 On-Wafer Characterizationp. 4
1.1.6 RF Test Systemsp. 4
1.1.7 Package Characterizationp. 4
1.2 Components of an RF Test Systemp. 4
1.2.1 VNAp. 5
1.2.2 LCR Meterp. 7
1.2.3 RF Cablesp. 8
1.2.4 Bias Cablesp. 9
1.2.5 Bias Teesp. 10
1.3 RF Connectorsp. 11
1.3.1 Connector Typesp. 11
1.3.2 Making the Connectionp. 11
1.3.3 Connector Carep. 12
1.4 RF Connector Adaptersp. 12
1.5 The Probe Stationp. 12
1.6 Summaryp. 13
Referencesp. 13
2 Calibrationp. 15
2.1 Test System Errors: Random or Systematicp. 15
2.2 Concept of a Reference Planep. 16
2.3 Error Modelsp. 17
2.3.1 Signal Flow Graphp. 19
2.3.2 Error Adapterp. 21
2.4 Calibration Standardsp. 23
2.4.1 Calibration Coefficientsp. 24
2.4.2 Shortp. 25
2.4.3 Openp. 26
2.4.4 Loadp. 28
2.4.5 Thrup. 29
2.5 Improving the Standardsp. 31
2.5.1 Offset Delayp. 31
2.5.2 Offset Lossp. 33
2.6 Calibration Methodsp. 33
2.6.1 SOLTp. 35
2.6.2 SOLRp. 37
2.6.3 TRLp. 38
2.6.4 LRMp. 41
2.6.5 LRRMp. 42
2.7 Verificationp. 43
2.7.1 Verification Elementsp. 44
2.7.2 Verifying with a Reference or "Golden" Unitp. 45
2.8 Isolationp. 45
2.9 Traceabilityp. 47
2.10 Repeatability, Reproducibility, and Accuracyp. 48
2.11 Calibration Tips and Tricksp. 48
2.12 Summaryp. 50
Referencesp. 51
3 Coplanar Probesp. 55
3.1 Theory of CPWp. 55
3.2 Mechanical Constructionp. 57
3.3 Equivalent Circuitp. 58
3.4 Characterizing a Coplanar Probep. 60
3.5 Using Coplanar Probesp. 62
3.5.1 Planarizationp. 62
3.5.2 Alignmentp. 63
3.5.3 Skatingp. 64
3.5.4 Cleaningp. 67
3.6 Probe Configurationsp. 67
3.6.1 Balancedp. 67
3.6.2 Unbalancedp. 68
3.6.3 Differentialp. 69
3.6.4 Other Probe Configurationsp. 71
3.7 Noncontact Probingp. 71
3.8 Applicationsp. 72
3.8.1 Millimeter-Wave Probingp. 72
3.8.2 Impedance-Matching, Low-Impedance Probesp. 73
3.9 Coplanar Probe Calibration Standardsp. 74
3.9.1 Alumina Calibration Substratep. 75
3.9.2 On-Wafer Calibration Standardsp. 76
3.9.3 Open: In the Air or on Open Padsp. 77
3.9.4 More Design Tipsp. 78
3.9.5 Verificationp. 79
3.10 Summaryp. 80
Referencesp. 80
4 High-Volume Probingp. 83
4.1 High-Volume Testp. 84
4.2 RF Probe Cardp. 84
4.2.1 Load Boardp. 85
4.2.2 Probe Boardp. 86
4.2.3 Contactorp. 86
4.3 Membrane Probep. 88
4.3.1 Constructionp. 88
4.4 Designing Membrane Probesp. 89
4.4.1 Digital and RF Signalsp. 90
4.4.2 Groundingp. 90
4.5 Using Membrane Probesp. 91
4.6 Calibrationp. 93
4.7 Summaryp. 93
Referencesp. 93
5 Test Fixturesp. 95
5.1 The Basic Test Fixturep. 95
5.1.1 Qualities of a Good Test Fixturep. 97
5.1.2 Characterizing the Fixture's Parasitic Effectsp. 97
5.1.3 Types of Fixtures: R&D or Manufacturingp. 98
5.1.4 Fixturing for Passive Componentsp. 98
5.1.5 Fixturing for Active Componentsp. 99
5.2 RF Transitionsp. 99
5.2.1 Coaxial to Microstripp. 100
5.2.2 CPW to Microstripp. 102
5.2.3 Rectangular Waveguide to CPWp. 102
5.2.4 Rectangular Waveguide to Microstripp. 104
5.2.5 Rectangular Waveguide to Coaxialp. 105
5.3 Defining the Reference Planesp. 105
5.4 Two-Tier Calibrationp. 107
5.5 Test Fixture Calibrationp. 108
5.5.1 Calibration Standards: Coaxial Versus In-Fixturep. 108
5.5.2 Calibration Methodsp. 109
5.5.3 Calibration Phase Uncertaintyp. 111
5.6 Summaryp. 112
Referencesp. 112
6 On-Wafer Characterizationp. 115
6.1 Conductive Versus Insulating Substratesp. 116
6.2 Probe Pads and Interconnecting Linesp. 118
6.3 De-embedding the Pads and Interconnectsp. 118
6.3.1 Openp. 119
6.3.2 Open and Shortp. 122
6.3.3 Open, Short, and Thrup. 122
6.3.4 Two-Port Network with a Thrup. 123
6.3.5 Two Shorts, an Open, and a Thrup. 124
6.3.6 Some Points to Consider When De-embeddingp. 126
6.3.7 Should the Transistor Finger Metal Be De-embedded?p. 128
6.3.8 Effect of Pad Parasitics on f[subscript T]p. 129
6.4 De-embedding Pads for Noisep. 131
6.5 Measuring High-Isolation Devicesp. 134
6.6 Characterizing Vertical Devicesp. 136
6.7 Characterizing Passive Componentsp. 138
6.8 Millimeter-Wave Characterizationp. 138
6.9 Summaryp. 140
Referencesp. 141
7 RF Test Systemsp. 145
7.1 On-Wafer Noise Testingp. 145
7.1.1 Basic Concepts in Noisep. 145
7.1.2 On-Wafer Noise Sourcesp. 147
7.1.3 Faraday Shieldingp. 147
7.2 High-Power RF Testingp. 148
7.3 Characterizing over Temperaturep. 150
7.3.1 Heating the Waferp. 152
7.3.2 Cryogenic Coolingp. 152
7.4 Summaryp. 154
Referencesp. 154
8 Package Characterizationp. 157
8.1 Designing a Test Fixture for Package Characterizationp. 158
8.1.1 RF Launchersp. 158
8.1.2 Coplanar Probes as RF Launchersp. 159
8.1.3 Test Fixture Bodyp. 159
8.2 The Carrierp. 161
8.2.1 Designing the Carrierp. 163
8.2.2 Carrier Board Materialp. 164
8.3 Attaching the Package to the Carrierp. 165
8.3.1 Bond Wiresp. 165
8.3.2 Conductive Adhesivesp. 168
8.4 Calibrationp. 171
8.4.1 Partitioning by Reference Planesp. 172
8.5 De-embedding the Fixture from the Measurementp. 174
8.5.1 De-embedding by Using a Thru Linep. 175
8.5.2 Time-Domain Analysisp. 176
8.5.3 How to Apply Time-Domain Techniquesp. 180
8.6 Procedure for Characterizing a Packagep. 180
8.6.1 Characterizing with a Thrup. 182
8.6.2 Characterizing with a Shortp. 183
8.6.3 Characterizing with an Openp. 183
8.6.4 Characterizing with a Loadp. 183
8.6.5 Characterizing with a PIN Diodep. 184
8.6.6 What to Do with the Unused Package Pinsp. 186
8.7 Modeling a Package Mounted to a Carrierp. 186
8.7.1 Ground Inductancep. 187
8.7.2 Ground Paddlep. 188
8.8 Designing the Interconnecting Lines on the Carrierp. 191
8.8.1 CPW or Microstripp. 191
8.8.2 CPW or CBCPWp. 192
8.9 Quantifying the RF Effect of the Package on the Diep. 193
8.9.1 Effective Relative Dielectric Constant [varepsilon subscript eff]p. 193
8.9.2 Propagation Constant [gamma] and Characteristic Impedance Z[subscript 0]p. 193
8.9.3 Loss Tangent tandp. 195
8.10 Package Stylesp. 196
8.10.1 Plastic Surface Mount Packagesp. 196
8.10.2 Flip-Chipp. 196
8.10.3 Bumped Chip Carrierp. 199
8.11 Summaryp. 200
Referencesp. 200
9 Future Trendsp. 205
9.1 The Typical Design Cyclep. 205
9.2 The Separate Worlds of Digital and RFp. 206
9.3 The Goal: The Marriage of Digital and RF into a Single Wireless Productp. 207
9.4 New Substrate Materialsp. 208
9.5 The Direction of RF Developmentp. 209
9.6 The Future of the RF Testp. 210
9.7 Summaryp. 211
Referencesp. 211
About the Authorp. 213
Indexp. 215
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