Three-dimensional masterslice MMIC on Si substrate

This paper describes Si-based three-dimensional (3-D) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology. This technology greatly improves the operating frequency of Si MMIC´s up to the Ku band and makes them competitive with GaAs MMIC´s in the higher frequency band. The characteristics of the coplanar waveguide formed on a lossy Si substrate and the TFMS line which is a basic element of the 3-D MMIC are numerically compared and discussed. An X-band amplifier, mixer, and highly integrated single-chip receiver using Si bipolar transistors are demonstrated to highlight the advantages of the Si 3-D MMIC technology. The cost reduction effect of the technology is also discussed. In our estimation, cost reduction of about 95% from conventional GaAs 2-D MMIC´s can be achieved