Progress Toward MMIC On-wafer Standards

A prototype standard set in coplanar waveguide suitable for the calibration of wafer probe stations has been developed through a cooperative effort between the National Institute of Standards and Technology and a MIMIC Phase 3 team. The coplanar standard set is intended primarily for in-process testing, although the characterization of coplanar waveguide circuits is also possible. In this paper two sources of systematic errors associated with the prototype standard set, the propagation of undesirable modes, and the influence of adjacent structures on the electrical connection to the elements of the standard set, will be discussed.