RF and mm-wave SOP module platform using LCP and RF MEMS technologies

In this paper, we present a Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) based multilayer packaging technology combined with RF-MEMS technology and its emergence as an ideal platform for low cost, multi-band and reconfigurable RF front-end module integration. LCP´s very low water absorption (0.04%), low cost and high electrical performance makes it very appealing for RF applications. Here, we describe the characterization of LCP material up to W band, design of single input single output (SISO) dual band filters with insertion loss as low as 2.4 dB in L band and 1.8 dB in C band respectively. MEMS-SOP switch fabrication and finally integration of C band wireless LAN (WLAN) module demonstrates the potential for compact, multiband and reconfigurable systems. This is the first complete report on the combination of LCP with RF-MEMS technology as a new approach towards the System-On-Package (SOP) solutions for wireless communication applications.