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Demands for mobile phones with smaller form factor and lower cost have driven enhanced integration of electronics components. However, surface acoustic wave (SAW) filters must be fabricated on piezoelectric substrates, and so they are difficult to monolithically integrate on semiconductor chips. This paper reports on a compact wafer-scale packaged SAW filter stacked over a transceiver chip in a quad flat-pack no-lead (QFN) package. An integrated passive device (IPD) provided redistribution and matching between the SAW filter output and the transceiver input. Both extended global system for mobile communications (EGSM) and DCS filters were evaluated. Results demonstrated that conventional packaging techniques could be used to successfully assemble stacked SAW on transceiver modules without damage. SAW compact models based on the coupling of modes model were developed to facilitate system design. Electromagnetic simulations of coupling between SAW filters and inductors integrated on the transceiver suggested that design care is needed to avoid interactions, especially if an IPD is not used as a spacer. With appropriate design, stacked SAW filter on transceiver offers viable module integration.

A new experimental technique based on a network analyzer was developed for characterizing the full inductance matrices (both self and mutual inductance) of package/interconnect structures. This frequency-domain based measurement technique, including its formulation and procedure, is discussed in this paper. A total of four packages, an 120QFP, a 400TAB, a 313PBGA, and an Alloy 42 132CQFP were selected for the self/mutual L characterization. The measurement results are compared to those obtained by using a time domain reflectometer (TDR)-based technique as well as with the modeling data calculated by 3-D EM tools.

This paper describes a package inductance measurement technique based on network analysis and lumped element package model. Advantages of this technique include: 1. Measuring inductance over the same high operating frequencies of today's high-speed CMOS and ECL chips. 2. Providing information on a package's resonance frequencies and determining the limit of the lumped element model and 3. Utilizing a simple one-port measurement method, procedure and fixture design. Different packages and interconnects including a 120QFP, a 296TAB tape, a multilayer 224PGA and bonding wires of different length were characterized using this technique. Where possible, the inductance results obtained by this technique were compared with both modeling data and measurement data obtained by the conventional LCZ technique. In addition, the experiments were extended to compare the effective inductance of the ground path of one-metal and two-metal 360TAB tapes. The results provide important guidelines in determining design tradeoffs between one-metal and two-metal TAB tapes. >

Antitumor activity of the butyrophenone dihydrolenperone in non-small cell lung cancer was initially suggested by in vitro screening against tumor cells derived from fresh surgical samples using the human tumor colony-forming assay. We have completed a directed phase I trial in patients with lung cancer. Thirty-two patients with lung cancer have completed 25 courses of therapy at doses of 10 to 60 mg/square meter orally on a twice daily schedule. Twenty-three men and 9 women with a median age of 55 (range 24-69) were entered. Twenty-four were performance status 0 or 1 and 8 were 2. The maximum tolerated dose was 50 mg/square meter orally twice daily and the dose limiting toxicity was somnolence. Of the 32 patients, 18 developed symptomatic hypotension (grade 1 or 2). There was no significant hematologic, renal, or hepatic toxicity. In vitro drug testing using the MTT [3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (thiazolyl blue)] assay confirmed 50% inhibition of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer cell line growth at 70-450 micromolar concentrations. Plasma dihydrolenperone levels were at least 75-fold less than levels at which in vitro activity was observed. We conclude: 1) the maximum tolerated dose in our study is 50 mg/square meter orally twice daily, 2) the dose-limiting side effect of dihydrolenperone is somnolence, and 3) the concentrations of dihydrolenperone observed in plasma are significantly lower than those associated with in vitro activity.

Enhanced integration of mobile phone components is driven by demands for reduced form factor and cost. Because SAW filters must be fabricated on piezoelectric substrates, they are difficult to monolithically integrate on semiconductor chips. Here we report on the integration of a compact wafer-scale packaged SAW filter stacked over a transceiver chip in a quad flat-pack no-lead (QFN) package. An integrated passive device interposer provided redistribution and matching. We demonstrated the successful integration of both EGSM and DCS filters in such modules. SAW compact models based on the coupling of modes model were developed to facilitate system design.

A packaged-level inductor structure is reported to be an alternative approach to chip-level high Q inductors. Its potential performance was demonstrated by experimental characterization of a test vehicle implemented in a MAPBGA package.

A major task in electrical characterization of IC packages is the experimental determination of package R, L, and C. A package self-inductance measurement technique based on network analysis and a lumped-element package model is described. Advantages of this technique include measuring inductance at the high operating frequencies of today's high-speed CMOS and ECL chips, providing information on a package's resonance frequencies and the limit of the lumped-element model, being inherently more accurate than techniques that measure package inductance at lower frequencies, and utilizing a simple one-port measurement method, procedure, and fixture design. Different packages and interconnects including a 160 QFP (quad flat package), a 296-lead TAB (tape automated bonding) tape, a flip TAB structure, and bonding wires of different length were characterized using this technique. >

A network analysis based high-frequency inductance technique was used to measure the package inductance of various A42 and Cu QFP packages. A continuous frequency range of 2.6 MHz to >500 MHz corresponding to the relevant speed/bandwidth of today's ICs was employed. Results indicated that while the inductance of all the Cu packages were essentially constant across the frequency band, the inductance of A42 packages varied appreciably with the frequency. The inductance of a typical A42 package was three times that of a Cu package at 2.6 MHz but decreased to only 10%-20% higher than that of a Cu package above 250 MHz. The lead resistance of A42 also increased sharply with increasing frequency and could become an important factor in determining the electrical performance. Based upon the preliminary analyses, the frequency-dependent inductance and resistance of A42 packages were attributed to the interaction between the skin effect and the non-unity permeability of ferromagnetic materials. To verify the theory and to test possible electrical enhancement for the A42, different surface-treated packages, including an Au-plated A42, a Pd/Ni-plated A42 and a Pd/Ni-plated Cu CQFP packages were characterized for their inductance and resistance. A 3-D field solver was also used to derive the permeability of the A42 materials at different frequencies. To further study the impact on high-speed digital chips where signals are usually analyzed in the time domain, a test structure made of both A42 traces and Cu traces was characterized using a time domain reflectometer for impedance, delay, and crosstalk. Both the frequency-domain and the time-domain results for A42 and Cu packages are summarized in this paper and their implications discussed. >

This paper focuses on the simultaneous switching noise (SSN) performance comparison between two compatible packages: a conventional leadframe plastic 208 QFP and a plastic 225 BGA with planar designed structures for power and ground. Self and mutual lead inductance (L) of the 208 QFP, hence its L matrix, was experimentally characterized by using a network analyzer based measurement technique. The same technique and formulation were extended to characterize the power and ground L of the 225 BGA which consists of multiple sources/sinks planar structures. To compare their SSN performance, the effective L of these two packages was calculated from the measured self/mutual L and power/ground L data by assuming certain switching conditions and pin assignments. It was discovered that effective L of the leadframe QFP decreases proportionally with increasing number of assigned power/ground pins, but effective L of the planar designed BGA does not exhibit this trend due to the current sharing and crowding in its power/ground planes. The study was further extended by constructing complete circuit models of these two packages including connection to bond wire, driver, chip power bus, and board-level interconnect models for full SPICE simulations.

A transmission-line model of package traces in conjunction with a lattice diagram technique is used to study the signal integrity problem in digital systems using high-speed, high-pin-count packages. Formulae which predict the signal degradations, including overshoot/undershoot and edge-rate degradation, are presented for two different high-speed digital system interconnect schemes (parallel termination and series termination) at different locations of the interconnect (output, input, package-board junction, etc.) Among different degradations at various places on the interconnect, the one of most concern to system designers is the reflection noise in multiple fanouts or bidirectional buffers. An experimental procedure was developed to verify this problem and to quantitatively measure the magnitude of the reflection noise. An experimental 288-PGA (pin-grid-array) package which may represent the current package technology was chosen for this experiment. The results clearly indicate that package parasitics can substantially affect the signal integrity of current high-speed digital systems. According to the present study, it is not possible to choose a single package impedance Z/sub p/ which can give optimized signal response everywhere along the interconnect. It may be a design tradeoff to choose a particular package impedance for a specific system. However, the study also indicates that choosing a package impedance is far less important that minimizing the package delay. >

This paper presents the measured L data of the ground (V/sub SS/) structure of a 225PBGA by using a two-port network analyzer technique. The ground structure of this package has eight source points (bond wire sites) and one sink point (solder ball site). Measurement data is presented in terms of an 8/spl times/8 matrix for the V/sub SS/ L path. Experimental procedure and its implications are discussed.

A moment method for calculating the internal field distributions of arbitrarily shaped, inhomogeneous dielectric bodies is presented. A free-space Green's function integral equation is used with 3-D linear basis functions to describe the field variation within cells. Polyhedral volume elements are used to model the scatterer's curvature realistically without an excessive number of unknowns. A new testing procednre, called the modified Galerkin's method, is developed and used to obtain the matrix equations with less CPU time but greater accuracy. Calculated internal field distributions of dielectric spheres, spheroids, and a composite model of a rat are compared with other calculations and experimental data. The agreement is generally good.