Fabrication and characterization of low-loss TFMS on silicon substrate up to 220 GHz

This paper presents the results of the fabrication and characterization up to 220 GHz, of thin-film microstrip (TFMS) transmission-line structures. The transmission lines are fabricated on a low-resistivity silicon substrate ([rho] = 10 [ohm] * cm). TFMS lines with a thick dielectric layer (20 [micro]m of benzocyclobutene is used here) present losses of 0.3 dB/mm at 94 GHz and 0.6 dB/mm at 220 GHz. Thus, using this technology, it will be possible to develop monolithic microwave integrated circuits on a silicon substrate. Index Terms--Dielectric film, low-resistivity silicon substrate, silicon, silicon monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), transmission lines.