hfe0910_maloratsky

40 High Frequency Electronics

High Frequency Design

RF & MICROWAVE ICs

Design and TechnologyTradeoffs in Passive RF andMicrowave Integrated Circuits

By Leo G. MaloratskyAerospace Electronics Co.

Designers of RF andmicrowave inte-grated circuits

often go through numer-ous design iterations. Thetradeoff design processreduces unnecessary costsand design iterations,thus allowing designers

time to improve the quality of the product.Modern technology for RF and microwave

integrated circuits (ICs) provides smaller size,lighter weight, and lower cost. Passive compo-nents play a key role in RF designs for perfor-mance matching, tuning, filtering, and bias-ing. Passive components are prevalent in RFand microwave IC. For example, it is estimat-ed that in a single-mode wireless phone, pas-sive components account for 90% of the com-ponent count, 80% of the size, and 70% of thecost [1]. RF and microwave ICs are usuallybased on these passive printed components:directional couplers, baluns, power dividers/combiners, filters, phase shifters, ferrite isola-tors/circulators, and duplexers. In this paperwe will consider the design tradeoffs for pas-sive printed RF and microwave componentsusing various technology processes.

The design flow chart for print RF andmicrowave passive components, includingtechnology process, is shown in Figure 1. Thefirst step of the design flow is preparing sys-tem level requirements. For each requirement,a designer has to choose an integer value ofweighting coefficient ki (the second step of theflow chart Fig. 1a), starting with k = 1 for themost important parameter [2]. The third stepof the flow chart is the selection of the printedtransmission line which has been described,

for example, in [2]. The forth step of the flowchart (see Fig. 1b) includes selection of tech-nology process, substrate, conductor, dielectricand resistive materials, as well as the selec-tion of number of layers. Tradeoff design ofprinted RF and microwave ICs includes con-sideration of several contradictory parame-ters: volume vs. loss, cost vs. volume, loss vs.cost, volume vs. power, cost vs. temperaturerange, cost vs. power, shielding vs. cost, band-width vs. cost, environmental vs. volume, envi-ronmental vs. cost.

The selection of a printed RF andmicrowave component prototype (fifth step ofthe design flow, Fig. 1a) includes analysis, syn-thesis, and optimization of the optimal inte-grated circuit. Synthesis of a printed compo-nent is then based on the requirements.Synthesis results are physical dimensions ofthe print component. Analysis of the printedcomponent entails definition of electrical per-formance for given physical dimensions. Anelectromagnetic simulation may be used tocreate an S-parameter model of a printed com-ponent. The parameters of the printed compo-nent can be simulated using Agilent’s ADS orother EDA tools. In this case, a designer has toset up variable parameters that can be used tooptimize the printed component. Analysis ofmanufacturing tolerances should be consid-ered to avoid excessive manufacturing cost.This analysis is especially critical for higherfrequencies. There are commercial electro-magnetic (EM) modeling tools from such com-panies as Agilent-EEsof, Ansoft, Applied WaveResearch, Computer Simulation Technology,Sonnet Software, Zeland Software, and others.

The novel CAD “PRINTCIRCOMPTECH”(print circuit components/technology) is an

This article examines thechoices an engineer mustmake when deciding how

to achieve an integratedmicrowave or RF circuit

using available fabricationand packaging methods

From September 2010 High Frequency ElectronicsCopyright © 2010 Summit Technical Media, LLC



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

easy-to-use program that creates doc-umentations for different kinds of RFand microwave passive componentsand technology processes. The pro-gram provides for synthesis, analysis,and optimization of passive compo-nents with known electrical, environ-mental, mechanical, and applicationrequirements. An output documenta-tion of the PRINTCOMPTECHincludes physical dimensions of acomponent, electrical performance,optimum technology process andmaterials, and tolerance analysis. RFand microwave integrated IC can bedivided into three categories: hybridIC, monolithic IC, and a combinationof hybrid and monolithic IC.

PRINTCOMPTECH includes thefollowing four different input/outputversions:

• Version 1 INPUT: requirements, unknownprint component, unknown tech-nology process and materials;OUTPUT: optimum print compo-nent type and performance, opti-mum technology process andmaterials, tolerances analysis,compliance between performance

and requirements.• Version 2

INPUT: requirements, knownprint component, unknown tech-nology process and materials;OUTPUT: optimum print compo-nent type and performance, opti-mum technology process andmaterials, tolerances analysis,compliance between performanceand requirements.

• Version 3 INPUT: requirements, unknownprint component, known technolo-gy process and materials;OUTPUT: optimum printed compo-nent type and performance, toler-ances analysis, compliance betweenperformance and requirements.

• Version 4 INPUT: requirements, knownprint component, known technolo-gy process and materials;OUTPUT: optimum print compo-nent type and performance, toler-ances analysis, compliancebetween performance andrequirements.

Table 1 represents OUTPUTinformation for the known technology

process and materials as a result ofanalysis (Version 4) and synthesis(Version 3) of print RF andmicrowave components.

If technology process and materi-als are unknown (Version 1 orVersion 2), the OUTPUT informationincludes technology process type,quantity of layers, substrate materi-al, conductor, resistive and additionaldielectric materials, package typeand material.

Electrical characteristics of regu-lar transmission lines for RF andmicrowave IC are: loss (conductor,dielectric, and radiation), quality fac-tor, impedance, effective dielectric con-stant, guide wavelength, operatingbandwidth, cutoff frequency, wavepropagation (fundamental mode),polarization, maximum operating fre-quency, radiation, and dispersion.Existing print transmission lines havesome limitations (see Table 2) whichinfluence the tradeoff design results.

The program TRASLTECH(transmission line/technology), whichis part of PRINTCIRCOMPTECH,includes the following print trans-mission lines [2, 3]:

· Microstrip line (ML), shieldedML, inverted ML, suspendedML, microslab, embedded ML,coated ML, thin-film ML, mem-brane supported ML

· Stripline (SL), double-conductorSL

· Suspended stripline (SSL),shielded high-Q SSL, double-substrate SSL

· Slotline (SLL), bilateral SLL,antipodal SLL

· Coplanar waveguide (CPW),shielded CPW, grounded CPW

· Finline (FL), bilateral FL,antipodal FL, antipodal overlap-ping FL

· Coplanar Strips (CS)· Broadside Strips (BS)

Combining various printed trans-mission lines [3] is one way to solveRF and microwave system complexi-

Figure 1 · Passive integrated circuit tradeoff analysis flow chart.



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

ty and provide tradeoff design, highlevel of miniaturization, and designof novel components with better per-formance. There are combinations ofbalanced and unbalanced transmis-sion lines (baluns), regular lines andcoupled lines, low-loss and high losslines, high-Q and miniature lines [4].

Let us consider some aspects ofthe ML tradeoff design. Choosingphysical dimensions of ML is a goodexample of the tradeoff design.Dimensions of microstrip componentsdecrease with increasing dielectricconstant of the substrate. Losses thenusually increase because higherdielectric constant materials usuallyhave higher loss tangents, and alsobecause for the same characteristicimpedance, reduced conductor linewidths have higher ohmic losses. Thisis a typical conflict between thesimultaneous requirements of smalldimensions and low loss.

Factors that affect the choice ofsubstrate thickness are most contro-versial. The positive effects ofdecreasing substrate thickness are:compact components, ease of integra-tion, less tendency to emit higher-order modes of radiation, smallerparasitic inductances produced by viaholes drilled through the dielectricsubstrate. However, a decrease insubstrate thickness, while maintain-ing constant characteristicimpedance, must be accompanied bya narrowing of the conductor width.Narrowing the width leads to higherconductor losses along with a lowerQ-factor. Also, for smaller width andthickness, fabrication tolerancesbecome more severe. Careless han-dling of thin substrates can causestress and strain, which can modifythe performance of the substrate. Thestrip width of ML should be mini-mized in order to decrease the overalldimensions, as well as to suppresshigher-order modes. It is important toremember, however, that a smallerstrip width leads to higher losses andstronger width tolerance.

Another example of the tradeoff

design is choosing physical dimen-sions of the high-Q SSL. Large height(distance between top and bottomground planes) leads to a higherpower capability and a higher Q-fac-tor of the SSL. The strip width shouldbe decreased in order to decrease theoverall dimensions, as well as to sup-press the high modes. It is importantto remember, however, that a smallerstrip width leads to higher losses.Also, a smaller strip requires a small-er height for the same impedance.

Technology processes determinethe following characteristics of pas-sive print RF and microwave compo-nents: losses, maximum power, fre-quency range, cost, and size.According to the program PRINT-COMPTECH, the choices for thetechnology process are [3, 5, 6]: 1)Printed Circuit Board (PCB); 2)Thick-Film; 3) Thin-Film; 4) Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramic(LTCC); 5) Direct Bond Copper(DBC); 6) Monolithic.

Table 1 · OUTPUTs of different RF and microwave components for analysisand synthesis (technology process and materials are known).



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

1. The PCB is used to etch therequired patterns on the copper lam-inated plastic substrates. The mostcommon processes used in the fabri-cation of PCB are plating, bonding,etching, and drilling. There are somelimitations of PCB technology: thetypical limit of track width and mini-mum gap between two conductors isaround 5-10 mil and the typical toler-ance of the conductor width is 1 mil.

2. Thick-film technology includesprinting, baking, and trimming pro-cesses. Special pastes are placed on ascreen with areas opened for the cir-cuit pattern. Conductive pastes (sil-ver, gold, palladium-gold, and soforth) are used for conductors, resis-tive paste is used for resistors, anddielectric pastes (Al2O3, AlN, andBeO) are used for capacitors and cou-pled lines. Advantages of this tech-nology are low cost, possibility ofmass production, potential for multi-layer circuit structures. But thethick-film technology has difficultiesof fabrication of fine lines and gaps.

3. Thin-film technology involvessputtering a metal (chromium, nick-el, and so forth) that has good adhe-sive performance with substrate toform a thin adhesive layer. The nextstep is sputtering a layer of gold. The

next step is the optical printing.Thin-film passive integration tech-nology is attractive because it is accu-rate and capable of achieving highercapacitance densities, while lowerprocess tolerances are required. Thin-film technology provides discretecapacitors and inductors with arehigh Q, low ESR, and very precisevalues for capacitance (±0.01 pF) andinductance (±0.1 nH). For coupledline components, finer line widthsmaximize the coupling coefficient,making possible the 3-dB couplers.

4. LTCC technology is a low-costmultilayer ceramic process for fabri-cation of RF and microwave compo-nents. Conductive, dielectric, andresistive pastes are applied on eachceramic sheet. This technology usesthin layers of ceramic substrates

with printed conductors to realizetransmission lines, distributed com-ponents, and other structures. Thenumerous sheets are then inspected,assembled, laminated together, andco-fired at around +850ºC. Plated-through vias are used for inter-layerinterconnection. Multi-layer designallows for realization of innovativeprinted structures such as balunsand filters. Advantages of the LTCCtechnology are low cost, low loss, highyield, precisely defined parameters,high performance conductors, poten-tial for multi-layer structures, andhigh density.

5. DBC process is used for directlybonding the copper sheet to theceramic or ferrite substrate, afterwhich a pattern is formed thereon bymasking and etching. The results are

Table 2 · Printed transmission line limitations

Table 3 · Selection of technology process accordingto transmission line dimensions, tolerances, and mini-mum dimensions.

Table 4 · Selection of technology process accordingto cost/Qty.

Table 5 · Selection of technology process accordingto maximum RF power.

Table 6 · Integration level of different technology pro-cesses.

high power possibility and extremelystrong bond of high-conductivity cop-per to the substrate.

6. Monolithic process uses a high-volume semiconductor techniquewhen active and passive devices aregrown and deposited on commonsemi-insulating substrate. Such cir-cuits are produced by the processes ofepitaxial growth, ion implantation,masked impurity diffusion, oxidegrowth, and oxide etching. The mono-lithic technology provides small sizeand weight, less parasitic reactancethan discrete devices, broader band-width than hybrid circuits, and repro-ducible results, especially for thesame wafer. Monolithic technologyalso provides extremely high operat-ing frequencies at low noise level.Disadvantages of monolithic technol-ogy are the expensive semiconductorsubstrate (which is especially notice-able for small quantities produced),very tight processing steps and toler-ances, limited heat dissipation, and alow Q-factor of resonators and filters.

The choice of technology processdepends on various parameters: elec-trical performance, quantity of unitsproduced, manufacturing tolerances,cost, required integration level, etc.Comparison of performances for dif-ferent technology processes of pas-sive RF and microwave print compo-nents is given in Tables 3-9.

The price of RF and microwavecomponents falls as the orderedquantity increases. If the quantity ishigh enough it is possible to adoptautomated assembly and test tech-niques. Also, for high quantities of RFand microwave components, the tech-nology process can be changed, forexample, from PCB to hybrid ormonolithic technique. Guidelinesthat provide cost reduction of passiveprint RF and microwave componentsare: use the cheapest technology pro-cess; use a low cost carrier substrate;keep assembly as simple as possible.Table 4 shows the relative cost of dif-ferent technology processes.

Figure 2 illustrates the dialog box

for different transmission lines, tech-nology processes, and materials.Using this box, a designer can enterthe INPUT requirements and thespecific application. Also, for a knowntransmission line (Version 2 orVersion 4), its type and physicaldimensions should be entered.

Analysis of a known transmissionline provides OUTPUT with all elec-trical performances. For an unknowntransmission line (Version 1 orVersion 3), the known INPUT electri-cal performance should be entered. Inthis case, the synthesis providesOUTPUT including type and physical



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

dimensions of the optimal transmis-sion line. For each type print trans-mission line we can calculate its elec-trical properties as the result of anal-ysis or its physical dimensions as theresult of synthesis. Also, using theTRANLINETECH, we can optimizethe technology process and materialsfor the print transmission line. Forthe analysis of the microstrip line,the input parameter ranges are: con-ductor with to substrate height ratio

0.1 < W/h < 3.0; h = 5-60 mils; 0.5mil < W < 180 mil. The output para-meters are characteristic impedanceZ0 = 15-120 ohms; effective dielectricconstant 1.5 < εeff < 20, loss α, cut-offfrequency fmax, and maximum powerPmax. For the synthesis of themicrostrip line, the input parametersare: center frequency and frequencyrange, characteristic impedancerange, return loss, total loss, maxi-mum power, cost, technology process,and materials. The output parame-ters are the physical dimensions ofthe ML (conductor width, substratethickness, total height betweenground plane and cover).

Substrate materials of an ICshould have the following character-istics: low cost, low dielectric loss, lowdielectric constant in order to reducecost and effects of tolerances varia-tion, or high dielectric constant for asmaller size and less radiation loss.Tables 7 and 8 show different sub-strate and conductor materials whichare used for RF and microwave print

components.The most contradictory parame-

ters of passive printed RF andmicrowave components are: cost vs.size, cost vs. loss, cost vs. shielding,loss vs. volume, RF power vs. cost andsize. These parameters should beoptimized by a tradeoff design. Thetransmission line integration index oftwo parameters—loss vs. volume—can be described by [2]:

where αΣ is the total insertion loss ofthe print transmission line; VΣ is thevolume of the transmission line, VΣ =LΣ × WΣ × HΣ, where LΣ, WΣ, and HΣare total (equivalent) length, width,and height of the transmission line.

Let us consider design aspects ofpassive RF and microwave compo-nents. A directional coupler is a recip-rocal four-port component, which pro-vides two amplitude outputs when asignal is applied to its input. Thereexist the following types of direction-al couplers: ring, branch-line, andcoupled-line. Electrical characteris-tics of directional couplers are: fre-quency band, insertion loss, coupling,isolation, directivity, matching orreturn loss, phase balance, band-width, and power. Bandwidth of thecoupled-line directional coupler canbe enlarged by increasing the num-ber of sections. Bandwidth of thebranch coupler can be enlarged byincreasing the number of branches,which causes an increase in physicalsize. Also, couplers with more thanfour branches are difficult inmicrostrip because the end branchesrequire impedances at the upper lim-its of practical implementation. Inaddition, an increase in impedance ofend sections and a correspondingdecrease of the conductor width leadto an increase in loss.

Therefore, the tradeoff design ofthe broadband directional couplersshould provide the optimal solutionfor the following contradictoryparameters: bandwidth vs. size,

i V dB inch= × ×∑ ∑α13 ( )

Figure 2 · Dialog boxes section ofTRANLINETECH screen.

Table 8 · Performance of substrate material.

Table 7 · Substrate materials and conductor materials for different tech-nology processes.



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

bandwidth vs. technology tolerancesand cost, and bandwidth vs. loss. Themicrostrip coupled-line directionalcoupler has a low directivity (10 to 15dB), which drops even further as thecoupling becomes weaker. The trade-off design with contradictory directiv-ity vs. coupling requires the modifica-tions of the conventional coupled-linedirectional couplers [3].

A reciprocal divider can providean equal or unequal power splitbetween two or more channels.Because of their reciprocity, thesenetworks may also be employed tocombine a number of oscillators oramplifiers at a single port. Electricalcharacteristics of a power divider are:frequency range, number of channels,insertion loss, isolation betweenchannels, matching or return loss,power division, bandwidth, ampli-tude balance, phase balance, andmaximum handling power. Individers which use directional cou-plers, the power split coefficient isproportional to the square of the ratioof admittances of coupler segments. Adecrease in admittance and a corre-sponding decrease in the width of theconductor lead to increased losses. Inthis case, unequal losses take placeon different segments of a directionalcoupler which results in deviationfrom the specified power split, mis-matching, and decreased isolation. Inmulti-section power dividers, as thenumber of sections is increased,bandwidth and isolation substantial-ly increase, although insertion lossesbecome higher.

RF and microwave filters suppressunwanted signals and separate sig-nals of different frequencies.Electrical specifications of filters are:cutoff frequency, input/outputimpedance, rejection, ripples in pass-band, pass band attenuation, order,stop band attenuation, second/third-harmonic attenuation, VSWR, fre-quency response, phase response,group-delay, impedance of resonators,guide wavelength, power, cutoff fre-quency, frequency range, and pass-

band. The typical band pass filter(BPF) tradeoff design includes thechoice of the filter transfer function.Butterworth function filters have noripples—insertion loss is flat in thefrequency band and rises monotoni-cally with frequency. Chebyshev func-tion filters provide much faster rise ofthe insertion loss with frequency for amaximum specified passband ripple.Since increased ripples result in bet-ter selectivity, this approximationoffers a compromise between pass-band ripple and selectivity.

Most coupled-line BPFs involvegaps between coupled lines, which canbe just several thousandths of an inchwide. These gaps, as well as resonatorwidth and substrate dielectric perfor-mances, are critical for the electricalperformance of the filter. For example,as the bandwidth is increased, thegaps become smaller, which mayincrease production difficulties andthe effect of the tolerances. Tightertolerances are possible at a highercost and a very low yield. For narrowbandwidths, a weaker coupling in thelarger gap between the coupled linesis required, which leads to anincreased difficulty in controlling therequired coupling. If we increase theBPF selectivity then the number ofelements, and hence the passbandloss, increases. A highly selective, nar-rowband, low loss BPF has significantphysical dimensions because the Q-factor of a resonator is proportional toits size. The integration quality of theBPF is characterized by the followingcontradictory parameters: volume,minimum dissipated losses, band-width, and number of sections. Therelationship between these parame-ters using the BPF integration indexis described in [3].

For the conventional print edstepped-impedance LPF, the mainproblem is achieving a minimum losswith a small size. The result of LPFtradeoff design is a combination ofseries small high-Q microstrip induc-tors and shunt capacitors [3, 12]. Thiscombination allows a very large

impedance ratio, and therefore a verygood stopband performance, in addi-tion to small size.

RF and microwave baluns are thekey passive components of double-balanced mixers, push-pull ampli-fiers, antenna-feed networks, etc. Abalun uses combinations of the fol-lowing different print lines: ML(unbalanced) to SLL (balanced), CPW(unbalanced) to SLL, ML to CS (bal-anced), etc. The tradeoffs of a balunare bandwidth vs. size, bandwidth vs.loss, and bandwidth vs. reflectioncoefficients.

RF and microwave phase shiftershave many applications in varioussystems. Electrical specifications of aphase shifter are: phase shifter type,phase shift, phase shift error, loss,VSWR, impedance of segments,input/output impedance, guide wave-length, power, frequency range, andbandwidth. Multi-bit switched linephase shifters [3] can be used to varythe phase shift up to 3600. Digitalphase shifters provide a discrete setof phase states that are controlled bytwo-state “phase bits.” The number ofbinary weighted phase shifting “bits”can be cascaded to realize a variablephase shifter covering the desiredrange. By using proper combinationof on/off states, one can implementany discrete number of phase statesbetween 0 and 360 degrees. To mini-mize the phase quantization error,one should increase the number ofbits, and hence the number of phaseshifters. A greater number of bitscauses higher complexity, higher RFloss, and lower tolerance interval ofthe side-lobe level for the antennaarray pattern.

Ferrite isolators and circulatorsare N-port nonreciprocal devices pro-viding one-way sequential transmis-sion of power between their ports.Electrical specifications of an isola-tor/circulator are: isolation, loss,VSWR, impedance of segments, modeoperation, saturation magnetization,effective permeability, direction ofcirculation, magnetic field strength,



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

input/output impedance, guide wave-length, power, frequency range, andbandwidth. Most electrical character-istics are functions of circuit geome-try, type of ferrite, and the strength ofthe biasing magnetic field.

RF and microwave duplexers con-necting a single antenna to thetransceiver direct the transmitterenergy to the single antenna and theenergy received by the antenna to thereceiver. A duplexer involves a ferritecirculator or a transmit/receiveswitch. The most contradictoryparameters of a duplexer are: loss vs.isolation, power, size, and cost; isola-tion vs. frequency band; size vs.power, cost, and bandwidth [7].

High-density integration of RFand microwave integrated circuitsrequires integration of a large num-ber of passive components. The multi-layer circuit board provides integra-tion of RF/microwave and digital cir-cuitry within a single compact assem-bly and decreases the overall physi-cal area. The other reason for employ-ing multilayer configuration is thatseveral passive RF and microwavecomponents (for example, baluns andtight coupling directional couplers)are difficult to realize in a single-layer planar structure. Interconnec-tions in a multilayer circuit boardinclude vertical vias. Multilayer con-struction can be realized using LTCCor PCB technology. The multilayerPCB is manufactured with thermo-plastic substrates and thin (~2 mil)prepreg between layers. Table 9shows layer structures for differentRF and microwave print components.

Higher frequency communicationstandards require a tighter perfor-mance of the passive components dueto a relatively stronger effect of para-sitics at these frequencies. For RFand microwave components, printedtransmission lines generally offer thesmallest sizes and the easiest fabri-cation. However, it does not offer thehighest electrical performance.Sometimes an RF component proto-type with a previously selected trans-mission line does not satisfy require-ments. In this case, the transmissionline and the chosen passive compo-nent should be modified (see the 8thstep of the flow chart, Fig. 1a).Besides single print transmissionlines, implementation of double andtriple lines is also possible [2, 3, 4].Combinations of different printtransmission lines are necessary forsome RF and microwave components,for example, baluns, multilayer struc-tures, and antenna-feed networks.Also, the ground structure of amicrostrip line can be modified toimprove the electrical performanceand reduce the size of print compo-nents. Microstrip components withdefected ground (DGP) are low-passfilters [8-10], dividers/combiners,directional couplers [11]. Novelmicrostrip RF and microwave compo-nents with ground plane aperture(GPA) (filters, dividers/combiners,phase shifters, directional couplers)and components with ground planelossy aperture (GPLA) (resistors, ter-minations, and attenuators) were dis-cussed in [12].

The main functions of the pack-

ages of RF and microwave IC aremechanical support, protection fromenvironment, and thermal stabiliza-tion. The total housing height shouldbe greater for higher average powercapability and loss but this leads toan increase in overall physicaldimensions. There are different typesof packages: metal, ceramic, plastic,and multilayer [3, 4]. The most con-tradictory characteristics of a pack-age are shielding vs. cost and size,size vs. loss. Non-hermetic plasticpackages have been widely usedbecause of their low manufacturingcost. The expensive metal housingsprovide excellent electromagneticshielding, thermal dissipation, andmechanical reliability. Dimensions ofa metal housing should be selected sothat the waveguide modes are belowcutoff. This is a typical conflict ofinterest between integrated circuitloss and housing size. A ceramicpackage provides moderate cost andlow weight. This package can bemade hermetic using, for example, ametalized alumina substrate. Themost widely used ceramic packagesare implemented using LTCC tech-nology. The problems of the ceramicpackages are the interconnect lineloss, the parasitic effects, and themechanical stress in the multilayerstructure due to the environment.

Most aspects of the tradeoffdesign process described in thispaper are summarized in Figure 3. Itshows ways to optimize passive RFand microwave components, technol-ogy processes, transmission lines,and integrated packages.

References1. N. Pulsford, “Passive

Integration Technology: TargetingSmall Accurate RF Parts,” RF Design,November 2002, pp. 40-48.

2. L. G. Maloratsky, “SettingStrategies for Transmission Lines,”Microwaves & RF, Part 1, September2008, pp.100-112, Part 2, October2008, pp. 84-86.

3. L. G. Maloratsky, Passive RF &

Table 9 · Layer structure for different RF and microwave print components.



RF & MICROWAVE ICs

Microwave Integrated Circuits,Elsevier, 2004.

4. L. G. Maloratsky, “Combi-nations of Various Print Transmis-sion Lines: Design and Applications,”Microwave Journal.

5. C. Reynolds, “A Review of HighFrequency Passive ComponentTechnologies (Thin-Film, Thick-Film,Discrete & PMC) for RF DesignApplications,” AVX Technical Infor-mation, http://www.avx.com/docs/techinfo/areview.pdf

6. S. Kayali, et. al., “GaAs MMICReliability Assurance Guideline forSpace Applications,” NASA JetPropulsion Laboratory, CaliforniaInstitute of Technology, Pasadena,California, December 1996.

7. L. G. Maloratsky, “TransceiverDuplexer Design Considerations,”Microwave Journal, October 2008,

pp. 68-86.8. Jong-Sik Lim, et al., “A New

Type of Low Pass Filter withDefected Ground Structure,” IEICETransactions on Electronics, 2005E88-C (1), pp. 135-138.

9. J. Chen, et al., “Lowpass FilterDesign of Hilbert Curve RingDefected Ground Structure,” Progressin Electromagnetic Research, PIER70, 2007, pp. 269-280.

10. R. Zhang, et al., “A NovelLowpass Microstrip Filter UsingMetal-Loaded Slots in the GroundPlane,” IEEE-MTT-S Digest, 2004,pp. 1311-1314.

11. R. Sharma, et al., “Design of aNovel 3-dB Microstrip BackwardWave Coupler Using DefectedGround Structure,” Progress inElectromagnetics Research, PIER 65,2006, pp. 261-273.

12. L. G. Maloratsky, “MicrostripCircuits with Modified GroundPlane,” High Frequency Electronics,December 2009, pp. 38-47.

Author InformationLeo G. Maloratsky received his

MSEE from the Moscow AviationInstitute and his PhD from theMoscow Institute of Communica-tions. He was involved in theresearch, development and produc-tion of RF and microwave integratedcircuits at the ElectrotechnicalInstitute, and he was assistant pro-fessor at the Moscow Institute ofRadioelectronics. He has worked as astaff engineer at Allied Signal and aprincipal engineer at RockwellCollins. In 2008 he joined AerospaceElectronics Co. He can be reached [email protected]

Figure 3 · Summary of the design tradeoff process.

hfe0910_maloratsky

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