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Fabrication of Substrate-Integrated Waveguide Using Micromachining of Photoetchable Glass Substrate for 5G
Seung-Han Chung1, Jae-Hyun Shin2, Yong-Kweon Kim1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
Micromachines
|February 25, 2023
Summary
A novel millimeter-wave substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) was fabricated using photoetchable glass (PEG) and through-glass-vias (TGVs) for 5G applications. This cost-effective method simplifies manufacturing and shows promising performance in the Ka-band.
Area of Science:
- Electrical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Microwave Engineering
Background:
- Substrate-Integrated Waveguides (SIWs) are crucial for millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications, including 5G.
- Traditional SIW fabrication often involves complex Through-Glass-Via (TGV) processes.
- Photoetchable glass (PEG) offers unique properties for microfabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a novel millimeter-wave SIW using micromachined photoetchable glass (PEG).
- To develop a simplified fabrication process for SIW structures with integrated TGVs.
- To evaluate the performance of the proposed SIW for 5G applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized photoetchable glass (PEG) as the dielectric material for the SIW.
- Fabricated continuous empty TGV holes with metallized sidewalls to form waveguide walls.
- Employed optical exposure, heat development, anisotropic HF etching, and metal sputtering for TGV wall fabrication.
- Integrated microstrip feedlines and tapered transitions using selective metal sputtering via a silicon shadow mask fabricated by DRIE.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated a millimeter-wave SIW with dimensions 6 × 10 × 0.42 mm³.
- Achieved an average insertion loss of 2.53 ± 0.55 dB in the Ka-band (26.5–40 GHz).
- Obtained a return loss better than 13.86 dB, indicating good impedance matching.
Conclusions:
- The developed PEG-based process offers a simple, wafer-level manufacturing method for SIWs.
- This approach avoids complex TGV filling and repeated photolithography steps.
- The proposed fabrication technique is suitable for various millimeter-wave devices requiring glass substrates with TGV structures.
