Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) having conductor-backed coplanar waveguides and method of designing such MMICs

• US 8,867,226 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Tyhach, Matthew C., Colomb, Francois Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hoa C
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, BINH BACH THANH
• Application Number:
  US13/169,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20120327624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 361/734, 361/735, 361/736, 361/738, 361/748, 361/760, 361/761, 361/763, 361/766, 361/799, 361/800
• US Class Current: 361/763
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0605 integrated circuits made of compound material, e.g. AIIIBV
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0629 in combination with diodes, or resistors, or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/371 Branching current paths

Abstract

A MMIC having: a substrate; a plurality of active and passive electrical elements disposed on a top surface of the substrate; a plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections disposed on the top surface of the substrate for electrically interconnecting the active and passive electrical elements; an electrical conductor disposed on a bottom surface of the substrate under the coplanar waveguide section. Edges of ground plane conductors of the coplanar waveguide (CPW) sections have slots therein in regions thereof connected to the active and passive devices. The design of such circuit includes mathematical models of the CPW with the pair of local ground planes and the strip conductor thereof have relatively narrow connectable ports.

Claims

1. A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrical elements disposed on a top surface of the substrate;

wherein each one of the elements having a coplanar waveguide section, each coplanar waveguide section having a strip conductor disposed between a pair of ground plane conductors, each one of the pair of ground plane conductors having two portions, a first portion being wider than a second portion, the second portion providing a ground plane conductor port for the corresponding one of the plurality of elements, the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections being disposed on the top surface of the substrate wherein the ground plane conductor port of one of the elements is directly connected to the ground plane conductor port of a connected one of the plurality of elements.

2. The structure recited in claim 1 including an electrically conductive region disposed over portions of a bottom surface of the substrate.

3. The structure recited in claim 2 wherein the electrically conductive region is a ground.

4. The structure recited in claim 1 wherein a bottom surface of the substrate is electrically conductive.

5. The structure recited in claim 4 wherein a bottom surface of the substrate is an electrical ground.

6. The monolithic microwave integrated circuit recited in claim 1 wherein a slot is formed by the ground plane conductor port of one of the elements being directly connected to the ground plane conductor port of a connected one of the plurality of elements.

7. A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrical elements disposed on a top surface of the substrate, each one of the elements having a coplanar waveguide transmission line section disposed on the top surface of the substrate for electrically interconnecting the electrical elements; and

wherein each one of the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections includes;

a pair of ground plane conductors; and

a signal strip conductor disposed between the pair of ground plane conductors; and

wherein each one of the ground plane conductors includes;

an input ground plane conductor port at one end thereof;

an output ground plane conductor port at an opposite end thereof;

wherein a width of a portion of the ground plane conductor between the ports is wider than the input ground plane conductor port and the output ground plane conductor port; and

wherein edges of ground plane conductors of the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections have pairs of opposing slots therein, each one of the slots in each one of the pairs projecting inwardly along a common direction parallel to the top surface towards another one of the slots in such one of the pairs, each one of the slots in such one of the pairs extending from an outer edge of one of the ground plane conductors and terminating in inner region of such one of the ground plane conductors, the slots being in regions connecting a first one of the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections to a second directly connected one of the coplanar waveguide transmission line sections.

8. A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrical components disposed on a top surface of the substrate;

each one of the electrical components having a coplanar waveguide transmission line section for electrically interconnecting the electrical elements;

and

wherein edges of ground plane conductors of the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections have pairs of opposing slots therein, each one of the slots in each one of the pairs projecting inwardly along a common direction parallel to the top surface towards another one of the slots in such one of the pairs, each one of the slots in such one of the pairs extending from an outer edge of one of the ground plane conductors and terminating in inner region of such one of the ground plane conductors, the slots being in regions connecting one of the plurality of coplanar waveguide transmission line sections to a directly connected second one of the coplanar waveguide sections.

9. A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrical components disposed on a top surface of the substrate;

each one of the electrical components having;

a signal conductor; and

a pair of local ground plane conductor regions, the signal conductor being disposed between the pair of local ground plane conductor regions;

wherein each one of the pair of local ground plane conductor regions has a pair of outer local ground plane conductor ports, the local ground plane conductor ports being connected to a wider region of the local ground plane conductor regions;

wherein the local ground plane conductor port of each of the pair of local ground plane conductor regions and the signal conductor of one of the electrical components are connected directly to the local ground plane conductor port of each of the pair of local ground plane conductor regions and the signal conductor, respectively, of a connected one of the electrical components..

10. The structure recited in claim 9 including an electrically conductive region disposed over portions of a bottom surface of the substrate.

11. The structure recited in claim 10 wherein the electrically conductive region is a ground.

12. The structure recited in claim 9 wherein a bottom surface of the substrate is electrically conductive.

13. The structure recited in claim 12 wherein a bottom surface of the substrate is an electrical ground.

14. A monolithic microwave integrated circuit, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of electrical components disposed on a top surface of the substrate;

each one of the electrical components having;

a signal conductor having an input; and

a pair of local ground plane conductor regions, the signal conductor being disposed between the pair of the local ground plane conductor regions;

wherein pair of the local ground plane conductor regions have a pair of outer local ground plane conductor ports, the local ground plane conductor ports being connected to wider regions of the local ground plane conductor sections;

wherein one of the pair of local ground plane conductor ports of each one of the pair of local ground plane conductors is an input local ground plane conductor port and the other one of the pair of local ground plane conductor ports of each one of the pair of local ground plane conductors is an output local ground plane conductor port;

wherein the input local ground plane conductor port of each of the pair of local ground plane conductors and the input port of the signal conductor of one of the electrical components are connected to the output local ground plane conductor port of each of the pair of local ground plane conductors and the output port of the signal conductor, respectively of a connected one of the electrical components.