TELSIKS-21-005.pdf (848 kB)
Download fileModelling Considerations for Coupled Lines in CMOS Back-End-Of-Line at mm-Wave Frequencies
We investigate the effect of passivation contouring, surface roughness, and sidewall etch tapering on the FEM modelling accuracy of mm-wave couplers in CMOS BEOL. It is found that accurate passivation contouring leads to a marginal improvement of 0.15 dB in peak coupling prediction accuracy, but introducing a sidewall taper of 104ᵒ can improve the prediction of peak coupling by up to 0.37 dB. Including surface roughness of 5 % and 10 % of metal thickness did not have a notable improvement on prediction of peak coupling.
Funding
National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) under grants 92526 and 93921
South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO)
Eskom Tertiary Education Support Programme (TESP)
History
Email Address of Submitting Author
venter.jjp@tuks.co.zaORCID of Submitting Author
0000-0002-8644-8951Submitting Author's Institution
University of PretoriaSubmitting Author's Country
- South Africa