The advances in microwave monolithic integrated circuit technology (MMIC's) have led to new applications like anticollision radar for auto mobiles or millimeterwave modules for wide-band communication. These new applications pushed the requirements for microwave packaging to provide advanced low cost packaging and antenna solutions. Novel packaging and antenna designs are tested in a new compact flat-antenna outdoor unit for wide-band millimeterwave communication that is currently under development (figure 1). The unit is composed of plastic and metal injection molded components in order to reduce overall cost and weight drastically. The high-gain, 780 cm~2 aperture antenna as well as high-Q waveguide filters are composed of metallised plastic parts. The highly integrated millimeterwave front end uses GaAs MMIC technology. Multilayer LTCC substrate is used on top of a complex metal heatsink to integrate RF-, biasing- and control circuitry as well as hermetical coaxial and waveguide feedthroughs. A non-resonant package results from using a complex metallised plastic cover that also protects the MMICs against environmental influences.
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