volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

This paper discusses for the first time the combined optoelectronic-electromagnetic modelling of a new technology that represents a paradigm shift in the way millimetre-wave and terahertz electronics can be implemented using the REconfigurable Terahertz INtegrated Architecture (RETINA) concept. Instead of having traditional metal-pipe rectangular waveguide structures with metal sidewalls, RETINA structures have photo-induced virtual sidewalls within a high resistivity silicon substrate. This new class of substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology allows individual components to be made tuneable and subsystems to be reconfigurable, by changing light source patterns. Detailed optoelectronic modelling strategies for the generation of virtual sidewalls and their electromagnetic interactions are presented in detail for the first time. It is found with double-sided illuminated RETINA structures that an insertion loss of 1.3 dB/ λ_g at 300 GHz is predicted for the dominant TE₁₀ mode and for a cavity resonator a Q-factor of 4 at 173 GHz is predicted for the TE₁₀₁ mode. While predicted losses are currently greater than other non-tuneable/reconfigurable SIW technologies, there is a wide range of techniques that can improve their performance, while still allowing completely arbitrary topologies to be defined in the x-z plane. For this reason, it is believed that this technology could have a profound impact on the future of millimetre-wave and terahertz electronics. As a result, this paper could be of interest to research groups that have the specialised experimental resources to implement practical demonstrator exemplars.

1. Lucyszyn, S. and I. D. Robertson, "Analog reflection topology building blocks for adaptive microwave signal processing applications," IEEE Trans. Micro. Theory Tech., Vol. 43, No. 3, 601-611, Mar. 1995.
doi:10.1109/22.372106 Google Scholar

2. Lucyszyn, S., Advanced RF MEMS, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, ISBN-13: 9780521897716, Aug. 2010.

3. McGrath, W. R., C. Walker, M. Yap, and Y.-C. Tai, "Silicon micromachined waveguides for millimetre-wave and submillimeterwave frequencies ," IEEE Microw. Guid. Wave Lett., Vol. 3, No. 3, 61-63, 1993. Google Scholar

4. Lucyszyn, S., Q. H. Wang, and I. D. Robertson, "0.1 THz rectangular waveguide on GaAs semi-insulating substrate," IEE Elect. Lett., Vol. 31, No. 9, 721-722, Apr. 1995.
doi:10.1049/el:19950480 Google Scholar

5. Lucyszyn, S., D. Budimir, Q. H. Wang, and I. D. Robertson, "Design of compact monolithic dielectric-filled metal-pipe rectangular waveguides for millimetre-wave applications," IEE Proceedings --- Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 143, No. 5, 451-453, Oct. 1996.
doi:10.1049/ip-map:19960761 Google Scholar

6. Lucyszyn, S., "The future of on-chip terahertz metal-pipe rectangular waveguides implemented using micromachining and multilayer technologies," IEE Colloquium Digest on Terahertz Technology and Its Applications, Vol. 1997, No. 151, 10/1-10/10, London, Apr. 1997. Google Scholar

7. Lucyszyn, S., S. R. P. Silva, I. D. Robertson, R. J. Collier, A. K. Jastrzebski, I. G. Thayne, and S. P. Beaumont, "Terahertz multi-chip module (T-MCM) technology for the 21st Century?," IEE Colloquium Digest on Multi-chip Modules and RFICs, 6/1-6/8, London, May 1998. Google Scholar

8. Aftanasar, M. S., P. R. Young, I. D. Robertson, J. Minalgiene, and S. Lucyszyn, "Photoimageable thick-film millimetre-wave metal-pipe rectangular waveguides," IEE Elect. Lett., Vol. 37, No. 18, 1122-1123, Aug. 2001.
doi:10.1049/el:20010750 Google Scholar

9. Stephens, D., P. R. Young, and I. D. Robertson, "Design and characterization of 180 GHz filters in photoimageable thick-film technology," IEEE MTT-S IMS, Vol. 1, 451-454, 2005. Google Scholar

10. Bowen, J. W., S. Hadjiloucas, B. M. Towlson, L. S. Karatzas, S. T. G. Wootton, N. J. Cronin, S. R. Davies, C. E. McIntosh, J. M. Chamberlain, R. E. Miles, and R. D. Pollard, "Micromachined waveguide antennas for 1.6 THz," IEE Elect. Lett., Vol. 42, No. 15, 842-843, Jul. 2006.
doi:10.1049/el:20061766 Google Scholar

11. Lucyszyn, S., "Substrate integrated metal-pipe rectangular waveguides," IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS2010) Workshop Proceedings, WSI: Substrate Integrated Circuits, USA, May 2010.

12. Lucyszyn, S. and Y. Zhou, "Reconfigurable terahertz integrated architecture (RETINA)," 33rd International Conference on Infrared, Millimetre, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz 2008), Pasadena, USA, Sep. 2008.

13. Ambroziak, A., Semiconductor Photoelectric Devices, Iliffe Books, London, 1968.

14. Joshi, N. V., "Photoconductivity: Art, Science and Technology," Marcel Dekker, New York, 1990. Google Scholar

15. Johnson, A. M. and D. H. Auston, "Microwave switching by picosecond photoconductivity," IEEE J. Quant. Electronics, Vol. 11, No. 6, 283-287, Jun. 1975.
doi:10.1109/JQE.1975.1068622 Google Scholar

16. Lee, C. H., "Picosecond optoelectronic switching in GaAs," Appl. Phy. Lett., Vol. 30, No. 2, 84-86, Jan. 1977.
doi:10.1063/1.89297 Google Scholar

17. Seeds, A. J. and A. A. De Salles, "Optical control of microwave semiconductor devices," IEEE Trans. Micro. Theory Tech., Vol. 38, No. 5, 577-585, May 1990.
doi:10.1109/22.54926 Google Scholar

18. Lucyszyn, S. and I. D. Robertson, "Optically-induced measurement anomalies with voltage-tunable analog control MMICs," IEEE Trans. Micro. Theory Tech., Vol. 46, No. 8, 1105-1114, Aug. 1998.
doi:10.1109/22.704953 Google Scholar

19. Platte, W., "LED-induced distributed Bragg reflection microwave ¯lter with ¯bre-optically controlled change of center frequency via photoconductivity grating," IEEE Trans. Micro. Theory Tech., Vol. 39, No. 2, 359-363, Feb. 1991.
doi:10.1109/22.102986 Google Scholar

20. Platte, W., "An optimization of semiconductor film thickness in light-controlled microstrip devices," Solid-state Electron., Vol. 20, 57-60, 1977.
doi:10.1016/0038-1101(77)90034-X Google Scholar

21. Platte, W., Lichtempfindliche Halbleiterschichten in Microstrip Schaltungen, Dissertation, 78, University Erlangen-Nurnberg, 1975.

22. Flewitt, A. J. and W. I. Milne, "a-Si:H TFT thin film and substrate materials," Thin Film Transistors: Materials and Processes, Amorphous Silicon Thin Film Transistors, Poly-crystalline Silicon Thin Transist , Chapter 2, Y. Kuo (ed.), 32, Kluwer Academic Pub., Feb. 2004. Google Scholar

23. Lee, C. H., P. S. Mak, and A. P. DeFonzo, "Optical control of millilmeter-wave propagation in dielectric waveguides," IEEE J. Quant. Electronics, Vol. 16, No. 3, 277-288, Mar. 1980.
doi:10.1109/JQE.1980.1070468 Google Scholar

24. Davenas, J., S. Besbes, and H. Ben Ouada, "NIR spectrophotometry characterization of ITO electronic property changes at the interface with a PPV derivative," Synethetic Metals, No. 138, 295-298, 2003.
doi:10.1016/S0379-6779(02)01296-1 Google Scholar

25. Biyikli, N., I. Kimukin, B. Butun, O. Aytur, and E. Ozbay, "ITO-Schttky photodiodes for high-performance detection in the UV-IR spectrum," IEEE J. Quant. Electronics, Vol. 10, No. 4, 759-765, Aug. 2004.
doi:10.1109/JSTQE.2004.833977 Google Scholar

26. Szczyrbowski, J., A. Dietrich, and H. Hoffmann, "Optical and electrical properties of r.f. sputtered indium-tin oxide films," Phys. Stat. Sol. (a), Vol. 78, 243-252, 1983.
doi:10.1002/pssa.2210780129 Google Scholar

27. Afsar, M. N. and K. J. Button, "Precise millimetre-wave measurements of complex refractive index, complex dielectric permittivity and loss tangent of GaAs, Si, SiO2, Al2O3, BeO, Macor and Glass," IEEE Trans. Micro. Theory Tech., Vol. 31, No. 2, 217-223, Feb. 1983.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.1983.1131460 Google Scholar

28. SILVACO, Atlas user's manual, device simulation software, 2002.

29. Dressel, M. and G. Gruner, Electrodynamics of Solids: Optical Properties of Electrons in Matter, Cambridge University Press, 2002.

30. Zhou, Y. and S. Lucyszyn, "HFSS^TM modelling anomalies with THz metal-pipe rectangular waveguide structures at room temperature," PIERS Online, Vol. 5, No. 3, 201-211, 2009.
doi:10.2529/PIERS080907072308 Google Scholar

31. Patrovsky, A., M. Daigle, and K. Wu, "Coupling mechanism in hybrid SIW-CPW forward couplers for millimeter wave substrate integrated circuits," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 56, No. 11, 2594-2602, Nov. 2008.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2008.2005919 Google Scholar

32. Henry, M., C. E. Free, B. S. Izqueirdo, J. Batchelor, and P. Young, "Millimeter wave substrate integrated waveguide antennas: Design and fabrication analysis," IEEE Trans. Adv. Packag., Vol. 32, No. 1, 93-100, Feb. 2009.
doi:10.1109/TADVP.2008.2011284 Google Scholar

33. Samanta, K. K., D. Stephens, and I. D. Robertson, "Design and performance of a 60-GHz multi-ship module receiver employing substrate integrated waveguides ," IET Microwaves, Antennas & Propagation, Vol. 1, No. 2, 961-967, Oct. 2007. Google Scholar

34. Yousef, H., S. Cheng, and H. Kratz, "Substrate integrated waveguides (SIWs) in a flexible printed circuit board for millimeter-wave applications," J. Microelectromech. Syst., Vol. 18, No. 1, 154-162, Feb. 2009.
doi:10.1109/JMEMS.2008.2009799 Google Scholar

35. Kirby, P. L., D. Pukala, H. Manohara, I. Mehdi, and J. Papapolymerou, "Characterization of micromachined silicon rectangular waveguide at 400 GHz," IEEE Microw. Wireless Compon. Lett., Vol. 16, No. 6, 366-368, Jun. 2006.
doi:10.1109/LMWC.2006.875593 Google Scholar

36. http://www.falstad.com/embox/.

Dr. Yun Zhou

Prof. Stepan Lucyszyn