A compact VCO based on LTCC technology.

In this letter, a novel voltage control oscillator (VCO) is proposed and fabricated by low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Advanced three-dimensional packaging structure is utilized for size reduction by embedding passive components in multilayer substrate. According to the single π circuit configuration, the models of embedded helical inductors and coupling capacitors are established to optimize the match circuit of the VCO module. With the passive components embedded into multilayer ceramic substrate, the LTCC VCO exhibits advantages of small size and high reliability compared to conventional VCO module on PCB substrate. This proposed structural model is validated through actual LTCC process. Measured parameters show good performance and agree well with the EM simulation results. The physical dimension of the VCO module is only 10 mm×10 mm×1 mm, which makes it suitable for SIP communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]