RF System-on-Package (SOP) Development for compact low cost Wireless Front-end systems

This paper presents the development of RF System-on-Package (SOP) architectures for compact and low cost wireless radio front -end systems. A novel 3D integration approach for SOP-based solutions for wireless communication applications is proposed and utilized for the implementation of a C band Wireless LAN (WLAN) RF front-end module by means of stacking LTCC substrates using mBGA technology. Results from the characterization and the modeling of RF vertical board -to-board transitions using mBGA process are presented for the first time. LTCC designs of high-performance multilayer embedded bandpass filters and novel stacked cavity-backed patch antennas are also reported. In addition, the fabrication of very high Q-factor inductors and embedded filter in organic substrates demonstrate the satisfactory performance of multilayer organic packages.